# Dog asking to be stroked, then growls



## Stefx (Sep 29, 2012)

I look after a little jack Russell, around 5, who is a growly dog on the whole, but has never ever bitten or gone to bite a person.
As an example, he'll come over, look up willingly and sit patiently. When I stroke him he'll growl. So I stop and he returns to looking at me willingly, maybe even nudges my hand with his nose, or give a soft kick of his back leg and exposes his tummy, then again he'll growl when I stroke him. 
Or he'll be physically relaxed, and visibly enjoying a scratch behind his ear but will be softly growling. 
Or he'll get up on the sofa with me, put himself on my lap, have a growl and then fall asleep. 
Or he'll get a toy, eagerly wait for me to try and take it then growl. I'll leave it, then he'll be wagging and pushing the toy closer and closer to me. 
The level of growl varies, and it's not the whole time he'll growl, I just can't find any pattern whatsoever apart from he never growls on walks, ever. 
Any ideas why he has these contradicting behaviours?


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Growling is all part of the JRT makeup especially when playing 

He's just communicating


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## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

Some dogs are just vocal. My last dog used to growl a lot, when you stroked him, when he wanted something, when you told him to do something, when you spoke to him. It wasn't aggression, everything in his body language and behaviour made that clear, he was just a talker. Could that be the case here?


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Stefx said:


> I look after a little jack Russell, around 5, who is a growly dog on the whole, but has never ever bitten or gone to bite a person.
> As an example, he'll come over, look up willingly and sit patiently. When I stroke him he'll growl. So I stop and he returns to looking at me willingly, maybe even nudges my hand with his nose, or give a soft kick of his back leg and exposes his tummy, then again he'll growl when I stroke him.
> Or he'll be physically relaxed, and visibly enjoying a scratch behind his ear but will be softly growling.
> Or he'll get up on the sofa with me, put himself on my lap, have a growl and then fall asleep.
> ...


Not being able to see of hear what he does in the given situation its hard or impossible to say for sure.

Rolling on their backs and exposing their stomachs and genitalia with a leg raised can be submissive behaviour, that's often accompanied by things like yawing, lip licking though.

As he seems to be approaching you and instigating the attention, and is not doing it at attention foisted on him it is strange. However my friend has two JRT crosses, and when I was there today, they were playing with each other, no aggression, just good old fashioned boisterous rough play and they growl when playing, again different growls, in fact I jumped a couple of times and spun round as it sounded quite hostile once or twice, but my friend said they always play like that and never fall out or have fights or spats, so maybe its just a JRT play/interaction thing.


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## Stefx (Sep 29, 2012)

Like I say, the growls vary a lot, from soft to the worst growl I imagine he could make. His body language also differs from relaxed to tense. 
With the toy especially it's a much worse growl. A real snarl and his body language will tense. As soon as I disengage in it, he's wagging, dropping the toy on my lap, even barking through frustration of me not doing anything. 
I know the stomach showing is submission, so then surely a growl as I go to stroke him indicates fear but there is just something saying it's not fear. He's a very confident little guy. He just seems to only communicate vocally through growls - never barks or whines.


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## Stefx (Sep 29, 2012)

Sarah1983 said:


> Some dogs are just vocal. My last dog used to growl a lot, when you stroked him, when he wanted something, when you told him to do something, when you spoke to him. It wasn't aggression, everything in his body language and behaviour made that clear, he was just a talker. Could that be the case here?


He's the same, he'll growl when you talk to him, tell him to do something, try and move him, any opportunity he gets, but his body language differs so much that it's hard to make sense of!


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## Jenna500 (May 27, 2012)

I've got a jrt x collie and she's the most vocal dog I've ever known. My two lurchers are virtually silent - don't even bark much let alone growl - so Daisy was a bit of a shock to the system!

She'll growl to get my attention, growls to say hello, growls in pleasure, growls in her sleep ... It can vary from a groaning sort of noise right up to a full on growl, and tbh I just pay more attention to her body language than the noises she makes to tell me how she's feeling!


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## Guest (Feb 6, 2014)

As said, some dogs, especially terriers, are just vocal. My terrier is very growly when playing. It's not aggression, it's just part of the game.



Stefx said:


> With the toy especially it's a much worse growl. A real snarl and his body language will tense. As soon as I disengage in it, he's wagging, dropping the toy on my lap, even barking through frustration of me not doing anything.


Obviously I haven't seen the dog doing this, but it absolutely sounds like play growling to me. My dog will growl when chasing a ball, or on the odd occasions where she'll play tug with me, and sometimes in other types of play too.


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## Spookypigs (Feb 2, 2014)

We've got a growly GSD. We rescued her so have no knowledge of her beginnings other than that the rescue's vet initially thought she was a 12 yr old incontinent, arthritic dog because she was caked in her own matted mess. Then they shaved her and she learned she could walk again with no pain. The vet guessed 6 yrs now. A month later with the foster family Ellie was re-aged at 2. 

She growls at everything. You stroke her, she growls, you stop, her ears go down and she shoves her head in your hands again. Her body language was soft, submissive and wary but her growls made you think she was really aggressive. Do we ignore the growls and go by the body language? But ignoring growls isn't good. In the end we followed our other dogs' leads. Ignore it. They weren't concerned so nor would we be. Ellie's body language now shows she's more settled, trusting and relaxed. But the soft growls are always there. We think of them as more like purring now. We're sure it's either nerves, habit or that she is just a vocal sort of dog.

The photo below was taken after she was shaved.


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## Stefx (Sep 29, 2012)

I totally understand some dogs are growly when they play, I probably experience it every day with the dogs I walk and look after but he is different. 
In the worst cases he'll physically shake when he's letting off the worst snarl, his body will tense and he'll lean over his toy, head down, eyes down, teeth bared. Every sign you should back up, and as soon as you do he acts like any other soppy dog that wants your attention - nudging and whole body wags. 
He was rehomed from his current owners sister up the country so his background isn't crystal clear but it's just something I can't work out.


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## Guest (Feb 6, 2014)

rona said:


> Growling is all part of the JRT makeup especially when playing
> 
> He's just communicating


Its a Millie thing too she does exactly what the OP posted to my Mum
She also sings when mum is having dinner and gives her those cocker eyes.


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## ClaireandDaisy (Jul 4, 2010)

He could be growling because he is anxious. Or it could be something he has got into the habit of. IMO. I have a foster JRT who will fuss at people to be stroked, then panic when they do. They seem to seek reassurance then try to control the exchange. I tell people to leave him alone. He`s gradually becoming more relaxed.


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## Spookypigs (Feb 2, 2014)

Stefx said:


> I totally understand some dogs are growly when they play, I probably experience it every day with the dogs I walk and look after but he is different.
> In the worst cases he'll physically shake when he's letting off the worst snarl, his body will tense and he'll lean over his toy, head down, eyes down, teeth bared. Every sign you should back up, and as soon as you do he acts like any other soppy dog that wants your attention - nudging and whole body wags.
> He was rehomed from his current owners sister up the country so his background isn't crystal clear but it's just something I can't work out.


Anxiety, nerves and or habit. Probably from his early days. Just like our GSD.


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## Stefx (Sep 29, 2012)

Sorry for the late reply but thank you. I think it must be habit. 
So then how do I react to it? I regularly walk this dog too and he'll growl every time I see him (but, of course, lots of loving behaviour too) and to be honest I just completely ignore it. If I acknowledged every time he growled I wouldn't get anywhere so shall I continue this?


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## koolchick (Apr 5, 2011)

A lot of dogs growl in playful way when playing with toys or playing tug. My dog has football he loves playing with.its the only toy that he gets then it gets put away so he doesn't get bored of it. Sometimes as I'm picking it up to put away or to throw for him he growls and if it was a dog I didn't know I'd think he mite bite, but I just ignore him and he's fine after.


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## BoredomBusters (Dec 8, 2011)

All the growls mean something different - you have to learn to interpret them with the context.

Fred (JRT cross) will often growl when I am giving him a cuddle, but it's a very 'singsong' growl and if I carry on it turns to a sort of moaning for pleasure. Yes I know that sounds a bit strange...

I don't usually cuddle him, because he's not a cuddly dog, but over the years there have been times I just can't control myself, and I think he's learned the cuddle leads to the tickling behind the ear that he really likes. And in the same way as I can't help myself giving him a cuddle he can't help himself saying 'get off you bloody woman, oh no that bit's okay you can keep doing that mmmmm mmmmm....'.

All my terriers sound like they're murdering something when we play, lots and lots of growling, but it's a much higher pitch than the 'warning' growls they give.

Spend more time listening to him, based on what the context is, and if it escalates or turns into something else. You might also see some avoidance body language with a warning growl, for instance head turning, lip licking, his body freezing, or even more 'threat' body language like a direct stare at you while he's doing it.


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## springerpete (Jun 24, 2010)

You should hear my pair when they're playing, growling yipping and the occasional bark, sounds like war has broken out. I once had a very concerned lady ask if they were my dogs and why didn't I stop them before one was hurt.?????? I did try to point out that this was no more than 'Play' but I don't think she was convinced.


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## BoredomBusters (Dec 8, 2011)

Also want to comment on a couple of things:

"I know the stomach showing is submission" This is not submission in the context you describe, this is passive resistance/avoidance. Lots of dogs do it and owners think the dog wants a tummy tickle or it is 'submitting' but it's not, its the dog stopping you from doing something it thinks you might be about to do. In small dogs this is often, but not always, related to being picked up a lot or just touched too much for their liking - I have seen it a lot less in larger dogs, but I have seen it.

Some dogs learn to offer it as an attention seeking behaviour.

"Or he'll get a toy, eagerly wait for me to try and take it then growl. I'll leave it, then he'll be wagging and pushing the toy closer and closer to me. "

This again is attention seeking behaviour - he wants you to play - you mention later his whole body tenses up - mine do this, he's ready and willing to react quickly to whatever you want him to do. Terriers are bred to react at little provocation and immediately, so of course they tense up ready to move.

When you later say 'snarl' do you mean a lip lift, or just the noise?

"In the worst cases he'll physically shake when he's letting off the worst snarl, his body will tense and he'll lean over his toy, head down, eyes down, teeth bared. Every sign you should back up, and as soon as you do he acts like any other soppy dog that wants your attention - nudging and whole body wags. "

I have seen some dogs (mostly terriers, but that might be because I work with a lot of terriers), almost 'set up' fights or altercations. If nothing is going on, well, they'll set something up. This could just be how he has learned to play in a previous home, or it could be a lot of conflict within him.

I would recommend if you want to carry on playing with him you get an identical pair of toys and teach him the playbonding game I play with puppies... https://www.facebook.com/BoredomBustersDogPuppyServices/posts/10202461375068706?stream_ref=10


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## Spookypigs (Feb 2, 2014)

Stefx said:


> Sorry for the late reply but thank you. I think it must be habit.
> So then how do I react to it? I regularly walk this dog too and he'll growl every time I see him (but, of course, lots of loving behaviour too) and to be honest I just completely ignore it. If I acknowledged every time he growled I wouldn't get anywhere so shall I continue this?


I'm learning to ignore our GSD's growling which is hard after years of owning dogs who don't growl. I'd respect your dog's snarling though, just so he knows that you will back off when he asks. As you earn his trust the growls and snarls will lessen I'm sure, that is what is happening with ours. The growls are less, softer, and the body language is relaxing. I don't think she'll ever stop growling entirely....we just think of her as a sort of lion-dog.


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