# Standard poodle, growling



## ar22dp (Oct 19, 2011)

Hi!

Ive got a standard poodle, 2years old. We have had him for about 4months and are getting along just great. I feel that he is a selfsecure dog and to us people a submissive dog.

Im wondering about one thing though, since i work shifts i often go to sleep late in the night when my whife is already sleaping. Our poodle is then often sleeping on my place in the bed. When i push him over to the middle of the bed in order to get room for my self he makes a growling noise. Its not followed by showing teeth of barking, just sounds like hes "talking", like hes complaining about me waking him up in the middle of the night and taking his place in the bed. I havent seen him showing any kind of agression towards humans either.

Its not the same kind of growling noise he does sometimes before he barks, but its hard to describe. Has anyone of you seen simillar behavior?

//Alexander


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

It's hard to say.. I'd say if it escalates to teach a firm 'Off!' to get him off the bed, growling = no bed sharing.

However, it could be a 'thing' he does that may be harmless. For example, if Vegas is laying with me, or laying anywhere, and I pat a spot, he'll dart his head there with his lips hiked WAY up over his teeth and shove his head there. It's totally not an aggressive move, but it looks super scary to anyone that doesn't know him (I couldn't be afraid of that dog if I tried.)


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## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

My fiance's golden retriever makes a noise that sounds almost identical to growling, but it is not. Listen carefully. But when in doubt, get him off the bed. Growling = no bed


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## ar22dp (Oct 19, 2011)

Thanx for the replys!

The strange thing is that he is very easy in other situations where agression could be a problem. Grooming/cutting claws, giving him ear medication, even taking food out of his mouth isnt any problem, situations that he surely doesnt like, but no problem what so ever...

Probably just "complaining", like i would if someone woke me up in the middle of the night.

//Alexander


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## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

I read this to my wife and we both had a good laugh. Beau does exactly the same thing almost every time she comes to bed. We call it his "grumble." It's not an aggressive growl, but more of an annoyed compliant. He does not appreciate being jostled, and after a grumble or two, he climbs off the bed and curls up in his own, which is on the floor in our room. He's our "Grumble Bug."


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## HuckSnow (Mar 27, 2012)

Our Snow growls when we move him or disturb him in any way while he is sleeping. Huck, on the other hand is so placid and calm we can scoot, drag, pick up or move him in any way without a response. We laugh and say that Snow is "grouchy" when he is sleepy. 

We have "trundle" beds placed at the foot of our bed, but they like to sleep with us..of course. Huck sleeps at my feet, Snow at my husbands. Huck is dead weight when sleeping, so he requires some effort when I need some foot room...:cute: My husband has the most difficulty when he needs extra room. Sometimes, he makes me move him.:act-up: Gotta love them!


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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

My older spoo Bob makes a grumly-growly sound if I move him after he has gotten himself comfortable on the bed. But there is no aggression at all, so I am not the slightest bit worried about it. He has also started making the same sound when the mailman comes and he doesn't feel like getting off the couch. He used to run to the door barking furiously, but now he just raises his head and grumbles a bit.


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## sschoe2 (Mar 16, 2011)

My mpoo Barkley actually barks and growls in his sleep. I'll wake up and be hearing growling then what sounds like a hiccup (he doesn't open his mouth when he barks in his sleep so it comes out like a hiccup). 

It might just be a groan that you are hearing. I've had several dogs that had to be partially relocated to make room for me on the bed and they make a low pitched sound like errrrrrrr.


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## Arborgale (Dec 11, 2011)

Our last mini, Ruby used to do that. To anyone else, it might sound like a growl, but to us who KNEW her, it was really more of a grumble. What I learned is that she appreciated being asked to move, rather than being shoved off or over. She knew lots of commands and when we told her off or move over, she complied without the growling. You might want to teach those commands.


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## just_julie (Aug 23, 2011)

Our Sandy does the same kind of moan to let us know she don't like the situation be it when we move her on the bed or when she is locked out of the kitchen while we eat .She lies with her nose under the gate and you should hear the moans . mmmm a 2 sec pause mmmmmm kind of like that. We die laughing every time it happens. Sassy whines when she wants something a normal whine but Sandy is different we've never heard her make a high-pitched whine but she does/will moan.


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## 2719 (Feb 8, 2011)

I would not worry about it at all.

When my husband gets up in the morning...all the poodles jump on the bed with me. He comes up to get them about an hour later and they all growl and bark. They know it is him...they all love him. Yet they do it every morning.

My first poodle, elsa, used to sleep on the bed with me. If my mom came in the room...she would growl at her.

Not a mean bone in any of their bodies.


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## dazydaizee (Nov 24, 2009)

My sister's dog growls when she's moved, too, but has never attempted to bite for that (though she has bitten in the past under other circumstances- she's a southern rescue who has some issues but has improved drastically since adopted). With having a bite history, I imagine that makes this growling thing much more of a complaint vs an actual threat since there's never any follow through. 
I also have a little mixed breed from Puerto Rico who I will never really physically move. I always ask her to move because she doesn't appreciate being pushed around. She very willingly moves when asked but she gets very uncomfortable if you start trying to physically move her.
Then there's my Standard Poodle who could care less. You can drag him, roll him over, push him and he won't even lift his head most of the time. My little poodle mix is less comfortable with being moved (which she often has to be because she won't move when you ask and she's always stealing seats) but she never growls or grumbles about it, just looks worried as if you'd done something horrible by shifting her over 12 inches.

That being said, my Standard Poodle has a wide array of vocalizations. Almost every morning he stretches, yawns and does this grumbly, growly moaning sort of noise that sounds freakishly human at the end. His actual growl (which I've only ever seen in response to a few other dogs he doesn't like) is far less threatening than most of his "talking". This is a dog who also smiles (as in lifts his lips and shows his teeth, not just you're normal open-mouthed goofy grin) when he gets excited- especially when greeting someone he really loves who he hasn't seen for a while. So his normal communication with people can seem pretty threatening although he's NEVER been aggressive towards people (overly rambunctious in play, sure, but never actually snapped at or bitten a person).


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I feel like the inner cave man in you will realize if it is just a complaint or if he means business. If you feel the slightest bit of anxiety whenever he makes that noise off the bed he goes if he makes that noise. My guess is that it is just a small protest and nothing to be concerned about.


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

It takes knowing your dog, but a growl could be "stop that or my next step is biting" or "jeez louise, can't a guy sleep in peace?" grumble. 

Mine is very vocal, and often grumbles when he gets inadvertently bumped in the night. He'll grump a few times then snort disparagingly at clumsy bedhogging humans and find himself a clear space. 

I always find it is simpler all around for me to ask the dog to move if I need him to, rather than the rather ruder method of just shoving. It's easy enough to teach the dog an 'off' on cue, and really should be in every dog's repertoire. Mine also knows 'bed', which means to get himself off my pillow and onto his blanket at the end of the bed.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I ask mine to move - and praise and thank them when they comply. They are now pretty good at recognising when they are in a position that makes it impossible for me to get into bed, and cheerfully find another spot. They do warn the cats off, though - in a conversation that usually ends in me saying "My bed - ! decide", and everyone settling down again!


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