# Domination?



## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

A simple question: As all of us Vizsla owners know, our dogs like to curl up on us when we watch tv, read a book or just plain and simply sit down. Whistler will sometimes extend his paw on me almost as though he would want to hold hands. I has never really thought of it before a friend mentioned that Whistler was asserting dominance. I'd always seen it as if he wanted to gently humanly want to be closer to us. The gf also found this cute. What do you think? Also, everytime my gf wants to give me a hug or kiss (or I the same) Whistler jumps right in there to make it a three party thing!! He wants to be included in the hug or kiss.. Domination or plain and simple pure Vizsla being Vizsla. I sometimes wonder if even other dog owners can truely grasp the concept of a Vizsla...


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## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Notice the paw...


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## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Also, "Jimmy Choo" got Jimmy "chewed" this week. The gf, well, not so impressed.. Hehe


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

My pup(who is 2 years old) can't be stroked without putting his paw on who ever is petting him.

As stated before, if he is listening to other commands and following rules than not dominance.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I agree... It's a breed trait. I think the paw touching the human is really just a sign of affection, and wanting to be close to you. Willie has always done it. ;D


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

AcadianTornado, about the Jimmy Choo incident... remember, "They chew 'til they're two!" 

When your dog has chewed something up that was not an "approved" chew toy or bone, go get a newspaper, roll it up, and smack yourself over the head with it... You weren't watching him closely enough... ;D ;D ;D


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## Watson (Sep 17, 2012)

Watson loves to be touching someone. He'll put his paw on your foot if you're standing, or lean his bum against your legs, rest his head on your shoulder. If my husband and I are affectionate with one another, he'll wake up from the deepest sleep to come and get his cuddles - he cannot miss out! We love that about him!


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## 00tjwrangler (Aug 6, 2010)

Watson said:


> Watson loves to be touching someone. He'll put his paw on your foot if you're standing, or lean his bum against your legs, rest his head on your shoulder. If my husband and I are affectionate with one another, he'll wake up from the deepest sleep to come and get his cuddles - he cannot miss out! We love that about him!


 Ares do the same thing. I found its easier for me to come home and just sit down so they both can come up and get there cuddle both of mine has to have some part of them touching or on us specailly when they are sleeping


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## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Those glasses were stored in a case on the top of a shelf. I think he had to pull a move like Wallenda did on that tight rope yesterday to get to them...


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

That's pretty funny about the glasses! This weekend my Dad was at my house helping me do some yard work and at one point we had to go to the store and my Dad put his knee pads on the work bench - I told him that he might want to put those away or they may not be there when we got back. He put them up higher on the work bench on top of a bucket and made the comment "if the dogs can get to them now, they deserve to have them". Needless to say, the knee pads weren't on the work bench when we got home, but at least they just pulled them down but didn't rip them up. . I don't put anything past these dogs anymore - they can do things that I never thought possible with a dog


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## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

Born, penny dies the same thing. Her paw is constantly on you while petting her. She uses it to say "keep petting". If she moves her paw, you can stop, but if you stop before she removes her paw, she'll paw you until you start again! What?! She hasn't trained us or anything. 

Dozer doesn't put his paw in you, more like his whole body when he wants to touch.


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## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

If those behaviors are dominance, I gladly submit! 

People who don't know much about dog behavior and psychology (and especially Vizslas) see everything as an expression of dominance. That speaks more to them and their needs rather than the actual motives of the dog.


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## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Hi! The bf left his account opened and the gf (Whistler's mom) is taking advantage of the situation...  Love you honey! :-*

First post here, so a little nervous. Hihihi!

About the domination... After reading your kind replies, I am still not sure Whistler is not showing any sign of domination. There are many little behavioural things that are bugging me:

- growling at us and putting our hands in his mouth when we get home after leaving him for 5 minutes or for a round of golf;

- almost always whining when we give him a command (ex: sit, down, etc.). It was cute when he was a puppy but not so much anymore;

- barks and growls at anyone who comes within sixty feet of the house until they are out of sight - we live in a familial residential area so there are always people around in daytime. Whistler doesn't respond to the ''don't bark'' command and he is scaring the **** out of our neighbours' kids;

- literally standing on top (not just putting his paw) of us or guests while sitting on the couch (even though I tell him ''off'' he is always coming back/worse with the bf though as he doesn't mind);

- not responding to the ''come'' command very well - last outing in the woods, I could clearly see him debating in his head if he should listen to the command or not as he stopped and looked at me and then in the other direction, he chose not to listen and ran farther away;

- he knows he is not supposed to jump on people but last week, out of nowhere, he jumped directly onto the belly of my pregnant friend (I still feel like crap about this one... but she and the baby are okay, thank god!);

- always trying to get to our food while we are eating or if left unattended for a few seconds, he isn't responding to any commands when human food is involved (maybe you could help me convince my bf that giving him 1/4 of his dinner every night to the dog is NOT helping the situation, hihi!);

- the last two issues are so bad that friends don't want to come over anymore as we (including friends) are always yelling at Whistler (not so relaxing after a long week... can't blame them);

I know Whistler is a great dog but I feel the situation is getting out of hand. Even our friends voiced their concern about Whistler's behaviour. One of us thinks it's typical Vizsla behaviour, the other one thinks it's bad (inexperienced, for our defence...) parenting and a little bit of domination, I won't say who! Hihi! 8)

Your feedback would be GREATLY appreciated as I am (secretly) enjoying more and more this amazing forum!

Thanks in advance!


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## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahk! My account was hijacked by the <<GF>>!!!!!!!!

Ok, maybe its not that dramatic. But she should get her own username if she is to talk on the V forum... hmmmmm? aka Whistler'sMom

Lets go point by point.

The growling (non aggressive) is just an affirmation that he missed us and wants to us to give him attention when we get home. We ignore him at first when arriving so that he settles down faster. 

The whining after a command: he's a teenager. And sometimes I think I also whine when you ask me to do the dishes... hahah 

I think he's got protective instincts. RBD mentioned once in a post Vizsla as a guard dog. Whistler settles down as soon as the door opens and <<an intruder>> finds his way in our home. I just think that if he can't physically assess them he feels threathened and barks.

The standing up on people might be that you waltz with him in the kitchen so he wants to waltz with everyone ... Also, I think that when we make him do <<high fives>> that doesn't help us control his want to high five everyone.

<<Come command>>... I've asked many about this, and they say 20 foot training lead and repetition or the dreaded e collar. Rudy likes the lead, Data like the ecollar. Depends on the stage that the puppy is (age, exposure, and also parents=us in our approach)

The jumping on people... I'm open to suggestions ... 

I admit, I like giving Whistler some food other than the dried kibbles. Makes me feel like I'm varying his diet and makes me feel that he's part of the family.. What pup doesn't like chicken or salmon (ps, check that piece in the fridge, there's some of it missing... I gave some to the cats also.. And there's still enough left for a snack for you ... Still learning from Rudy's teachings 

My diagnosis is that we have a great pup while being rookie V parents 

Welcome to the forum gf aka <<WhistlersMOM>> ;D :-* :-*

AcadianTornado aka WhistlersDad aka WhistlersMom's boyfriend


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## Watson (Sep 17, 2012)

Hi!

It sounds like Whistler needs some boundaries. All the issues you're having with him can be fixed, but it's always better to correct unwanted behaviour before it becomes ingrained in the dog, so now you likely have your work cut out for you. I know a lot of people who wait for their dogs to turn a year before they start teaching them manners, and in that year their pups have developed their own set of rules! Imagine not teaching a small child the ropes and expecting them to know how to behave properly in society when they turn 16. 

The behaviours described may be "typical Vizsla", however from the get-go I refused to believe that anything I didn't want my dog to do was ok for him to do because of his breed. These dogs need structure, rules, and discipline.

Use the search bar in the upper right. You'll find the solutions, but they'll have to be practiced over and over until everyone is sick of practicing them, then some more!


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Just what organicthoughts posted!! Yes, I agree that Whistler needs to practice his lessons a little more. Repetition, consistency, patience and love... I wouldn't call his behavior "domination", either. It really sounds like a teenager's defiance. In the end, he really will want to please you. He knows you are not dogs and he is not trying to dominate you. He just wants to get his own way, like a kid would. One thing I learned a while back at dog obedience school that was really helpful is that you should set aside a specified period of time every single day (15 minutes minimum) for training sessions. Even better would be two or three 10 minute sessions... every day. The training should not be hit or miss. It should be done during a dedicated time period with great regularity. They are creatures of habit. ;D ;D ;D


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## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

GF here, still logged in since BF is as work and can't do nothing about it! Mouhahaha! (to be read with an evil accent)

Am I the only one seeing the denial in my BF's response? ??? 

The greeting / growling ceremony is getting worse and I don't think giving him a cookie while he is still ''kindly'' greeting us is using ignorance my love...  And remember what he did to my Micheal Kors silk dress while ''greeting us'' after our sexy date? 

And about the waltz my dear... At least HE doesn't stomp my feet! 8) And remember what the trainer showed us when he was a puppy? If Whistler was told ''up'', he could stand up on us but if the command wasn't said, he didn't have the permission to do so...! If you like watching TV while being crushed under 60 Lbs of muscles and hair, you could upgrade with me standing on you, it could become a balancing act we could entertain our friends with, if ever we can convince them (with a lot of free booze) to come over...

For the call command, you will have to choose a method honey (lead or e-collar) and I fear.............. practice! I just hope it doesn't take you as long to decide as it takes for you to get a ring on it... :-*

Thanks for all the fast feedback by the way! I feel like Bf and I will have a lot to chat about tonight!


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## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Hahah... real AT here:

Maybe AT needs to be trained... as MSwhipple said: ''They are creatures of habit''.... Maybe I am also 

...and that dress is still sexy no matter what Whistler does to it... 

Holy smokes! The dreaded ring thing. Someone please put an ecollar on me and buzz my lights out! hahahah....

ps.. Whistler's a teenager.... like I was/am..


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## Watson (Sep 17, 2012)

Oh gosh! This has become hilarious. Neither of you are lacking a sense of humour - which is definitely key to owning a V! ;D


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## hobbsy1010 (Jun 4, 2011)

You both need separate accounts!!!!!

That poor dog, having to live with you too!!!! 

I shouldn't judge had the same problem with my other half ( Now River!!!)

Regards your pup repetition is KEY, it sounds boring and often is but it's all they understand and Whistler is no different!!

Oh and you too get a Room!!!!

Hobbsy 8)


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Boy, so that's what domination is ???... I must be the butler because the dog owns the house... feel lucky Sammy lets me keep my job :-*


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

Domination ;D is dna and passions deep core cell pains

and We love and give so much and Never pass me a cupcake

If its real the power Team
eats it all :-*

Domination is giving more then taking to a nail driver and shut the barn door driving nails no

Hammers 

Embrace it passions are few

and where is the humor here

least we bring cheap Pop corn

and Data the Man who can

I need da'

Butler bring whole life" lol


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

You both need to sit down and make a training plan together. There is no reason for a young pup to rule the house. He is only going to follow rules that are enforced consistently, and at his age its is normal for him to challenge them. It takes time to get a well manned dog, and you still have a puppy.

My husband likes to feed the dogs from the table, so we made a compromise. He gets to but only at the end of our meals. The dogs now lay at a distance waiting to be called over for their end of the meal treat. Instead of under the table, thinking a treat could come any second.


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## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Real AT here... 

Haha, thanks for all the advice and laughs. I did dominate one thing at work yesterday. See enclosed pic. The inner Hulk came out as I was reading the gf's comments! Hahaha.... Or maybe my new muscles didn't agree with my shirt... Staff was laughing as this happened mid day. They were calling me Dr Hulk all day... Maybe that's not such a bad thing 

My shirt, the only thing dominated in my life... Lol.


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## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)




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## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Here, this should work...


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

LMAO

Humor finally 

Doc"

Holiday

I make you my Huckleberry ;D

Bingo you win 

Hulk it up some fun"

Best back  Pec deck to date just shave" :'(

lol


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

AT... Try something with tougher stitching.. Those polo shirts aren't made like they used to.


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## AcadianTornado (Jul 30, 2012)

Hahaha, "just shave".... 

I tell the gf that I can make my long lost 6 pack of abs reappear in just 2 weeks of training... again, she seems to think that I kid alot; I don't know why!!?!?

The inner channeling of Hulk might just be that I overdid the abs, they tensed up and boom the shirt exploded! Wasn't even flexing the back pecs LOL!!

Heard at the clinic later in the day:"Could have been worse, at least it wasn't your pants that ripped".... Haha, what a day!!!


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## PhilipBurns (Jul 31, 2013)

Watson said:


> Hi!
> 
> It sounds like Whistler needs some boundaries. All the issues you're having with him can be fixed, but it's always better to correct unwanted behaviour before it becomes ingrained in the dog, so now you likely have your work cut out for you. I know a lot of people who wait for their dogs to turn a year before they start teaching them manners, and in that year their pups have developed their own set of rules! Imagine not teaching a small child the ropes and expecting them to know how to behave properly in society when they turn 16.
> 
> ...


You are absolutely right.. Teaching dog manners is very important and we must start in at very early days.. Thanks for post


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## hobbsy1010 (Jun 4, 2011)

AT,

Here's how to get your 'Six-Pack' back in one easy step!!!!! 

Against the FENCE!!!! ;D ;D

http://www.motifake.com/facebookview.php?id=166921

Hobbsy 8)


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

oh man! Just stumbled on this thread today. Thanks for the laughs. And AT, with a girl as funny as that, maybe you should put a ring on her.


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