I have a miniature wire haired dachshund who is 6 months old. He is a lovely little boy but is very timid with strangers. Recently he has started growling at strangers when they approach him. He does not show his teeth or give any indication that he will go as far as biting them, but he makes a definite growling sound. He is not aggressive at any other time. We have tried scolding him and telling him "No" but it has not stopped him. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Hi Lucy
Has anyone come towards him and given him a fright recently? Seems a bit strange that he's only starting now. Maybe he's just being very protective over you. My friend's dog is very protective over her if anyone comes near her.

Hi Lucy,
There's a possibility that when you tell him off for growling, he thinks you are joining in - the attention he's getting could be encouraging him to continue. Have you tried totally ignoring him when he growls? If you stop and talk to people when you're out with him, try telling him to "sit", and then praising and rewarding him when he does it. When he realises that the presence of other people means he gets a treat he may well start to enjoy their proximity.
Just a thought.
:)

Thanks for your suggestions. I can't think of anything that has happened to frighten him recently. He was never been happy meeting new people and usually tries to run away. It when he has nowhere to escape or if we are holding him that he growls.

It certainly sounds as if he is fearful. This does need careful handling, because it is only a short step to him starting to snap. If you are holding him and he growls, I would suggest you immediately put him down on the floor. If he is on the lead, don't tighten the lead but let it go loose (don't let go!) so he doesn't feel he has nowhere to escape.

And don't encourage people to talk to him - it's clearly putting him under too much pressure. Have them ignore him and let him say hello when he's ready.
:)

Seems scared to me. Have you tried asking a dog trainer? If not maybe you should do this because she'll have to get out of the growling in case it gets worse

6 Months is a classic age for dogs to enter what's called the second fear impact stage - if handled correctly (ie not rewarded for the behaviour) most will grow out of it. As Jean has said, beware of letting people push the limit too far, or he will resort to snapping to get them to go away instead of just growling, and be wary of tensing up yourself (which the dog can feel down the lead) or giving this behaviour any kind of reward (wether it's attention, reassurance or telling him off)