So my dog just growled at me...

[WascoGSD]

Yesterday I weighed my GSD puppy and I thought it would be good to weigh my adult male GSD. The method I used was I would weigh myself first then pick up my dog and weigh the dog with me then deduct the access weight. The method I used to pick up my male was I would wrap my left arm around both his back legs and then my right arm around his chest then scoup him up. Picked him up the first time and then I put him back down because the scale wasn't in a good area. I move the scale then I go to pick my dog up in the same manner and he growls at me 2 times. After looking this up on google, it was my fault for picking him up because from what I read large breed dogs dislike that very much. But it still seemed very odd to me. I felt betrayed. I guess my question is this normal? Should I be concerned? What can I do to fix this? Thanks a lot. Just some background on my male dog. We picked him up when he was 2 years old and as been with me for 1 year. He is a very friendly and loving dog and that is why I was surprised by what he did. Thanks again.

[squeakermama]

Well I would say that yes most large dogs do not feel comfortable with being picked up since it simply just not as common as with a smaller dog. But not sure if I would assume that it's common for that reaction. I was a vet tech for over 11 years and pick up a many large breed dog and can't say many reacted this way unless they were injured, in pain. You picked him up in a good position too. Could be one of two things: He's hurting or he's showing you his the one in control. If this behavior seems unlike him I would suggest a trip to the vet for a check up. If he checks out and doesn't seem to be in pain you are probably looking at some dominant behavior. Not sure if you work with him or not but that would be a good place to start and if you are you might want to increase some work time with him to keep your leader position. I suppose it would have been helpful to read his body language before he growled at you but I know you were surprised and not looking for it. Was he stiff and still while you were approaching him? I suppose it's the vet tech in me, but I always respect any form of aggression and take it very seriously. It should be handled and not tolerated at all or the problem will increase until it can be out of your control.

[WascoGSD]

Originally Posted by squeakermama

Well I would say that yes most large dogs do not feel comfortable with being picked up since it simply just not as common as with a smaller dog. But not sure if I would assume that it's common for that reaction. I was a vet tech for over 11 years and pick up a many large breed dog and can't say many reacted this way unless they were injured, in pain. You picked him up in a good position too. Could be one of two things: He's hurting or he's showing you his the one in control. If this behavior seems unlike him I would suggest a trip to the vet for a check up. If he checks out and doesn't seem to be in pain you are probably looking at some dominant behavior. Not sure if you work with him or not but that would be a good place to start and if you are you might want to increase some work time with him to keep your leader position. I suppose it would have been helpful to read his body language before he growled at you but I know you were surprised and not looking for it. Was he stiff and still while you were approaching him? I suppose it's the vet tech in me, but I always respect any form of aggression and take it very seriously. It should be handled and not tolerated at all or the problem will increase until it can be out of your control.

Yeah he was stiff when I went to pick him up the second time, when he growled. He isnt agressive or dominant with me. I always touch his food and his toys all the time. I take them away from him too and he doesn't do anything. When we are off leash he is obedient. I always show affection to him, as in hugs, scratching his chest or stomach. We have a very good relationship so it was very odd to me when he growled.

[BowWowMeow]

A growl is a warning. It's like you saying to someone (who possibly is trying to pick you up), "Hey, back off, I'm not comfortable with this."

Don't take it personally but do pay attention. He doesn't want you picking him up. If you really need him to be comfortable being picked up then that's something you can work on getting him comfortable with gradually.

[bocron]

My husband's male GSD is fine being picked up. But my husband does it regularly and has since he got him. It is pretty funny to see this big ol' black GSD being held and he just looks around and waits patiently to be put down.
My GSD on the other hand does not get picked up regularly since I'm much smaller than my husband and don't find it an enjoyable activity . So he went to pick up my female the other day, actually to lift her onto something, and she had a hissy fit. She is just under a year old, so didn't growl, but did make it clear she wanted down, NOW! I'm thinking if she were a bit older she might have been more forceful in showing her displeasure.
I wouldn't be too upset with your boy, since it obviously something you do regularly I can totally see how he would take exception to it. If you want to desensitize him to it, you should work on it a bit at a time, getting him to accept it and even enjoy it.

[Germanshepherdlova]

I think it must have hurt him somehow and that is why he reacted.

[Wild Wolf]

The only thing I can think is that you may have been hurting him physically by lifting him - perhaps his legs were contorted uncomfortably? If you were not hurting him, that reaction is a bad one. People will need to manipulate our dogs in the future simply for health reasons - vets need the dogs up on exam tables most of the time. Just work with him, and if it's a dominance issue I recommend NILIF.

[Packen]

What is really important is your actions after he growled at you. What did you do?

[WascoGSD]

Originally Posted by Packen

What is really important is your actions after he growled at you. What did you do?

I backed away. And let him cool down. He was alright after like 5 minutes.

[Caitydid255]

I would have him checked out at the vet to rule out a possible unknown injury. If your pup has never been grumbly before and this is a change of behavior, I would look into it. I was always told that picking up a dog is a dominant behavior as it takes them out of their element and they are no longer in control. If its not an injury you should probably increase your training with him. Even if it was a one time deal and he was in a bad mood that day, more training is never a bad thing.