# Out-training the sharkies



## morgforbes123 (Aug 16, 2019)

Our little River is now 9 weeks old and we are fully in love and he is taking to training quite well however we are unsure how to approach the sharkies, I know this is a trait of all viszla pups but he’s trying to bite people even when they are fussing him. We have started spraying him with water which does stop him at the time however when anyone comes to meet him/he’s excited he just wants to play bite with them, not realising the pain those razor sharp teeth cause 😂

What methods worked for everyone else?


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## Greta (Sep 19, 2018)

When he bites scream in pain, be dramatic, and stop playing/petting.

When you start playing again direct him to a toy/chew.

First V I had stopped the biting game in a couple of weeks.

Greta my 14 month old did not stop biting until she was 6 months! I have holes in a lot of my clothes but no scars!!!

Good luck!


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## joav (Aug 10, 2018)

i’d just add that i don’t think all “sharkies” are the same;
when george was that same age, he tended to get nippy when he either needed to burn off energy, or was over tired, and needed to sleep...

if he needed to burn off energy, i would redirect to a bully stick / chew...
if he needed to calm down, i gave him plush...

chews when he was over tired just got him amped,
made the attacks worse...

plush when he had excess energy only bored him,
resorted to attack mode...

i carried both kinds with me to every room we went.
setting him up for success was key, being able to redirect him when the glint came in his eye,
and before teeth into flesh helped him grow out of it pretty quick.

i spent a lot of time early on training calm;
he’d get treats when staying chill, not if he begged for them, just if he stayed lying down and relaxed...

think that also helped in that regard [and many others].

i’ve always been big into heaping praise / treats when george acts how i want,
not just when i’ve issued a command. i can’t expect him to just know, and is much easier to reward behaviors he offers [on both our souls] vs communicate what aspect of his behavior was wrong at the time.

good luck; is a high stress period, but, there is light at the end of the tunnel...


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## MaxB (Mar 11, 2019)

Agree with Joav....ours grew out of it...but she'd get the sharkies first thing in the morning, coming downstairs, due to excitement. I used to just stop stand still and ignore her until she let go of my trouser leg/shoe lace, or calmed down. She would also get them when overtired....so into crate for some chill out time. We'd stand up, cross arms and completely ignore on an immediate nip, no eye contact, nothing, then redirect her to a toy, or a chill out, depending on where we were, and what was causing it. Hardest bit was when coming down the stairs in the morning, hard to redirect then. But she only did it to me....not husband for some reason. It passes. 

Now it's all about showing me the toys to greet me, or delay my departure, and occasionally when she's not seen me for a while, get my arm into her mouth to 'hold'. No teeth, it's like she's tasting me, lasts about 2 seconds. 🙄😂


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## cosmoKenney (Dec 8, 2017)

First thing is to dump the demeaning spray bottle in the trash. It will scar him for life. If this is your first vizsla you should know that they are extremely sensitive and that kind of training is not for them. The advice by Greta above is spot-on. At some point if you watch that little face closely while playing, you will notice the light bulb go off when he realizes that humans don't like to be bitten. And then it will just stop. It's amazing how smart they are. Always err toward positive reinforcement training with a vizsla. 
I really like Victoria Stilwell's site for advice on training. I'm on my fifth dog -- second vizsla and still refer to her site for brush-ups on training: https://positively.com/tv/its-me-or-the-dog/
It's also helpful to try to remember not to sweat the small stuff. They are smart. They learn and remember. But they will tune you out if you are constantly annoying them with commands that just aren't necessary.


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## Greta (Sep 19, 2018)

I've pondered why the two dogs I've had learnt at such different time frames regarding bite inhibition. The first marked difference between them is their characters. Number 1 was very sensitive, an introvert, and really only loved me. Greta is an extrovert, full on and loves everyone.

But there are other differences that have contributed, number 1 was 13 weeks when she arrived, her mum had taught her a lot! She was even house trained. And she was nearly there with bite inhibition. Greta was 7 weeks and had been weaned at 3 weeks because her mum had been ill. Her biting was awful, friends with young children had to stop visiting as she had drawn blood on a number of people!

Another factor was that number 1 played every day with a cavalier king Charles spaniel who was a few months older. Greta had me! I really think they learn quickly about bite inhibition from another pup.

It can be a very stressful time with a puppy that just keeps biting but they do learn. Although I have told Greta that she will be bringing up the next puppy!


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## Greta (Sep 19, 2018)

And it is wonderful to see them stop, pause and think - 'oh humans don't like the biting' this is the light bulb moment! Just keep reinforcing it.


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