First a full vet check to make sure there isn't a health problem.

Why were you picking him up? Apart from him growing big enough so you won't be able to pick him up he needs to be trained now how to behave in your home. He needs to learn to move on command, even my 10in high dog will do this, I don't pick her up, she is a dog and has 4 good legs, quite capable of getting up herself

Picking a dog up can be very scary for the dog, suddenly he is in the air with his legs dangling, if someone suddenly picked me up I wouldn't like it. Most small dogs are picked up but most have learnt to accept it and some like it but they have been taught to be picked up.

You were doing something to him that you won't be doing when he is an adult so why do it now? Teach him to move on command, I use house a house lead to do this, find it much better and easier on the dog and me. I don't need to grab the collar which can be an aggressive act to a dog, I just pick the lead up and give the command as I lead the dog away then reward him when he moves.

Back to what you were doing to him, you woke him up, how did you wake him?

He rolled over onto his back and submitted to you, standing over him, you had to as you were going to pick him up, then putting your hands round him may have given him the impression you were going to attack him, puppies are inclined to do that so to him he was defending himself.

You done well to wake him first but he needs to be treated as a big dog now, he needs to be listened to when he is saying something, there is always another way to get what we want, we don't need to insist on doing things our way.

Merlin my Greyhound resource guarded when he first came, he was at the right height to take my face off and he threatened to quite a few times, I had to find another way and I did, eventually the resource guarding stopped and he would give up on command.

I've never heard anything like it to be honest. Making a puppy get used to being disturbed when asleep and put up with being picked up ... just in case it breaks a leg later in life and might have to be carried?

It might even be too big by the time it does (if ever) need to be carried for any reason.

Look on the bright side - I've had dogs for over 30 years and none of them have EVER broken a leg!

Tangutica,

The puppy had been asleep for less than 5 minutes, he is being crate trained and he needed to be put in his crate to sleep. Im glad in your 30 years of dog ownership you have never had a dog break his leg. Im not sure how it helps the question but okay. The broken leg was just an example of why you may need to pick your dog up. You may not want to train your dog to be handled in every situation, but I do.

On a more positive note my puppy is doing much better, he is happy to move when asked and goes to his crate on his own when sleepy where he may sleep un-disturbed until the cows come home. He is a very happy boy, and a quick study to boot.

Well all I've got to add is this. Even if you spent time training your dog to not mind being woken up when asleep or picked up at any time - you might well find that, in the event of a nasty and painful accident - and your dog is in fearful and in pain - he could well not respond the same way he does when you 'trained' him.

Yes I am probably missing some salient point here but that's OK I don't mind being the only one who has 'never heard anything like it'.

Your pup is an Irish Setter, you won't be able to pick him up when he is fully grown so why waste time training him to do it?

It doesn't matter how long he had been asleep, you leaned over him to pick him up, your pup submitted to you so you became aggressive to him by putting your hands round him to pick him up. You didn't intend it to be aggressive but your pup didn't know that so done what all dogs do, defended himself. If someone woke you up, leaned over you then put their hands round you what would your reaction be?

Doesn't matter how well your puppy does most of the time unless you treat him without him thinking you are going to attack him he will learn that there is a good reason defend himself as he did when you picked him up.