[charlie]

  Is it cruel to pick up a cocker spaniel by the scruff of the neck?

[doganjo]

It most certainly is!!!!!!!  All it's weight is hanging from it's neck joints if you do that! If I ever saw anyone doing that I'd call animal welfare.  All the books tell you how to carry a puppy - well supported under its bottom, so a full grown dog is so much heavier!  I'm not even going to say IMHO here!!!!! It's just wrong!

[jameslindsay]

I'm sorry but why would you want to?

[doganjo]

I was giving the benefit of teh doubt and assumed he had seen someone do this, James. 
ps give the wee one a cuddle from me.  Liz about to have Gypsy pts, phoning her this afternoon.

[Wizard]

Annie how does Mummy cockerspaniel pick one up?

[doganjo]

That is entirley different and you famn well know it! n No dog should EVER be picked up by its scruff

[jameslindsay]

I was giving the benefit of teh doubt and assumed he had seen someone do this, James. 
ps give the wee one a cuddle from me.  Liz about to have Gypsy pts, phoning her this afternoon.

Thanks Annie. Liz sent me a text early this morning to tell me about Gypsy, she is very upset. Topsy had her tests done today so we just await the results. The swaying has stopped which is a relief.

[charlie]

Thanks for your replies, I recently got the dog from the Police and this was how they handled him, I have
only had large dogs previously and I was unsure about their method of picking him up.  Lessons to be learned.

Charlie

[doganjo]

That is quite worrying.  I have a friend who has a search and rescue dog.  I will ask him about this.

[charlie]

It would be interesting to hear their perspective. I am currently reading a training spaniel book and it advises picking them up like this, the same as the police.  The dog handlers in the police love their dogs.  I just want to make sure am doing the right thing.  He's a great dog.

[dixie]

Scuse my ignorance but why is ok for a mum dog to pick up by the scruff of the neck but not a person?

[doganjo]

Because when the mum does it the pup is very small, they rarely do it after a couple of weeks.  There is a great deal of weight stress put on a dog's neck an back if you lift it that way. Always put a hand under a pups bottom when lifting it to avoid damage.

[Jackie]

This discussion rreminds me of when someone asked me if it was ok to pick up a rabbit by its ears. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

For both dogs and rabbits gently slide a hand underneath its bottom to take its weight, the hand on the ears/scruff is for GUIDANCE ONLY!.

[sagehen]

Um I've actually seen a police dog handler do this. At the time, I actually remembered thinking that he was punishing the dog, and then he did it again to another one, and I realised that he was picking them up.

[doganjo]

Best way to damage a dogs spine!