why is my 10wk old golden retriever starting to growl when playing?

Answer 1

He has a hemorrhoid

Answer 2

He's probably just enjoying himself.
There are only 4 sounds a dog can make: bark, growl, whine and howl. All of their verbal communication has to be done with these four sounds, so a growl is not necessarily aggressive. You have to couple what they are "saying" with their body language to get the entire message.
Front end down, ears up, tail wagging and growling is playing. Head lower than or even with shoulders, ears back, stiff-legged, and growling is aggression.

Answer 3

There's a difference in growling in play and growling in warning. Play growls usually sound like "rrraaaaarrrrhhh, raaaaaarrrrrrrhhhh" and are quite audible. Warning growls are lower, like "grrrrrr..... grwweerrr.... grwrff..." and accompanied by a look of alertness or intense surveillance.
All dogs will play-growl. It's a sign that he or she is having fun. Puppies will growl, bite, claw, and generally try to smack down their playmates as a part of learning to be a dog. Only when the growl becomes a warning should you be worried.

Answer 4

Its a puppy thing, my old golden retriever did that too, we bought her one of those tugger toys and she loved it, it seemed to take the frustration out of her too, if it becomes a big problem for you then just say 'no' really firmly to your puppy and it will get used to not growling for no good reason, they are real lovely dogs are golden retrievers and you will have so much fun with yours over the years too, total comics they are.

Answer 5

its absolutely normal for a dog to growl while they are playing. if he gets too aggressive though stop playing for a few minutes until he has calmed down and then resume playing. this way you will teach the dog not to go too crazy!

Answer 6

There are a bunch of things you should know about dog training but we are going to discuss what I feel are some the most important. Keep in mind that these are only some of the things you should know. Go here http://OnlineDogTraining.enle.info/?HmqV

1. Repetition is the number 1 principle of dog training. Dogs just like humans learn by doing things over and over in order to get better.

2. Dog Training can and should be fun for both you and your new pet.

3. Training sessions should always be short but sweet. I never work a dog more than 15 minutes in a session to keep from losing the dog's attention. You should train you dog at least once a day but never more than three formal sessions a day.

4. Your goal should be that each training session is just a little bit better than the last one. You need to always strive to make the training better, slowly. I mention this because quite often I see people who do daily training sessions but the dog never gets better and it is not the dogs fault.

5. Having patients is very important in dog training. Losing your temper does not work with a canine it simply makes things worse.

6. Exercise is very important in the training process to get rid of all the dogs nervous energy.

7. Taking your pet for walks is very important because it develops serotonin which gives your dog a feeling of well being.

8. Always be sure to give your dog a bunch of praise in your training. It is your dog's paycheck for doing a great job.

9. Never hit your dog. I have heard people say I never hit my dog instead I roll up a magazine and swat it. It's the same thing... hitting is hitting.

10. After each training session be sure to do something that your dog will enjoy. Take it for a walk, throw the ball or maybe even rub its belly. Just do something that makes the dog look forward to the next training session.

These are things that I teach my dog training students as well as my dog training clients. I hope these things will give you something to think about when training your dog. Spend some time training your dog daily and you will both reap the benefits.

Answer 7

He is just having fun. When we play tug of war with our dog she sounds like she is going to eat us alive! If we touch her she growls even louder but she is just playing. She's never showed any kind of actual aggression.

Answer 8

Because he has a temper and does not like the way you are playing with him. If you are play fighting or teasing him, you best stop doing that or you will wind up with a problem dog. If you want a loving dog, love and him and do not encourage fighting.

Answer 9

Growling is normal when a dog is playing, it doesn't mean that he / she is upset. I wouldn't worry about it until it shows some teeth when growling.

Answer 10

That is how puppies play with each other. They bite and they growl. We just have to teach them that that is not how to play with a human.

Answer 11

I've had pups that do that as well, I think it's just them getting over excited when playing. They're play fighting.