I have an Old English Sheepdog puppy 11 weeks old. She is showing some signs of aggressive behavior. When she is picked up from laying down on the floor and held like a baby she growls. My daughter-in-law has a bloodhound/lab puppy that she plays with and they take turns stealing each other's bones. My husband came up behind her and attempted to pick up her bone and move her to a different location and she growled and snapped at him. What do I need to do?
She is not being aggressive, just trying to tell you she doesn’t want or like being picked up, so I would stop trying to, as for the bone your hubby obviously startled her coming from behind, it's natural for dogs to guard things of high value so you have to teach her, that its ok and she will get it back. http://dogtime.com/puppies/1210-dunbar-object-aggression
I agree that your puppy isn't aggressive, just communicating discomfort to you. As far as picking up and holding like a baby, some pups will tolerate it and some won't (and most don't like it, as much as we like cuddling them ). The bone example sounds more like resource guarding; the "trading up" game in the link above is perfect for that! I'd add, listen to those little warning growls and don't punish them, because they are a great warning that your puppy isn't comfortable...sort of a precursor to an air snap or even a bite. I've heard stories of dogs who were punished for growling, so they proceeded to skip the growl step and went straight for a bite.
