# New Vizsla Puppy Advice (and a cute pic to lure you in)



## nayfeee

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well. As you can see we're new to this forum- we did quite a bit of reading on here before we decided on having a Vizsla puppy and it seems like a great place.

I'll try my best to keep this short, especially as I've already written it once but Heidi - our now 9 and a half week old Vizsla puppy, managed to jump up and refresh the page losing the long post I'd just written :

I will apologise in advance though as I do have a lot to ask about!!

We picked Heidi up 8 days ago today. She's now 9 and a half weeks old and has grown noticeably already! When we went to look at the puppies both parents were present and although they were both very different in character they both had lovely temperaments and were lovely looking and healthy dogs. Once we'd met the litter it was obvious that we were in love with Heidi - look at those puppy eyes.

We've not had a puppy before and we desperately need some advice and reassurance that we're not making any huge mistakes with Heidi's training and upbringing so far.

Firstly I'd like to ask about house training. At first we tried using puppy pads and wanted Heidi to do her business on them, but she just ripped them up and moved them around and ended up weeing on the floor. We started taking her outside regularly, especially shortly after a big drink, then heavily praising her once she had done a wee or poo and she seemed to be getting the hang of it. She has a few times now ran to the back door and waited to be let out to go toilet. She still does the odd wee in the house but has not yet done a poo indoors. Every now and then, especially in the evening (see below for manic episodes), she'll do several tiny wees in the house- not real wees just tiny tiny drips with the odd bigger patch. If we see her do this we instantly take her outside and tell her to "do a wee wee" which she sometimes does but most often it's like she doesn't need to go.

Will our method work to teach her to go outside eventually or is what we're doing totally wrong? As I say we start to think she has mastered it but then does the odd accident inside. We know she's only a baby and fully expected wet carpets and to be cleaning up until she is house trained 

We do have a cage/crate for Heidi but we have not been putting her in it at night. We tried it on night 1 and she howled, clawed and cried so loud that we thought our neighbours would soon be banging on our door. We took her bed upstairs and placed it at the end of our bed on the floor and settled her in there after about an hour of trying. She woke up a couple of times during the night, and we let her out for a wee the first time and tried our best to settle her when she wakes.

The same has happened every night, she will sleep in her bed for a couple of hours and then wake up whining or clawing at our bed. It's a battle to settle her again afterwards but again we do understand that sleeping through the night could take a while. Any tips for helping with this would be really appreciated, as combined with the other points below my lack of sleep is really starting to take it's toll on us and our patience with our gorgeous puppy. (it might be worth mentioning that it is likely that Heidi will always sleep in our room, as have our other dogs, so having her in there is not an issue)

For the last few days, Heidi has started having episodes where she is absolutely possessed. She constantly bites at us, our clothes, our furniture, everything. She digs the carpet and sofa, bites at it and everything in site. We have tonnes of toys, chews, everything to play with her but she always goes back to biting our hands, ears, noses, pants and feet. On several occasions her biting has drawn blood, most recently today on my ear during one of our play sessions - to the point where I thought a trip to have stitches would be needed (luckily it's not that bad). 

We've tried the methods that everybody suggests. Making yelping noises and stopping playing with her, ignoring her for short periods of time and rewarding her when she stops biting/nipping, stuffing a toy or chew in her mouth to redirect her & even time outs in her crate (she just howls and whines non-stop, usually taking around 15 mins if we have left her in there that long).

She gets plenty of mental stimulation, she's highly intelligent and already has learned to sit, lie down and is leaning to stay very well indeed! She also gets plenty of time to blow off steam and we play with her in the garden for ages.

Personally the lack of sleep, cleaning up small wees, everything else, it's not an issue. But the biting has to stop as soon as possible for everyone's sanity...and safety. The mother in law went home in a state because Heidi constantly bit her today.

I'm extremely ashamed to admit that my wife and I reached the end of our patience and both said we wanted to give her up on several occasions...she's had us both completely worn out and through lack of sleep and her biting we both broke down a few days ago.

This post might make it seem like we don't love or want Heidi, but that's 100% not the case. We are absolutely head over heels in love with her and although we said it we'd never let her heave our home! A lot of the time she is totally adorable, giving cuddles and kisses and playing happily. We just need some reassurance that this biting will stop and we haven't made a huge mistake somewhere in how we've been shaping her.

Sorry for the essay, I needed to get all of this out and I'm sure I've missed something still! Look at those eyes :-* :-* :-*


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## gingerling

She's a cutie, they are so precious at that age.

House training takes time. A 9 week old needs to go out after eating, upon awakening from a nap, after any amount of play or exertion...and frankly when you have nothing else to do. Their bladders are about the size of a walnut, so it doesn't take much to fill them, and the more often you take her out, the quicker she gets it. The poop is easier, usually after meals...and at other times when you see her butt pucker. Forget about pads and such, go for the gold..which is for her to go outside.

At night..well, sadly forget about sleeping thru the night for about another month. If the goal is to train her and keep things dry, figure on 2x/hr., for that month. It will seem like an eternity. If she gets up and howls or scratches, it's a cue she probably needs to go out. I always recommend picking her up and carrying her to the designated potty area and then instruct her to "go potty" or your "Wee Wee". Reward with lots of praise, and use the words "good potty/wee/poop!" Effective training is the pairing of our language with their behavior, whenever she does something you might eventually want to command (Sit, stay, come, poop, wait, etc), just say it out loud as she does it. Vizslas are preternaturally intelligent, they really understand vocabulary if we teach it to them. Once they know the association btwn our word and their behavior, they practically train themselves.

Her sleeping thru the night is related to the potty issue...you might not be taking her out often enough...and of course she's still transitioning into her new home with you, which is a stress for her. I think you have to decide where you want her to sleep, if it's her bed, then consider keeping her in her crate in your room, so she's close, but can't claw at your bed and otherwise be unsupervised...or have her sleep in the bed with you. If you choose the latter, it's still important to crate train her so she learns to be alone and be OK in the crate (when you're not there), and can emotionally self soothe. 

The crazies you mention are normal, what I'd suggest is for you to try to see what her rhythm is...puppies do things in fairly consistent patterns: Eating, playing, napping. If you can figure out when the crazies occur, figure 5 minutes before is a good time for her to chill in her crate alone with some rawhide until she naps and is mellow. The other thing is for you to get into a rhythm with her, too: V's need 3 things to be happy and well adjusted: Lots of exercise, lots of intellectual stimulation, and lots of love. I've found that puppies that get all 3 tend to be less crazy. Take her into town and carry her (she doesn't have all her shots yet) and let her experience the world, that is very "Intellectual". Plan on attending a local puppy Kindergarten, too, when she gets the final round of shots. Until then, the stuff you're doing sounds fine. When she gets out of control, it's crate time.

Puppy hood is hard, and Vizsla puppy hood is especially hard, they really are high performance dogs not for beginners or the faint of heart, your sense of overwhelm is understandable, but you're also doing everything really great. Hang in there, this will all pass and the experience of a Vizsla sharing herself with you will change your life forever.


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## karendm

Oh my goodness Nayfeee, she is so cute!!! I agree with Gingerling, the jumping and biting at that age is definitely because she is overtired and needs some time in the crate. My V (she's 6 months now) would not settle down on her own at that age, there's just too much going on, we would put her in the crate as soon as the biting started and sure enough she would go to sleep. Don't make it a punishment, be very calm and matter of fact when you do it (or catch it ahead of time like Gingerling suggests). This was our first puppy and things started going a lot smoother once I followed the advice on the forum and tried to stick to a schedule: eat/potty/play/sleep/repeat.
My other suggestion from your post is to make sure you get her used to the crate as quickly as possible. V's don't like to be away from their people so crate training can be a challenge. The sooner you do it, the better. The first couple of weeks were tough, my V would howl and claw at the crate but she eventually learned to accept it and is fine with it now. We gave her tasty treats every time she went in there, so find something that is really special to entice her to go in there and then give her some crate time. She'll get used to it eventually. 
Sounds like house training is going well. Accidents will happen but she seems to get it.
Good luck! These first few weeks can really be challenging but it goes by quickly I promise!


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## Spy Car

nayfeee said:


> ****
> 
> We've tried the methods that everybody suggests. Making yelping noises and stopping playing with her, ignoring her for short periods of time and rewarding her when she stops biting/nipping, stuffing a toy or chew in her mouth to redirect her & even time outs in her crate (she just howls and whines non-stop, usually taking around 15 mins if we have left her in there that long).
> 
> ****


Well, not everybody recommends the method you outline. I certainly do not. There is a far better method. If you use the search function and put Spy Car as the author and bite inhibition as the subject you'll find a number of threads where I outline an alternative method that develops a safe dog with a soft-mouth, 

It is a process that involves getting ones hands inside the pups mouth frequently.

Active training for bite inhibition is an essential part of a puppy's education, and there is a better method that the "yelp and withdraw" one advanced by Ian Dunbar, et al.

Bill


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## Hilliard528

Hi, our 4 month old Penny has / had many of the traits. We had a few issues over two weeks with biting, including some of those punctures from those sharp teeth. The yelping / ignoring for a few seconds worked for me (she now knows better), for others it is 'no' and distracting her to bite a chew toy. Her zoomies (crazy spats) seem to be common and we work thru them to calm her with affection (sometimes scolding). It does get better, she is sleeping well and adjusting to crate. She knows the routine, which is key we are finding to crating and other activities. Hang in there!


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## nayfeee

Thank you for your responses. It helps to know that what we're experiencing is normal and that we're not making any huge mistakes.

We'll definitely try and take on everything that you guys have suggested and try to put your advice to good use.

Spy Car, yes I have actually read about the method you advocate just recently and have started to try it out - thank you for your advice.

Heidi now sleeps in our bed (she ended up in there after a potty break a couple of nights ago and slept for 6 hours straight!!). If I'm honest she was always going to end up in the bed anyway, we were just apprehensive in case of any toilet mishaps. If we can get her to settle on the bed she sleeps straight through from 11-12 ish to 5,6,7 ish but the settling is the hard part....it's especially not fun when she's on a biting rampage and you're dressed for bed...

Last night was a bit of a nightmare, Heidi was on the bed doing her crazy and the wife took a good bite that hurt enough to make her cry and drew blood. I brought Heidi downstairs for about 90 mins until she had settled and then carried her back to bed when she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.

Weeing accidents in the house appear to have calmed down and now only happen when she's rampaging and "forgets" to offer any warning or run to the door. Still no poo accident in the house at all and we are constantly letting her out whilst she's awake and praising when she does her business.

We are still having moments where I sit here having not had a wee, shower or brushed my teeth yet that I think bringing a Vizsla puppy home was the worst decision we ever made, but we're 2 weeks in now and with slightly more sleep I think we'll start coping better. On a positive note Heidi seems to be sleeping and relaxing a bit more during the day, especially after meal times so we know we can get an hours rest 30 mins after she's eaten.

Aside from the bitey side of her, Heidi is a pleasure to be around. It's just frustrating that no matter how stern we are or what tactic we employ she won't stop lunging and hands, toes, shoes etc. it's all a game to her which is a mindset we really want to get her out of.

Do you think that it will help when she can go out of the house on walks? There's a puppy class that a local vet holds where only puppies that have had their first jabs but not their second can go, we've made enquiries about this so that we can get her around other dogs asap.

Thanks again everyone.


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## Spy Car

The behaviors you are describing a very typical of Vizsla puppies.

This stage will pass. You may one day miss the little nipper stage (or not), but it really is your opportunity to mold the pup into the very safe well-bonded dog that you deside.

Pups communicate through biting and play. You need to gently modify this trait. It is a process. Keep it a "no drama" affair. Yelling "ouch!" and such is "drama." Drama is a reward. The little needle-like teeth hurt, but using the outlined method the bite intensity will be inhibited through training. There is no better replacement for active bite inhibition training.

There a plenty of other ways to stop pups from biting. But that is a qualitatively different outcome than a dog that has bite inhibition training. The former are dogs that can snap under the sort of duress that the latter are trained to deal with, like a child accidentally hurting them.

If you can accept that for weeks and months you'll be deliberately be getting you hand inside your pups mouth with great frequency, you'll be rewarded in the end with a steady and well-bonded companion.

Best wishes!

Bill


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## gingerling

Thanks for the update, it sounds like you're on the right track here. It's really that first month or so at home that is the most difficult. 

Crazies at any time should result in crate time. Spending 90 minutes with her to settle her actually reinforces that very behavior. See it from her perspective! It helps to get into a predictable routine for her that emphasizes the 3 things V's need: Exercise, Love/attention, and Intellectual stimulation. You can (and should) get her out of the house for walks...You have a yard/lawn to play on? Not doing that would clearly exacerbate the crazies. It's always good to ask yourself what you could be doing (or not doing) that can possibly be causing the unwanted behavior, and then modify that accordingly.

There are many ways to successfully address biting, I use what they use, whenever possible, I speak their language: A loud "OWW!"...it's similar to the yelp that they use, and they have an instinctual understanding of it. So, you're working with 1) Basic instinct, 2) Innate understanding, 3) Eagerness to please. They aren't biting to hurt you, once they get that message they inhibit. If you find your hand in their mouth, don't pull out, that's actually when blood is drawn. At that point, the "OWWW! and putting your hand further in gets to the gag response and she'll release.

If you're consistent with this, she'll get it pretty quick.


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## Spy Car

If a pup is biting on ones hand it is very effective to gently do deeper into the mouth as it will reduce the power of the biting, and the hand can then be partially retracted (put not withdrawn) when the pup relaxes. This is a very easy and non-dramatic way to train a pup to have a soft mouth (aka bite inhibition) in a no-stress and no-drama fashion.

But overlaying a great technique with loud Owwws! or other yelling directed at a young puppy adds stress, fear, and drama at the time one needs these things least. IMO is is counter-productive to the aim of creating a calm and safe dog. Not only is it unnecessary, but it undermines the long term goals from my perspective.

Bill


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## gingerling

Speaking their language is the best way to communicate with them and hence, train them.

Dogs teach each other bite inhibition by yelping when bitten. It gets their attention and it teaches them not to do it. Putting your hand towards their throat is stressful on their part. So is shouting at them, but I'm not recommending that, it is an extreme that justifies not doing it. When done with proper voice modulation, it works and is not at all stressful.

Both methods teach the same thing, one does it in a way that works with their instincts and is "Natural" for them. Your choice.


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## Spy Car

Gingerling said:


> Speaking their language is the best way to communicate with them and hence, train them.
> 
> Dogs teach each other bite inhibition by yelping when bitten. It gets their attention and it teaches them not to do it. Putting your hand towards their throat is stressful on their part. So is shouting at them, but I'm not recommending that, it is an extreme that justifies not doing it. When done with proper voice modulation, it works and is not at all stressful.
> 
> Both methods teach the same thing, one does it in a way that works with their instincts and is "Natural" for them. Your choice.


People are not dogs. Our job is to teach pups to live in a human world, not to (vainly) attempt to become dog-like ourselves. 

As one can witness when dog fight break out, the limited bite reduction that comes though fear is a situational inhibition. Not the sort of situational conditioning one should aim for in a world that includes children, who are the most at risk people to be on the wrong side of a dog bite.

Bill


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## gingerling

Spy said:


> Gingerling said:
> 
> 
> 
> Speaking their language is the best way to communicate with them and hence, train them.
> 
> Dogs teach each other bite inhibition by yelping when bitten. It gets their attention and it teaches them not to do it. Putting your hand towards their throat is stressful on their part. So is shouting at them, but I'm not recommending that, it is an extreme that justifies not doing it. When done with proper voice modulation, it works and is not at all stressful.
> 
> Both methods teach the same thing, one does it in a way that works with their instincts and is "Natural" for them. Your choice.
> 
> 
> 
> People are not dogs. Our job is to teach pups to live in a human world, not to (vainly) attempt to become dog-like ourselves.
> 
> As one can witness when dog fight break out, the limited bite reduction that comes though fear is a situational inhibition. Not the sort of situational conditioning one should aim for in a world that includes children, who are the most at risk people to be on the wrong side of a dog bite.
> 
> Bill
Click to expand...

People are not dogs, but they live with us, and we expect them to understand us. It's not about vanity, it's about effectiveness. The most effective owners understand how their dogs think and learn, and then use that understanding to help their dogs learn our expectations.

Shoving your hand down a pups throat is similar to smacking them and is likely experienced that way, it is both intrusive and aggressive. Any time an owner chooses to become physical with a dog, they are inadvertently teaching aggression. 

As I've repeatedly said, there are different ways to address many situations or behaviors, and it is up to the individual to decide which works best given his basic personality and the type of dog he wants.


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## Spy Car

Gingerling said:


> Spy said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gingerling said:
> 
> 
> 
> Speaking their language is the best way to communicate with them and hence, train them.
> 
> Dogs teach each other bite inhibition by yelping when bitten. It gets their attention and it teaches them not to do it. Putting your hand towards their throat is stressful on their part. So is shouting at them, but I'm not recommending that, it is an extreme that justifies not doing it. When done with proper voice modulation, it works and is not at all stressful.
> 
> Both methods teach the same thing, one does it in a way that works with their instincts and is "Natural" for them. Your choice.
> 
> 
> 
> People are not dogs. Our job is to teach pups to live in a human world, not to (vainly) attempt to become dog-like ourselves.
> 
> As one can witness when dog fight break out, the limited bite reduction that comes though fear is a situational inhibition. Not the sort of situational conditioning one should aim for in a world that includes children, who are the most at risk people to be on the wrong side of a dog bite.
> 
> Bill
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> People are not dogs, but they live with us, and we expect them to understand us. It's not about vanity, it's about effectiveness. The most effective owners understand how their dogs think and learn, and then use that understanding to help their dogs learn our expectations.
> 
> Shoving your hand down a pups throat is similar to smacking them and is likely experienced that way, it is both intrusive and aggressive. Any time an owner chooses to become physical with a dog, they are inadvertently teaching aggression.
> 
> As I've repeatedly said, there are different ways to address many situations or behaviors, and it is up to the individual to decide which works best given his basic personality and the type of dog he wants.
Click to expand...

One should not "shove ones hand down a dog's throat" when dealing with biting. You are fully aware of that, as it is a method you recommended upthread. A gentle amount of pressure will cause a pup to release/inhibit its bite. The owner should then release the pressure (leaving the hand loosely in the mouth of the pup, all with no drama.

The OP has tried the yelling method it no success, I'd suggest trying a different (and far better IMO) approach.

I agree each individual has to determine the type of dog they hope to mold. I prefer one that is calm over one trained though the fear of being yelled at with a loud voice. The latter is not the sort of training that holds up in the real world. 

Bill


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## texasred

Okay guys you have both explained your methods, and why you believe they are the correct way. There is no need to keep debating.


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## hecallsmebama

Amos too had the biting, zooming crazies, which in his case was always because he was overtired. He could not settle himself to save his life. They are just like toddlers. They need help winding down. I taught Amos "calm down' by catching him and holding him upright and belly out with my hand tight under his front legs and hind legs supported. This position makes it very difficult for him to keep biting you. I would speak calmly and say "calm down" over and over again till his heart rate slowed and I would then praise him, "good calm down. good boy!" He was usually asleep within minutes. Now he's 5 months old and too big for me to hold him like that, but he doesn't really bite anymore. He still gets the zoomies, so we'll have him sit and stay on his bed while we do the same "calm down" and "good boy" routine. It really helped him learn how to settle himself. Hope that helps!


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## MCD

The only other thing that I might add is to try and tag team your chores. Otherwise you will never get anything accomplished!
I remember those days........ almost 3 years ago. Just try not to lose your cool. She is a baby still and in a new home. You need to be consistent and very loving but set your rules now or it will backfire on you. Just keep going and doing what you feel is right and works for your family.


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## mskatiesd

Heidi is a beautiful girl!! I had my girl Eva for nearly 14 years, she left me last year after a long healthy life and a short illness. My new puppy was just born, I will have her in July and your post reminded me of the puppy days and the challenges. They are not unlike challenges with a new baby, and I promise as the years go on you will look back on them fondly! 

My Eva was a nipper when she was a little pup, I followed the "yelping method" and it really made a difference eventually and completely stopped. It seems like an eternity when you are going through it, but when it is gone, it will be gone. She had a very soft mouth and had little ones really test her over the years and never nipped or snapped at anyone. That method was very successful for her and for others I know. 

Regarding housetraining, I took her outside every 1/2 hour when at home as I remember. The key was to really never give her the opportunity for an accident. When she went I would say over and over again "go potty, go potty", and soon she would pee on demand! That was a wonderful thing! I did the crate thing for a short while, but she slept in my bed for her entire life.  I also had play time outside in the backyard as much as possible to encourage a place and time for play. Throwing a ball over and over and over usually did the trick! Also, the Big Kong that you can put dog food in is a good way to tire a dog out mentally. Put their food in there every morning/evening and make them work to get it out. 

My girl had a good taste in shoes. I only wish she would have liked a whole pair rather than one from each pair. LOL It was MY fault for leaving them out. Of course she liked really nice leather shoes. In her eyes, what is the difference between a shoe and a bone? Vizslas are such strong hunters with an exceptional sense of smell, therefore (in my opinion) more apt to get into things that they shouldn't. Really puppy proof your house, making sure that anything that may smell is out of their reach, not just now but forever! 

Oh.. best story of all, my girl loved money (just like her mama!)... paper bills have been passed around and have so many interesting smells! She got into my wallet, in my purse, several times and ate dollar bills, pooping out pieces. One time she ate a bunch of $20 bills, probably $140+? Again, my fault. She trained me to put things away. 

Yes, I look back on all of this with a smile on my face... ;D She was a crazy girl, but the most loving, loyal, sweet friend I ever had!! I hope the same for you. Looking forward to my next....and, Heidi is now on my list for a name! 

Enjoy.... as someone told me when I had my son, enjoy those sleepless nights, they go away and you won't realize it until after it is "the last time". I think I am looking forward to it, like a new baby in the house! LOL I say that now, but when I am falling asleep at work I will think differently.


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## Tquick

*New Vizsla Puppy Advice*

Hey, 
I recently got a dog from the animal shelter. They said it was a doberman pinscher mix, but i come to reasoning it looks like more of a vizsla. Like look at his eyes can you tell me if he looks like one? This is Thor!
Thank You!


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## nayfeee

Hi everyone,

So sorry that it's taken me so long to reply to all of your helpful comments. I'm sure you'll all appreciate how hard it is to get a few minutes to yourself with a V puppy running around like crazy! It's been especially busy here as my wife had recently had surgery and then not long after I was away from home for 5 days myself.

I hope that you don't feel that I've been ungrateful or ignored your advice as we have taken it all on board and tried to put your processes into practise.

I'm happy to report that Heidi is making some real progress. The biting still occurs every day but it's noticeably softer and thank goodness her teeth are not as sharp...she'll redirect to a toy if we shove it in her mouth when the biting starts. She really is a very clever puppy and has learnt so much already, she amazes me with how fast she can be taught.

Taking her out for walks has also helped, she sleeps much more now and seems to be calming down a tiny but noticeable amount.

We are however experiencing a new problem that we could really use some help with...

We've started to time our last walk, food and potty time for when we usually go to bed, around 10-11pm. Heidi tends to get comfy downstairs about 10pm and then when we're ready we take her up to bed. The problem is that for the last few days, she's gotten really nasty if we've tried to pick her up to take her up stairs. It only happens when she's tired/sleepy but it really does seem aggressive. She will snarl, show her teeth and if we don't let up actually tried to bite us....this isn't like the usual nipping but actual attempts at serious biting. When we finally manage to get her up, she has peed all over our bed even though she has already been outside or did not go when taken out.

We're not sure what's causing this, as it's only started recently, and any advice will be really appreciated.


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## nayfeee

mskatiesd said:


> Heidi is a beautiful girl!! I had my girl Eva for nearly 14 years, she left me last year after a long healthy life and a short illness. My new puppy was just born, I will have her in July and your post reminded me of the puppy days and the challenges. They are not unlike challenges with a new baby, and I promise as the years go on you will look back on them fondly!
> 
> My Eva was a nipper when she was a little pup, I followed the "yelping method" and it really made a difference eventually and completely stopped. It seems like an eternity when you are going through it, but when it is gone, it will be gone. She had a very soft mouth and had little ones really test her over the years and never nipped or snapped at anyone. That method was very successful for her and for others I know.
> 
> Regarding housetraining, I took her outside every 1/2 hour when at home as I remember. The key was to really never give her the opportunity for an accident. When she went I would say over and over again "go potty, go potty", and soon she would pee on demand! That was a wonderful thing! I did the crate thing for a short while, but she slept in my bed for her entire life.  I also had play time outside in the backyard as much as possible to encourage a place and time for play. Throwing a ball over and over and over usually did the trick! Also, the Big Kong that you can put dog food in is a good way to tire a dog out mentally. Put their food in there every morning/evening and make them work to get it out.
> 
> My girl had a good taste in shoes. I only wish she would have liked a whole pair rather than one from each pair. LOL It was MY fault for leaving them out. Of course she liked really nice leather shoes. In her eyes, what is the difference between a shoe and a bone? Vizslas are such strong hunters with an exceptional sense of smell, therefore (in my opinion) more apt to get into things that they shouldn't. Really puppy proof your house, making sure that anything that may smell is out of their reach, not just now but forever!
> 
> Oh.. best story of all, my girl loved money (just like her mama!)... paper bills have been passed around and have so many interesting smells! She got into my wallet, in my purse, several times and ate dollar bills, pooping out pieces. One time she ate a bunch of $20 bills, probably $140+? Again, my fault. She trained me to put things away.
> 
> Yes, I look back on all of this with a smile on my face... ;D She was a crazy girl, but the most loving, loyal, sweet friend I ever had!! I hope the same for you. Looking forward to my next....and, Heidi is now on my list for a name!
> 
> Enjoy.... as someone told me when I had my son, enjoy those sleepless nights, they go away and you won't realize it until after it is "the last time". I think I am looking forward to it, like a new baby in the house! LOL I say that now, but when I am falling asleep at work I will think differently.


I am sorry to hear that you lost Eva last year, she sounds like a great companion and what we can only hope our little Heidi turns in to. Everyone we speak to has stories about their Vizsla being mischievous  It sounds like you went through exactly what we are, as have most V parents that we speak to!!

I hope you do find a puppy that you can have the same bond with and that you get to experience another happy 14 years with him/her


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## mskatiesd

nayfeee said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> So sorry that it's taken me so long to reply to all of your helpful comments. I'm sure you'll all appreciate how hard it is to get a few minutes to yourself with a V puppy running around like crazy! It's been especially busy here as my wife had recently had surgery and then not long after I was away from home for 5 days myself.
> 
> I hope that you don't feel that I've been ungrateful or ignored your advice as we have taken it all on board and tried to put your processes into practise.
> 
> I'm happy to report that Heidi is making some real progress. The biting still occurs every day but it's noticeably softer and thank goodness her teeth are not as sharp...she'll redirect to a toy if we shove it in her mouth when the biting starts. She really is a very clever puppy and has learnt so much already, she amazes me with how fast she can be taught.
> 
> Taking her out for walks has also helped, she sleeps much more now and seems to be calming down a tiny but noticeable amount.
> 
> We are however experiencing a new problem that we could really use some help with...
> 
> We've started to time our last walk, food and potty time for when we usually go to bed, around 10-11pm. Heidi tends to get comfy downstairs about 10pm and then when we're ready we take her up to bed. The problem is that for the last few days, she's gotten really nasty if we've tried to pick her up to take her up stairs. It only happens when she's tired/sleepy but it really does seem aggressive. She will snarl, show her teeth and if we don't let up actually tried to bite us....this isn't like the usual nipping but actual attempts at serious biting. When we finally manage to get her up, she has peed all over our bed even though she has already been outside or did not go when taken out.
> 
> We're not sure what's causing this, as it's only started recently, and any advice will be really appreciated.


Heidi sounds like she is rebelling just like a little kid, doesn't want to go to bed but is tired! I think I would provide positive reinforcement to the act of going up the stairs and to bed, but not just at bedtime. Perhaps saying "time for bed", and take her upstairs and give her a treat and love early in the day. Do it over and over. Then you stay upstairs and say "time for bed" and she will probably come up looking for her treat/ love. I think the key is to not do it right when you need her to, but at any time during the day. Eventually make the treat intermittent, then just praise. I did this for my girl for lots of things. "Go to bed" meant to go to her dog bed, she knew "outside" "inside", etc. 

As for aggressiveness in general I don't have thoughts other than not giving her attention? She sounds over tired if you ask me... 

My V was easily trained that way... but, if only my child were so easy!


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## Spy Car

nayfeee said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> So sorry that it's taken me so long to reply to all of your helpful comments. I'm sure you'll all appreciate how hard it is to get a few minutes to yourself with a V puppy running around like crazy! It's been especially busy here as my wife had recently had surgery and then not long after I was away from home for 5 days myself.
> 
> I hope that you don't feel that I've been ungrateful or ignored your advice as we have taken it all on board and tried to put your processes into practise.
> 
> I'm happy to report that Heidi is making some real progress. The biting still occurs every day but it's noticeably softer and thank goodness her teeth are not as sharp...she'll redirect to a toy if we shove it in her mouth when the biting starts. She really is a very clever puppy and has learnt so much already, she amazes me with how fast she can be taught.
> 
> Taking her out for walks has also helped, she sleeps much more now and seems to be calming down a tiny but noticeable amount.
> 
> We are however experiencing a new problem that we could really use some help with...
> 
> We've started to time our last walk, food and potty time for when we usually go to bed, around 10-11pm. Heidi tends to get comfy downstairs about 10pm and then when we're ready we take her up to bed. The problem is that for the last few days, she's gotten really nasty if we've tried to pick her up to take her up stairs. It only happens when she's tired/sleepy but it really does seem aggressive. She will snarl, show her teeth and if we don't let up actually tried to bite us....this isn't like the usual nipping but actual attempts at serious biting. When we finally manage to get her up, she has peed all over our bed even though she has already been outside or did not go when taken out.
> 
> We're not sure what's causing this, as it's only started recently, and any advice will be really appreciated.


I would reiterate the advice I gave you earlier. Don't rely on substitution a toy for hands when the puppy bites, as this doesn't train for bite inhibition (it just gives the pup a different biting opportunity). Don't yell "Oww!" as that is drama/reward.

Do, very gently, get you hands inside the pup's mouth. A lot. If you follow this method you will have a dog you will never fear might bite you or a child.

It is the best single thing a person can do when raising a young pup.

Bill


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## gingerling

Nayfee, thanks for getting back to us! You'll often receive a lot of advice, and sometimes, conflicting. You'll have to decide which seems most suited to your situation. Perhaps you can do that with common sense, and by reading thru other comments or advice by posters and see which one just seems most consistently correct to you.

I'm of the opinion that the only time you go into someone else's mouth is when they're choking. With a pup, whenever you get physical with them you run the risk of teaching aggression, and you also are using your dominant position in a very intrusive way. 

By yelping as they do, you are in essence speaking their language. They understand "Oww!", as their response is to stop immediately. Vizslas especially are very sensitive and highly intelligent as well as eager to please...if they understand that they are doing something that is hurting you they will stop. Your task is to communicate that in a way that they understand. I'm sure this mirrors your experience as well as your own common sense.

My take on pups that are startled from sleep is that they are responding in a naturally self protective way..they are vulnerable when they are in that state btwn sleep and consciousness. So, what would work is to wake her with your voice, so by the time you get close to her she's conscious and processing what's actually going on..and then give her the opportunity to obey whatever your verbal command is.

As always, this is just my own opinion, no challenge to others intended. These methods have worked for me for over 25 years of raising happy, healthy Vizslas.


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## cuddlebuglove

Over 25 years?  You lucky person You! ;D

Happiness is a Vizsla or two or three along a couple of Weimaraners and of course two GSPS !


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## Spy Car

I do not personally believe that it a reasonable situation to have a dog that bites a family member if suddenly awoken. A dog that one has to warn at a distance that you are coming verbally, or you or loved one might get bitten. In my estimation this is not a safe situation to foster in ones home.

Think of a scenario of child that accidentally steps on that dog's tail, or a toddler that pulls and ear and might get a bite in the face. 

Stopping this sort of biting is exactly why the necessity of training for bite inhibition is so critical. 

Bite inhibition does not teach aggression because it is gentle and non-aggressive technique. One does not shove ones hand dog a dog's throat. It is not intrusive. It capitalizes on puppy's (especially Vizsla's) desire to want to bite on owners hands, and it turns the play into a process that trains the dog never to bite down with pressure on people over time. 

You want to have a bullet-proof dog, not a time-bomb. Take my advise. You are behind the optimal time frame already. This would have been better started earlier, but you are not too late (but very rapidly moving that way).

This is a way of gently molding puppy behavior that was taught to me by a very gifted mentor more than 45 years ago when I got my first bird dog (beautiful Irish Setter). in those days it was simply called "developing a soft mouth" not bite inhibition training. 

I've employed it ever since with all my gun-dogs since. I raise happy, well-bonded exuberant dogs that are very highly trained. In 45 years I've never had a dog that bite anyone. Not even close. Soft mouth/bite inhibition training is a huge deal. The most single important part of a puppy's education. 

I'm sorry to say, but you are very behind. Please get started. It is very important to act.

Bill


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## 62707

Bite inhibition - interesting. We've done both the high pitched squeak when mouthing getting rough with Bod our recent now 4.5 month old puppy and the gently folding the lips inside his mouth if he insists. In fact I've found I'm putting my hands in his mouth more and more to show him he can still play with his mouth as at this age he will but that I'm so precious he can't squeeze down even teeniest bit as otherwise it's his own lips he's squeezing. He's now incredibly gentle. That same mouth is a raw bone eater! I also like that when he's sleeping flat out on the floor I can test his responses by touching lightly or 'accidentally' bumping into him. He does indeed wake and mouth comes round but no pressure, no bite, no snapping. Excellent, so that's bite inhibition in play  Worked well when the cat also sat playing with his tail resting on his body! I must admit I found the whole lips inside his mouth easier than yelling squeaking or making drama out of something he would normally get a great response from and then repeat the 'game'!


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## 62707

Nayfeee - I'm sorry to hear Heidi is snapping at you when dozy/doesn't want to move. Our first vizsla was like this, even at 11 weeks old if you touched him or tried to move him from where he was sleeping he'd emit a growl  then if you insisted he'd just continue growling and be so very unhappy, it never led to snapping or bites but the warning was there and it would escalate I'm sure had we not taken steps to work hard at handling him all over, bite inhibition work in overtime! He was so overtired and couldn't find a place to sleep undisturbed as we wanted him to be the dog who slept in the lounge, or on the settee or next to us on the floor. When we got up he'd follow everywhere and he was exhausted! Our breeder was fab, told us he wasn't happy with his new position in life (promoted to God Like Status, First Chosen One of Puppydom) that we'd inadvertently given him and to get him in the crate with comfy bed, put a towel over to create a den and let him know he could be in there as much as he wanted, door open or shut. Problem solved. If he got tense over any situations we were to leave a house line on him, pick it up and just walk away with it so he'd have to follow. I never needed that until he got older and tried to jump on the couch and stay there! I pretty much tipped the whole couch up in order to let him realise I meant business when I said OFF as I couldn't let him just growl at me. Using the line meant no confrontation but he had to follow what I'd told him to do. I do not believe in using treats, food rewards for this kind of behaviour as I think our vizsla was so intelligent, he would simply do a bad behaviour in order to do a good behaviour in order to be rewarded with food! Better to let him realise I meant what I said, could follow it through and no confrontation done. Lots of insistence on handling difficult areas (tail, feet) also helped build confidence that I could be trusted and teeth weren't needed, or a growl. I would never punish or tell a dog off for growling. It's just a way of saying I can't or won't deal with whatever you're asking. I'm not sure why Heidi would then pee on your bed...could that be submission do you think? Puppies throw lots of behaviours in at this age and confusion reigns! They're also at the age of trying to find out where they fit in, how much they can or cannot do in their environment and what the consequences are, what works and what doesn't! A dog only does in life what it can succeed at?


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## 1stVizsla

Hi Naylee, your post made me smile as I picked up our 9wk old Vizsla from IL last weekend and am seeing much of the same behavior. Around day 4 when we first started having all out floor play with puppy and toys both my daughter and I noticed the biting, just like you see. However, in our case puppy wasn't tired as we do crate her at night and she sleeps in a crate at night and I have began the potty training in an adjacent screened in porch where she takes frequent naps. Our interpretation of the frenzied, growling and running circles around use/bites is that she is simply neurologically overstimulated or perhaps just having so much fun that she forgets herself, likely thinking that we are other pups that she can nip and bite at. 

It is the only thing that we have corrected her about since she got so out of control that around the 4th day we saw it we simply started saying "No" firmly and getting up and walking away. She has acknowledged and stopped almost every time which indicates that she can control this which makes us very happy. I also think based on her behavior when biting that there is some dominance/testing behavior there. This may be a factor with your pup especially as you say you let her sleep on your bed. 

While this Vizsla pup is by far the most cuddly of the (Lab and German Shepard) puppies that I have recently raised, I don't expect to let her ever sleep on my bed. 20 yrs ago when raising a similarly cute lab puppy and letting her sleep on my bed I noticed that as she got older she became more territorial about the bed groaning or even growling a bit (in her sleep) when I kicked her or bumped her. One morning I woke up at the foot of the bed and she was on my pillow and that was the last time she was allowed in bed!! When I let this cuddly Vizsla pup on my bed she goes right for my pillows (smart) and she likes to shred (feathers)! But don't be fooled, these things mean lots to dogs about their place in your house and how they respect you and as Cesar Milan emphasizes it is really important for the puppies safety and development that you be in charge. 

I'm actually not looking forward to training this Vizsla since the last two dogs I trained were GSDs and based on what I'm reading this Vizsla will take significantly longer! Lots of patience required......right now we are getting her settled in and used to the other dog in our home. It's a very slow process but she's a marvel of doggie athletic engineering and fun and we love her lots!


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