# Is this normal behavior?



## FrancoD13 (Aug 9, 2012)

I just want to check if everyone else's Vizsla's say hello the same way my 6 month old does. When he wakes up and comes over to my wife and I, or when we come home from work, he gets so excited his tail whips back and forth at an amazing rate. he bumps into our legs and starts circling around us, darting between our legs over and over. Constantly rubbing up against us, through our legs. 

We generally try to ignore him until he calms down, which he does, he sits down and the second we pat him, starts all over again. Most of the time, he will pick up a toy and do this darting around and between our legs with the toy in his mouth (which sounds amazingly like Darth Vador from Star Wars with the heavy breathing and the toy in his mouth). 

This only lasts for 5 or so minutes after which he is calm and relaxed. But those first five minutes are just hard not to laugh at him. It is like he is in a trance.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Its normal for them to be excited to see you, and it can take a young one a few minutes to calm down. Just keep waiting him out like you have been doing. I have one that has to have something in her mouth when she gets excited. I think she uses it as a security blanket. She runs up to you tail waging, toy in mouth and snorting.


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## abatt (Jul 10, 2012)

That sounds so familiar, circling, rubbing against us, going between our legs, wagging tail. Our 7 month old has been doing it for a long time. We try to ignore him and ask him to sit, but how can he sit if his tail is wagging so much that his whole behind is swinging side to side  And you are right, it is really hard not to laugh.


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

Sounds normal to me! Miles greets us with a toy, and circles us, bats at us with his paws, and play bows to us for a few minutes until he relaxes. We think it's funny and our guests laugh when they see him behaving this way.


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

That's exactly the welcome I get from Darcy.....I often say to my Wife, if only you would greet me like that when I come home from work.....she usually repeats something that simply cannot be written on this forum,,,but the last word is OFF.....


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## BaxtersMum (Oct 6, 2012)

Baxter does this too! I posted about him carrying toys in his mouth the other day. He seems to do this instead of biting and jumping now so presumed it was his way of controlling his excitement.


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## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Whistler does the same, problem is that he gets so excited that he'll get on his back legs and stand up on us. I don't necessarily mind although I correct him everytime. The problem is that kids or strangers will mind! I try lifting my knee if I anticipate it. Any ideas or tricks or does this behavior improve over time?


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## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Also he gets super "emotional" / whiny when we haven't seen him for a few hours, almost as though he hasn't seen us in decades. He is overly joyed to see us and usually is very vocal about it!


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

Here is something I do when I get home. My dogs kinda like me and know when my truck comes up the driveway. I can hear them barking as I walk to the door.

When I come in I ignore them until I get my beer and head to a certain spot in the living room. There, Bailey has to get on my left and Chloe on my right and face me. I then stroke, talk and pet them at the same time as long as then stand (wiggling constantly of course) in "their spot" and not move. If they move away, they get not attention until they "assume the position". If either jump, they get a quick knee in the chest and then when they lower back on all four the petting continues, as if nothing happened.

This has taken most of a year of doing the same thing. 

After they calm down, they forget about me for a bit. Usually I will wait 15 to 30 minutes before we go out hiking or walking. When we get ready, they have to stand at the bottom stair platform with Chloe on the left and Bailey right next to her on the right motionless to get their leashes attached. They have to stand still until they are attached and I release them to go out the door behind me.

I learned this watching a professional field trialer and dog trainer get the dogs out of the horse trailer crates and put them on the "line" and later feed them. He did the same action each time. If a helper did it out of order, he would yell at them, "NO!, Ruby goes there, Spot goes there next him on the right." or "NO! Rex gets fed after Tommy!" 

The dogs understood. I started doing this with almost everything we do.

Long answer.
http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2012/12/vizsla-solstice-walk.html 

RBD


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## Suliko (Sep 17, 2011)

Completely normal behavior! Our oldest one doesn't do it as much anymore but the little one (who just turned 1....I guess not so little anymore) does it ALL the time. Even if she has slept right next to us the whole night, when we get up in the morning she jumps in circles around us. Then she remembers she has to be calm and tries her hardest to sit still which works only for a second and she's back to circling in the air  I actually love it, and it makes me smile more than anything. And what can be better than to start a day with a smile!


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Yep, familiar. Try getting down to their level for the total experience. 
I would wag my tail also, if I had one.


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

*Re: Re: Is this normal behavior?*



datacan said:


> Yep, familiar. Try getting down to their level for the total experience.
> I would wag my tail also, if I had one.


Bahaha............. I actually do sometimes........... I copy their body language. They seem to enjoy it.

Like Redbirddog says, ignore until settled, then give attention.

RBD, we have such similar routines. Get home, empty pockets, change out of work clothes, grab a drink, middle of loungeroom, sit, het attention. 

For walks, both come to me, sit, have lead attached and wait patiently while 2nd and sometimes 3rd dogs get leads attached. Then I walk them to the front of the house, they sit, I remove the leads and they off lead heel all the way to the park. They stop automatically at crossings and wait for me to give the ok to crossover. I love my dogs so much right now. They're just so in tune with me it's a freaking symphony........  

All the time and effort has paid off more than I could have wished. Can't wait to see how cool they will be when they are 5 or 6........ I'll have them lodging my tax returns soon........


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## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Thanks rbd, I will try following your lead/steps. The gf has said that Whistler's chemically unbalanced, on the loving and licking side of things


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