# Not so friendly spoo.....



## Onyx11 (Jan 8, 2012)

I am starting to think Onyx is a not so friendly Spoo. Maybe this will change I am not sure. We walk two sometimes three times a day see diff kinds of people hear diff noises. I know he is scared of people with hat and sunglasses on he freaks out!!! Today it was a lawn guy that set him off growling barking acting crazy, I know he is all talk if that lawn guy would have come at him Onyx would have been out of there. Each person after that he acted like he wanted to kill them. He is so scared of people but we have seen so many. Is it the age? Are poodles just like this? This afternoons walk he seen a Fire Hydrant you would have thought it was coming after him. I looked crazy touching it and calling it a good boy LOL He did go up to it and smell it after a few mins. Have any of you ever had a not so nice Spoo or maybe one that was just scared of everything?


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## pgr8dnlvr (Aug 7, 2011)

I work in a vet clinic and we have two purebred standards who come to our practice. Unfortunately both are spinny and terrified of everything. 

Before I worked in the clinic, I truly believed that dogs were "made not born". Now I KNOW that genetics can and does play a very large part in temperment. 

One of the poodle owners is a very long term client, she's always had WONDERFUL dogs. She got the pup at the right age, and as per usual did all the obedience classes, and training that anyone could be expected to do. Her poodle though is unfortunately not nice. To the point we have to muzzle her if we need to do any "real" work on her. Fortunately the owner has learned to be happy and content with the fact her poodle loves her endlessly and is a great companion in the privacy of her own home on their own ground. 

Did you meet the parents of your dogs? Were they outgoing, well tempered, and well trained?

Rebecca


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Onyx is a puppy - how old is he now? I make it around 5 or 6 months. At that age pups often decide that the world is a potentially dangerous place, and that their job is to tell you all about the scary stuff they see. Your job is to convince him he can trust you to keep him safe regardless - that you will never force him into anything, that you will face down the dreaded hydrant monster (well done!), that you will always step in to protect him to the man in the horrible hat and sunglasses.

I thought I had done a good job of socialising and acclimatising Sophy - we'd met people of all shapes and sizes, all ages, in wheelchairs and mobility scooters, push chairs and prams, beards, glasses, hats without any problem ... and then at six months she met someone carrying a baby in a back pack and had a conniption - A TWO HEADED HUMAN!!! AAAARRRGGHHHH!

Keep it calm, keep it cheerful, jolly him along while recognising that he is genuinely frightened, and that he is still a pup. As long as he is not too freaked out, chicken will help. If he is too afraid to respond to chicken, increase the distance from the scary thing, feed treats, and very slowly try again. Anything he is really, truly frightened by while he is in one of these fear periods is likely to stick with him for life, so try to read his body language, and be ready to distract him or withdraw if he starts showing signs of stress or discomfort.


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## FunkyPuppy (Jan 27, 2011)

bonzai does this with my boyfriend (whom she ADORES and idolizes beyond all reason). If he is walking her, she tries to protect him from all strangers, lunging and barking and then tucking her tail when anyone gets too close. I don't know what kind of energy he projects that makes her act like that, because she DEFINITELY doesn't act that way with me.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I suspect it is not Bonzai protecting your boyfriend, FP, but rather that she doesn't trust him to protect her, and is desperately trying to keep the scary stuff at bay herself. She obviously does trust you - perhaps you need to give him some lessons on how to make her feel safe!


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

My mom's Lhasa is a bit like Onyx. He's afraid of people and to a degree other dogs. Some of it is because my mom didn't socialize him as well as she should have. The other part is, imo, genetic. He's a puppy mill dog, and there are just some things he seems to be unable to handle no matter how much chicken i give him. All that to say, i agree with the previous posters ; Onyx is young, and i think it will be possible to convince him that the world is fun.  Good luck, and don't give up hope!!


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