The first mistake you made was picking up your dog. Let them be... dog's (expecially puppies) need to learn how to say hello to each other. Every dog has a different personality and doesn't make them good or bad... just different. Let your yorkie say hi and let her stand her own ground! Don't pick her up! She has to learn to tell dogs to back off... not rely on you as her crutch.
The other parents in your group are doing the right thing. Let your dog off her leash too (as long as they are in an enclosed room).
We took Winston to petsmart puppy classes too and every class for the first 15 mins we would all take our puppies off their leashes and let them say hello and none of use were aloud to step in, our dogs had to learn to say hello and what is a nice or mean way of saying hello.
__________________ Winston's (aka Bobble Head) mommy  |