# Rough cuddles?!



## Claire (May 21, 2012)

Hey guys, me and Liesel (now 6 months) haven't posted much in the forum for a while but we're still checking it regularly and as always it's been lovely to see everyone's updates/pics - so here are a few recent ones of her!
Also a quick question - did/do any of your Vs give very ROUGH cuddles?? As in, Liesel will be so happy to see me/my housemates, she will try her hardest to climb on me/them, with a lot of sudden head movement, nose bashing and violent tail wagging, to the point where being cuddled by her kiiiind of feels like being beaten up....
I should add, this is usually just when we're sitting on the couch or crouching down at her level, she's not too bad with people standing up, her jumping has been improving I think.
Just wondered if this is something I should address or something she should grow out of?
Thanks!


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

Miles does this too. When I get home he greets me with a toy, then starts poking me with it, then beats me with his crazy wagging tail, then grabs my wrist in his mouth and tries to lead me around the house. He can be calmed down if we tell him to lie down, then settle and we don't let him up until he's calmed. Unfortunately a lot of my friends think it's funny when he acts crazy so that encourages him.


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## ZDOGSMOM (Sep 15, 2012)

If of all she's a beautiful girl.... And yes my two get so excited and just want to smother you with Vizsla love.... my young one, Izzy.... will come flying at me now when I'm in my rocker/recliner and drape herself around my neck and lick my face, ear, neck... like she hasn't seen me in years! Ziva my older one will run get a toy or blanket and come greet me with it, doing the V wiggle until she just about wiggles her butt off her body.... she also will take a paw and grab my leg to hold me against her.... both of mine are so lovey dovey...


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## Claire (May 21, 2012)

Haha okay, good to know that it's normal I suppose - maybe I should be a bit stricter with getting everyone to practise calmness when she greets them... I do find it's marginally better with me because I tend to ignore her when I first let her out of her crate etc - though first thing in the morning in particular, when she comes out of the crate and jumps onto the bed, grabs a big chunk of duvet in her mouth and wags her tail so ferociously it whacks each side of her body... I find her glee a bit hard to resist and I have to cuddle her back!!


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

I currently have a swollen and bruised cheek from Ruby bashing her head into my face. I stayed away overnight on Saturday for work, and she was beyond excited to see me when I came home. 

It was completely my fault for sitting on the floor to greet her.


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## Nelly (Feb 7, 2013)

I also have a big cut on the bridge of my nose where Nelly head butted my glasses in excitement, again my fault for bending down mid kangaroo jump.

We are training her to sit when she's excited and do a 'visible' ignore when she's jumping and grabbing wrists etc. We also have a toy handy when one of us comes home or guests come in to avoid her mouthing them, it didn't take long for her to catch on that it's great to bring a toy to you. 

I read somewhere recently that when V's mouth you like this it is their equivalent of holding your hand - quite lovely really :

Leisel is beautiful.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I think that her excited behavior is perfectly normal for such a young dog. You've already received good advice here. Stay calm. She will mellow out a little as she matures. 

Mostly, I want to say that Miss Liesel has transformed from an adorable baby puppy into a beautiful young lady! She has such an intelligent, expressive face!! ;D ;D ;D


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Such a pretty girl...
She is still young and *may * tone it down a bit with age. All three of mind wiggle when I walk in the door. Lucy grabs a toy on her way to see me. Cash just comes wagging his tail to me, but my June is the bull in the china shop. She has to do the vizlsa hop and spin, while her whole body wiggles.
When I sit on the floor with them the other two are gentle. June just piles in your lap, flips on her back for a belly rub.
You have to watch out for feet to the face. Then she leaps up and spins her rear toward you. She wants that rubbed too.


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

I do have a couple of suggestions for you.

Keep your face away when she is excited. As others have already posted, bending down almost assures injury.

Also, when she is super-excited and starts to zoom, start bending your knees (and warn others, as well). She will cut the corner a bit close occasionally and knock full-force into your legs.


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## Claire (May 21, 2012)

Bending the knees is very good advice - particularly for the park when she's playing with other dogs, I find I always have to be at the ready for a sudden violent collision to the knees. 

Thanks so much for your kind words about my Liesel - I think she's utterly gorgeous but I am of course biased!! It's funny how you can look back on puppy photos, and no matter how many you took, that stage of her life seems so long ago... I can barely remember it, I think it was all just a bit of a tired overwhelming blur! Glad I took so many photos for that reason. 
She's been wonderful, and I'm really pleased with how she's turning out. 

I suspect her rough cuddling MIGHT tone down a bit, as a couple of you have said, just because in many ways, from what I've seen, she's actually pretty mellow for a V... We've met quite a few and I've watched her interact with them, and her behaviour is almost more like a lab, I would say, rather than a V - much more casual lolloping, much less zooming/springing around. 

The worst thing I have found is getting her tail in my face, particularly my eye... it's like being whipped, it really stings!!









(I like this photo, she looks like the perfect hunting dog... minus the closed eyes!!)









Thanks for the advice!


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## Claire (May 21, 2012)

Funny to hear about the injuries your Vs have inflicted on you, too - they don't mean to, of course, but their 'love' can be pretty violent...

Today I had shut the door on her for a few seconds as a kind of mild punishment for ripping open a bin and putting paper towels everywhere (I took my eyes off her for 2 MINUTES!) but it wasn't properly closed, and before I knew it she had barged back through, pushing the door over my bare foot and scraping off some skin. 
Then of course while I hopped around in agony she tried to 'help' by jumping persistently up at me and headbutting me. I think it would've made a pretty good comedy sketch.


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