Ok I will try to be brief here but since this happened I just quite haven't been able to let it go.

I have a great guy friend we were out hiking one day and I needed to stop take off my shoe, to do this I asked him to hold the leash of my dog. She is a 6 pound poodle, the only certified service toy poodle that I know of and no she isn't cut like a poodle cut.
This is where it got weird, he stated " no way in hell am I am going to hold that rat's leash let alone hold her or play with her she is too little and I am a man's man".

Well that kind of blew me away, I have never thought that a guy would have any problems with my dog. So my question is...

Is this normal behavior for a guy because I have a little dog. I have tried to put myself in his shoes and just can't. Any thoughts would be great since I just have found myself making an excuse not to hike with him this week.

Which is kind of bad since I have hiked with him for about 2 years now off and on.
Thanks everyone and I hope this is the right forum for this topic.

he's obviously not worried about impressing you!!!!

Sounds kind of weird to me, but to each his own I guess. Maybe you should tell him how hurt you feel by his comments. Maybe he didn't mean to come off so rough? If he still feels the same way, and you are uncomfortable about it still, then cancel the hike with him. JMHO

wow, i would have said sorry to bother you, what a manly man *snort*

Nah... he had no reason to impress me since it is friends only. I was blown away since this dog swims in the bay she goes crabbing and can out hike him anyday. She grew up in Bear hunting camps etc. If someone dares to tell her that she is a high pedigree dog she would probably snort at them.
Thanks. everyone so far, I was am still shocked that a guy would feel emascualted in some way by holding a little dogs leash.

Well...
It's normal behaviour for an asshole
to act like that toward smaller dogs.
It kinda reeks of insecurities.


But hey! It's a good thing your poodle
likes the taste of my hand. I think
we'll become fast friends.

Guess he isn't as great as you thought.

Men are indeed the inferior sex (i know them there is fighting words! )they are not as secure within themselves as women are, and they are usually in a perpetual state of emotional constipation.

I had a little chihuahua/yorky mix, she weighs 5 lbs on a good day.
I am secure enough to be seen with a little dog.

When it come down to it, poodles are retrievers. I don't know if it got breed out of them when creating the smaller varieties, but anyone who has spent any length of time around standard poodle will realize that they a lot like Lab's and all other retrievers.

Peoples stupid attitude towards poodles is partly because of the poodle cut looking so silly, but mostly because movies and t.v. went crazy with the idea that any dog with such a silly cut must be a pampered, high maintinance dog. Well, any retriever is a little HM. That's because they want you to throw things for them to go get for hours on end.

Strange how some people reveal themselves sometimes. Don't think I would hike with that guy again. You turn your ankle or something he would probably leave in the woods to fend for yourself. How people treat animals is pretty good indicator of how they would treat a kid. Kind of scarey.

the guy`s obviosly insecure about his masculinety and would be just as threatend if you drove or paid the bill at dinner.

I'll hold the leash AND let her pay for dinner.

FOR ME, IM NOT BIG ON LITTLE DOGS(no pun intended)
BUT I WOULD DEFINATLY HOLD HIS LEASH.
MY MOM HAS A POMERANIAN AND I WATCH IT NOW AND THEN WHICH MEANS I HAVE TO WALK HER. IVE NEVER FELT MY MASCULINITY WAS IN QUESTION. YOUR FRIEND HAS ISSUES, DONT MAKE THEM YOURS

This boggles my mind. Why would anyone have an issue with what size your dog is?

This is your dog, and your dog is a part of your life. Period. If this guy can't respect you enough to understand that your dog is important to you, that your dog is a part of your life and deserves to be respected as well, then what the hell good is he?

I may be biased. I am a dog-lover. But I would say the same thing even if your pet happened to be a cat or a bird or a fish. Well, you probably wouldn't have a cat or a bird or a fish on a leash. But you know what I mean.

You mean you wouldn't cook dinner Michiganman

If that was the plan, no problem.

But I won't "wok" the dog.

Dump him! it was about helping you not tarnishing his manhood

I love my beagle

Well that is reassuring. I never want catsoup either.