growling and snapping?

[Susan and Bentley]

Bentley is 7 months old.  He doesn't love to be picked up, he will growl a little so our trainer said never to pick him up, at least until he's older, that small dogs don't feel safe.  He's growled at the vet and the groomer before but last visits with them he was fine.  We had people over on Thanksgiving, and he didn't sleep the whole day.  He did something he's never done before, he snapped at my 30 yr old nephew who tried to hold him on his lap too tightly, which he also doesn't like.  He fell asleep on my couch when everyone left and I figured he was wiped so I gently tried to move him and not only did he growl at me but he really snapped - he's never done that before.  He growled a little again last night when I gently nudged him off my couch to go to sleep in his crate.  He was neutered a few weeks ago. He's never snapped at me or anyone else.  He's so good with little kids, and he lets you do anything to him.  He's being trained, we go to class weekly - all positive reinforcement.  I'm just a little freaked out by the way he acted?

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

That's a puzzle.  The weekly class will probably help.  Maybe he just needs more confidence. 

[Vicky loves Chachi]

Chachi growls similarly when my daughter tries to pick him up. My trainer said the same, to not let anyone pick him up. I guess it's their only way of communicating what they don't like. He doesn't growl at me, even when I do something he doesn't like, like cleaning his eyes, ears or teeth.
Maybe it's a phase, Chachi he has been more mouthy lately ( going to post in this group soon). These pups surely keep us wondering.

[catherine grose]

Sounds very similar to Hectors occasional guarding behavior. I picked him up a couple of times to take him away from cat poo and for a while after he associated being picked up with being denied something good so he resisted and growled. I just picked him up more often for fun reasons ( to dance around kitchen, for treats, for group hugs) and he soon got to like it again. He did the same on the sofa a couple of times but it turned out that he had some contraband buried in it and taking him off the sofa was again deneying him valuable stuff. Now I need her take anything away from him, I say 'leave it' and give him a higher value treat, inspect the item and then return it to him if it is safe.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Please repost this in the 'Training Experiences mindset ,challenges ' group where you will find people who are dealing with similar issues. I would regard this behaviour as serious and I urge you not to leave Bentley with children unsupervised for now at least until you are sure it is 100% safe.

[Linda And Loo]

I would be concerned especially since he has growled and snapped more than once! Not picking a dog up is not correcting the problem, it sounds like avoiding the problem! Loo is a mini doodle and she does not like being picked up by my the grandkids but she just runs to me for protection! This past week with all the grandkids around we talked a lot about how the best way to pick up a dog. They were picking her up by putting their hands around her middle and picking her up and not stabilizing her back and her feet were running in the air! That is scary for a puppy or small dog. Thru discussion and trial by error, they all decided the best solution was to sit down and have Loo come sit on their laps and that Loo preferred to walk to their next destination instead of being carried! When I pick up her up, I run my hand and arm under her belly,long way, to give her back more support and hold her close to my body! I would be very cautious when Bentley is around kids. Kids and dogs can be unpredictable! Good luck!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

I would regard this as serious and I don't blame you for being a little freaked out. Try posting in the Training Group.  While Bentley may never be a dog that loves to be held, I don't agree with the trainer's advice. My first thought is that something is hurting him when he's picked up. Have you had x-rays done? Or perhaps he was hurt at some point and this developed as a defensive response. I dealt with this with a mini-dachshund that we rescued from a children's camp. It took a lot of gentle handling, treats, and supervision when kids were around to win back his confidence. One "unorthodox" thing I tried which seemed to work out well...I'd take him for long walks in the woods. When he tired, I'd pick him up and carry him home and he seemed grateful for the "ride."  I think that experience allowed me to train him more easily in other settings.  

[Susan and Bentley]

I just found out a little more to the story, apparently my nephew was holding him up under his arms which I'm sure scared and hurt him, even after my daughter told him not to do it.  I still don't like that he snapped.  But we have been picking him up and he's fine with us, I had my daughter hold him before and gave him some treats while she held him and told him he was a good boy.  I don't think he's hurt, I just think he felt threatened and afraid and he lashed out.  Still can't wait to hear from my trainer.

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

First off....Bentley is adorable!

I disagree with your trainer about small dogs not wanting to be held or picked up.  It depends on the individual dog (my two react differently), but even my adopted stray tolerates it as long as we don't put her on her back immediately.  Kona on the other hand is like a complete ragdoll and LOVES and BEGS to be picked up and held like a baby with hes legs around my waist and his arms around my neck.  And he will flop over on his back and dangle like a wet noodle in any direction in your arms, around your neck, waist, whatever.  So this new behavior does deserve some new and quick attention and redirection.  I hope it was just a one day thing for him from the anxiety of a new and crowded situation that was way different than his norm.  

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I don't think others need to pick Bentley up - so I agree with your trainer on that part, but the adults in your household need to be able to do anything to him without fear of  being bitten.  A growl is a warning and should be listened to.  If he is resource guarding, there are things you can do - join the training group and  post a discussion there.  Short term with resource guarding - remove those items Bentley feels strongly about so that they aren't even in the mix for now.

If this behavior is totally new then you should look into Bentley's health.  Did he recently get  injections?  Sometimes the injection site is very sore.

[Susan and Bentley]

he doesn't growl when we pick him up, but we try not to do it that often.  we hug him and kiss him and he loves to sit on us - but I want him to feel safe and trust me, so I only pick him up occasionally.  The trainer didnt say never, she said only if we have to, or if he wants us to.  But if he growls, bc it makes him uncomfortable, don't do it now.   I think you're right about the resource guarding - we are working on that with the trainer.  But unfortunately one of the things he loves to do is eat my wall and of course I can't remove those!  So I told my family he has to have his leash on even in the house so if he starts on the walls we can pull him away and tether him until he hopefully grows out of it.  Thank you for your advice! 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Our Springer ate our shoes,  wall molding two couches and chairs - cushion by cushion, all of our rug edges and even part of our carpet (was Berber and if you pull a thread it just keeps unraveling).  When my mom babysat him, he chewed her kitchen chair legs and a wooden pocket door.   He was lucky that he was sooo cute or ......   He outgrew all of it. He never did anything when we were home, only when we left.  He was one of those dogs who could not be crated or we would have saved ourselves lots of headaches. BTW - we tried ALL the various sprays and deterrents and none worked!

[Susan and Bentley]

so I wanted to let you all know I spoke to my trainer today.  She said first of all, Bentley was definitely over stimulated by all the commotion and people we had over for Thanksgiving.  She said holidays can be very hard on dogs that get stressed, and he does.  She also said you have to know your dog and accept them for who they are.  He is very loving, loves to cuddle and sit on top of us, but he does NOT like to be picked up or hugged tightly, or at least not by other people.  She said no one outside the family should pick him up or hug him, since we know that's a trigger and he doesn't like it.  Next holiday, he is going to spend some quiet time in another room so he doesn't get so stressed out.  She also said growling is not a bad thing, it's a good thing, the dog's way of letting you know he's uncomfortable, afraid or feeling threatened.  If you try to take away the growl, then they will just go to the bite.  He really is so good, even when he's playing and mouthing, if you put your face right in front of him he starts to lick you.  She made me feel so much better.