Growling is a low, guttural vocalization produced by animals as an aggressive warning but can also be found in other contexts such as playful behaviors or mating. Different animals will use growling in specific contexts as a form of communication. In humans, low or dull rumbling noises may also be emitted when they are discontent with something or they are angry, although this human sound is often termed "groaning" & "grunting". Animals that growl include felines, bears, canines and crocodilians. The animals most commonly known for growling are canines, bears, and felines. Grrr /ˈɡɹ̩ːː/ is an onomatopoeic word which imitates the growling sound of animals, often used with other related meanings. It is one of the rare pronounceable words of the English language that consists solely of consonants. Its most simple use is by children imitating animals. An example would be: "Mom!, Dad!, Look at me! I'm a polar bear! Grrr!" This word is also widely used in various titles to express growling when written.
Growling anatomy The growl is emitted from the larynx, also known as the voice box, which is located at the top of the throat. It is made up of both cartilage and soft tissue, with an opening in the center to allow the passage of air. Similar to how humans learn to speak, animals learn to growl through the vibration of their vocal cords that occurs when air enters the larynx and passes over them. Animals such as dogs tend to have a lower frequency when growling in proportion to the length of their neck, a longer neck will cause a lower frequency. Growling usually first appears in dogs when puppies are about 24 days of age during play fights, emitting a pitch of up to 450 Hz with great variation in consistency. By 9 weeks old, puppies produce a growl of around 300 Hz, with no variation in consistency. This is the final development of the dogs' growl, which will remain consistent through its life, although may vary in pitch between individuals. In other animals, growling can occur for various reasons, the most common of which are fear, aggression, territoriality and even, in the case of alligators, mating.
Growling in canines Dogs are one of the most common animals known to growl. Dogs growl as a form of communication, most often when they are displaying signs of aggression. Dogs can also growl when they are playing with other canines/humans, growling over their possessions, when they are in pain, or during territorial displays. Human interpretation of dogs and other canines growling is often context-dependent. If the growl is isolated as an audio clip, generally humans are unable to determine if the growl is playful, angry, or otherwise. When the growl is elicited directly from the dog, humans are often able to use other physical cues, as well as the length and volume/tone of the growl, to interpret its meaning. Humans who are more frequently in the presence of canines are more accurately able to interpret the meaning of growls.
Since dogs are able to distinguish between the different types of growling such as those that display food possession versus growls that are used during play, their behavior changes in response to another dog's growl. During playful interactions, dogs produce a growl which allows them to project their body size to be bigger than it actually is in order to help stimulate their playful behavior and the one they are playing with. This is in contrast to when they produce a growl that accurately projects their body size when guarding food, which is necessary because it will be more dangerous if their opponent thinks they are bigger, as this may result in more injury. Growling in dogs is generally seen as unfavorable; there are various methods to deal with this behaviour including therapy, training and temperament testing. The therapy approach to fear-based or aggressive growling in dogs seems to work the best, having a strong emphasis on owner-dog communication and understanding, as well as a strong reward system. Food-related aggression in dogs also elicits a growling response, and often occurs in many shelter dogs. This behaviour can have an adverse effect on their adoption rates, even though there is a high probability the food-related aggression will stop in the adopted home. Proper understanding of dog growling behaviours increases the likelihood of adoption in dogs with growling problems that are housed in shelters. Weight in household dogs is something that fluctuates between owners and has effects on their aggressive behavior with, overweight dogs were more likely to be growling when around strangers or other dogs when compared to non-overweight dogs. Overweight dogs would also be more protective over their own food and more willing to steal food then non-overweight dogs, by using aggressive growling.
Function of aggressive growling
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