# So upset!



## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

What do you mean by "brought him home and then went away"?

How old is Onyx?


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## Onyx11 (Jan 8, 2012)

Sorry I was just so upset,About 3 days after we brought him home from the breeders I touched his chest and he growled at me..after that he did not do that any more let me touch all over and did not care. He is 12 weeks.


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

He's still a young puppy. He's not used to being touched/groomed/handled. Not all puppies come home and grow up with zero undesired behaviors. You need to get him used to being handled by making all these experiences positive ones. Pet him and stuff him a treat and praise him when he's not growling. Do the same for combing and cleaning his face/eyes. Gently grab his paws and play with them. Praise and treat. Repeat multiple times each day. Make every interaction a positive, fun (and delicious) one.

My boy came home at 9 weeks and he started growling at me when he turned 12 or 13 weeks. He hated being moved when asleep. He didn't like his hind paws to be touched. Now he has no problem letting me and/or the groomer do things on him.

Don't be upset. Onyx is a puppy. He has to learn what is acceptable and what not. Give him time. And don't forget to give him treats (of course, ONLY when he's not displaying undesired behaviors.)


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## Onyx11 (Jan 8, 2012)

Thank you so much!!! I feel much better now! That's what I have been doing w the treats lots and lots when he is doing good. While I am grooming him I give him a bunch LOL. Again thank you :hug::hug:


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

Also play with his ears and gently pull back his lips. These will help him get used to ear-cleaning and his teeth being brushed. Tab a little dog toothpaste or even peanut butter on your finger and stick it into his mouth. Keep all these handling sessions short, positive and yummy~ 

He can do it. You can do it.


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

Chicken is your friend :smile:. Almost any horrible experience can be made tolerable with chicken.

I don't know Onyx, and it's hard to judge from the description, but he could just be expressing an opinion. 

My poodle is pretty vocal, and has opinions. In his case, it doesn't mean anything except he wants me to know he disapproves. He grumbles when I clean his feet, when I move him on the sofa, when I clean his ears, etc. I never mind the growling, as it's the best early-warning system there is. It doesn't mean I stop doing whatever it is I'm doing, but I always at least acknowledge that he doesn't agree it's necessary. Comes in handy sometimes ... I found a cut in his long ear hair because he told me it hurt.


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

I've never had a growler. Brandy would growl if I tried to take a bone away from him (I adopted the swap system--chicken for bone), but none of mine ever growled during grooming or handling. Whatever you do, don't let him "get away with it" or he'll learn that by growling, he gets his way. 

As JE-UK said, you can't ignore growling as it is a dog's way of asking you to back off for whatever reason. However, since he's a puppy, I'm wondering if it's more of a moaning/complaining growl or something-his unique way of expressing himself. (I hope that makes sense!  )


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Rowan said:


> I've never had a growler. Brandy would growl if I tried to take a bone away from him (I adopted the swap system--chicken for bone), but none of mine ever growled during grooming or handling. Whatever you do, don't let him "get away with it" or he'll learn that by growling, he gets his way.
> 
> As JE-UK said, you can't ignore growling as it is a dog's way of asking you to back off for whatever reason. However, since he's a puppy, I'm wondering if it's more of a moaning/complaining growl or something-his unique way of expressing himself. (I hope that makes sense!  )


Could his mouth be painful because of teething? If he has only done it a couple of times, it sounds as if there is a reason. Growling is communication rather than aggression - and very important communication - squash it, and you are pushing the dog into finding another way to tell you he is uncomfortable. That doesn't mean you will always agree with what is being said - Poppy moans like mad about having to move over and make room for Sophy on my lap, to which the response is My lap, My rules! I do pay attention if either dog is suddenly reluctant to let me handle a paw or anything else - it nearly always means that it is sore.


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

fjm said:


> Could his mouth be painful because of teething? If he has only done it a couple of times, it sounds as if there is a reason. Growling is communication rather than aggression - and very important communication - squash it, and you are pushing the dog into finding another way to tell you he is uncomfortable. That doesn't mean you will always agree with what is being said - Poppy moans like mad about having to move over and make room for Sophy on my lap, to which the response is My lap, My rules! I do pay attention if either dog is suddenly reluctant to let me handle a paw or anything else - it nearly always means that it is sore.


Brandy was my 15 year old cranky diabetic rescue poodle.  He was a food fanatic and included bones in that category because despite having _no_ teeth, he was able to flatten them into a sheet of paper! I had to monitor him or he would try and swallow pieces, thus the chicken swap out. 

I'm just wondering if Onyx's "growling" is more of that puppy annoyed rumble noise. I may be way off but just throwing it out there. *We need a video clip of Onyx making this noise so we can see what you are doing and what he's saying, etc. (hint, hint).*


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## Onyx11 (Jan 8, 2012)

I will try and get one it does not happen everytime. He is teething I am sure of it he is trying to chew everything ugh! I just keep giving him his bone. I will post the pic today of what he did to some paper the kids left out lol


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## Theo'sMom (Mar 23, 2011)

Don't Worry!! (as others have said) He's just trying to see if he can boss you around and stop you from doing things he doesn't like. There was a time, from about 10 weeks to 4 1/2 months, when Theo growled about everything he didn't like, but he reached a certain age, became more tolerant of things and stopped growling soon after that.
He'd growl when we would pick him up to help him get in the car, when we'd touch him when he didn't want to be touched, when we'd hug him and he didn't want to be hugged and when I would eat chocolate or other foods and not give him any, of course, because they weren't good for him. I would let him know I didn't like the growling with the tone of my voice and of course, I wouldn't back down when I needed him to learn to tolerate something. 
I did wonder if he was going to be a curmudgeon because of his growling, but he outgrew it and is now happy as a poodle should be.


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