Aggressive poodle

[mickey fire]

Why is my standard poodle aggressive when i take him out,when he is in the house he is fine,I have tried to be alpha leader by walking thru doors first,making him sit & wait for food,he has regular exercise & company,he has always been a bit funny about his own space.If somebody goes to stroke him he will growl,he also doesn't like old people with hats or music played on mp3's.I have had him since a puppy,he is very placid & a big softy at home,gets on well with my other dog,but is very aggressive towards most dogs when out.He will stop when I tell him (mostly) so I can put him on the lead,but I am constantly on the look out for other dogs,which I guess I must be transmitting to him.It doesn't help either when other dogs run up to him,if they show the slightest bit of aggression towards him he goes for them,he doesn't normally start the fight but will certainly get stuck in if the other dog responds.He particularly hates labradors & springer spaniels-for no known reason to me,he did on 1 occassion struggle past me whilst I was letting him out of the back of the car to get at 3 spaniels (on leads) walking past-i didn't see them & before I realised he was on them.
He is a very nice dog,weary of people who vist,but if they ignore him,as I ask them to do,he will come round & actually within 30 mins or so is loving them & being freindly,but if they put thier hand out when they first meet him he will be very shy,avoid them & growl & go to bite them unless they just ignore him.When he is agressive he is totally "zoned out"-I cant distract him or get thru to him to stop,the only thing I do is drag him off in the opposite direction -if I can-he is also quite strong,although 47 years old & relativly fit,I can only just about hold him when he goes for it.No body else can take him out for a walk because of this
Please help with some practical & realistic solutions

[woofgang]

Sounds nasty. I would suggest that you need some 1 to1 sessions with a pet behavioural therapist Look for one who is on the APBT list. In the mean time, for the dog's own safety, teach him to wear a muzzle and use it every time you take him out.

[lindisfern]

Hes a hunting breed, doing no more or less than his smaller cousins get away with all the time (have scars on my ankles to prove it-from a neighbours mini that used to hide under the car dash out and bite) He is happy with his own pack.
Controlling him-do you have him on a plain band collar or a half-check? Ideally I would use a Halti attached to a half-check, with his head/neck proportions he could if
determined wriggle off a Halti on its own.
I agree with the previous writter in the long term, short term get a stop barking device
and use it as soon as you feel the tension up the lead ie when he spots another dog.

[woofgang]

sorry that advice WILL NOT work. the dog isn't barking, he's growling and attacking. Any "DEVICE" will just add to the stress. Hunting dogs are not aggressive by nature, I have had HPR's (hunt point retrieves) for about 25 years, they may have a guarding streak but not aggression such as is described. Get professional help NOW. A halti will not help.

[lindisfern]

Dont agree, HPR's are not Poodles, and a Halti plus half check collar will help control the pulling. The stop barking device is a distraction technique-that will penetrate the
single minded focus.
I dont usually bandy qualifications-but since you have..........
Have had various breeds over 50 years including but not limited to working breeding judging Dobermanns, GHD's.
Was also one of the first to take Canines Studies Institute certificates.

[Khandro]

He is a "Dominant" dog, in the wild he would be an alpha male, it's in his nature and it is something not easy to to remove, we had one too. He may be trying to protect you when you are outside and you must become HIS alpha male, reassuring him that there is no threat. Have you seen Jan Fenell's DVD ? it is very good and gives an insight to the way dogs see the world, we found it very helpful. www.janfennellthedoglistener.com

[woofgang]

sorry, what's a GHD?