My dog growls when being disciplined

Question
My dog is going on five years old now. He is a pound dog from 4 months old.  He is a shepard/dane mix.  He is a very good dog and listens very well.  When certain people pet him he growls at them?  Not all the time just some of the time, I guess you could say 60%/40% I don't know why he is doing this. My girlfriend is one of them and two cousins of the family.  Another thing I have noticed is he growls when being disciplined.  We have never been physical with him at all.  We have raised our voices to present being stern.  He has just recently starting doing all this.  I was wondering what suggestions you have to stop this from happening.  Gunner weighs 115lbs. and I do not want anything to happen to anyone, even though he has never bitten before.  He is big and intimidating to many people.  I appreciate your time and guidence thank You.

Rick

Answer
Hi Rick;
I have a little Lhasa that has a Napoleon complex.
My australian shepherd took over this puppy when we got him at 6 weeks old, and raised him like he was it's mother, and the little squirt has always bossed this bigger dog around, and Rowdy ( the aussie) allows it. He doesn't like even me to correct "HIS" baby, but I do, because I am the mom, and I am the alpha!
Max, ( the Lhasa) is 6 now, and has been growling when you pet him and he isn;t in the mood, for a couple of years now. I guess he is getting grumpy with old age ( prematurly).
When I bathe him he just sits there, but when my husband bathes him, he growls and shows his teeth all the while my husband is bathing hm.
He has never nipped. Mom throws such nagging fits when he growls, I guess he doesn't want to risk what I would do if he nipped.
While he is being petted, he growls a low grumbly growl, and I call it bitching.
when he gets corrected sometimes, he growls and grumbles, and I call that sassing back.
He didn't do that much when he was younger, but I guess he thinks now he is too grown up to be corrected.
My dogs HATE time out. when I want a behavior stopped, I give them a good chewing out, and tell them they are going to time out. I then put them in the hall bathroom and close the door. i leave them there for about 30 minutes, and if they do it when they come out ( stubborness), I put them back for an hour.
Max has spent much more time in time out that the other dogs.
That bathroom is the smallest one, and has a 5X5 area between the bathtub and other fixtures. there is only room to lie on the bathmat and be bored, and hear all that is going on they are missing out on.
I think they would rather have a beating with a club than be put in time out.
Even my friend's little undisciplined Yorkis has learned to behave nicely in aunt charlotte's house, because i put him in time out too.
is mom doesn't correct him like she means it, so he is a bit of a brat.
It could be your doh thinks he is a grownup now, and shouldn't have to mind.
Another thing, he may just be a bit spoiled by all the attention from others, and is playing hard to get.
a neighbor;s gorgeous Irish setter played hard to get with me. when I tried to pet him, he would move out of my way, like i was unworthy to pet him.
So I told him he was too snooty, and before I ever pet him, he would beg me for a pet.
Well, I ignored him for a couple of weeks, and one day, I was sitting on my porch steps, and he came over and sat down beside me. I talked to him, but didn't offer to touch, and pretty soon, his head was in my lap, with his eyes looking up at me like "I'm sorry". so I petted him, and we were good buddies from then on. He came to be petted. LOL
They can get independant and snooty just like spoiled kids can.
Have these friends ignore him and not touch, until he asks to be touched.
He may not care that much about being opetted so much, and would prefer to be left alone.
You know, some people think they are supposed to get to pet the animals, hug the kids etc, anytime they want. sometimes kids don't want to be picked up and sqweezed hard. I don't think animals or children should have to put up with attention they don't want.
He may not care that much about these people, really, and he may be tired of putting on a front to be polite.
Sugest they wait for him to ask to be petted, because he has gotten too spoiled. that way you don't have to tell them, "Maybe he doesn't really like ypu", and it will get his space respected.
When he growls when you discipline him,really chew him out. I talk to mine just like they are human, and they understand me. after you have talked to your dogs for years, they understand your language. They may not speak it, because they don't have the physical ability to speak, but when you hear a language a long time, you pick it up and understand it.
I tell mine things like " I don't tollerate that
11You don't talk back to me, you just MIND! Yiu behave yourself or I will throw your little butt into time out for the rest of the day"
I men, really pitch a fit with them. they slink away like "Dang, I really plowed up a snake". But they behave themselves.
If they fine out they can buffalo you, they will gradually take over the rule of the family.
He is getting older, and he may be more tired and not feel like putting up with a lot, and just would rather not be petted.He may be trying to take over as alpha. You just have to try both ways, chewing out and ignoring, and see which works.
Does he have regualr checkups?
He may be having a problem with a high liver count, or some other thing that is minor now, and just makes him feel a little out of t, but that if left undone, could turn into something serious.
Look at all that is going on.
Is his geeral health good?
Could he just be bored and want more time with you?
I can understand your concern.
It is a bad situation when any size dog actually attacks, but he is big enough to really do some damage, fast.
All the more important that if it is just a personality switch with him, or an attempt to take over as the alpha of the family, it be nipped in the bud NOW.
at his age, he could be having a little bit of trouble with Arthritis, or Hip Dysplasia.
He may not be in enough pain for him to moan or howl with it, but it could hurt when he is petted when it is bothering him.
An exam to checkhim for Arthritis would be a good idea.
I bought a video to learn the Tellington touch technique of animal massage, and it is great for so many things.
I can give a massage for 15 to 30 minutes and give a lt of relief from pain, with half the medications. I have helped dogs recover from post surgery pain and recovery, in a fraction of the time it would take normally.
I have done a lot of training with massage too. I have relieved fear of thunderstorms with the massage for calming, and excessive barking, and aggression.
Training cannot be discounted, it is important, of course, but alone with the massage, I have been able to accomplish better training results in much less time.
I really can't say enough about the benefits of these massages.
My 10 year old grand daughter got her horse she has wanted for so long, in November, she got a young 8 month old colt, so for christmas I gave her the massage videos for getting her colt comfortable with being handled, and one for training with massage.
There are tapes for massaging cats, dogs, horses, and for other animals.
The breeders and trainers of these high dollar berrding and racing stock  have massage therapists come once a month and before each race etc, and massage their animals.
I have a friend that gets hugh fees for a onca a month massage of their thoroughbred race gorses, and their breeder cattle.
To read about the massages, and order the video if you decide you want one, go to
   www.lindatellington-jones.com

the video only costs about $35.00, and it is the best money you can spend, in my opinion.
animals can have nerves just like people do. Really, in my over 65 years of handling and raising animals, I can't see a great deal of difference between dogs and humans, outside of walking on 4 legs, and barking instead of spesking.
Dogs and humans are a lot more alike that most people think.
Check out that website, and look into the things I have suggested, and if you have more wuestions, or other problems, feel free to write me any time.
I would be glad to try and help any way I can.
I wish I could spend some time with him. I would probably be able to tell you just what this is all about.
Charlotte