All dogs have the potential to bite if circumstances force the action. Any dog, even small poodles, can cause serious injury with their teeth and powerful jaws.

Puppies start out nippy. We expect them to mouth, nip and bite during teething between 3 to 6 months of age. If the behavior is not corrected and modified, it can become a serious problem in an adult dog.

If your normally docile poodle suddenly becomes aggressive, take her to the veterinarian to see if there’s a medical cause for the problem. She could be in pain, or suffering from a neurological or a thyroid problem.

Any Dog Can Be Put In A Situation To Bite

Absolutely, every single dog can be put into a situation where he or she will bite eventually – if the situation forces the behavior.

Under the following circumstances, a dog can be expected to bite:

The dog is in pain.

A dog who is ill or injured and someone touches or handles the dog in such away that causes pain. Someone steps on it’s tail and the dog turns around and snaps. A child hitting the dog with a heavy object.

The dog is being attacked.

Dogs that are physically punished will build fear of that person and may one day react with defensive aggression. A dog who has been hit may become aggressive around visual stimuli like a hand being held over his head. A dog who has been teased may also someday react aggressively.

Fear

If the dog is extremely afraid of someone or something, and the owner or other family member tries to force the dog into the situation, the dog may resort to biting his way out of it.

Maternal protection of puppies by the mother

This is a normal cause of aggressive biting. Keep everyone away from the puppies until the mother is ready to allow visitors.

Inter female or inter male rivalry

Properly socialize your dog at a very early age to other people as well as other dogs. Sometimes, hormonal medication will effectively treat this type of aggression.

Play Biting

This type of biting usually occurs when a dog gets excited in situations such as play wrestling, playing tug-of-war games or when children run, dance, or jump around. Play mouthing, play nipping, and play biting are usually easy to modify. Watching a dog carefully and stopping such games before it becomes too exciting is helpful. When dealing with a puppy or dog that won’t back off, redirect the behavior to a toy.

A Health Problem

A dog losing it’s sight or hearing may become fearful and react aggressively. A neurological or thyroid condition, other illness or an accident can cause brain damage and result in aggressive behavior.

Psychosis

A very small percentage of dogs are genetically defective, and may be predisposed to aggression as adults. Puppies 6 months or younger who are seriously growling, snapping and biting usually have a genetic problem or have been seriously abused. Other factors that can induce psychosis are drug and alcohol abuse, poisoning by dangerous chemicals such as antifreeze, paint, or pesticides.

Warning Signs

In a well adjusted dog who is not ill, there is a step by step build up of early warning signs before the bite occurs.

• The dog becomes still and rigid.
• The dog will look at you, remaining still and rigid.
• The dog will growl
• The dog will curl it’s lip and growl.
• The dog will curl it’s lip and growl loudly.
• The dog will snap.

Living With An Aggressive Dog

Most problems can be either completely overcome or can be reduced to a bearable level, given some time, training, and love.

• Extend your ability to control your dog.
• Show your dog you will protect it so there is no need to take independent action.
• Watch your dog for signs of unhappiness and take control of the situation immediately.
• Do not allow anyone who does not understand how to deal with dogs to be with your dog unsupervised.

With any kind of aggression, prevention is the first and most important part of the solution. A dog that has bitten once may bite again, given a similar set of circumstances.

If your dog shows signs of, or has bitten with the intention of deliberate harm you will have to strictly supervise your dog at all times, avoid over stimulating environments, and seek professional advise.

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Anxiety, boredom, loneliness, and insufficient exercise can increase your dogs need to chew, and if the chewing relieves the stress, it is likely to be repeated again and again.

Because the reasons for chewing are so diverse, it should be considered a sign or symptom of some underlying motivation. It’s important to understand why your poodle is chewing before you attempt to change the behavior.

Play-Related Chewing

Remember, puppies learn about their environment by mouthing and chewing on objects. This chewing behavior escalates during teething between 4 to 6 months of age.

Puppies should be acclimated to a crate from the first day in her new home. A crate is helpful for house-training and limits your puppy’s access to valuable or dangerous items, while allowing her to rest and chew on appropriate toys. Consider using a crate or other restricted area until your puppy is 2 years old.

Anxiety-Related Chewing

Unlike, play related chewing in puppies (which can happen whether you’re home or not), anxiety related destruction happens when your dog is alone. In a frenzied effort to find her owner, the dog will dig and chew at doors and windowsills.

Dogs who are severely upset and feel abandoned when their owners leave have Separation Anxiety. In most cases, the dog will whine or bark, dig, and even urinate or defecate within minutes when left alone.

A poodle that suffers from Thunder Phobia, can cause dramatic damage to your house on stormy days. A dog with thunder phobia may also develop fears to a variety of other noises.

Anxiety related chewing is treated by addressing the anxiety. If you suspect this is the reason for your poodles destructive chewing, ask your veterinarian for help. Anti-anxiety medication and a behavior modification program will help your dog feel less stress and react more calmly to being left alone.

Because a poodle with Separation Anxiety or Thunder Phobia is already stressed, punishment or confinement may make matters worse, by increasing the dogs anxiety.

Excessive Chewing Or Licking Of Self

Licking or chewing that results in hair loss, sores, or redness can be caused by a health problem or can lead to health problems. Parasitic infection, matted fur, food allergies, or anxiety can cause excessive licking and chewing.

See your veterinarian, there are medications which are helpful to reduce the need to chew or lick. If your veterinarian suspects a food allergy, he will recommend a non-allergic dog food.

If the licking and chewing is not caused by a health problem then it is most likely from anxiety. If your poodle is shy, introverted, or is quick to go into submission, he may be turning his attention inward. Mouthing, chewing, or licking are methods he uses to relieve stress.

Correcting Chewing Behavior

To correct inappropriate chewing behavior, your poodle will need a variety of safe chew toys and a crate or other confined area for when he cannot be supervised.

When you see your poodle pick up or chew an inappropriate object, redirect his attention and offer him one of his chew toys. Do not punish him for inappropriate chewing, a firm NO in your regular tone of voice will do.

Praise your poodle for chewing appropriate items so she will learn the correct behavior.

Confine your poodle to a chew proof area when you cannot supervise her. Leave her a toy to chew on. A crate is the safest place for your dog when alone, as long as she is not confined to the crate for excessively long periods of time. If you confine her to a small room or area, you may have to treat cabinets and furniture with a repellant, like Bitter Apple, and make sure electrical cords are inaccessible.

Spend time with your dog, giving him lots of play time and exercise, especially if he is left alone for long periods of time.

Gradually, give your dog unsupervised freedom. Check on her often. Slowly increase the amount of time she is left alone. If the destructive chewing resumes, back up and try not to get discouraged.

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No matter what the behavior problem is; the basis of problem solving are the same.

1. Determine the underlying cause or motivation for the behavior.
2. Take away the rewarding aspect of the behavior.
3. Replace the bad behavior with a desirable behavior you can reward.

REMEMBER: while many behavior problems and the basis for solving those problems may be the same…Every dog – every situation – every solution is NOT the same.

A well-thought-out plan is key to long-term success in solving a behavior issue.

Set Rules For Your Poodle

The rules you set for your poodle are entirely up to you and should be based on your lifestyle, personality, personal preferences, and your dog. It doesn’t matter what kind of structure there is to the family rules, as long as there is a definite structure that the dog can recognize and understand.

Enforce The Rules

The moment you catch your poodle in the act of breaking a rule interrupt the bad behavior. Most poodles respond well to "No" or "Stop" in a deeper (not louder) than normal tone of voice. Dogs are verbal animals and are very aware of different voice tones, it is not necessary to yell.

Poodles tend to be so sensitive that yelling at them or any type of physical punishment might make them fearful and lead to more behavior problems.

Redirect Improper Behavior

Dogs repeat activities that are rewarding to them. By recognizing what your poodle sees as a reward, and removing the opportunity for him to be rewarded for problem behavior, you’ll be on your way to ending those behaviors.

Instead of punishing your poodle for breaking a rule, redirect him to a desirable behavior, and then reinforce that behavior with a treat, he’s apt to repeat the good behavior. This is much more effective than punishment.

Reward Good Behavior

Dogs and people alike, learn more from our successes than we do from our mistakes, and we are more likely to repeat our successes. Every interaction with your poodle -taking her out to potty, grooming or playing a game- is an opportunity for her to learn and be rewarded for good behavior.

Anything your poodle likes can be used to emphasize good behavior: treats, toys, verbal praise and petting.

Prevent Problem Behavior

Sometimes the best solution is to prevent the problem from happening. If you eliminate opportunities for misbehavior, you set your poodle up for success. If you don’t want a puppy to chew up your shoes, keep your shoes out of reach and him give something appropriate to chew on.

Be Consistent

Don’t allow your poodle puppy to do anything now that you don’t want him to as an adult. Often, we allow our dogs to get away with behaviors that at first seem cute, then a minor irritation, and later, a PROBLEM.

A dog that is allowed to get away with bad behavior one time and at other times is yelled at for the same behaviors, lives in an uncertain world. This leads to insecurity and the dog may stop trying to communicate with the owner because he can’t make sense out of the owners unpredictable behavior.

Symptom Of A More Serious Problem

Sometimes a behavior problem is a symptom of a more complex problem like separation anxiety. Dogs with separation anxiety have a dramatic stress response and exhibit behavior problems when they are left alone.

When In Doubt, Seek Help

If you are experiencing serious problems with your poodle or are a first time dog owner and are not sure you can handle the problem you may need to seek help from an expert. Your veterinarian may be able to help or recommend someone who can.

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It’s hard not to pet your poodle when he is climbing in your lap, frightened and unsure, but doing so will reward his nervousness and make it worse.

When dogs are fearful they may:

• Hide or run away
• Keep a low posture
• Tremble
• Keep their ears back or flattened
• Lick their muzzle repeatedly
• Threaten and bark at a person while backing away

You Can’t Make Fear Go Away

Reducing fear requires gradual exposure to the situation they fear and rewarding any sign of relaxed behavior or voluntary approach of the feared object or person.

Do not force your poodle to accept the people, objects or situations he fears.

If he is afraid of bicycles, men in hats or whatever it may be, don’t drag him up to it. This will make him resist. Do not allow people to approach him, this will only spook him more.

Fearful animals are more comfortable approaching at their own speed.

Stand near the object or person and speak in a relaxed tone. If he comes up, don’t make a big deal out of it, just praise him as he moves toward it. If he chooses to withdraw, that’s okay, just stop praising him.

Some dogs are afraid of various sounds (thunder, cars, fireworks, sirens, etc.)

You can attempt to desensitize your dogs fear of these sounds by recording the feared sounds or you can purchase a sound effect CD. Play the sounds at a very low level while your poodle is relaxed and during a play session with you. Slowly increase the volume of the feared sounds until your dog can play and relax with the sounds at a normal level.

Do not reinforce the fearful response.

Give your poodle attention for courage and ignore fear. It is easy to give him attention when he is frightened, but he will interpret this as praising for the fear.

Dogs that have severe fearfulness may benefit from a natural herb that helps treat anxiety or anti-anxiety drugs. Consult your veterinarian.

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If you missed the previous post, you may want to read about the causes and symptoms of canine separation anxiety before continuing.

Here are some general tips for helping a dog with Canine Separation Anxiety:

Adopt a low-key approach to leaving the house

Emotional good-byes will only cause your dog to be more anxious when you leave. Ignore your dog for a few minutes before you leave and a few minutes on your return.

If there is a whirlwind of activity that takes place prior to everyone leaving the house all at the same time, put the dog away in it’s own special place half an hour or so before everyone leaves, otherwise the dog is left in a state of high tension when everyone is gone and he is alone.

Never Punish Your Dog Or Shout At It When You Return Home

No matter what damage you may find. Always remember punishing a dog with separation anxiety can make the problem escalate. All separation anxiety problems are stress reactions. If the dog is torn between his desperate desire to see you and the knowledge that you will scream and possibly hit him on your return, his stress will only be that much worse.

Prevent destructive behavior

Prevent destructive behavior by keeping your dog confined in a crate or other small area when you are gone. Provide stimulating toys, like nyla-bones or toys you can fill with treats.

Try playing the radio

or leaving the television on when you are gone. Experiment whether your dog reacts better to a tuned station or to “white noise”, the rushing sound in between stations. Some dogs find this soothing.

Aromatherapy

A calming scent like lavender helps some dogs. The Comfort Zone DAP for Dogs Diffuser is said to reduce or completely stop stress-related behavior including: barking, whimpering and whining, chewing, urination and defecation. Also reduces or eliminates separation anxiety.

Do not reward bad behavior

Do not reward barking, whining, jumping, pawing, or frantic behavior with any affection or attention, not even eye contact. Reward calm, quiet, and non-dependent behavior with calm praise and attention. Save your affection for when the dog is behaving.

No Pampering

Don’t spend all day pampering and petting your dog. Practice having the dog spend short periods of time alone on a consistent basis. Shut room doors behind you when you are moving around the house. Leave the dog in one room while you are in another for a few minutes.

For over attachment problems in particular

It is important not to let your dog sleep with you. You can keep the dog in the bedroom with you, but confine it to a crate or it’s own bed.

Other Helpful Tips

Spend quality, one-on-one time every day with your dog. Five to twenty minutes a day can help your dog feel more secure. This quality time should consist of fun interactive play and exercise. Poodles need plenty of exercise and stimulation.

A dog who is able to look out the window when you are gone may become more stressed by seeing other dogs and people, and is likely to look for you the whole time. It is much better for his long term health to relax and go to sleep in a quiet room.

If you are gone every day for long periods of time, consider hiring a dog sitter. You can try to find someone who loves dogs that will give your dog some company for a couple hours a day.

An other alternative, is to hire a dog walker who can come and take your dog out for a little while during the day.

Contact your veterinarian to help determine if your dog has separation anxiety and what treatments are available. There are many books such as; The Canine Separation Anxiety Workbook that can help you deal with, and understand your dogs Separation Anxiety.

Don’t Give Up! Remember dogs are the most loyal companions and they seem to live their lives trying to make us happy.

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Puppies and some dogs experience a high level of stress when left alone. For a dog, it is not the natural order of things to be split up from his family. His natural instincts do not prepare him for such a situation. Most puppies learn you will return and that nothing bad happens when they are left alone. They learn to entertain themselves and gain confidence in their ability to be alone.

Some dogs do not gain confidence in their selves for various reasons.

Factors at the root of this disorder include species specific predispositions, genetics, early learning and owner behavior. Second hand dogs, dogs adopted from animal shelters, and rescued strays are prone to develop separation anxiety. Dogs that are intelligent and have a high energy level can also develop separation anxiety.

You can see why some poodles are bound to suffer from Canine Separation Anxiety.

1. Poodles require human companionship, they do not do well left alone for long periods of time everyday.
2. There are very intelligent and need to be mentally stimulated.
3. High energy, the bigger the poodle the more exercise is required.

Common Causes Of Separation Anxiety

• Fear of abandonment caused by prior re-homing.
• Some dogs have been left alone too long when they were a puppy and are traumatized by it.
• Some dogs are neglected or abused and develop low self esteem. These dogs are usually bounced from home to home and then end up in animal shelters.
• A dog with a strong guarding instinct toward their owner can get very stressed because if they are left behind, how can they protect their owner.
• Dogs who are overly attached to their owner and who are rarely left alone can literally go to pieces when the person who is the center of their universe leaves them behind.
• Changes in ones daily routine or work schedule, from where the dog spends most of the day with it’s owner to where the dog spends most of the day alone.
• Moving to a new home or other major change in the dogs environment.
• Some dogs can be traumatized by an event unknown to their owner.

Symptoms Of Separation Anxiety

• Barking, whining, screeching, or howling – this is a way of calling for the dogs owner to return or so the sound of their own voice fill the silence that surrounds them.
• Destructive chewing of household items relieving the loneliness or boredom.
• Digging at and scratching doors, rugs, or furniture – the dog is frantically trying to escape and find it’s owner.
• Acute alertness to owner’s every move and obsessively following owner from room to room, typical behavior of over attachment.
• Trembling, panting or drooling when left alone is a reaction to fear.
• Self-mutilation, caused by excessive chewing or licking – this behavior is usually from over attachment to the owner. Use a surgical collar or medication from your veterinarian to stop the dog from doing damage to itself.
• Urinating and defecating in the house, diarrhea
• Any other obvious signs if distress when left alone

Next post: Treating Separation Anxiety

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• About