Barking while tail wagging???

[kclements]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the advice about chewing. But I also have another question. Lucy has started barking and growling at people in my apartment complex. But when she is growling and barking her tail is still wagging. Sometimes she will go up to the person and let them pet her and other times she barks and barks. So far everyone has been great and they try to talk to her and let her smell them to get to know them.

I am not sure why she is doing this or if I should get on to her. I do not want people to be scared of her! She is such a loving and happy lab puppy.

Has anyone else ran into this problem? How do I need to handle this situation?

[lou3]

tails are used for all sorts of things - not just to say hello or signal happiness. If she is barking and looking alert at something the tail wagging can indicate dominance or nervousness.
It sounds like your pup is a bit nervous and needs a lot of socialisation to get over this.
Lou

[erdog3]

A good way to tell if it is agressive, or passive barking, is look and see if her hackles are standing up on the back of her neck and base of the tail, if so, I would correct this immediately, if not then I would say she is just really happy to see people.
Is the growl a happy sort of talking kind, or the deep, stay away kind?
One of my labs will actually make a weird, half growl, half whine sort of sound, he is only saying hello.
Let us know!!

[kclements]

Lucy has always been around many people and other dogs and the barking behavior has just recently started.

The growl is a deep growl but she doen't continue to growl she will do it one or two times but continue barking.

The strange thing is she will bark and growl and then sometimes let the person pet her for a minute and then she will start barking at them and back away from them. I really do not understand this.

How should I correct her?

[lou3]

It sounds like something is confusing her. I would either consult a professional to find out what before it becomes a real problem or take her to dog behaviour classes so you can socialise her even more and hopefully work through the problem.
Lou

[kiwi]

I may not have read all the posts properly, but I dont think anybody has mentioned that tail wagging doesnt just equal happy. Their are several types of tail wags - the happy ones are free flowing, relaxed, and relatively slow.
It can change from swishing to the left to swishing to the right to going round in a whole cirle and even resembling a figure of eight. Hostile/defensive/nervous/stressed/aroused tail wags are fast, tenser, and can be stilted.
The whole tail itself will look stiffer - it will sharply move to the left, hold for a moment, then sharply move to the left, and so on. The time between the left to right motion will become shorter and shorter the more stressed/annoyed/alarmed the dog becomes, until it is non-stop wagging - the tail may become more upright, also.
All this is a warning sign to the object unnerving him, and a signal to you to do something about the 'impending danger' -
the speed and intensity picks up as the 'perceived danger' gets closer, and the longer it takes you to notice something is amiss.
Which tail wag does your dog have?
Calming Signals by Turid Rugrass may be an invaluable book for you to refer to.

[crazy_for_corgis]

My little dog does this. People think she wants to attack them but for some reason, she really just wants you to pet her. She'll bark and growl at strangers and then roll on her back to get petted by them. I dont think it's anything dangerous, however, all dogs are different, and I can't really tell you the reason why you're dog is doing it.

[erdog3]

Yes you have a problem, I would be guessing here, but has she had a fright from someone, growling and backing away is fear, also she is warning, "Don't come too close". You need some help, don't let anyone strange try to pet her, she may seem ok but if she doesnt happen to like them fearful dogs can bite. She probably wants to be petted but just doesnt trust, as I said, could anyone have done something to her, not necessarily your family, even a kid over the fence can torment.