dog growling when picked up

sherrymyra said:

Ok she has no reason to growl. not due to baths, nail clipping, etc. There is no association that I can see. ok. if a child objects to being picked up, or baths, or nail clipping, you just forgo it as, ok, they don't like it, I won't do it then.

Are you kidding?!!! Do I need to pick her up? Well not all of the time, but she should be ok with it. There are times when she will need to be picked up. She certainly cannot just act out and growl and I will give in.

Thanks for the advice anyway.

Ugh.

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No, you DESENSITIZE and give the dog a POSITIVE association with being touched in a way they don't like. BTW, it could WELL be a medical issue and she doesn't growl when others are around because she doesn't want to show weakness (which is a survival instinct).

It could also be a fear issue, which if not taken care of properly could lead to a bite since you're IGNORING her warning. THAT"S what a growl is, a warning and if you continue to ignore it, you will get an escalation to AGGRESSION.

#1 have her checked by a vet to be SURE it isn't a pain issue.

#2 get a trainer involved that works with fearful animals in a positive way and learn how to train her in a way that involves minimal 'punishment' or uses negative punishment (the taking away of something she desires).

In the meantime, go to the training section and look up "Desensitizing a dog to Inanimate Objects" that exercise can be modified to help your dog