Growling/baring teeth

Question
I have a 1 year old minature poodle who is showing some aggressive behavior. He is always stealing the grandkids toys and hiding under the sofa to chew them. I am always the one to retrieve the toys from him.  If I stick my hand under the sofa, he will growl and bare his teeth, though he has never bitten me. We taught him "no bite" when we first got him because he always wanted to chew on our fingers.  I usually trade a treat for the toy and that works.  Now he has become very obsessive with his pillow that he sleeps on and will growl if I come close when he is on it, even if I'm just going to pet him. I have removed the pillow to try and teach him that I am in control and have given him a blanket to sleep on instead, but now he is protective of the blanket.  I am the one who has trained him and am also the only one that he's agressive with. We just love this poodle - he's great with the grandkids and has never growled at any of them.  He was very easy to housebreak, is very social and loves doing tricks.  How can we get past this aggressive behavior? I feel like he's testing me to see what he can get away with. Thanks for any help you can give. Robin

Answer
That's right.  As dogs age, they will take over if you let them.  Too many people don' take the little ones nears as seriously, as the dogs do themselves.
Having a good pack structure reduces such problems.  The dogs see all the
people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in
the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members
outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by
reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class
or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with
a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/

A top dog does not put up with growling by a lower status one.  Give a warning
stern "Bad Dog!".  In stubborn cases, I repeat the "Bad dog!" right in its face with the dog on its back. Hold it down until it lifts one back leg to show submission.  Use one forearm under his jaw to keep his teeth away from your face.  Another very effective technique if the dog is small enough, is to pick it up with your hands
behind its front shoulders and hold it out with its back to you.   Make sure it
is far enough out it can't fling its head into your face.   Hold it until it
quits struggling and relaxes.  If you can't do either of those, try the squirt
bottle.  Fill it with water and a little vinegar or lemon juice.  Give it a
squirt in the face as soon as it misbehaves.  Dogs hate that.  The solution to a stubborn dog is an owner that is even more stubborn.  Every time she snaps or
growls, he immediately gets which ever bad consequence works best for you.
Don't forget the praise and petting when he finally yields.