posted 02-12-2004 01:59 PM         

It sounds as though your dog may be feeling as though the eye contact is challenging or threatening to him, and maybe he's responding to that challenge by growling back. The peeing sound like a submissive response- perhaps when the growling doesn't make you look away, he gets scared.

posted 02-12-2004 09:33 PM         

This is from the Pedigree web page. Good reading information!!!

Body language

Dogs communicate by giving certain signals. Learn how to interpret what these mean.

One of the reasons dogs make such good pets is the remarkable way they can communicate with humans. Pet dogs see us as an extension of their own canine family, and are very quick to interpret our own moods and intentions. An understanding of how dogs communicate with other dogs will help the observant
owner to correctly figure out the message their pet is trying to give.
Dogs can communicate with other dogs through a series of signals, including a variety of facial expressions, body postures, noises and scents. Your dog will use his mouth, eyes, ears and even his tail to express his emotions. By reading the combination of body signals, you should be able to work out who is top dog in any confrontation or situation.

A dog who's feeling brave or aggressive will try to give the impression of being a larger, more powerful animal. He will stand tall with his ears and tail erect, thrust his chest forward and may raise the hairs around his neck and along his back (his hackles). He may also wave his tail slowly and growl.

A submissive dog, on the other hand, will try to appear small and puppy-like - adult dogs will chastise puppies, but they don't attack them. His approach to a more dominant individual is likely to be from the side, crouching near to the ground with the tail held low and wagging enthusiastically. He may also try to lick the hands or paws and face of the dominant dog or person, and if this isn't appeasing enough, he might then roll onto his back to expose his stomach. In this position, some dogs will involuntarily pass a small amount of urine.

One pattern of behavior that's characteristic of dogs and familiar to almost everyone is tail wagging. Most people would recognize that loose, free tail wagging indicates pleasure and a general friendliness. Exaggerated tail wagging, which extends to the entire rump, is seen in subordinate dogs - as well as dogs with very short tails.

The tail, however, is also an indicator of other emotions. A tail waved slowly and stiffly, in line with the back, expresses anger. Clamped low over the dog's hindquarters, it's a sign that the dog is afraid. Anxious or nervous dogs may stiffly wag their drooping tails as a sign of appeasement.

The normal tail carriage of the dog has been modified through breeding and docking. Some breeds - such as the Whippet and the Italian Greyhound - naturally carry their tail in the clamped-down position, but in general, a tail held at higher than 45 degrees to the spine expresses interest and alertness.

The facial expressions of your dog will tell you a lot about his mood - whether he's anxious or excited, frightened or playful or any one of a vast range of emotions he may express.
His ears prick up when he's alert or listening intently, but are held back or flattened onto the head when expressing pleasure, submission or fear. To read his mood correctly, you must watch for other body signals at the same time.

The narrowing or half-closure of the dog’s eyes indicates either pleasure or submission, but when his eyes are wide open, he intends to be aggressive.

In the wild, the pack leader can maintain control simply by staring at a subordinate dog. The two animals will continue to stare at each other until one challenges the other, or until one lowers his head and turns away. If the staring continues after the submissive dog has looked away, he will feel confused and may bite out of fear. If eye contact is not broken, the dominant dog will reinforce his threat by snarling, growling or even attacking.

You should not try to outstare your dog if he has aggressive or nervous tendencies - this could provoke an attack. Nevertheless, regular, gentle eye contact reassures the dog and reinforces your relationship.

Submissive dogs and those of certain breeds, notably Labradors, may appear to be 'smiling' when they open their mouth to show the teeth in a lop-sided grin of friendliness. In the snarl of aggression, however, both lips are drawn right back to expose most of the teeth, and may be accompanied by a growl.

A dog will indicate his desire to play, raising a front paw, or by performing the play bow, which is often accompanied by barking to attract attention. Other gestures include offering a play object or bounding up to another dog to invite chase.

posted 02-13-2004 08:13 AM         

First of all, you don't want to punish him for growling. Growling is a warning that something worse may be coming. You don't want to get rid of your warning signal! And you also do not want to pick a fight with him - staring him straight in the eye when he is already growling is asking for trouble.

However, you should not simply ignore the growling.

Is he obedience trained? Rather than yelling at him when he is in trouble, how about putting him in a down? Or send him to his box, using a low, calm voice. A higher pitched, yelling voice sounds puppy-like and submissive to him, and perhaps he is wondering if he growls at you and acts big, maybe you will leave him alone.

Start using the "nothing in life is free" approach to everything you do with him. He needs to sit (or perform some other trick) before he gets to eat, or go outside, or play with a toy, or anything else he values. This is teaching him that you control the resources and he needs to listen to you in order to get what he wants.

A down is a more submissive posture than a sit. Putting him in a down also reminds him that you are in charge.

I would also make sure that you are using positive training methods with him when you are training him (like clicker training, for example), rather than negative methods (i.e. punishment).

If you ever feel truly threatened by this dog, please consult a professional behaviorist right away! They can come to your home and evaluate you and your dog together and help you to resolve issues before they get too out of hand. Make sure you choose a good behaviorist, though - come back here and ask for suggestions if you don't know how to do this.

Jamiya