Standard Poodle - aggressive towards owners, what to do?

My parents have a SP, they have had him since he was a puppy, he will be 2 years old in June.

As far as i am aware they have a good routine with him, regarding sleep,feeding, walking etc.

They previously had Boxer,s, but are having problems with him, as he is becoming aggressive, mainly towards them. He has snapped at my Dad twice now and i think my Mum has become afraid of him!!! which Is very sad...

My father walks him every morning, his normal routine changed about 6 months ago from the beach as he ran off and when my dad caught up with him he had torn/ripped open his tummy!! although there was another dog there so exactly what happened we are unsure.

Well, he snarls and snaps at them, I suggested them contacting the breeder, but my mum is embarrassed as they have not kept in contact.

She told me that they were bathing him the other day and he attempted to bite them!! He is a big boy and very strong, I have offered to take him to obedience classes, but to be honest I am not sure if I could handle him!!

Any suggestions ?

The first thing to do is to take him to the vet for a thorough check up. Pain and discomfort, or the anticipation of pain occurring if touched, can cause a previously stable dog to warn (growl/snarl) and snap if the warning is unheeded.

If there is no medical problem then your parents should ask the vet to refer them to a behaviourist. Dog-human aggression is a serious matter and giving well-meaning advise without seeing the interactions between dog and people can often make the situation worse.

Hi Harveys Mum in addition to SBs comments can I ask when did the bad behavior start? Was it after the accident to his tummy? My first reaction would be to think this dog is experiencing pain somewhere

I have just had a chat with my Mum, and although it is difficult to get the exact facts from her, I managed to find out that he has had a re-occuring ear problem. They have and continue to put drops into hin ears (Johnson ear Drops)

She also mentioned that the groomer should pluck the hair from the ear, and this has not happened! Is this the case ?

She is still apprehensive to contact the breeder, and I offered to which she replied she would think about it ( as the breeder did offer to take him to lessons last year ) both my Mum and Dad had cancer last year.... but he never did go to classes.

He is a Standard Black Poodle from a White Father and a Black Mother, and my Mum has just confessed to never seeing the Father!!!!! which I thought strange.

I asked them if he actually broke the skin when he bit, but my father had a towel at the time - so No.

He hates to be brushed and snarls, and my mother said she can see in his eyes the anger.

They are going to take him to the vets today to have him checked over, they will metion his behaviour and his ears.

He is never left at home alone and if they go out he is always in the car.

I just feel considering all that they have been through it is such a shame that they now have problems with him, he has always been tempremental, but she is talking about it a lot more lately which leads me to believe it has got worse. I hope this doesn't end up in a sad way.

Do any of you know how much a behaviourist would cost as they are both retired and on pensions... I am more than happy to help out

I wouldn't have thought the hair in his ears would have anything to do with it. I have to pull hair out of Benjis ears and Ooee on here sent me some chalk to put on my finger and thumb to pull the hair out with and its great - it comes out really easy although Benji hates me doing it. Perhaps he could have an ear infection and the Johnsons drops would do nothing if this was the case he would probably need anti-biotic ear drops from the vets.

Yes I think a good check up at the vets is probably the best solution for all - good luck and hope his aggression dies down soon.

As for not seeing his father, well I wouldnt have thought that would be too bad because lots of breeders take their dogs to a stud dog don't they and don't actually own the father themselves so maybe this was the case.

Hi Harveys Mum ..firstly with breeds that don't shed you often get a build up of hair in the ears ,if this is the case it needs to be plucked out regularly and should be done from an early age so that the puppy gets used to it . It should then be done routinely when the dog is trimmed. If you don't do this excess wax and debris can collect in the ears and this can attract mites. Amy never moves when I pluck her ears, if done correctly it should not hurt the dog.


Some people often avoid going to the vet saying it is too expensive, but leaving a condition can do lasting damage and can prove more expensive in the long run. If the people are on pensions have they thought of looking for the nearest PDSA vet who will not charge the full rate.

Who advised the Johnson's drops? Drops should only be used under the supervision of a vet and never bought over the counter, the reason for this is the ears need to be checked by a vet for signs of infection or mites and by buying over the counter you may be using an ineffective preparation and treating the wrong condition.

Once any ill health is ruled out you can then look at the dogs behaviour.

Thank you - I am waiting to hear from them as they are taking him to the vet's today x

Good I hope everything goes well and the vet can pinpoint his problem. Behavourists cost the earth and from my experience didn't work that well.

Just caught this. Hope everything works out. If he has a chronic ear condition, which reading through, sounds like a distinct possibility, it can also effect his skin..making him itchy, every dog I've had that has had an ear infection has become itchy and chewed at themselves too...can also cause problems with their anal glands....weirds I know!!!!! Sounds to me like he has sore ears and sore skin and maybe needs some training too....
In terms of cost of behaviourists the one our vet uses (who is a fully qualified vet as well as bing a behaviourist) costs £200. That's for a visit (up to 2 hrs) where she meets dog in the home, asks lots of questions/chat...follow up visit 6 weeks later, written report and a lifetimes worth of aftercare on the phone... not used it so can't comment, just to give an idea of cost.
Hope he is okay and it's somethng simple that can be sorted by the vet. Ax

OMG they will not be able to afford that much!!! I have been trying to get hold of them and can't... probably gone to feed the horses.