Gowling When Near Other Dogs.?

Question

My 7 week old Chorkie Puppy growls whenever he comes near my friends Lhasa Apso. Is this a form of fighting or is it fear because he also wags his tail while he growls at him?

Answer 1

I think thats its not a fear or a form of fighting i just think that your dog probobly gets excited when he sees peopel he doesnt rlly know so he wags his tail cause hes excited and barks cause he doesnt rlly know them yet so he is trying to pertect you

Answer 2

it is normal for pups to do this even when they get older they are just playing and if you walk him and he growls at other dogs he is just protecting you it is normal

Answer 3

At that age, it is most likely testing to see if the other dog wants to play or not. The voice is saying I am on guard but the tail is saying can we play. I think he is cautious but wanting to play.

Answer 4

Puppies growl for many reasons.  They growl when they play.  They growl to say they're nervous.  They growl when they're fighting.  But at 7 weeks old, the chance of your puppy actually being aggressive is very low.  

You want a puppy who growls, since when they growl that tells you if they are nervous or not.  A puppy who learns not to growl is a puppy who can bite someone with no warning... so the last thing you want to do is get after your pup whenever it growls.

Instead, watch.  Your puppy is wagging his tail.  The Lhasa is much bigger than him.  The chances he's going to fight is very slim (if the Lhasa is known for being dog friendly, almost no chance.)  They're probably playing.  

Watch for your puppy trying to get away though, and hide.  Chase is a fun game, but sometimes it seems to get a little carried away and the best thing to do is holding both dogs and petting them slowly to help them calm down.

Answer 5

Growling is not always very serious, especially with puppies.  And tail wagging is not always benign, even in puppies.  Tail wagging is taken to mean happiness, when it really means excitement.  It can mean "excited to see you!", or "let me get the bunny and chew it a while", or "strangers on my property - I get to do my job".  

Many people are bitten by tail wagging dogs who don't make a sound.

The best response you can make is to correct your puppy with a stern "Shh".  If he does not stop, use the Alpha roll, place the dog on it's side until it stops fighting you to get up.

Answer 6

First off, it is not even legal in most states to remove a pup from its mother until 8 weeks.  Second, they are not immune to all those diseases until after their last puppy shot at 16 weeks, so exposing it to other dogs or even letting it touch the ground outside can give it a disease.  

Read up on how to take proper care of your dog.  Check out the symptoms of low blood sugar too since  Chihuahua and Yorkie pups usually have that problem.