Agressive Toy Poodle

Question
I have a 4 month female toy poodle that can get very agressive.  She will be sitting on you knee or lying down and she will start to growl or have a winny sound and then start to attack and bite you.  The more you say no or disapline her the more she carries on.  This is very frustrating and hurts and I am not sure what to do.  It is scary to have her on your knee because if she gets in this mood it just comes without a warning.  She is also very hyper and doesn't settle down very much.  Do you think we can break her of this or will she always have this in her?

Thank you

Answer
Hello Terry,
Sounds like your dog is trying to show you that she is dominate over you and that she controls when you can pet her or even when you move.  
You are going to have to change that.  To do so, when she snaps or growls at you, you need to lay her over on her side with her head on the floor and make her submit until you allow her to get up.  You can put a muzzle on her or wear thick protective gloves to keep yourselves from getting bit if you think that her bitting is an issue, but you can't let her bite you and win.  FOR THIS TO BE SUCCESSFUL, YOU CANNOT LET HER WIN.  IF SHE BITES, YOU CANNOT PULL AWAY, BUT MUST CONTINUE TO HOLD HER DOWN.  SHE WILL EVENTUALLY QUIT BITING BECAUSE SHE SEES THAT IT DOESN'T WORK, AND THIS IS THE FIRST SIGN THAT SHE IS SUBMITTING. If she bites you and you back off, you are defeating the exercise and she will get the idea that biting makes her dominate. She has to see that growling, biting, snapping or anything else that she thinks she can scare you with won't work, then she will start to submit to you because she will see that you are Boss.
Do the Dog Exam with her.  
Start with you sitting on the floor and lay your dog in your lap on her back with her head near your stomach.  Rub her tummy until she will relax some.  Once she settles down some, go over her head and ears, and look in her eyes and mouth.  Next go over her legs, coat, skin and rear area.  Finally just pet and rub on her.  
This teaches her that you can touch her anywhere on her body and that you are dominate because your head is over hers and even though she is in a very submissive position, you won't let anything hurt her.  
**If you don't think that you can do this alone, you will need to consult a professional that can come to your house and work with you and your dog.  You can find a Dog Behavorist in your area by looking in your Yellow pages or by contacting a Dog Trainer who should be able to point you in the right direction.**   

As to her being hyper, it is partially because she is 4 months old, and partially because she is a Toy Poodle.  To get rid of some of her energy, try to find something that she enjoys that will help expend some of that energy.  Taking her for a long walk, throwing her toys for her or getting her into something like an Obedience or Agility class will help her and will be fun for the both of you.  

Since your dog is still young, this behavior can be reversed, but you will have to be diligent and maintain your Dominance over her.  You sound like a good dog owner though so I know you will both get through this and will have the dog/owner relationship that you both should have.
I hope this has helped you some.  If you have any other questions or comments, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim