Dog Growls

Question
I adopted a spayed female Standard Schnauzer (SS) about 6 months ago. She is almost 5 years old. I live with my sister and her husband and their 3 dogs. Their 3 dogs are a 2 female lab mixes ages 13 and 11 and a 6 y.o. male great dane mix. The 11 y.o. is seems submissive, the 13 y.o. used to be dominate when she was younger and the 6 y.o is hard headed. He doesn't listen, has to have every toy every other dog has, and plays hard.
I sleep with my SS in my room. Every morning when we get up and come down stairs, my SS goes over to the 11 year old female and growls at her. I can't tell if it is a play growl or if she is being dominate. I think she is saying good morning, or hello. But my sister and brother-in-law think my SS is being mean and that all growls are bad and I should correct her everytime she growls.
She sometimes will growl when she is eating if the 6 y.o. male trys to take her food that falls on the floor. I think that is ok, she is saying get away this is mine. The SS also with try to get the 6 y.o.'s food when if falls on the floor. He doesn't growl when the SS takes her food but when the SS growls at him for eating her food, my brother-in-law says don't let her growl at him because he doesn't growl at the SS when she eats his food.
The male doesn't growl or vocalize except when he is playing. The 6 y.o. male and my SS love to play outside. They play hard sometimes and my SS will bark or growl during play but to me it doesn't seem bad. But my sister and brother-in-law always tell her No! and to stop growling. Isn't there a way that dogs communicate with each other through vocalizations? Are all growls bad? My SS doesn't bite or snap at the other dogs just growls sometimes. It causes conflict between all of us because we see things differently about the growling and corrections. Help!


Answer
You have a complex household with so many dogs of various ages and temperaments.  Your SS is holding her own with the Great Dane; Danes and their first generation mix can be dominant dogs (even though they are not intended to be, it's bad breeding.)  That one is definitely showing dominance in this pack by hoarding toys (these are trophies and a sign of high rank) and not "listening" to his owners.  He has a behavior problem that should be addressed with positive reinforcement training and appropriate pack placement under the supervision of his owners; all dogs need to be observed and intelligently treated in the pack order that their temperaments and behavior designates for them.  This requires education: read Turid Rugaas' book, "Calming Signals", John Fisher's "Think Dog" and Patricia McConnell Ph.D.'s book on multiple dog households.  Learn about positive reinforcement training at ClickerTraining.com.  The two older dogs are naturally at the bottom of the pack at this point, due to age and failing cognition; the Dane is the natural candidate for being close to the top but cannot be allowed to self appoint in this manner.  He must be made to understand, through training and humane behavior modification, that he may be at the top of the dog pack but that the humans in the household are ultimately in control and must be respected as such (this will eliminate his not listening and a great many other dominant behaviors toward the other dogs and may very well allow the SS to relax.)  The Dane will not, as most male dogs will not, engage a dominant bitch (your SS) and will tolerate behavior from her that he would not tolerate from another male or a lower ranking female.  When the SS growls at him, she is making a statement that she SHOULD NOT HAVE TO MAKE: one of the "rules" of pack behavior is, "If it's mine, stay away."  Most dogs instinctively understand that, once they have left the food bowl, another pack member is free to eat. What's going on between the Dane and SS is a struggle for pack placement.  If these were two males or two females, all hell would have broken loose already.  You are NOT to in any way "discipline" your dog for doing what comes naturally (and don't let anyone ELSE do it either.)  Feed her separately from the Dane, and vice versa, so that this struggle doesn't continue; it is unhealthy for a dog to feel s/he has to gobble down food to prevent another dog from getting it.  The food is not chewed thoroughly and passes into the bowel in large chunks, creating a threat of bloat (which can be deadly and swift) and minimizing nutrition, leaving the dog hungry and irritable.  It's harder to train and live with a dog that is hungry and irritable.

Regarding the SS growling at the 11 year old dog, THIS is something you CAN and should extinguish; take the SS downstairs on nylon leash and do not allow her to greet the older dog.  If, in your sight, the SS should approach the older dog at any time and growl at her, "split them" by stepping in between with a gutteral "nah!" and back the SS up by walking slowly toward her until she is seated; then praise her and use her collar to GENTLY lead her away.  This pack is out of control and you all need to do some serious studying to help these dogs live in an environment that is relaxed and safe.

Regarding the SS and Dane outdoors, growling and barking are part of play behavior; dogs do it with people (although there are remedies for this that should be used to instruct the dog if this occurs); dogs do it with one another; puppies do it, etc.  Some dogs are not vocal when playing with another dog or dogs.  My Ibizan Hound, who was always the largest of my pack, never uttered a sound when she played tug of war or chase games with others of my dogs, even though those others often barked and growled.  The Dane and SS appear to be working out their pack placement and relationship; if you INTERFERE and don't know what you're doing, you will CREATE A PROBLEM.

This appears to be far more than just a problem between the dogs; it appears to be a power struggle on a human level, as well.  This is something you have to address eventually if you are to live peacefully with your relatives.  Meanwhile, everyone needs to educate him/her self ASAP regarding what you are seeing and learn how to intelligently and effectively manage this complex pack.