hi just wanted some opinons
i have an 18month old miniature pinscher who is tiny, yesterday i was walking him in the park on his lead because he has been injured before off lead so dont want to risk any more injuries. i was chatting to another dog walker and was caught off guard when a huge dog came bounding over and chasing after my dog who got caught up in the lead and hurt so i picked him up and this is when the snarling and growling started. he usually loves other dogs and this is the first time he has been aggressive towards another dog. so i eventually carry on walking and the dog comes over again so i pick my dog up again and this other dog is jumping up at me (and also got my white top all dirty) and again my dog was growling, the other owner comes and gets its dog again and i carry on walking only for the dog to come over yet again this time i leave my dog on the floor and he greets the other dog nicely, for this dog to only again keep jumping putting his paws all over my dog so i pick him up and walk off this time no aggression. so i am wondering was the aggression my fault for picking him up or was he just protecting himself after getting injured and warning the dog off because he has never been aggressive towards a dog before.

thanks

I think the thing with picking dogs up is you are giving them the idea that other dogs are scary and it probably didn't help matters.

I ws out in the park once and met people with a young springer they lifeted up every time another dog came because she got scared and growled. I told them they were making it worse and they put the pup down and I made my pair lie down to meet her and she was fine. After that she had no probs meeting other dogs on the ground.


If you can pick your dog up if it's actually being attacked then do. Otherwise let your dog meet other dogs on the ground.

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Picking up gives a sense of dominance. OR vunerability. Your dog was probably saying "Back off" because he felt either of these. However if on ground level, the dog is seen as being friendly and will be fine.
I wouldn't say it was your fault, as it wasn't much of a huge deal. But perhaps made it worse by picking him up.
Only ever pick up when dog is being attacked.

I agree with the above (from my limited experience). I find it hard to know what to do when those sort of things happen to my puppy. She is VERY nervous of other dogs (I'm hoping puppy classes will help) and growls at them, etc. It's so tempting to pick her up and comfort her! But I know she needs to be socialised more rather than protected. Very difficult. I find it hard with my kids too sometimes!

A x

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Amanda x

Mummy of Kira, Alexi, Snookle, Tabs, Tiggles, Jerry and Roxy! RIP little Tom, Dick and Harry the Degus- we miss you...

I can understand you picking up your dog when a larger dog is bouncing around your dog,my dog was hurt by 2 labs running at him at full speed and pawing all over him,i did not pick him up at first but when these dogs would not leave him alone and the dam owners were a long way from me chatting,i picked my dog up,a week later the same dogs did the same thing to another small dog and broke his hip,it took almost a year for my dog to trust another dog,but in that situation again i would pick my dog up if i thought he was going to get hurt.I own a small dog but dont fuss him,but he weighs just over 5kg dont know what the labs weighed but i know it is alot more than he does,hes a rough and tumble dog and loves agility,

As one who breeds and has raised Miniature Pinschers for years, the picking up is counter productive. This breed is a terrier and though some are under size they may still hold much of the inherited attributes of the Miniature Pinscher. They prefer to be on the ground holding their own. Though they are prone to getting into trouble easily and for this reason common sense would dictate that you lift the dog to prevent an altercation, it appears that it was upset with being picked up. Was this your fault, no. This would have been a normal response for just about anyone with a small dog that was frightened by a larger one. Instinctively you want to protect the little one. Many times Miniature Pinschers act out of fear aggression. This could also have been the case. Obviously when you put it down and the dog reappeared, there was not problem. At this point I would not worry. Just continue monitoring the interaction when other dogs come around next time to see how yours reacts and take the steps necessary that you feel are correct at the time.