# snapping at my youngest kid. need input on some training my V pup



## Heather Lannom Henkel (Oct 21, 2017)

Wyatt has made it successfully through the SHARK phase. wasn't sure we were all going to survive...so glad I posted then and got some encouragement and advice
HE is now 5 months old, and heres 4 concerns with the first being of upmost priority

1. He is snapping at my 5 year old -usually when he is laying down not he couch or on his bed and is resting and my sweet fun loving human kid comes to love on him and maybe grabs him ......I get that he wants to be left alone and we have preached and preached to our human kid about leaving Wyatt be. Wyatt SNAPS and today he got my 5 year old pretty good on the arm. of course I never get there fast enough to discipline him bc I am usually in the kitchen cooking etc. HELP
2. Wyatt bards while I cook and while I sit at the table eating --basically begging
3. Digging -any advice? tried cayenne pepper
4. Good help for going on walks/lead training He is already strong as an ox
5. We want to get him neutered but we have seen lots of news about waiting a few more months which we are ok with ( please no ugly responses). We have good discussion at home about pluses and minuses of this procedure for our family and we have to do whats best for our family


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Questions 1&2 
Crate the dog when you are unable to supervise, or when your eating.
3 Don't leave him outside unsupervised. 
4 Use a half hitch.


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## MikoMN (Nov 29, 2016)

Supervise, supervise, supervise! 

It is a lot of work. It is hard to always have an eye on him. Especially when he is getting that old, and you have been doing it for what seems like forever. He is getting big, and as you said, very strong. We somehow forget he is still a puppy. Many will say a Viszla puppy stage is closer to two years long. When you can't watch him, kennel him.

As far as the pulling when walking goes, we had to finally use physical means. I know some don't like it, but at 5 or 6 months he cared little of treat and praise for reward. We would put a separate sliding loop up high on his neck and give a soft quick tug strait up as a reminder while saying "heal". The rope was stiff and would release pressure as quickly as it would put it on. The hunt trainer eventually moved him to a chain, and then an E-collar. 

Don't lose heart. 5-11 months was a very hard time. He seemed to forget all his obedience. Recall got worse, and a few times he ran away. About 11 months he went to hunt training for a month, and came back a completely different dog. Now at 18 months we sure do love him.....98% of the time. We still have to supervise closely while he is in his bed or eating, because the kids seem to keep forgetting the rules. We still have to send him to his bed when someone comes over (or someone in the family gets home). Otherwise he just gets so excited he mauls the person. We still kennel everyday at some point, and all night. Eventually we might stop, but it helps keep him and our things safe.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

1) Snapping and biting are very different! One is warning, the other is an actual attack. The latter suggests Wyatt has determined kiddo isn't getting the message, so the consequence is in order. Neither are acceptable, but the latter is worrisome. You need to redouble your efforts at giving Wyatt space that is undisturbed by kiddos intrusion. Supervise both, and in the absence of that crate Wyatt. If you can catch him at or shortly after the attack, roll him over on his back, glare into his eyes, lower you voice and say "NO!" loudly and hold him there at least until he looks away. If it continues, you need a trainer on this one.

2) Begging is pretty normal. Don't give food, and he will just sit there. If this is a problem, crate him.

3) They dig typically b/c they're bored or frustrated. Exercise? 

4) Gentle leader, looks like a strap around their muzzle, but it works. Also, those collars that look like medieval torture devices but aren't.

5) I'm against neutering, there's a ton of evidence that neutered dogs suffer all kinds of health problems associated with the loss of testosterone...recall the testes are involved in much more than fertility. Vets recommend this based on very old science and frankly their own financial self interest. I'm not sure what you're referring to by doing best for your family, as his testicles have nothing to do with any of the other issues you're encountering. If you must remove his testicles, at least wait until after puberty, or 18 mos.


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## Betty (Apr 14, 2016)

Digging: I have an Eng. Lab and a Vizsla, when digging is a problem I dump some of their poop in the hole, or where they were starting to dig. They hate that and leave that area. It takes a few times, it has worked with both of my dogs and several others too. Good luck!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Sorry I was very short with my answer, and I will explain why.
Most vizslas that have a bite history, are not accepted into rescue. But it is on a case by case basis, and his bite was clearly provoked.
Your pup would already be listed as needing a very experienced foster,with No children in the house. 
That's going to cut down on fosters. Then you have fosters with no children, that just don't care to take on a known biter for any reason.
So he would have major strikes against him, all because he didn't want to be harassed while sleeping.
If it keeps up, it will get worse. As he will expect to be harassed by you son, when he gets near him.
You don't punish a pup that is being pushed to far, that just doesn't make any sense. 

You need to either keep your son from harassing the puppy when sleeping.
If you are unable to do that, see if the breeder will take him back, or look into rescue while the pup can still be saved.

We pull these types of dogs from shelters. Most have been banned to the backyard for years, and thats all the information we are given. Their real history is unknown to us. Within the first week or two they will bite the foster, and have to be quarantined for rabies. Most don't return from quarantine, as there is no place for them to go. The only thing we accomplished, is putting the dog to sleep, because the owner left that up to someone else.
We never know what dog can be saved, so we take a chance on most of them.


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## Anida (Jun 10, 2016)

We had a beagle that was sweet as could be but would bite in "provoked" situations. If he was sleeping and a kid (never adults) startled him he would snap or if he was being possessive of a person.

It was a lot of work, but we made it work instead of giving him up. We also bought a basket muzzle for the times that he was out in the house but I was either working or cooking so I couldn't keep 100% watch on him. We worked with him a lot but mostly if the kids were up he wasn't allowed to lay on or by any adults and if he was sleeping or wanting to nap, I'd make him go get in his crate (which was in my bedroom and I'd lock the door so the kids couldn't get in).

From your description it sounds mostly like it's when your dog is sleeping and doesn't want bothered so you just have to keep working with your dog and your kid (mine are 2 & 4 -- so I know it can be rough getting them to understand).


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