# Puppy challenges



## nikki1111 (Oct 20, 2015)

Hello!
I have been reading this forum for months, and it has been a wealth of information. So thanks to everyone who takes the time to reply! I have a Vizsla puppy named Sophie and she is 12 weeks old right now. She is incredibly smart and beautiful and lots of fun, but I'm a little concerned about her behaviour. My concern is mainly her behaviour when she is told "no". If she wants to jump on the couch (she isn't allowed on the couch), chew the furniture, jump on the furniture etc, I redirect her off ( a command she understands). At times she is redirectable but only for a moment (I've tried distracting her with toys, food, training). She will then head right back to the thing she wants; this time she will get growly, snap and bite her hardest if I try to remove her from the thing she wants. For example, she will repeatedly jump on the couch and I will have to pick her up to get her off as she is growling, snapping and biting me. It really hurts (I have scars and ripped clothes), but I will carry her to her crate at this point. This cycle will repeat throughout the day. It does tend to be worse when she is tired or between 6-8pm before bedtime, but in the last week, these episodes are happening more frequently. We had a trainer come to the house and she taught us to hold the puppy in a sitting position between our legs to help her calm down. We have tried this in these moments, and it just turns into Sophie flipping out, squirming out (twisting on to her back) and biting more. I never let her just bite me and run away, but I definitely just end up putting her in the crate which seems to be the only way to deescalate the situation. I understand it could just be puppy behaviour, and I did my research so I understand Vizsla's are mouthy/bitey pups. But I have grown up with dogs, and never felt intuitively uncomfortable with a puppy's behaviour. I spoke to the breeder as well and she suggested holding Sophie's mouth closed and saying no firmly. This definitely doesn't work for Sophie. As well, I have been to 4 puppy classes and she is registered for further obedience training in the new year. I feel like the way I handle this now is going to be important for her future, and I'm not sure what to do. Please help! Thanks so much!!

One more thing: One thing I haven't tried is putting the leash on and pulling her off the couch (or saying off, if it works) and holding her away from me so she can't lunge bite me. However, I'm worried she will just start chewing the leash. We live in a first floor apartment and she is leashed to go potty outside several times throughout the day. Therefore, I don't want to start her chewing/ disliking the leash.


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## browndogbrownguy (Nov 10, 2015)

Well, you will get a lot of suggestions on how to handle this kind of behavior. I`ll tell you one thing - one day around 4-5 months of age, all of a sudden - the biting will disappear. Like it never happened. Then you move on to other issues. Vizslas are a tough breed to own the first couple of years. So, be ready and don`t stress too much. Have fun.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Sophie's a cutie! A monster, but a cute one.

I think you're giving her too much freedom and perhaps not enough exercise, both physical and mental. 

Try to get into a routine that addresses all that...of walking her (for exercise and socialization as well as potty), then a nap in the crate, then some playing with you with a ball, a walk...then some crate time, etc. They're babies, so they have no impulse control, the best remedy for that is it get them into a routine that limits the time they can get to the out of control stage. I wouldn't recommend the leash as a way of controlling this indoors, you want her to see the leash as a good thing and a signal to go outside, not risk her seeing it as a disciplinary tool.


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## emilycn (Jul 30, 2013)

Everything you know about dog behavior only kind-of applies to a vizsla. I found that these guys really require a lot of flexibility and creative thinking when it comes to training and behavior. That being said, I have two comments to add to the discussion:

1. What the trainer suggested isn't working for you and Sophie, it just gets her more riled up. I'd definitely drop that approach and try something different.

2. Relatedly, you have to just accept, I think, that sometimes you will get cuts and bruises dealing with the shark attacks and out of control craziness, and not let it scare you. It is truly amazing how devilish these pups are sometimes, but they don't mean it the way that it comes off. You haven't got an unusually aggressive puppy, so don't worry about that part of it. The best you can do is just approach the situations you mention calmly and confidently, and wait for her to grow out of the biting stage. 

Honestly, I'd suggest exactly what you were doing, with picking her up and taking her to the crate for a quick "Sophie, get ahold of yourself" timeout. When she doesn't listen to "off" or "no", just collect yourself into cool assertiveness (so she get's the picture that you're in charge without making a fuss over it), steel yourself for the onslaught of needle teeth, and quietly carry her to the crate for a timeout. There's no point carrying on with "no" and "please for the love of god stop biting me already" tactics when she's that wound-up---you know she's not absorbing anything in that state of mind, so just do a timeout, and focus on the training bit of it when she's less spazzed out.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Its not uncommon that I think differently than some on the forum.
I look at the leash as a tool, and it doesn't matter if its used inside, or outside the house.
It is used to control a dog/puppy. As long as your not rough with the lead, I don't see a dog seeing it as punishment.


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

I'm with TR on this. I would rather use the leash as the removal tool instead of my hands. You have a pup that has 1) escalated from growling to biting and snapping (frequency increasing) 2) has so far learned that she has the choice to obey or not to obey. These are not always things a pup will just grow out of without training on your part. 

Definitely step up the routine with training and consistency. If it were me, I would seek a new trainer as Emily has said. Some trainers have one method for all dogs, and this does not work. You need to adjust as necessary. Not all dogs are the same, and not all Vs are the same. 

In the meantime I would have the pup drag around a leash (only when you are home). When you give her the off command, you can reinforce it with the leash. If you have the pup dragging the leash around when you are home, they are not going to look at the lead as a punishment. This is just my experience. I have never had a dog fear the leash (any tool - leash, or hands can cause a dog to become fearful if not used appropriately). If you are worried about her chewing at the leash, buy a cheap leash you don't care about. Right now I suspect you are a little fearful of dealing with you pup in these situations, and she knows she has the upper hand. I would keep your hands out of it and use the leash. If you do continue to do the removal with your hands, get a pair of leather gloves so that you are not afraid of her teeth. Dogs sense fear. 

Raising dogs - we each have our own ways based on our experiences. Getting involved in training as you have said you are in the new year will help with your relationship with her. Whatever you try, keep calm (voice and actions) - and follow through.


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## Pecan_and_BB (Jun 15, 2015)

I am not a fan of physically removing them from a situation as they are very smart dogs and I noticed early on that if I did this with my pup she would only listen when I was in arms reach.

As far as getting her off of the couch, have you tried using a treat as a lure? I did allow Pecan up on the furniture, but only when I said it was OK. If she beat me to the couch and jumped up first, I would use a treat; let her sniff it, then without moving your feet, move the treat away and off the couch (no commands). Once she jumps down and sat quietly, I would reward her with the treat and praise. Then I sat down and if she was still waiting patiently, I'd invite her up. Eventually they associate the arm motion direction with the direction you wish them to go, and those hand motions now have turned into my direction commands (if I want her to go up the stairs, or in her crate, and now even in the field on retrieves).

With the biting and real high level crazies, I agree with TR, a leash is a very good tool. I've explained in detail in a few other posts how I attached one on a doorknob (not the door you use to put them out) in a room where there is no people. See this post: http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,39089.msg281033.html#msg281033


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

You need the leash as a training tool. You need consistency in what and how you handle the puppy. She is young and will quickly equate everything you do to what she needs to do by repetition and the tone of your voice. Enforcement must be taught early and stuck to. You need a good balance of both mental and physical exercise. This should get you through..... Nothing sounds unusual to me about your experiences and there is a lot of informed advice and differing opinions on the forum.
You just have to do what works for you. Every dog and owner have a different set of circumstances.


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## nikki1111 (Oct 20, 2015)

Hey all,

I just wanted to respond to all of the helpful advice and give an update. Sophie still jumps up on the couch all the time, but I have found the easiest thing is to cheerfully tell her "off" and make less of a big deal about it. I think before I was raising my voice and getting tense and she was playing off of that energy. Occasionally she will still let out a growl and resist getting off but with cheerful persistence she will jump down. However, now she has become a general biting machine and her bite inhibition is actually worse than ever if that is even possible. I think the only thing that helps is A LOT of mental and physical stimulation and timely naps in the crate. The constant training continues
Thanks for your replies!


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## nikki1111 (Oct 20, 2015)

Sophie


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## zelda5 (Nov 30, 2015)

Hi Nikki!

I am new to this forum and have got a 16 week (17 weeks on Tuesday) male pup and I can tell you those "shark attacks" as they call it can be quite overwhelming and sometimes a bit frightening. Our puppy would sometimes look as though he was possessed and nothing would calm him down! The first 6 weeks were absolute **** just trying to figure out a routine for him because I was feeling like nothing was working. He would bite and snap at our legs, arms, faces, toes, we literally couldn't walk without getting bitten, he loved biting our butts too when we would walk. We were (not as much now) constantly covered in scratches, cuts and bruises! What I found was that he needed more sleep/crate time, to go to sleep earlier and be taken out and experience different environments and socialise with other people/dogs. He was napping at 7 or 8pm and would be in full play/crazy mode from 8pm-12am every night, he would jump on the couches and dig and rip them, jump on tables, throw himself on our heads if we were sitting down, it was great fun!! It was absolute chaos in our house!  However he now naps earlier in the day and I try to not let him nap after 5pm, after work I take him for a long walk, do some mental training with him and have a big play and the biting seems to be not as often. Don't get me wrong when he gets overexcited or overtired he goes a bit crazy but it seems to be getting less and less. He now sleeps from 8pm - 9 or 10am with only 1 or 2 toilet breaks max. We try to get him out as much as possible and I think what they need is a proper routine, just like babies. Hang in there, I know its hard and there were many times we would think oh my what have we gotten ourselves into haha! but they are so worth it. Im learning more and more everyday from our boy. Maybe try to take your pup for more walks or more play time and put her to bed earlier and it will eventually start to die down. I thought it would never end but I see as he matures he gets better, good luck (for both of us ha ha!)


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