# Our V is now timid around other dogs....help?



## Mik_at_the_Bay (Dec 24, 2011)

About a month ago, our puppy 7 months old now was attacked by another Vizsla. He went into submissive position and the other dog continued to attack and bite him, leaving puncture wounds on his face, neck and shoulder. We slowly got him back to the point where he would run and play again around other dogs, first with a play date with 2 other Vizslas ( 1 of which he was comfortable with and knew) and he was fine. 

Last weekend on another meetup, he got spooked by 2 large great danes and went running, full speed into another larger Vizsla. Knocked the wind out of himself and he took off running.

Today we tried to slowly integrate him again with other Vizslas (2). He would not leave my side, never more than 15 feet away. He never took off running and playing.

How can we get him back to the way that he was prior to the first incident?

Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated, Thank you.


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## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

We also have a fearful dog that was once pinned and attacked left bleeding and limped for days. He still did very well socially considering until recently he's relapsed due to a Break we took in socialization for medical issues. I'd say you need to start slow. Dogs don't have to interact to socialize. You might attend training classes where he's in the room but it's obviously a controlled situation. Or just walk by the dog park. They are still communicating/socializing even though they aren't romping around physical with each other. Once he gains some confidence and realizes he can trust you to protect him (you need to learn how dogs should greet properly and manage the process) then only let encounters happen that you know will go well. You need to learn what exactly spooks him so you can fix that particular trigger. Dozer has issues if the other dog runs up to greet instead of walks. And certainly if they're larger than him. But I try to block him from any dog until I meet them and get their scent on my hands then have him smell it and give his scent back to them. THEN they can meet each other if I trust the other dog.


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## Kaya (Jul 17, 2011)

Aww, poor little guy! :'( Completely understandable that he'd be scared after the first attack -- sad/surprised to hear it was another Vizsla!?! The second episode (where he knocked the wind out of himself) sounds like that was mostly just bad luck.

I think your idea for play dates is a good one -- it seemed to work the first time too, right? I don't have any specific experience with what you went through, but V's seem so social and playful that I would bet that he will slowly come around again. I think the key at first will be trying to start with positive experiences, with dogs you know to be friendly. You want to have him build up trust in dogs again, so initially you'll want to just be setting him up to succeed. Just start by keeping the play dates small, limited to just 1 or maybe 2 other friendly dogs at first, whether they are V's or something else with a similar play-style. I know my 8 month old sometimes gets a little nervous around big dogs if they are loud (growl or bark while playing) or always dominate the wrestling matches. Then her tail tucks underneath and she sticks really close to me. But she'll play all day with a sweet, enormous St Bernard-Border Collie who plays in a similar way as she does (lots of running/chasing, mixed in with "bouncy, dance-y wrestling" rather than pinning, if that makes sense). 

The other thing I'd recommend is trying to end the play dates on a high-note. Once he (hopefully) can relax around another dog and things are going well (whether or not they end up playing or just co-exist peacefully near each other), call it quits for the day before somebody gets tired or grumpy, and set up another short play date for the next day or so. 

If you don't know many neighborhood dogs, maybe a puppy class could be a good way to meet other young dogs in a controlled setting, to build confidence and re-socialize him.

I really hope it goes well with time and lots of positive experiences. Vizslas seem so happy around other dogs that it would be such a huge shame if he can't get over it. Plus, then you'd have to worry about him becoming fear-aggressive to other dogs too. Wishing you guys good luck!


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