We got a miniature poodle when he was 6 weeks old. He is now 6 months. He is a sweetheart with our family (we have 2 children) but he is terrified of strangers. He has always been skittish, when he was three and a half months, he snapped at the vet, then at the groomer(Not when they were doing anything to him, just when they went to touch him or pick him up). Since then he has this "habit" of snapping at anyone outside of a small circle of people, who tries to pet him. We started telling people to just put their hand out and let our dog come to them and he will let people pet him under the chin, but if they go to pet him on his head or back, he'll snap(it will be a bite if they don't move their hand away quickly enough).....The trainer in his puppy kindergarten class says this is the way he is......but we need help!! We love him but we are concerned about this snapping behavior!!! Thank you for any advice you have. We are in the LA\Orange County area..... Ellen

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2000

Answers

Hi Ellen, We had the dog you describe except he was a rescued standard poodle, is 3-4 years old, and we had him for 3 months. He has a Jekyl/Hyde personality. He is sweet at home, affectionate and a great and lovely companion. When a new person comes into the "mix" he nips. His tender spot was his hind end, near his tail. We have young children (12, 9, and 6 years)and it was their friends who visited that he nipped. (plus an adult male, who we found out about when were re homing him.) May I suggest you evaluate your household carefully? You don't mention your kids ages, but, are you prepared to pay the bills/lawyers if a child doesn't take their hand away soon enough? How will your poodle do with a lot of strangers coming in and out during the summer months? This is a worse case scenario, of course. You sound apprehensive, and the trainer in class may be right, your poodle may be "wired differently". Love and fear of a dog is a confusing feeling, isn't it? Do you have a dog behaviorist in your area who could evaluate your poodle? Have you spoken to the breeder about your dog's behaviors? You would be doing the breeder a great service alerting them to this nipping problem. It might be a breeding that he/she wouldn't want to repeat. Is this your first poodle? There is a common misconception that poodles are snippy, yappy, dogs. This couldn't be further from the truth! They can be excellent pets! Sometimes, however, the opposite is true, just like any other pure breed/mixed breed dog. Most of all, GOOD LUCK, Ellen! I hope these suggestions will prompt you to seek the best course of action. Be aware that a dog with behavior problems is hard to place and sometimes it is not in the dog's best interest to fight these "doggie demons" throughout their entire lives. I'm glad you posted to the PSG! Join us for daily poodle discussions! If you are not already subscribed, you might post your inquiry to the list so that some professionals can offer suggestions!

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2000

Thnx to Frances Coss for her answer. We have spoken with the breeder; in fact she told us to take him in for a grooming and leave him for the day. He actually did well there.... We'll see how things go in the next couple of months..... Hopefully everything will work out, we really love our dog.... Ellen

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2000