Growling
Shih Tzu Growling
Overview
'We just brought home our 12 week old Shih Tzu puppy, a male. We have two children, ages 11 and 5. Just yesterday, our puppy growled at our 5 year old. I pulled her back, afraid the puppy was going to bite her. She's walking on eggshells now. What should be do about the growling?'
'My husband just recently retired. Now that he's home a lot more my 8 year old Shih Tzu has taken to growling at him. It usually happens when he sits down on the sofa with us. What can I do to stop this?'
'My new Shih Tzu puppy growls just about every time I try to pick her up. This is ruining all of my plans to groom her, carry her around with me and all of that. How should I handle this?'
'My 4 month male Shih Tzu puppy has started growling if anyone walks even remotely close to his food and water dishes. We want to stop this behavior right now, but aren't sure how, since we can't take those items away from him. Help!'
So, as you can see, while the exact scenarios vary, the one constant is that owners know the behavior needs to be addressed asap. And, they are right. This section will cover what to do if your Shih Tzu growls at you or others in your household.
What does Growling Mean?
Very young puppies:
Pups from the age of 5 to 8 or 9-weeks old can make a sort of rumbling noise; it's almost like a kitty cat's purring. This is done to express pleasure, such as when having the tummy rubbed. So, if you have a Shih Tzu puppy of this age, do assess what is happening when the pup growls to ensure that you're not mixing up growling with this sort of vocalization.
Older puppies and adult dogs:
Growling is typically a warning. It is not necessarily a signal that a bite is to follow; this is a rather non-aggressive breed and it typically takes a lot to push a Shih Tzu to that point. Though, a Shih Tzu could snap at someone if things escalated after the initial growling.
It is, however, a warning that the Shih Tzu is not tolerating whatever is happening at the moment and that the pup or dog wants a person to stop what they are doing (picking the puppy up, brushing, placing the dog into the car, standing close to his food, etc.).
How to Address Growing: First, Rule Out a Health Issue
When a dog is ill or injured, it's not uncommon to take a very protective stance. Canines, when in a vulnerable state, can growl or even snap at their humans in response to being touched or handled in some way. In some cases, a dog may growl even when humans simply approach. For this reason, if you suspect any sort of health issue, it's wise to bring your Shih Tzu to the veterinarian.
How to Stop a Shih Tzu from Growling
#1 Adjust Reasonable Triggers.
There are some basic triggers that can make a dog growl, and while we should not mold all of our behavior to appease our Shih Tzu, it makes sense to have these few rules in place. After all, it makes no sense to place a puppy or dog into a situation that is stressful to the point of eliciting this behavior.
This includes:
- Eating area. It's very common for dogs to growl if they feel their food is threatened. And while taking their bowl away may never be your intention, it's simply canine instinct to dislike when others get too close to their food. A Shih Tzu should be able to eat in peace, without any stress. So, be sure to set up your puppy or dog's eating station in a quiet corner of the kitchen. It should not be too close to anything that makes noise (microwave, dishwasher) or to people (walking by, sitting down, or standing such as washing dishes, etc.).
- Rough play with children.
The goal is for your Shih Tzu to see their humans as the alphas (more ahead); but, with young kids, this can be tricky. Depending on the age of the children, the age of the dog, and how long the dog has been part of the family unit, children can be seen as betas (on the same ranking level as the dog). In these cases, growling may occur as a a warning that play is too rough. And a snap may occur if rough play continues.
So, you'll want young children to be taught proper handling methods, which includes never pulling a dog's tail or tugging hard on the ears. Depending on the age of your children, they may be included in establishing themselves as alphas (more ahead).
- Ability to retreat. Every dog has their limits of how much noise and commotion they can handle. If a dog is put into a situation that they feel is stressful, yet they have no escape, they can become frustrated, which may result in growling. This includes when visitors are over, but can also just be when the family is rather boisterous or the TV is blaring, but the Shih Tzu is exhausted and really just wants to rest.
For this reason, be sure that your Shih Tzu has their own area to retreat to as they wish. This can be a dog bed in a quiet corner of a room (but not too isolated), a canine playpen with a bed inside, or other area that serves as their private resting spot.
#2 Establish Proper Hierarchy.
Canines naturally see ranking in the household. Within the den (house) lives the pack (all humans and pets). The pack has a leader/s (alpha) and everyone under that leader is a beta (follower), since they follow the leader's commands.
A huge part of stopping a Shih Tzu from growling is for the humans in the house to establish themselves as alphas. When a dog is certain
that their human is their alpha, they will not growl at them. Note: If a dog thinks that his human may
be alpha or is perhaps a weak leader that could lose their ranking at some point, growling may still occur.
While the rules of taking your rightful place as leader are simple, it's vital that they are followed to a tee and are in place at all times. A leader is not wishy-washy. Note that everyone should be involved (other than children you deem too young to do so). This is particularly essential in cases of a Shih Tzu behaving nicely for one person, but growling at another.
The rules are:
- The Shih Tzu must obey a 'Sit' in order to receive any food.
This includes meals and snacks. Make it clear that you have the food, by allowing your puppy or dog to see it. Place it on the counter or hold it in your hand out of reach.
If your dog is not well-verse with the sit command, do work on that; however, right now anything resembling a sit that is seen in conjunction with being quiet (certainly no growling, and no barking, etc.) will suffice. But, again, work on teaching the sit command.
Once your Shih Tzu is sitting, keep him there by saying 'sitttttttt'. After a count of at least 5-Mississippi, place the food down and move away to offer private eating (as covered earlier).
- The human enters and exits the house first. This is one that a lot of people don't even think about. It seems natural to have the dog on leash, open the door, the dog heads out, you lock the door, and follow him. But, notice the word 'follow'. A true leader never follows anyone. As alpha, it is your right to enter and exit the 'den' first.
So, you are heading out, have your Shih Tzu sit, place on his harness and attach the leash, open the door, and verbally keep him in a sit (work on this if needed). If your puppy or dog does not know the sit command yet, stretch your arm out enough that you are the first one to cross over threshold.
- Keep your Shih Tzu in a heeling position.
Does your dog walk ahead of you? In other words, does he lead the way while you follow along behind him? This is the opposite of what the correct alpha/beta relationship should be.
Therefore, to be a leader that is never growled at, lead the way for walks by having your Shih Tzu to your immediate left. This can be accomplished by having your dog on a harness and a short leash that does not allow him to walk ahead of you.
#3 React Appropriately to Growling.
Note that if your Shih Tzu is growling, but also snapping and/or biting, to the point that a growl precedes a very aggressive act, this warrants calling in a professional canine trainer. Never take on any training for growling if you believe that someone can be hurt.
This said, what you should do varies a bit; however, the very last thing that you should do is nothing. If so, you'll be teaching your Shih Tzu that their growling worked. In other words, you listened to them. This is the opposite of a proper alpha/beta relationship. Your dog should be listening to you, not vice-versa.
Your reaction to growling should be as follows:
#1. Give a stern 'No'.
#2. Immediately place yourself in a position of physical authority. If you were sitting on the floor with your Shih Tzu when they growled, stand up. If your Shih Tzu was on the sofa with you, place them on the floor.
#3. Command a sit. If your dog tends to walk away at this point, you may wish to have them on leash and harness until training for growling is accomplished. On leash, do not overly constrict their movements, but do keep them nearby so that they cannot just strut into another room.
#4. If your Shih Tzu obeys, give praise 'good dog!'. It can end here.
#5. If your Shih Tzu does not obey or continues to growl, place them in a time-out.
Note, that the time out must be done in a specific way. Keep in mind the hierarchy that we discussed earlier. Regardless of where your dog thinks their ranking is within the 'pack', there is a pack. The last thing a dog wants is to be banished from that pack. Even temporarily.
Yet, banishment is the typical canine punishment for bad behavior.
If you normally keep your Shih Tzu in a playpen for times home alone, it is recommended to find another area for time-outs in response to growling. You do not want your dog to associate the pen with something negative. A gated off area is ideal.
During this time-out, everyone must 100% fully and utterly ignore the dog. No speaking, not even any eye contact. This may not bother a dog at all. At first.
The key is to do this 5 minutes past the point that the dog becomes bothered and worried that they've become invisible to their 'pack'. Typical behavior will certainly include no growling, and the dog may pace or whine.
#6. At this point, allow your Shih Tzu to join you and the family, to some degree. They must prove themselves by behaving nicely for 10 minutes. During this stage, speaking to the dog is limited and there is no petting.
If your Shih Tzu growls again, repeat the training, starting at step #1.
If your Shih Tzu behaves, go back to the very same positioning that was in place when the growling occurred. For example, on your lap, your dog near the TV and you walking by, etc.
If your dog growls again, repeat the training, starting at step #1.If your dog does not growl, it can end here.
Tips
1.
Everyone in the household must be on the same page in regard to how to react to growling. If not, a Shih Tzu will get mixed messages and training may not be successful.
2.
Maintain your role as alpha; never stop expecting a 'sit' for food, having your Shih Tzu heel, or being the first to enter and exit. If you slack in these areas, your dog may believe that your leadership is weakening.
3.
A lot of dominant behaviors such as growling or challenging humans can be reduced by having a dog spayed or neutered.
Did you find this article to be helpful?
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