# looking for advice



## fangsterno1 (Oct 25, 2015)

hi i was wondering if anybody could help i have a 8 week old male vizsla loki who ive had for a week things have been going great at times he and i are getting better at potty training he loves to use me as a bed not too sure how that'll be when he's nearly 30 kg haha
he sleeps on his bed at nights still some presents for me to find in mornings but im still trying to get to grips with his feeds took his water away an hr before he went to bed last night which helped but still a little pile of presents there to be picked up im starting to get him on his lead but he's chewing as not used to it ive been getting him to drop it by saying no and giving him a treat(hotdog chopped up so not eating it all) he's responding well but i am concerned he might become fixated on the treat more than the task at hand or is that just me over thinking he is also starting to sit but again with the treats he was responding well to his name and also when to go on bed and i just used praise and petting then he is also addicted to chewing anything and everything but i understand that is all part of him being a dog they chew to investigate new things i have been trying to distract his attention with his chew toys but he has started to go for my hand when its holding the attempted distraction so i walk away come back start play again and the same thing happens or he might chew elsewhere feet have started getting attention i have left the room and when i come back attempted play again but when the same thing happens over and over ive given a stern NO!! left the room and when i come back he's been almost submissive he's whined and got on my lap and gone to sleep this is starting to happen with most of his toys now he is also a bit jumpy at times because im keeping an eye on what he's doing and if i try go distract him when he's pre occupied with chewing he chews me again am i expecting too much of him to not be chewing all the time i know they are a very mouthy breed am i getting him fixated with chewing with the chew toys i am struggling on other ways to occupy our time i know there are a quite a few things i am doing wrong at the moment i suspect mainly with play i want to do the best i can for little loki at the end of the day i want him to be happy and for us both to have a trusting respectfull partnership as 1 day i would like to introduce us both to hunting/shooting/beating i 
would like him to be a working dog when he is old enough if anybody has any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated i have more questions but will leave them for another time


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

1) Water should always be available to your puppy.

2) At 8 weeks, he probably needs to go out 2 or 3 times per hour, even in the middle of the night.

3) No hot dogs for treats! They contain garlic and onions both of which are toxic to dogs.

4) Forget about lead training for now. Just let him settle in, and get to know each other.

5) Lots of chew toys and rawhide for him, when he starts chewing on you, it's crate time. Don't leave an 8 week old unattended in a room.

This all takes time, have patience. Try to work on one issue per day, like potty training or chewing, rather than address everything at once.


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## fangsterno1 (Oct 25, 2015)

thank u for the advice i thought i might of been trying to push him with all this it shows how intelligent they are and all he seems to want to do is please so seems to try everything i ask i did not know about hotdogs being toxic to dogs that will be stopped immediatly i have not got a crate yet as am waiting for delivery in next couple of days he has been sleeping in the kitchen so far on his bed i will have a look for posts about crate training


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

on the hunt side - they are never to young to learn - I like to break the pup @ 9wks to bird @ 10wks to bird & gun - you have to do this RIGHT !!!!!!! you end up with a PREY DRIVEN pup that looks to a large noise hoping it's the sound of a long gun !!!!!!!


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## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

Gingerling said:


> ...
> 3) No hot dogs for treats! They contain garlic and onions both of which are toxic to dogs.
> ...


Toxicity is a matter of degree, it's not absolute. I.e., it depends upon how much is eaten relative to body weight. Like alcohol is toxic to humans, if enough is drunk, but of inconsequential toxicity in moderation.

In dogs, onion toxicosis occurs with as little as .5% body weight. I.e., 1 oz of onion per 12-1/2 lbs body weight (5g per Kg). The amount of onion and garlic in hotdogs is slight - they are "flavoring" rather than substantive ingredients. As such, they do not make hot dogs toxic when used as treats.

Bob


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## Pecan_and_BB (Jun 15, 2015)

Bob said:


> Toxicity is a matter of degree, it's not absolute. I.e., it depends upon how much is eaten relative to body weight. Like alcohol is toxic to humans, if enough is drunk, but of inconsequential toxicity in moderation.
> 
> In dogs, onion toxicosis occurs with as little as .5% body weight. I.e., 1 oz of onion per 12-1/2 lbs body weight (5g per Kg). The amount of onion and garlic in hotdogs is slight - they are "flavoring" rather than substantive ingredients. As such, they do not make hot dogs toxic when used as treats.
> 
> Bob


While I agree with the onion and garlic being very low, I would still not feed a 10 lb puppy hot dogs as treats. 1 hot dog contains 0.6 grams of salt. Then they they add nitrites, potassium, triphosphates, and polyphosphates. That's a lot of salt and added chemicals that a small puppy has to try and process.

At that age, puppies are more than happy with their kibble as treats, and if you need a high value reward, there are a lot of natural, freeze dried or make-your-own options that are much, much healthier for a young puppy. And of course the best reward for a V is high praise from their owner.

Then again, I don't eat them myself so I have a bias against them. :-\


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Bob said:


> Gingerling said:
> 
> 
> > ...
> ...


Right.

Toxic is toxic, It's safest to not advise the use of anything that is toxic. There are enough treats out there that clearly aren't.


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## fangsterno1 (Oct 25, 2015)

i guess a lot more research is needed by me before doing things edpecially with treats he's happy with kibble and got him rawhide to munch on thanks for tip gingerling 
REM i am wanting to do things right on the hunt side only experience i have is from air rifles n ferrets when i was younger i want to get it done right so will need to find someone with gundog experience who can train us both theres a forum for gundogs in uk so am gonna join that n see what i find


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

You will find we have differences of opinions as a group, but whats brings us together is the love of this breed. While I have chopped up hot dogs into tiny pieces as training treats, my dogs love Zukes just as much, maybe more.
My dogs have never been given rawhide, and I will caution you in using it.
Not all rawhide is created the same, and if it comes from china, you have no idea what it has been treated with.
Like I said we don't always agree. So after you read something, do your own research, and form your own opinions as to what works best you and your pup.


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## WillowyndRanch (Apr 3, 2012)

Given the carrion, cat poop, bird poop, rabbit poop, horse biscuits and every other nasty thing I've seen my dogs ingest, a little human grade Oscar Meyer is fine by me.

Ken


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## fangsterno1 (Oct 25, 2015)

i got the rawhide from the vets he was sniffing at some beg 1s but was told had to be 4+month to have em she pointed out some natural 1s was warned off white 1s as had been known to contain plastics but not looked up on owt yet thats on my to-do list


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Fang - after a lifetime with V's - the only TRUTH I know !!!!! once a MOUSER always a MOUSER - LOL


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## fangsterno1 (Oct 25, 2015)

mouser?


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

fangsterno1 said:


> i got the rawhide from the vets he was sniffing at some beg 1s but was told had to be 4+month to have em she pointed out some natural 1s was warned off white 1s as had been known to contain plastics but not looked up on owt yet thats on my to-do list


I like "Wholesome hide", it's USA made, and it doesn't break off into sharp pieces, which can cause problems. Most of the raw hide out there is from China or Thailand and the stuff they use to process it is unknown. I 've also seen them break off into small sharp pieces..I think the issue is the quality of the raw hide, not the age of the puppy..you should watch him chew it to make sure he's Ok with it and nothing happens.

Dogs have a natural instinct to chew, if you don't give them something, they're more likely to chew the things you don't want them to.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Fang - PIKE likes to catch MICE !!!!!!! and the V's before him - not what I want - I live by the rule - NO harm NO foul - makes life easier when you own a V - they do have their own PERSONALIY !!!!!!!!!!


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

R said:


> Fang - after a lifetime with V's - the only TRUTH I know !!!!! _*once a MOUSER always a MOUSER -*_ LOL


I disagree Ron, I do believe you can teach an "old dog" new tricks.....  .....Ruby had sheep bristling both her shoulders today on hunt and didn't twitch one bit, (El Viz was there too, but he's bombproof  I'd 've messed my pants 2 years ago with Ruby in that situation,!!! as soon as they'd passed through I gave the dogs the nod and it was back to partridge and pheasant


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

SO wrong Har - if PIKE picks up a mouse nest a few times in a days hunt and brings it to me - no praise - just the command HUNT - EM UP - he is back to WORK - Birds is what he does - a mouse nest now and then makes him happy - who am I to argue !! LOL


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## fangsterno1 (Oct 25, 2015)

yeah i try apply that philosophy REM if dont manage to spot he needs toilet n he goes on carpet oh well can get carpet cleaner house is rented so no harm no foul haha n now ive read up on some of the "shark attacks" stuff im not as worried about having a crazy dog dont get me wrong he is mental but in a good way can already see bits of his personality am looking forward to our upcoming adventures  im not expecting it to be a walk in park but you gotta work hard for what you want nothing in life is free


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