Growling

[chalonen]

I was just wondering if anyone had a suggestion for a little problem that we are having with Lexie. (4 month female LabX )

Lexie is a really gentle puppy and she wouldn't hurt a fly, but whenever she plays with another puppy (one that is the same size or smaller than her) she becomes very aggressive and growls a lot! and its not just a soft playing growl its the kind of growl that if someone didn't know her they might think she is angry and vicious!

She has never hurt any other puppy or dog (or anything or anyone for that matter). One suggestion I have gotten is that because she was the only female of her litter and the runt, that she might be trying to dominate the other puppies because that's what she had to do when trying to get fed by her mom when her siblings were around.
I just worry that we might meet another puppy at the park and she will do the whole growling thing with that puppy and that the owner will get really freaked out about it cause they don't know Lexie.

She always gets carried away like this when she is playing with her best friend Bernie ( she basically kicks his butt all the time). He is exactly one month older than her and is a Beagle/Husky mix. He is a very submissive dog, so I think that might have something to do with it. And so help him if he tries to get her back! cause she goes berserk on him! :yikes: Poor little guy!
The other puppy she acted like this with was a Weimaraner puppy that is the exact same age as her to the day and is also a female.

So if anyone has any suggestions on why Lexie might be doing this and how we can stop her from doing this I would really appreciate it. This really isn't a trait we would like her to keep!

Thanks so much!!!
Christine and Lexie

 

[lizzybeth727]

Play very often looks like aggression - it's very loud and can be rough sometimes. There are a few ways you can tell if the play's gone too far - if a dog bites and draws blood on another dog, or if the other dog tries to get away from/hide from your dog. What you're describing does sound like play.

If you want to stop the growling, though, you can grab your dog and put her in a "time out" every time she starts to growl.

 

[milos_mommy]

If she isn't hurting the other puppy, then it's normal. You should hear Milo during play..sounds like a pack of wolves.

 

[adojrts]

Personally I wouldn't stop it, its play and the pups will sort it out, if she goes over the top they wont play with her. You also may want her to play with a adult dog that is good with pups, they too wont tolerate any over the top behaviour.
I also wouldn't want to stop the growling, that is her warning system (away from play) and if punished or discouragred from growling, she could turn into a silent bitter if you are not careful.

 

[chalonen]

that totally makes sense...I just wanted to make sure that it wasn't a sign of aggression or something! so thanks everyone I really appreciate your input!