What should I do when she growls??

I've gotta work on this, too, b/c Emma also growls when other people lean over her, especially if she's on me, or if they push her....

I'm pretty sure that, as pack leaders, we aren't supposed to allow people to threaten our pack. Leaning over them is scary. It's threatening. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to keep the vet from hurting/scaring her, but I'd like her to quit trying to rip the vet's face off!

Im am soo not educated in dealing with agressive dogs, but maybe there is another way to 'make' her lay down instead of towering over her? She is obviously feeling threatened. The only other way I know would be kneeling infront of her and 'pulling' her paws down so she goes into a down, but that would leave your face right at hers, and would make for a potentially dangerous situation if she chooses to bite instead of growl. But maybe theres a third way? Sorry ive been no help!

I was shocked when I read someplace months ago that growling is good. (See? I am a novice dog lover--I was "shocked.")
 
Let me see where I can find more on that and I'll post that later today.
 
On a related, but not really, note, because Murphy The Biter has HD, I taught him Down differently than I have other dogs. I have go to his side and touch his foreleg. He goes right down.
 
And even better for my skittish boy, I have squat down to touch it, so I'm not looming; I'm right next to him and Voila--down he goes.
 
As for a trustworthy Sit however . . .
 
More later.

Growling IS good, at least from my point of view. Shes letting you know that she doesnt like a certain behavior from you, but shes still refraining from biting you. BUT its still a no no because she should not growl or bite. Its quite confusing to me because if you allow her to growl at you, youre allowing her to disobey you and get away with things, so maybe she'll start to think 'hey if i growl i dont have to do what they say!' but if you punish her growling maybe next time she wont growl a warning, but actually bite.

My Swissy, River, use to do the same thing – mainly at me.   Circumstances were a little different he didn#%92t like to be bothered once he was lying quietly and if we were to approach him he would growl.  Sometimes he use to get up, come by me and sit down and when I went to pet him he would growl.  IMO growling is only good because it is a warning but growling is never good.  I have read many of your post and you seem to understand what you need to do for your dog i.e.: NILIF and training etc.  My husband many times wanted to give up on our dog and I continually would tell him to give “us” a chance.  I hired two very good behaviorists; the second was hired because he also owned my breed and we thought it would be best to have someone who knew the breed too.  Anyway, I always had this same question.  “What do “I” do “when” he is growling at me?”  Both told me to do the same thing.
 
Prevent getting a bite!!  Walk away and call the dog to you, break the dogs focus.  Treat him with praise for “coming” to you.  I understood calling him to me, to get him moved and breaking his focus, but I didn#%92t understand praising and or treating for coming – I didn#%92t want to confuse him and have him think he was being praised for growling.  However, it doesn#%92t work that way he never related the growling with treats, it is the act of coming that he was treated for.  Both my trainers insisted that as I continued to communicate to him my leadership by using NILIF (which is what they taught – but it didn#%92t call it that) and clear and precise commands that this “growling” attitude would end and after 5 months it did.
 
With all that said, I am without a doubt the ultimate leader in my home with River.  At this point I don#%92t ever think he would EVER growl at ME again.  But.. If he growled at my husband I think..  Again, I think – depending on the situation, I would jump right in and have him come to me and have him lay down next to me.    
 
Your husband sounds like mine use to by getting my DH involved in the obedience classes and with the trainer helped him have a different attitude and want to work on his dog to make him better. 

That's it, she hasn't growled at me since she first came here.  I'm not saying she would never growl at me but I do all the medicating and bathing, etc and she must listen to me so I do place her in positions if she doesn't do them.  And, no growl. 

DH tried it and right off, growl. 

I'm going to try what you suggested, I will break her focus and treat her.  I (we, DH and I) almost always instinctively say "hey" or some other thing that makes her realize she just made a mistake. 

But, I will try that. 

Basically, she will do great with DH for months and months and then something like this will happen and he will ignore her until he gets over it and then everything will be back to normal. 

He does make her sit and he does follow the NILIF commands when she's with him, but for some reason, she still doesn't see it as unacceptable to growl at him when he pushes her to do something. 

Nancy-The growling is good because she is warning us, not just hauling off and biting.  At the same time, and it's all very confusing, she shouldn't be feeling she needs to warn him. 

growling is good. It's communication and all communication is good. But then you need to go work on what caused the growling. Let's say you have a dog that growls at you when you go to pick up the dog's foot to wipe mud off it. Don't scold the dog. Instead train the dog using positive methods to accept having his feet picked up and wiped off.
Here, the real problem is DH. But since we all know it's easier to train dogs than DHs, what you need to do I guess is work on getting Willow to lie down on command better and to not get so upset about people leaning over her.
Dogs that have problems with the down position should really never be forced or even gently helped into the position. Instead they should be rewarded profusely for choosing to down.

OK, so I'll work on getting her to down much better.  She's always been resistant to that one.  I'm assuming because she feels it's too submissive a position.
 
So, we shouldn't scold her for the growl, what should I do right then when it happens.  Should I call her and treat like suggested above or do nothing??  DH feels like I should be doing more to make her realize she shouldn't be doing that.  And, if that's true then I want to learn what exactly it is and do it. 

Mudpuppy--What kinds of things should I do to help her not get so upset about people (really only DH because nobody else would be allowed) leaning over her.  What should I do to help that??
 
Thanks!!

I can so sympathize!!  It is hard, because I know you protect and manage Willow's issues with everyone else - but just need her to be ok with DH and get it that he is in the pack and ranks above her...  Since you are the one clearly at the top of the order and DH and Willow's positions are the ones in debate here, I would think (and I am no expert) that if Willow is to be reprimanded in any way, until the issue is resolved, it should be by you all the while DH taking over more and more of the feeding/medicating/training/treating so that he can up his own place in the pack to above hers...
 
What I would do (and I could be off here) - is, if Willow growls at DH, I would make an "ah ah" type noise (or your "hey" or whatever) and you call her over to work on some quick obedience or whatever (to diffuse the situation) praising/rewarding for good behaviors.  I am always torn between not "punishing" the growl, because you don't want to get rid of the warning; and making sure you do something so the dog understands that growling is really not necessary in this situation, because you are in charge and you are taking care of everything...
 
I guess, ultimately, you don't want to discourage the growl, you want to put the dog in a position where she doesn't feel she needs to growl.  From what I can remember about you guys and Willow, I think she is pushy, right (not afraid of DH, rather, doesn't think DH should tell her to do certain things)?  I would just keep working (like I know you guys are, constantly) on having DH do more and more things for Willow (slowly), so that she begins to defer to him like she does to you - until that point, I would try to make sure that DH doesn't "confront" her - she is seems to be taking it as a challenge, and is not ready to relinquish her perceived position yet...  This is a hard one - keep us posted on what is going on...

Ohhh, I really like the idea of just distracting.

Last time Emma got accupuncture, she stood there, growling and grumbling (this after she'd made her attempts at eating the vet), and I told her, "Enough of that, it's not that bad!" cheerfully. She quieted right down, and I fed her some cookies. She knows "enough". I'm not sure if that's an appropriate reaction or not, but it seems ok to me (of course, you know me, I'm just a dog owner).

I definitely know that it's never ok to correct a growl. I made that mistake, when Em was a puppy. She just started growling again, this year. The first time she growled in response to something she didn't like, I praised her, LOL.

You have to make DH understand (which is easier said than done!) that Willow growling at him is a good thing! I mean its a heck of alot better than getting bit in the face at least she is telling him 'Back off I dont like to go down'
 
Also as stated above try to have DH get more involved with Willow. Mainly feeding and dispensing out treats, leave the yuckier jobs (like giving medicines) to you so that Willow sees that your DH provides Great things such as food and TREATS!!

I don't have experience with the kind of issues Willow has, so I don't know if my opinion will be useful, but just in case it is.... To the question of 'what do I do in that moment' when she growls, I'd say nothing. Walk away. When my dog blows me off I blow him off right back, and I come back later and try again in a better moment. I don't feel that it does much good to push things to a confrontation or a battle of wills. You don't have to "win" each conflict, as long as you come out ahead in the long run and have a workable relationship with the dog. This, after all, is the principle of NILIF as I understand it - the human backs off of the constant in-you-face haggling that some people do with their dogs... let the dog come to you, ask for behaviors in exchange for things the dog wants, be more standoffish, almost playing hard to get in a way. Insisting on a down for no particular reason except that because you asked once you think you can't let it go until she downs... this undermines the goal of NILIF.

Your question is a good one, and one that I may need an answer for too someday (although Gandolf certainly has his issues, he has never growled at me or DH).
 
What a behaviorist told me was if Gandolf  "aggresses" (meaning anything like growling, lip lifting, etc.) with house guests, which I realize is not specifically your situation, that we should interrupt (say "eh-eh," or the equivalent) and then escort him calmly to a time out of about 30-60 seconds.  With other unwanted behaviors, she said to interrupt (again "eh-eh") and redirect.  I would think you could do the equivalent with Willow. 
 
I would not just ignore her behavior.  Yes, growling is better than biting, but with a dog with aggression issues, you want them to know when they are engaging in behavior that is unacceptable, and ignoring her might not clearly get that point across.
 
All that being said, I hope a trainer or behaviorist will respond specifically to your question, and then we will all have a better idea how to handle such a situation!

Thanks everyone.  I will definately distract her and then re-direct if this happens again.  I'm hoping it doesn't.  But, this isn't the first time so I've got to be prepared. 
 
Another question---If DH starts doing more for her (although he is the care taker from about 5-10:30 pm, he feeds her, walks her and plays with her) But, if he starts doing more for her even if I'm home, will that in some way make her eventually see him as the "leader" and not me??  I don't want to give up my alpha status for a few reasons, one I really am with her most of the time and do bathing, medicating, etc so I do need her to see me as "leader" so I can be safe doing these things that she doesn't love.  Two, I've worked my butt off to get to this point with her and don't want to fall back to the beginning again. 
 
Thanks!!