# SOS - In need of advice / reassurance



## TheVizLife (10 mo ago)

Hello all, 
Firstly thanks so much for this forum, the words in here have been so reassuring over the past few months, and secondly please be kind here.. this post has been really hard to write and we are very fragile and just want to reach out to see if this is normal behaviour and if we should keep calm and carry on.. I'm so sorry in advance for the long post.

We have a gorgeous 5 month old male pure Viz pup called Russley. We have had some special times already swimming in the sea, kayaking - we adore him. We ummed and aahed for a long time about breeds but in the end we chose a Vizsla because we're an active couple who are planning to move to the countryside in the next few years and we like long hikes and the occasional hunt. We met a few gorgeous older Vizsla's and decided - we are a Viz couple!

Russley came to us at 6 weeks - we didn't want him until 8 weeks but the 'breeder' pressured us as his mum had weaned early from having 9 pups. We were naive and they aren't really proper breeders. Russ had roundworms which was really shocking - but passed. The breeder said there was no way he got it from them but the vet said it had to be passed from his mum as the size of the worms were too big to get after 6 weeks.

So here's the heartbreaking thing, in the last 3 weeks Russ has been really aggressive towards me. I am pregnant, we decided it was a great idea to get a pup as we wanted our child to grow up with a dog as we did and I was taking a year off work so why not through a pup in the mix!? I think we were even more stupidly naive getting a male Viz as he is 18kgs already at 5months and I can't pick him up anymore. He loves training and excels at home and in puppy class but as soon as we put a lead on him to try and take him two steps from the house he bites the lead, jumps up, barks aggressively - he will settle with a sit or trick and treat but then just carries on biting and pulling. For weeks I was taking him to the dog park by car to get him some exercise and avoid the lead bad behaviour but in the last few weeks he hasn't wanted to get in the car. We have been doing a lot of loose lead training at home which he usually aces.. it's outside the gate that gets him so agitated. 

He's showing signs of separation anxiety, will not settle in his confined area at all during the day even with enrichment toys, very high-value treats, lick mat etc. He used to settle quite nicely and I could pop out for up to 2 hours to get shopping done, he would play and then nap but that stopped about 3 weeks ago. He's clearly overtired but will not settle in his crate during the day and cries and cries. We are home all of the time because of covid and in the last 5 days we have only left him for one hour alone and he barked the whole time. I've tried to leave him one minute, go back, 5 minutes, etc. But he just cries until we go in and let him out unless it's the night time and he drops into his crate in exhaustion and sleeps for 11 hours.

So now we feel we can't exercise him beyond the home, we don't have a huge yard and we live on a hill so he doesn't get to zoom at our place. He now won't get in the car and is showing signs of real aggression towards me.. even biting my bump the other day which was quite scary. 

He comes from hunting stock and I wonder if he just isn't up to city life and we were completely naive for getting a Vizsla just before having a baby. Has anyone else done this successfully? We are both at our wit's end and there has been a lot of tears in our household over the last few weeks... we can either carry on in the hopes it will pass in the next month before baby arrives or we can try and rehome him now - one option is taking him back to the breeder so he can live on their farm as a working hunting dog... Both options fill me with anxiety and sadness as we love our pup so much but also can't go on like this.. any words of wisdom are appreciated but also I just felt like this is a place of understanding where I may get some help, reassurance or just some ears to listen. Thank you.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

The biting the leash, and pretty much acting like a fool is not that uncommon for some of the pups at that age. I would just keep working through it.
It appears like he works well for treats. I would get very high value treats, and practice in the car, then back out of the car. For each command he gets a treat. Practice it a few times each session, 3-4 times a day.
Did the crate problems start at the same time you stopped going to the dog park? If so he may be frustrated due to lack of physical exercise.
Whether you keep him or not, I would still work on his problems. He has a higher chance of not being repeatedly rehomed, if you can get them somewhat under control.
Be very careful who you rehome him to, if you chose that option. It needs to be someone that has a lot of vizsla experience, or a Vizsla rescue.


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

The leash behavior sounds typical, some are more stubborn than others. Ellie at this age was extremely annoying on lead. Biting the lead, tantrums, etc. You need to hold your ground and stay calm like a rock when all you want to do is scream. Don't let the behavior get a rise out of you, just ignore, redirect, and keep on your walk. Sometimes I would just drop the leash and step on it and allow Ellie to thrash about for some minutes until she calmed down somewhat, then would continue. At 6 months we started her on sprenger collar training and a few light taps with that opened up a whole new level of communication and understanding. They can be very valuable tools when used properly at the right age. Complete loose leash walking for us is still a work in progress at 16 months; however, there is no more thrashing/biting/tantrums.

I would also consider exercise as the first thing to address regarding any behavioral problems as @texasred mentioned. Especially coming from a high power line, he will need adequate off-leash zoom time. Bonus if you can find a playmate that can cope with the rough play of a V. Once properly exercised, see if you still have the other behavioral problems. The "biting" or most likely nipping should be addressed. It is important to understand the trigger. V's are nippy by nature and Ellie still likes to jump up and nip , or nips at our shoes when walking away. We taught her "get your toy" to keep her mouth busy. There is a big difference with an aggressive bite attack. Make sure you aren't confusing the two. If he is being aggressive and trying to cause harm, this is something a proper professional should be engaged with.


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## organicthoughts (Oct 9, 2012)

sounds like normal 5 month old V behaviour


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## TheVizLife (10 mo ago)

Thank you all for taking the time to reply. I think emotions are just very high in our household at the moment, the thought of giving our pup up is way more upsetting than the thought of carrying on so we will do just that. Thanks for the advice, we have been doing training in and out of the car with frozen deer meat - the highest of value treats as far as Russ is concerned, I think he might just not like the boot closing as it's a bit loud so we try and do it as gently as possible. Sounds like the lead stuff is very normal, we will persevere.. I guess it's just hard for me as I'm 34 weeks pregnant so it feels a bit scary at times when he's biting my arms etc... but that's not his fault! We do really really love our pup, so it's nice to hear this is normal Viz behaviour. Thanks again. 

If anyone has had a pup and a baby I would love to hear your experiences! We know we are crazy..


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## bathindian (Apr 18, 2018)

Kylo didnt get along with his leash for a while. It was a constant battle from entering the building to apt. He would be fine outside but the momemt he stepped in the hallway he was at it till the apt door. Once inside he was fine. Even now also he tries to do it once in a while but knows better to obey commands. In your case it seems like that the trigger is outside the gate. In my opinion not paying attention to the behavior helped along with age. The more we tried to wrestle the leash or tried to take it from him the more he took it as playtime. 
Sharkies in normal too. At times I had to remove myself from the room for him to stop. Usually happened after a walk as he was over stimulated. We tried to engage him with something right after walk to not let him get in the phase. I made sure i was closer to the door to other room so that its easier to remove myself. I realized early enough that walking across the room with a quick viszla stalking you is not the best strategy. I can imagine how it can be nerve wrecking with being pregnant
As others said patience is the key. This is a phase which will pass. They dont mean any harm but being vigilant is important around pets even when they are fully trained. 
Good luck.


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## rsarvis (Nov 16, 2021)

My pup is almost 5 months. He does a lot of same stuff. He bites the leash. When we’re in the back yard off-leash for a while, he starts attacking my pants, hands, etc. i can deal with it, but it’s concerning when my kids are out there. One thing I discovered is if we have walking sticks, keeping it between him and me/us makes him back off and go after the walking stick. He thinks we’re playing, not defending ourselves, and it actually does become a game. So I told the kids always to have a stick if they are with him off-leash outside.

He’s started jumping up a lot. I tell the kids to turn their back to him. But for counters it’s relentless. I I’ve read some old posts on here with ppl suggesting vibrating collars. I think they’re worth a try, esp if you’re pregnant and dealing with a 40/50/60 lbs dog.

And always always always have plenty of treats at hand bc he is 1000x more obedient if he knows you have treats.

Stick with it. Everyone says things change in another couple months. Our V is def maturing and growing less crazy. But he’s also growing bigger faster stronger, so it’s a race against time. I think we’ll make it.


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## Frida010 (Apr 24, 2020)

I had a baby 5 months ago, with a 1,5 year old female V as a big sister.

Consider getting a trainer before your baby is born to make sure it is not aggression you’re dealing with. If he is showing signs of aggression instead of the nipping behaviour, it will get worse with a baby around. In all honesty, that is not a situation you want to be in.

Fred loved the new baby, but she hated sharing the attention. If there was attention to be given, it should be hers. Even if she got plenty of attention a minute before. Fred is anything but aggressive but she can be very annoying. Because of the protective hormones running through your body soon, you’ll find yourself a little dismissive of your V in the first few weeks. I never thought something could come in between my little ginger goofball and me, but the first few weeks I found myself questioning if I couldn’t send her to daycare 5 days a week.

So it took us all a few weeks (about 12) to fully settle into our new situation. Fred is super gentle with our daughter and is now getting f used to little hands trying to touch or grab. But I am 100% sure the will not nip, let alone bite. You need to be 100% sure.

Having a puppy that young and a baby, is going to be a huge challenge. Make sure you’ll get yourself a baby carrier and prepare for many hikes that way.


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