question about growling/vocalizing

[krysten]

we've had Maggie for 4 years and she's as submissive as they come. she moves when we ask her to. most of the time she moves without even HAVING to ask... if she gets into bed before us, etc. she waits patiently for treats/food. she will only make eye contact for a brief time when we are cuddling. she's just an all around sweetheart.
but every now and then... and i'm talking like once or twice a YEAR here, she will "growl" over her food. the situation always goes like this. we make her sit for dinner. she sits. then we put the bowl down and she knows to continue to wait until we say "ok" 99.9999999% of the time this is normal. every once in a great while she will move forward to eat before we say ok. if we say "uh uh" she immediately stops. but once in a great while from THAT we get a vocalization. i hesitate to even call it a growl. it is low and soft, no teeth bearing, and she is always looking down. she will comtinue to wait but it's like she's saying "well fine, but i'm not happy about it."
that's all it ever is, but it freaks me out because it's just so weird for her.
my husband said it happened tonight.
we went on vacation two weeks ago and i thought i brought her cosequin but i didn't so she didn't get it while we were away. ive also been looking around the house to try to find it and haven't yet so i need to buy more but i haven't yet. so maybe her hip is bothering her? (she has bad dysplasia in one hip) so her tolerence for other things is less?
i don't know.
how worried do you think i should be? i'm just always so afraid it's going to escalate into something more.

[Snowshoe]

Once or twice a year? A YEAR? For heaven's sake, she's probably just practising so she won't forget how to do it. LOL. I wouldn't worry.

If you think her hip hurts I'd take her to the Vet. Maybe it's progressed and something stronger would help her.

[krysten]

hahaha thanks... it's true. she almost never makes a peep so i'm sure she just doesn't want to forget how
she's not showing any other signs of hip pain.. still playful and she was happy on our walk. i'll pick up the cosequin tomorrow just in case, and if my worry continues i'll take her in. but she just had x rays about 6 months ago.

[arentspowell]

My in-law's lab "growls" when he gets excited about stuff. Like if we're holding a toy and he wants it BAD, he just starts growling. I have to dig through my pictures, I think I made a recording of him doing it. Its just a vocalization. I know another lab that growls when you scratch his butt, it sounds terrifying but he likes it and is vocalizing.

[Meeps83]

Maverick does it too, but I think of it more as a sigh. He's not happy about it and he's impatient to get what it is that I have and he wants.

[kellymccoy]

huge red flag. huge!! its a symptom of a bigger problem and the problem is the relationship with the dog is not what you believe it to be, people do not want to hear that buts its the actuality

[beth101509]

huge red flag. huge!! its a symptom of a bigger problem and the problem is the relationship with the dog is not what you believe it to be, people do not want to hear that buts its the actuality

This may be a stupid question but you can't tell through type what someone is conveying sometimes BUT....are you being serious or sarcastic? I have a hard time believing that a dog that growls once or twice a year is a huge red flag...I could be wrong. If it is a red flag, why?

[BogeyBaby]

Probably less of a growl and more of an annoyance noise as if to say "I have to wait for my food? Geez"

[Maxx&Emma]

Emma does a "growly" type of noise when she gets super excited about something. I have never considered it a "huge red flag" and never would. I find that comment absurd.

[krysten]

Probably less of a growl and more of an annoyance noise as if to say "I have to wait for my food? Geez"

i agree.. that is what it feels like.
i was thinking about it today when i got home and we were in the kitchen. i put her through some paces to get some treats and realized that she has never EVER even sighed at me when we do this. a few times a week i'll go through all her "tricks"- sit, paw, other paw, down, wait, etc. she is nothing but wide eyed and hopeful. i was thinking that if she really was feeling like "the boss" this would surely be an issue. i can also walk by her while she's eating and she never reacts. she has never guarded her food EVER. so i just don't feel like it's a resource guarding thing, or even really an agressive :you better feed me NOW" thing. it really just feels like a "siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh ok. meanie." kinda thing.

i could see how this COULD be a red flag... if it was accompanied by guarding behavior or by acting like "the boss" in other ways around the house. but i just don't think that's it.

thanks for the replies! i'm just puzzled and needed someone to talk to about it!