We love working with small dogs and their people! And we often get families reaching out to us in a panic because they're seeing aggression from their small dog.
In a lot of these cases, the aggression is over handling: specifically being picked up. Families tell us that their dog is biting them when picked up, or beginning to growl when they bend over before picking them up. In some cases there are bites or aggression now over putting on harnesses, or wiping off muddy paws, or trying to scootch them over on the couch.
There's a lot of training we can do to help dogs be comfortable with handling and being picked up! But my #1 recommendation for families in this situation is: Treat your small dog like a Great Dane. If you have a Great Dane, you're not picking them up.... probably ever. Yes, if something awful happened and you had to get them into the car to head to the emergency vet, you'd make it work somehow. But at 100+ lbs, most of us would have to scheme how to even do it, and it wouldn't be easy. Folks who have Great Danes just don't get in the habit of picking up their dog! However, small dogs often get tossed around. They get picked up with or without their consent, and prodded, shoved, and generally held frequently. And we get it- they're SO CUTE. But many of these dogs aren't happy about the smooshing, and start to show their frustration in more and more serious ways.
In most cases, when a small dog is showing aggression (or fear!) of being picked up, our first recommendation is to stop. Once we reduce the forced snuggling, many small dogs begin to enjoy physical contact much more, and may even request being held. *Notes: there are absolutely times when we might need to pick up a dog- in case of an emergency, you've gotta do what you've gotta do. We also know that handling and picking up are essential behaviors for certain dogs, like those performing specific service dog tasks. And there's a lot of variation in level of cuddliness among dogs- some small dogs truly enjoy being picked up! So this post is not to tell you "don't ever pick up your dog." Instead, we want you to consider: is it necessary to pick them up at this moment? And how are they responding to it? Treating your small dog like a Great Dane can be an excellent way to help your relationship with your small dog!
Struggling with fear or aggression with your small dog? Reach out to us for help!