Why Your Dog Growls At Some People And Not Others

You can help your dog learn about people.

If you know that the person that your dog is growling at has good intentions, try to teach your dog not to feel defensive or protective around him/her. Arm him/her with a pocket full of your dog’s favorite treats. Make sure your dog has trained behaviors that he knows will elicit a good response from you, like sitting on command. Repeat this training so often that your dog knows what to do without really having to think about it. Then when the newcomer approaches, ask your dog to perform the trained behavior and reward it. Then have your friend ask and reward also.