Should you pick up a small dog at risk?

I don't think I would pick up a Sheltie but then I don't consider them a small dog.. to me a small dog is a toy breed.. and in that case, I would definitely pick them up..

Belle is too big for me to pick up if there was a threatening situation, and if it was simply a stressful situation, I also would not pick her up. I would rather try and recognize a potential problem and remove her before it becomes a threat, or in the case of a stressful situation, use a quiet, confident manner to try and calm her down.
 
My dogs are under 25lbs. There is no doubt that I would pick them up if there was a threatening situation. Most of the time they are not in a bad situation, so they do very well greeting other dogs on a leash, but if the situation was sketchy, up they would go!
 
I would pick up my dog only in certain situations. To prevent a fight is not one of them, unless he was puppy, as that could be more harmful than good for the dog and me on many scales. Not would it re-enforce the fear in the dog, it would also harm me and the dog more than just having him on the ground. Unfortunately, most dogs that attack have not been properly trained and socialized to not do that.
 
Yes, I do pick up Buffy when the situation is stressful. No question. In fact, most of the time we deliberately avoid the large dog pen. We doubly avoid it if there is an aggressive dog in the park, and we have just gone home before if there's a doubt. She is only 12 pounds and I've had friends whose dogs were attacked at the dog park. I am not going to let Buffy have socialization issues because of someone else's jerk dog. I am also not afraid of any ramifications of picking her up. Maybe some dogs would get ruined by that, but I don't think it hurts my dog. :winkgrin:

By the way, Tofu Pup and JusticeMom, I agree with your responses. Very well said.
 
I should add that for me, the best way to handle a potential situation is to try and avoid it. for that reason, I have no intention to take Belle to the local dog parks as they are filled with unruly dogs that play very rough and have no manners.. the majority of people there use the park as a place for their own socialization and don't pay any attention to their dogs.. the only dogs that Belle and I run into are the ones who are on a leash and mostly under control.
 
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