# Adolescent puppy freaks out at times



## rubicon (Dec 9, 2019)

Hello all, my dog is nearing 7 months old and recently my partner has let me know about some troubling incidents. And I’m wondering if it’s a cause of concern. This is because he’s usually NOT vocal dog. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve heard him really bark. And secondly he usually loves dogs and people and will do anything to interact with them. Never showed any aggression even when aggression was being shown to him.

1. he was lying next to me on the couch when he saw my fiancé sneak into the room. I don’t know why he was sneaking but possibly he was playing a joke on our dog. I wasn’t paying attention but apparently he growled. He’s never been aggressive towards us before and he stopped after seeing my partner clearly.

2. He saw a skateboard going by. Apparently it’s the first time he saw the skateboard and he just lost his mind. Started barking like mad. Partner said he wasn’t trying to get at the person.

3. He was in the middle of a forest with my partner, when a guy and his dog suddenly joined them. The patch of forest is off the trails and usually nobody else goes there. Fiancé said he was leashed, the other dog wasn’t, but once again he started “barking like mad” and started jumping at the end of his leash. One common factor with the couch incident was apparently, the guy was sneaking a little bit. It was illegal to be off leash there so it would make sense the guy was trying to sneak his dog into a deserted area Where the enforcement officer don’t frequent. Fiancé used the word “territorial” to describe his reaction.

honestly I’m a little worried it’s aggression and wonder if other people have had V’s who do this. These behaviors are all new, ALL within the last two days. Especially as in the third scenario the other dog is small and he is already 21 kg, so quite big already.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

It sounds like he is barking when startled, and that's completely normal.


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

#1. Normal behavior. Yes, Vizslas aren't identified as an "aggressive" breed, but they are protective, and territorial, of their space and people. Sneaking up on dogs, isn't a good idea. Some dogs really, really , don't like it. It's also a very good way to get bit! and it would not be the dogs fault. 
Tell your partner not to sneak up on the dog, unless it's a "game", and the dog is involved. You can ruin a lot of trust between the dog and "sneaker".
#2. Normal again. It was something different, and he wanted to understand it.
#3. Normal. Finn does this also. Eventually they grow out of it. It's more annoying than anything else. It also displays that training is still needed, but for 7 months old, yeah, it's going to happen. Keep working on hos training, especially the stay and heel commands. You want to get to a point where your boy doesn't react to much at all when on leash. He's young, so give him time and work with him on "distractions".

These are very loyal dogs, and they are protective of their space, and people. They won't go out of their way to look for trouble, like some dog breeds seem to do, but don't always expect them to back down from confrontation either. These can be very tough dogs. Both mentally and physically.
That cuddly little couch potato you have, has all the necessary tools to back up his bark. They just usually don't.
The first time Finn, my 7 month old ,really barked, everyone in the house jumped. FedEx knocked on the front door.
Vizslas make very good doorbells.


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## JKOMBU (Jul 18, 2016)

My V does that all too. He nows barks more than ever and is going on 4 years. I was driving with him in the car when he first barked as a younger dog. I had no idea that a dog that size could have such a deep bark.


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## Gabica (Jan 20, 2018)

All of these sound normal for his age. I would say the one case barking on the leash is something to work ono that it does not become the norm. Teaching leave it, greeting the other person with a nice voice before the dog can start barking have been useful ways for me.


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## rubicon (Dec 9, 2019)

Thanks for the responses, everyone! I guess I don’t deal well with surprises either. Was not expecting that adult side to my puppy so it weirded me out too.



gunnr said:


> That cuddly little couch potato you have, has all the necessary tools to back up his bark. They just usually don't.


Haha who knew. My cuddle bug is also a badass  I’ll definitely keep an eye on new situations to show him he’s ok and doesn’t always have to react that way. He’s usually not leash reactive at all; other dogs can be unleashed at the park and all he wants to do is drag us over there and say hi. but I guess encountering a strange unleashed dog in a deserted area really got to him.

Also Finn is such a good name!



JKOMBU said:


> I had no idea that a dog that size could have such a deep bark


and a dog that young. Honestly his bark really surprised me. He’s only ever done his puppy whine at me before. Really hits home he is no longer ONLY a silly cuddle bug.


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## freealfin (Jun 8, 2017)

rubicon said:


> Hello all, my dog is nearing 7 months old and recently my partner has let me know about some troubling incidents. And I’m wondering if it’s a cause of concern. This is because he’s usually NOT vocal dog. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve heard him really bark. And secondly he usually loves dogs and people and will do anything to interact with them. Never showed any aggression even when aggression was being shown to him.
> 
> 1. he was lying next to me on the couch when he saw my fiancé sneak into the room. I don’t know why he was sneaking but possibly he was playing a joke on our dog. I wasn’t paying attention but apparently he growled. He’s never been aggressive towards us before and he stopped after seeing my partner clearly.
> 
> ...


I'm curious.....a patch of forest off the trail and illegal to have a dog off leash?......where do you live?


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## rubicon (Dec 9, 2019)

freealfin said:


> I'm curious.....a patch of forest off the trail and illegal to have a dog off leash?......where do you live?


Germany, lower saxony. The leash laws are seasonal because we have ground-nesting birds in forests and they didn’t want dogs chomping on the eggs. So what ends up happening is that during the best time of the year (April to July), you’re not allowed to have your dogs off leash In parks and forests EVEN THOUGH pretty much no birds nest in the park; it’s just a blanket ban. It annoys a fair few dog owners because times outside that are pretty **** miserable to be out in the forest or park- wet, muddy and cold. (But hilariously it’s above board to let your domestic cat out, who won’t destroy nests or eat birds or anything. And there are no leash laws governing the streets, far as I can Tell. Laws aren’t that rational) The enforcement is a little iffy; most people have their dogs on a slip lead and that’s considered above board and they probably won’t fine you (you can technically say “oops it slipped”), but But many people take their dogs off completely nonetheless. Huge off leash culture here, no matter what the law says.


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