Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US black) speaking in a variety of ways, the meaning differs as to context, e.g. flirtatiously, aggressively, meaninglessly, threateningly, in a bullying or bluffing manner.

1936		‘Hectic Harlem’ in N.Y. Amsterdam News 8 Feb. sect. 2: WOOF. – Same as GUM BEATIN’.
1942		Z.N. Hurston ‘Story in Harlem Sl.’ in Novels and Stories (1995) 1010: Woofing: aimless talk.
1969		Commonweal 91 102: On New York streets ‘cutting,’ ‘ranking’ (also known as ‘low-ranking’), ‘woofing’ and ‘sounding’ are different names for a less sexual version of the Dozens and first-cousins to the game of ‘signifying’.
1972		B.G. Cooke ‘Nonverbal Communication among Afro-Americans’ in Kochman Rappin’ and Stylin’ Out 45: Woofing is a style of bragging and boasting about how ‘bad’ one is and is sometimes used by males and females when rapping to each other.
2001		(con. 1975–6) E. Little Steel Toes 89: All this bulldogging, loud-talkin’, and general woofing has got my adrenaline all the way up.