Loud Growl While Playing

[nlarson]

I have a six year female old American bulldog, who has had substantial training and gotten a K-9 Good Citizen award. She is very well behaved except in one aspect, while at play she makes very loud throaty growls. These sounds and her body language are very different (to my ears/eyes) from when she is feeling truly aggressive/threatened. Her tail is up and wagging, she is happy not tense or threatening. She has never nipped a person or dog, she is just very loud. This is only while she is playing.

In the past this was not an issue because she would only play when I was in the mood to play or at the dog park so the noise never bothered me, the problem is we just got a Male AB puppy and they play constantly. It is aggressive play, but not overly so. She is great with the puppy, and does not attempt to dominate him, but she is so loud.

Since she makes these noises at all times when she is playing, even with me I am not sure how to train her out of this situation without training her not to play. Obviously I want her to play, so does anyone have a suggestion how to break the pattern without breaking the play?

 

[Doberluv]

Why would you want to????? I love the way my dogs talk to me and each other with throaty, growly noises. Sometimes they get quite loud. And I join in with the fun too, making my own growly noises. To stop the growly play noises but let the play continue.....nah... It would be like someone wanting you to not laugh when you find something funny or make the joyful sounds you make when you're having a wee of a good time.

If you mean that it is too much noise and rambunctiousness for inside the house, too much rough housing, you can seperate them for a while or encourage them to play outside. But noises go along with playing. You can try teaching "settle." But I haven't had much luck with that when the two big dogs are playing. I just need to interupt them, give them something else to get interested in, put them outside or seperate them till they calm down. Once they're really into it, it's hard for them to know what you mean by playing quietly unless you're right there all the time to interupt them, reward them for gentler, calmer play and try that way. I don't like if my big dogs get too rough inside or they'll break something and I tell them to settle. But then they need to do something else, not play.

If it's not that, it could be sounds coming from having difficulty breathing and she sounds rhaspy or wheezy.

 

[nlarson]

Why on earth would you want to????? I love the way my dogs talk to me and each other with throaty, growly noises. Sometimes they get quite loud. And I join in with the fun too, making my own growly noises. Why would anyone want to squelch their happy talk or take away what is so natural? It would be like someone wanting you to not laugh when you find something funny or make the joyful sounds you make when you're having a wee of a good time. I'm confused.

For 5 years I would never have wanted to since she was making noise while I was playing with her, so it was great. The problem is I have a small house... and now with the puppy constantly wanting to play and wrestle over toys and chewys that it gets so loud that I can't talk on the phone, watch tv, or even think unless they are sleeping off the last play session. Also, after an hour straight I get a headache. It's also worth noting I am specifically looking for a way to reduce the level of noise not the level of play.

Oh, these are definitely intentional sounds, not breathing issues.

 

[Love That Collie]

Why on earth would you want to????? I love the way my dogs talk to me and each other with throaty, growly noises. Sometimes they get quite loud. And I join in with the fun too, making my own growly noises. Why would anyone want to squelch their happy talk or take away what is so natural? It would be like someone wanting you to not laugh when you find something funny or make the joyful sounds you make when you're having a wee of a good time. I'm confused.

If it's not that, it could be sounds coming from having difficulty breathing and she sounds rhaspy or wheezy.

I have to say that I'm in agreement here.
Bailey is talkative anyway but he really gets into "it" when he plays. He will get very loud when he and Chloe really get down to business into some serious playtime. At times I've been on the telephone and had to go into another room and close the door. LOL. I like to sit back and watch them when I'm not able to join in at that moment. opcorn:

 

[Doberluv]

After I posted, I thought I must have misinterpreted what you wrote. So I edited it. I hate that edit thing. You already saw how incredulous I sounded and I thought better of it and changed it and added something.

I thought it was just the growly talk. But then I remember how my two big dogs get if they get overly wild. It's VERY loud and they pounce hard and whip around near the coffee table. So, yes....that has to stop. That's when I interupt them and send them outside or something. Occassionally, they will play very softly where they're both lying down and just mouthing each other or pawing a little bit, but that's when they're a little sleepy and not so energetic. If they're too full of beans, out they go or they get seperated or told to "settle." (stop) LOL. But if they're allowed to play, noises go along with it as far as I know.

 

[nlarson]

LOL, now your getting what I mean. My coffee table is in a constant state of movement and the puppy is only 25lbs... working towards 110. I'll keep working on 'settle' (which has had little success for me as well) with Daisy and get my wife to 'settle' the puppy, I'm trying no to break them up cause I love that they play so well together.

 

[BSan]

Not to distract from the original question, but I had some smiles when reading about your dogs. I have only one dog, and he is noisy all by himself. It is not that he barks all the time, but when he plays or wants to play, he is loud also. It is a distinctive "play" bark. Then, there are his numerous squeaky toys, that he picks up, and happens to squeeze over and over again when we are watching something on tv, or on the phone. My daughter sometimes hide them for some peace. I go back and forth in my mind about whether to consider a second dog, and hearing about others experiences add considerations to those thoughts. My house is also not very big, and I can only imagine my coffee table shaking. LOL

 

[Doberluv]

I don't own any squeeky toys. LOL. Actually, my dogs are all hard chewers and they'd just ruin them in a couple of bites. It's Kongs or Nyla and that's about all they can have.

LOL. I hear ya about the small house and multiple dogs. I have 4 dogs in a 924 sq ft house. Thank goodness 2 of them are little pip squeek Chihuahuas.

My boy Chi is reeeeeelly the talker. The other dogs don't make that much noise. He gets so into killing his toy or an old sock and he not only grrrrrr, but he howls. His little mouth forms an O and he makes a long, drawn out howl. When he growls sometimes it sounds like a human voice because there's a lot of air that goes through the vocal cords, so it's really like talking, changing notes up and down. LOL. I love it when he vocalizes. It doesn't bother me at all. It just flat out cracks me up. But the big dogs..well, they're not that loud with their voices...it's more their feet and some throaty panting type sounds.

No....if they get to a certain point in play where it's too much, I stop them. I can't have that kind of chaos in my house. They can play tug because they stand in one place. They can mouth each other a little, but when the feet start going over the shoulder of the other dog or they're beginning that rearing up on their hind legs....that's when I know things are about to get too silly. And I beg them to settle down. LOL.

 

[Love That Collie]

I have 2 Collies.
My house is small also but I have a large fenced yard so when things get
too loud and rambunctious I tell them take it outside and open the door.

I don't have a coffee table anymore. LOL, I removed it for more room when I got the 2nd dog. Actually I like it better with no coffee table. There was more than enough furniture anyway. But all in all, even when they are tearing around the house they never turn anything over because they are running after each other.

 

[Dolly]

Our staffie and our big mutt play with each other a lot, and they can both be quite loud! Umi, the staffie, makes these snarling noises that sound like she wants to rip someone's throat out :yikes: but her body language says otherwise (tail wagging, no hackles, etc). Our big mutt is also very vocal, but not snarly -- I swear he sounds just like Chewbacca from Star Wars. But I do watch them carefully, and if they get too rough 'n rowdy then they are separated for a couple of minutes. Then they quiet down.

 

[goosey]

Just imagine when humans play together, we yell an scream it makes our games more fun and we can talk to each other if we couldn't the game would get boring so u can't ask her to stop all together.
Try putting her outside when she's playing so the noise dosn't bother u when their done playing let them back in.
If u have guests try saying her name then shhhh it works with my dogs if she still wont stop lock them away from their guest. But they will most probley always make those noises thats their way on comunicating.