His ears back and growling too!
Why is your Poodle sending you messages he doesn’t meant to? So, you have perhaps caught him doing two contrary things, such as wagging his tail at you while also growling a bit fiercely.
So, how will you interpret his behavior? If your Dog has his ears pulled back, it proves he is scared and upset and may even bite you if you reach out to be nice to him with a pat or kind word. So, ideally, you should walk away calmly and leave him alone.
His tail tucked between his legs:
Your Poodle is frightened and nervous about being close to people. With a little help from the vet and a counselor, he will be more confident and a happier pet to have around.
Protecting his pillow:
If your Dog protects his pillow, it means he’s trying to guard something that he thinks belongs to him. The reason why he growls is that perhaps he has been receiving praise and rewards from his owners every time he guards something. Since they don’t understand his anger, they calm him down with a small treat. Now, every time your Dog is hungry, all he has to do is to growl at you.
As a remedial measure, you, the Dog’s owner, must ignore such behavior till the time the Dog gets up and walks away from the pillow or whatever he guards. Once he does this repeatedly and of his own will, begin rewarding him with a lot of your attention. Let him know he’s been a “good boy.” Reward him with a treat.
Ears pulled back and a tail tucked in:
Obviously, your Poodle is scared. So frightened is he that he avoids making eye contact and may even crouch in a corner. He may also display another kind of behavior called the “approach-avoidance” where your Dog may run continuously towards one person and then away from him. Such a Dog is frightened and the hair on his coat will often stand on end.
