The average person bends over the dog, makes eye contact, and reaches over the dog's head to pick her up. All of these actions are threatening to the dog.
Do you have a lot of experience with dogs? If not, I encourage you to read up, watch Animal Planet, surf the web, contact a trainer, etc. Knowledge is power!
If you haven't already, I recommend enrolling the two of you in a puppy class. A teacher will be able to answer a lot of your questions.