A well-socialized, properly brought up poodle knows you're the leader. He looks to you for guidance about what and what not to do. However, no matter how nice your poodle is, at some point or another you'll probably be faced with behavior you just don't like. When it comes to addressing behavior challenges presented by your poodle, keep some important things in mind:

• Dogs (and all other beings) repeat behaviors that are rewarded.

• Sometimes the best solution is to prevent the problem from happening.

• Some problems (like excessive barking) are symptoms of a larger problem.

• Your poodle doesn't misbehave to spite you.

• When in doubt, seek professional help.

If you keep these basic tenets in mind, you can figure out the motivation for problem behavior, take away the rewarding aspect of the behavior, and replace it with a desirable behavior you can reward.