[Xeph]

I do not recommend pinning any dog in terms of correction. I do teach my puppies from a young age that being held down is not a bad thing....mostly it's just teaching them to relax so we can move on to learning how to tolerate having nails done.

With little dogs, instead of pinning while they're being snarky....I pick them up. They may struggle and squeal all they want, but it won't help. If they continue to behave like twits, I simply hold them out away from my body. They may not be able to reason, but I find myself talking. "Gee, sure is a long way down, isn't it?"

I've never dropped a puppy doing this. They learn pretty quick to quit squirming.

The moment they relax, I praise them, set them down, and let them go on their merry way.

 

[Xeph]

If pinning is bad (and neither the dog nor I enjoy it), then how should I respond to her rabid dog tantrums?

Like I said, I just pick them up ^_^. They'll continue to go "OMG WTF PUT ME DOWN YOU SUCK!!!!!!", and I just continue doing what I was doing, carrying them around while I ignore the fussing. The moment they settle, I give them a few more seconds to be sure they really ARE relaxed, then I praise and let them go (direct them to something ok to do).