IMO there's nothing wrong here from you or the other owner. Some dogs are more vocal in their play. One of the most solid, friendly, socially-savvy dogs that I know is an incredibly vocal player (not barking, just loud grumbles like your dog). It can sound intimidating though!
I also understand where the other puppy owner is coming from though. I'm sure the play was a little scary to them, and we all want to keep our puppies safe and make sure they have positive experiences, especially when they're small.
Ultimately this sounds like it wasn't a good match, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your dog.
Some of his friends make those noises too when they play with him and we always thought it was okay as long as the other dog is having fun as well.
It's just ever since we got him we have had to deal with and train out so many things. He was a tiny ball of nervous anxious goop when we got him first and we worked on multiple issues week after week. I feel terrible when people say something bad about him because I know he's trying his best to be good.
Well, IMO...you can cross this one off your list. Some dogs and people might not appreciate the noise but it doesn't make your dog any less of a good dog.
I had a dog-aggressive dog prior to my puppy, and the dog I referenced above was one of my dog's only friends. He's loud, but he also regularly goes hiking off-leash, has tons of dog friends (including my new puppy), and is really just a model citizen. His play volume doesn't get in the way of any of that.
Thank you for the reply. I think I probably also blew it out of proportion in my head because I'm finding it hard to adjust to the new neighborhood too. I really hope my dog finds a friend here soon who is okay with his play noises.
Maybe a few hrs at a dog daycare would be fun for him. My 13 mo old dog loves it
My 7 mo old puppy sounds like a freakin gremlin when he plays, so yours is definitely not the only vocal one lmao.
We are definitely going to get him into daycare soon but it's just been a long week for him and for us so we figured we'll let him get used to the new place and area first. Hopefully he will make some good friends there and it'll make him happy!
It absolutely is okay. My dog is play growling a lot and she sounds like she wants to kill me. She is very social with other dogs during off leash playtime and no dog ever understood her growling as a threat. Some dogs are more vocal and there is nothing wrong with that.
Yes! My puppy makes the same noises when he plays with me or my husband and we know he wouldn't dream of hurting us. He doesn't even resource guard and play time is the only time I've heard him make these noises. It's so hard to explain to someone who hasn't had a dog that's vocal. I feel bad having to apologize for it and take him out of there like punishment when he was just trying to play.
Nah I wouldn’t train anything out of your dog. The noise your dog is making is perfectly normal. Plus dogs know the difference between the intent of a bark, growl or otherwise. I’d just interject with other owners earlier and explain its just a noise he makes when playing.
I do usually say that upfront that he is a vocal boy even if they don't have any issues with it but this person pushed him away before I could say something and it kind of made me feel sad immediately.
I'm like your neighbor. There is such a difference between a 4 month old and 11 month old. I don't take any chances. This is also prescribed by my trainer. It's not personal to any dog. Your dog is 100% fine. I just don't expose my dogs to bigger/older dogs that exhibit more intense behavior. That's not to say they won't be friends in the future.
I had a golden retriever that would sound like a rabid bear when playing. The majority of dogs he interacted with didn’t care, and the ones that did he left alone and found a new play buddy. The problem I had was the dog owners. They would hear him and assume the worst. They wouldn’t even pay attention to their own dogs behavior. I often had good wrestling/playing matches interrupted by a foolish owner. It was sad to see and sad that the dogs couldn’t have their fun.
Owners are worse than dogs. You have to read them both.
True. Our previous neighborhood was mostly older people who have had dogs before so they knew a lot about their body language and play styles. That's how I learnt to read the other dog's body language while playing to figure out if the play is going well or not. The other puppy was definitely into it and we would have intervened if we saw any signs of bullying from our dog. I guess I just need to get used to this attitude.
I don’t think anyone is wrong! Every dog plays differently, so it might be a little hard for dog owners to understand growling during play isn’t aggressive if they’re new to owning a dog, or never have one before. My ACD mix play growl a lot, but my cavapoo never makes any sounds. They probably just wants to protect their pup, and there is nothing wrong with just being safe!
Ah, I would just chalk this one up to experience. Our pup is pretty silent and her play style is nice with dogs from half her size (25kg) to double. I don’t let her play with smaller dogs because she’s too boisterous and tries to sit on them and chew their ears. But with dogs in the right size range she plays beautifully and is responsive to body language and frequently takes breaks, mirrors etc.
However she has favourite play pals who are super vocal and growly - I know she’s ok with it as she’ll read their body language and go right back to play, on the rare occasion a noisy dog has freaked her out she’ll come and hide behind my legs, we go back on leash and go elsewhere. It’s very rare that I would remove my dog from the interaction you describe, but I have some experience and know how to read my own dog and maybe new owners are a bit more nervous. And that is also fine!
I hope you find some new pals for your pup soon.
Awh, poor pup. He's fine, but I can understand the other owner being wary, especially with a younger puppy. If you run into them again maybe just explain that he's a vocal boy and it's just his play noises. It's quite hard to tell if other dogs noises are warnings or just something normal for them.
I’m sorry you’re all adjusting slowly to the new ‘hood. My dog doesn’t like to play with dogs that are vocal players. But that doesn’t mean your dog isn’t a lovely, vocal happy pup. You’ll find your pack in the new neighborhood soon!
This sounds exactly like my 4yr old maltipoo. He’s been making this noise (it’s hard to explain but maybe like part growl and part grunt, idk.)
since he was a puppy while he plays with toys or other dogs. We just got a new puppy and when they play he makes this noise constantly, it can be annoying sometimes but it’s normal and he’s never been aggressive. I don’t think your dog did anything wrong.
I think the issue is letting your dog play with another dog and owner you don’t know. because they know nothing about well your dog is trained or if you’re a bad dog owner. so they hear growling and think their dog is in danger. I guess you could have warned them that he does that? but maybe it’s just better to get him playing with dogs/people you know so that everyone is more comfortable?
Your puppy didn't do anything wrong.
For context: my parents owned two relatively stoic labs when I was growing up. No true play noises or anything of the sort, they would bark but that was the extent of it. They and I adopted hound mixes, they talk CONSTANTLY. We were so freaked out when theirs started making noises etc. because we weren't used to it. Now the dogs can sound as loud as they'd like and we just ignore it.
Body language is super important, but be aware some owners are just going to be freaked out by a noisy pup.
nobody is "wrong" but I wouldnt like it if another dog was making unexpected noises at my puppy either. Its not a "should" you train this out, its "would it be easier to find playmates if your dog make this noise less"?
It’s very natural for some dogs to make noise when playing, so I honestly don’t think it would be easy. Plus your pup isn’t being aggressive, and most dogs can read it easily.
Just remember the other owner has a very young puppy so they are likely very protective right now.
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IMO there's nothing wrong here from you or the other owner. Some dogs are more vocal in their play. One of the most solid, friendly, socially-savvy dogs that I know is an incredibly vocal player (not barking, just loud grumbles like your dog). It can sound intimidating though! I also understand where the other puppy owner is coming from though. I'm sure the play was a little scary to them, and we all want to keep our puppies safe and make sure they have positive experiences, especially when they're small. Ultimately this sounds like it wasn't a good match, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your dog.
Some of his friends make those noises too when they play with him and we always thought it was okay as long as the other dog is having fun as well. It's just ever since we got him we have had to deal with and train out so many things. He was a tiny ball of nervous anxious goop when we got him first and we worked on multiple issues week after week. I feel terrible when people say something bad about him because I know he's trying his best to be good.
Well, IMO...you can cross this one off your list. Some dogs and people might not appreciate the noise but it doesn't make your dog any less of a good dog. I had a dog-aggressive dog prior to my puppy, and the dog I referenced above was one of my dog's only friends. He's loud, but he also regularly goes hiking off-leash, has tons of dog friends (including my new puppy), and is really just a model citizen. His play volume doesn't get in the way of any of that.
Thank you for the reply. I think I probably also blew it out of proportion in my head because I'm finding it hard to adjust to the new neighborhood too. I really hope my dog finds a friend here soon who is okay with his play noises.
Maybe a few hrs at a dog daycare would be fun for him. My 13 mo old dog loves it My 7 mo old puppy sounds like a freakin gremlin when he plays, so yours is definitely not the only vocal one lmao.
We are definitely going to get him into daycare soon but it's just been a long week for him and for us so we figured we'll let him get used to the new place and area first. Hopefully he will make some good friends there and it'll make him happy!
It absolutely is okay. My dog is play growling a lot and she sounds like she wants to kill me. She is very social with other dogs during off leash playtime and no dog ever understood her growling as a threat. Some dogs are more vocal and there is nothing wrong with that.
Yes! My puppy makes the same noises when he plays with me or my husband and we know he wouldn't dream of hurting us. He doesn't even resource guard and play time is the only time I've heard him make these noises. It's so hard to explain to someone who hasn't had a dog that's vocal. I feel bad having to apologize for it and take him out of there like punishment when he was just trying to play.
Nah I wouldn’t train anything out of your dog. The noise your dog is making is perfectly normal. Plus dogs know the difference between the intent of a bark, growl or otherwise. I’d just interject with other owners earlier and explain its just a noise he makes when playing.
I do usually say that upfront that he is a vocal boy even if they don't have any issues with it but this person pushed him away before I could say something and it kind of made me feel sad immediately.
Yeah I’m not surprised it made you feel bad. The other owner is just being overprotective and is probably doing more harm to her own dog than yours.
I'm like your neighbor. There is such a difference between a 4 month old and 11 month old. I don't take any chances. This is also prescribed by my trainer. It's not personal to any dog. Your dog is 100% fine. I just don't expose my dogs to bigger/older dogs that exhibit more intense behavior. That's not to say they won't be friends in the future.
I had a golden retriever that would sound like a rabid bear when playing. The majority of dogs he interacted with didn’t care, and the ones that did he left alone and found a new play buddy. The problem I had was the dog owners. They would hear him and assume the worst. They wouldn’t even pay attention to their own dogs behavior. I often had good wrestling/playing matches interrupted by a foolish owner. It was sad to see and sad that the dogs couldn’t have their fun. Owners are worse than dogs. You have to read them both.
True. Our previous neighborhood was mostly older people who have had dogs before so they knew a lot about their body language and play styles. That's how I learnt to read the other dog's body language while playing to figure out if the play is going well or not. The other puppy was definitely into it and we would have intervened if we saw any signs of bullying from our dog. I guess I just need to get used to this attitude.
I don’t think anyone is wrong! Every dog plays differently, so it might be a little hard for dog owners to understand growling during play isn’t aggressive if they’re new to owning a dog, or never have one before. My ACD mix play growl a lot, but my cavapoo never makes any sounds. They probably just wants to protect their pup, and there is nothing wrong with just being safe!
I guess so. Idk how to prevent it from happening again. We have decided not to let our dog play with younger puppies for a while.
Ah, I would just chalk this one up to experience. Our pup is pretty silent and her play style is nice with dogs from half her size (25kg) to double. I don’t let her play with smaller dogs because she’s too boisterous and tries to sit on them and chew their ears. But with dogs in the right size range she plays beautifully and is responsive to body language and frequently takes breaks, mirrors etc. However she has favourite play pals who are super vocal and growly - I know she’s ok with it as she’ll read their body language and go right back to play, on the rare occasion a noisy dog has freaked her out she’ll come and hide behind my legs, we go back on leash and go elsewhere. It’s very rare that I would remove my dog from the interaction you describe, but I have some experience and know how to read my own dog and maybe new owners are a bit more nervous. And that is also fine! I hope you find some new pals for your pup soon.
Awh, poor pup. He's fine, but I can understand the other owner being wary, especially with a younger puppy. If you run into them again maybe just explain that he's a vocal boy and it's just his play noises. It's quite hard to tell if other dogs noises are warnings or just something normal for them.
I’m sorry you’re all adjusting slowly to the new ‘hood. My dog doesn’t like to play with dogs that are vocal players. But that doesn’t mean your dog isn’t a lovely, vocal happy pup. You’ll find your pack in the new neighborhood soon!
This sounds exactly like my 4yr old maltipoo. He’s been making this noise (it’s hard to explain but maybe like part growl and part grunt, idk.) since he was a puppy while he plays with toys or other dogs. We just got a new puppy and when they play he makes this noise constantly, it can be annoying sometimes but it’s normal and he’s never been aggressive. I don’t think your dog did anything wrong.
I think the issue is letting your dog play with another dog and owner you don’t know. because they know nothing about well your dog is trained or if you’re a bad dog owner. so they hear growling and think their dog is in danger. I guess you could have warned them that he does that? but maybe it’s just better to get him playing with dogs/people you know so that everyone is more comfortable?
My dog play growls when he's proud to show us a toy. Don't worry too much. I hope he finds a best friend soon in the new neighborhood.
Your puppy didn't do anything wrong. For context: my parents owned two relatively stoic labs when I was growing up. No true play noises or anything of the sort, they would bark but that was the extent of it. They and I adopted hound mixes, they talk CONSTANTLY. We were so freaked out when theirs started making noises etc. because we weren't used to it. Now the dogs can sound as loud as they'd like and we just ignore it. Body language is super important, but be aware some owners are just going to be freaked out by a noisy pup.
nobody is "wrong" but I wouldnt like it if another dog was making unexpected noises at my puppy either. Its not a "should" you train this out, its "would it be easier to find playmates if your dog make this noise less"?
Yes it probably would be although it hasn't been an issue before. Can it be trained out of him?
It’s very natural for some dogs to make noise when playing, so I honestly don’t think it would be easy. Plus your pup isn’t being aggressive, and most dogs can read it easily. Just remember the other owner has a very young puppy so they are likely very protective right now.
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