growling wolfdog

[Michiel]

Dear all,

Many thanks for your information and tips. Before I posted the message we spoke with several breeders and trainers here in the Czech Republic. Their response is that the dog is very friendly and behaving in a good manner. They recognise the growling but state it is something inhabit of the wolfdog breed.

Now for several weeks we noticed an interesting aspect. When I am from home for a couple of days he does not growl at all. When I arrive back, he can start again. The growling is more something of a slight irritation: like do not caress me.

From one of the very experienced behaviourists and some breeders we got the feedback that when he growls agressively we should punish him. When he grows out of irritation we let him know it is not allowed but punish less hard.

The point we were struggling with is that we raise our dog as somebody who should be a friend to everyone. In the Czech Republic most dogs are trained to guard the garden or house. That's why we sometimes reach out abroad to other trainers or breeders for advise.

Many thanks again for your feedback,
Michiel