My friend and I got yorkie pups recently (sisters). My friend's pup (10weeks old) is showing aggression.....when picked up to take her away from the other dogs if she becomes over excited she growls and wriggles away,turning her head to bite. If she is doing something and someone goes to pick her up,she growls. She has bitten under these circumstances ( not play biting). Any advice would be appreciated. At the moment she is taken out of the room for a minute or two and then let back in but ignored for a while until called.
Thanks
Liz

iMHO it is always difficult to give advice in this sort of situation ...... there are more questions than answers!

I would be asking: is the pup constantly picked up and cuddled? This is a big cause of pups getting shirty because some, like people, just are not cuddly personalities. Yes, they should totally accept being handled, but not pestered. (NO offence meant here :)

Alternatively, is the pup picked up for pleasant things, or only normally when needing to be reomoved etc. ...... ie is she being trained to enjoy beign handled?

What temperament are the mum and dad, do you know?

If your own pup is OK, then maybe it is something that happens at your friends,with her pup, or something she does inadvertently....

The pup may be scared and nervous and opting for the Fight mechanism rather than Freeze, Flight or Flirt (the 4 defence mechanisms) because she is a wee terrier. A spaniel may opt for another type of the 4 :D

The pup may also simply be bolshy, in which case IMHO it is best to ignore her when she growls (as of course, she WANTS to be put down) so don't comply/react.in any way!!! So, don't put her down!! She must not get what she is growling at your friend for, IF this IS the problem. Then, when she is good, reward wiith something worthwhile to her - maybe a tiny piece of liver. Not just boring biscuit :D

This is not rewarding the pup for being bolshy, done properly it is rewarding the pup for relaxing and accepting.....so make sure the reward is given only a few seconds after pup is good.

To me, the whole point is that you want her to enjoy being picked up, so this is why i would take this route....I know others will may be advise other course of action :)

So fo rwhat it's worth :D, my advice would be to assess what could be the cause, and then implement a "strategy" depending on what you come up with.

Have you got GwenBaileys' "The Perfect Puppy"? Very good on advice for problem pups.

HTH a bit anyway :)

Lindsay

Sounds like one dominant little pup to me. I had one who did the same and my first instrinct was to put him down (on the floor..not a trip to the vets,ha ha) But then i thought, no this is exactly what he wants me to do. He didn't want to be picked up so he growled and if I'd put him down he would have got his way. So the more he growled and wriggled the closer I held him. when he relaxed and accepted being held, only then would I let him down. Your friend is going to have to work at becoming the 'top dog' because if she dosn't, this little one will surely have a go at it . Make sure you feed the pup afteryourselves, make sure it sees you eating. Don't let it have the run of the house, i.e not upstairs. Keep its toys and only get them out when you want to play (remember to do this) and make sure you remove the toys at the end of the game. This is the sort of thing, I am sure you can think of more. Always be in charge

If you can decide whether you think the pup is acting because it's being bolshy/dominant etc then yes, take actions to remedy it's bolshiness....just because it's a little breed and not a large breed is no excuse for this type of behaviour...little dogs can 'earn to learn' as well as the big ones ;) and Lindsay and Alie's ideas are ideal.
However, I am going to put another idea forward and that is....I remember what it felt like when *I* was little what it was like to be lifted into the air by one of my tall Uncles!!!(OK so I's not much taller now but,) I absolutely detested the feeling (especially coming back down to earth so to speak) and the more I *growled* the more he did it! The thoughts of that feeling have my toes curling right now! Another thought of mine is that if this *was* a large breed, wouldn't you leave it firmly on the ground unless you wanted to put your back out?!;)

I'm wondering if something else could be causing this behaviour. Is it possible that the puppy could have some kind of undiagnosed medical problem? It may actually be uncomfortable for her to be picked up. Your friend should get this ckecked out.
Otherwise I'm with the other posters on this one in that she is of the mistaken opinion that she is the boss!
This puppy is still very young and all is certainly not lost. She needs careful and loving training. I'm sure she will turn out to be a smashing little dog with a bit of perseverance and firm but kind handling.
Apart from the growling, is she a generally friendly dog?
When I got my puppy she started to growl if anyone touched her food. I took the food away and made her sit. I then showered her with praise and put the bowl back down. For a few days, every time I fed her I made sure I touched her and the food, moving the bowl around occassionally, all the time tellng her 'good girl'. She hasn't growled since.
I wish you and your friend luck with your Yorkies - I have a soft spot for this little breed!