# Shark attacks?!



## Claire

I've read about these things known as 'shark attacks', on this forum, and I'd just like to know if this is what I'm experiencing now, and whether it's normal!! 
Whenever Liesel's in one of her mad moods (usually in the evenings - I still can't get her out for proper walks due to vaccinations so she's getting bored) she'll come at me, all teeth, going mostly for my clothes, as she's learned not to bite skin... but when I move her off my clothes and onto a toy, she'll often go for the skin instead. I can't turn my back on her because she'll just bite my back/legs, so I've been resorting to just getting myself up on the bed away from her and folding my arms... though sometimes this will work, sometimes it just seems to frustrate her more. Might have to try leaving the room altogether.
But yeah... this is normal, right?!!

P.S. to help train her to start using her kong properly, she is at this very moment licking peanut butter out of a sturdy little drinking glass... I might keep this information from my housemates.


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## heatherdyanna

We had issues with Mako being "mouthy" when he was a puppy, too. I tried to get him to stop by providing him with a toy, instead of our hands, like what you're doing. I followed this up with a command, "No teeth!" in my best alpha-dog voice. If he refused to take the toy or persisted in going after my hands with a few corrections and "no teeth," I would ignore him. If ignoring her isn't working, leave the room. Continuing to give her attention at all is re-enforcing the behaviour.

I found this mouthiness a tough habit to break with Mako, and he still sometimes tries to nom on our hands if he's in a really bananas mood. I wonder if this is a typical vizsla thing? Make sure to be calm, consistent, and if all else fails-- just leave her alone.

I hope this helps! 

PS-- She's a GORGEOUS girl! :-*


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## Claire

Thanks a lot, very helpful! 
Yes staying calm can be one of the trickiest things, I find - especially since at this point I'm very much her primary owner, so I've been spending pretty much ALL my time with her and sometimes it can feel a bit like she's deliberately pushing my buttons... of course, by the end of the day when she's snuggled up peacefully in my lap, all is forgiven!!


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## adrino

She *IS* pushing her limits! That's what they do, try to find their place in the 'pack'. 

I suggest to carry on with the training and use soft toys to replace it with whatever she's attacking. Redirecting her attention to something more interesting maybe or a quick run through basic commands with her will tire her out in these situations. 

As probably you've already found there's plenty of advice about it here on the forum. The search bar is your friend with this question. 

Good luck, it will get better but probably not until she's 6 months old....


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## threefsh

Ah, the sharky days. I couldn't wear skirts for a few months after we picked up Riley because she was on a mission to destroy them. I actually have a pair of pants with a hole from a particularly crazy shark attack. Google "Ian Dunbar Bite Inhibition" & watch the video on it. His method has worked really well for us.


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## Claire

Brilliant, I'll check that out threefsh. I have a similar problem with a baggy pair of pyjamas I wear a lot - the minute I stand up, she'll be weaving around under my feet grabbing at the material. It doesn't help that it's soft and fleecy, probably very appealing.


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## oliveJosh12

Hi Claire!

Liesel is getting such a big girl! So pretty!

When Olive has her moments we do the following:

Turn our backs on her and ignore her - she usually walks away and finds something more interesting.

Time out - Say to her NO and then we place her in the spare bathroom for 2-3 minutes with the door closed and then let her out without saying a word. This works so well as she comes out calm again. We use the bathroom as there is nothing of any interest to her in there. 

If that fails with clothes grabbing and hands we use a pot with stones and say NO then shake it once or twice. This gets the message across and she now leaves my Ugg boots alone which were a favourite steal!

She is only 15 weeks so still young and after I have been persistant with this she has got better everyday - our problem was she didn't listen to No. She got in one of her 'moods' and it was difficult to get her out of it.

Another thing we have just tried is a water bottle - I didn't want to use one but someone on here recommended it and so that comes in handy.

There are a few bits there but I think you have to judge it on the level of her naughtiness or what she is doing!

Good luck


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## Claire

Some great suggestions, I'll try those depending on how she continues... I have a similar problem that once she's in one of those 'moods', it's hard to snap her out of it. 
I could definitely use a spare bathroom like you had - sometimes when she's really getting too much (biting and spinning out of control) I put her in her crate for a few seconds, stay sitting in front of it not saying a word, then let her out. It's something I really didn't want to do because she likes her crate, and I know I shouldn't be using it as a punishment... but I try to think of it more as a brief 'time out'. Maybe I'll try putting her in the little hall just off my room instead, it's pretty much empty.


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## mswhipple

Liesel is so beautiful!!

The behaviour you describe is normal.  As she grows up, it will go away.


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## Kermit_days

Ruby is much better now. She used to be a nightmare. Hanging off the bottoms of my jeans, biting my feet, hands, arms. I was covered in scratches... I tried giving her toys but she would still find a way to get me.

I'd say persistence is the key. She almost stopped overnight. She does it occasionally now (17 weeks) but it's usually just for attention.

I realised that trying to get away way just turning it into a game so now I stop dead. I don't react, (this is normally enough now), if that doesn't work I shout "no" and touch her back. It seems to distract her from what she's doing. We also realised that she tended to be worse if she was tired. Sitting on the floor and encouraging her to settle helped (although she would settle better for my husband), and finally when I got desperate I used puppy no-chew spray on my feet which did seem to help.

Just keep doing what you're doing. Ruby seemed to stop (with the odd small exception) overnight so don't lose heart just yet.


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## Claire

Brilliant, that's encouraging too. I'm touching her back too, I've done that from the beginning, though always being careful never to do it out of anger... And as of today, I've started putting her in the little hall off my room when it really gets bad. It's quite satisfying for me, even if it doesn't do much for her - and I get a few seconds to take a deep breath! It can be very trying on your patience, particularly when it properly hurts!!


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## minihero

Hi Claire,
What a gorgeous pup! My V baby is 7 1/2 months old now and she is the most sweet, loving, and cuddly girl. How I wished that she could have been like that from 9 weeks to about 5 1/2 months but that seems to be par for the course with this breed. All I can say is hang in there and the posts have given you a lot of great information. We kept up with training every day (still do) and it paid off. We walked her every day also and had her in the woods by 11 weeks my vet said that it was fine, as long as she was around healthy dogs and didn't eat too much junk from the outside world  We kept her socialized with other dogs that we knew and that helped a lot too. She hasn't had a zoomie moment in several weeks. 
Good luck!


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