# 7 mo. old bully!



## Sophie01 (12 mo ago)

Our Sophie is 7 mo. old and she loves to be around other dogs. But she plays hard and she's relentless! We recently visited friends for a week who have 3 Labradors and Sophie and their two-year-old male played most of the day every day. It got to the point where their male was worn out and we had to keep making Sophie leave him alone. The doggie daycare she attends made a comment about she can tend to be a bully too. She doesn't hurt other dogs. She hasn't gone into heat yet. And my little grandchildren are afraid of her bc she treats them like litter mates too. But wow do I love this dog! Any ideas? Thanks!


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## Viktor’s Dad (12 mo ago)

Hi, I’m following this thread because we are hearing the same thing about our 6 and a half month old. Our walker says that he “doesn’t read the room” when other dogs are done playing. We haven’t figured out how to get him to disengage yet.


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## Pupmum99 (Jan 4, 2022)

Also following, this is one thing I’m really struggling with my 13 month old boy. It is calming down slightly in the sense that he’ll choose to be calmer with every fifth dog, but otherwise he is SO boisterous even if another dog tells him they’re not happy so we’re mostly avoiding dogs in parks at the moment 😓


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

Sounds normal for a V from especially pups 2 years and younger. Ellie is 1.5 years old now. She has out-energied any other dog she has met even after a 5 mile off leash hike. On top of that she plays like a crazy banshee growling, hip checking, mouthing, chasing, flipping, etc. I have heard that V's are a bit nutso when playing with other dogs and many other people can misinterpret that as aggression. It really isnt and there's not much you can do about it besides redirect. As time goes on and they mature, they will learn to read other dogs better. I've noticed this lately with Ellie where with a puppy she'll show restraint, or if its a larger dog not playing rough back with her she'll eventually tone it down.


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## InTheNet (Jun 1, 2016)

We were kicked out of a dog park. because our male was to rough. He was "fighting" with a Belgian Malinois and wore the poor dog out!  We now have 2 and at times you would swear they are killing each other.
As your pup gets a little older she will get a bit less rambunctious. As long as there is no blood they are good to go!
You need to get another v.


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

They play hard, and they are relentless at times. Even putting them away doesn't stop it. As soon as they're out of the box, they get right back to it. To do "the job they were born to do" they have to have these qualities. All of mine through the years have been little hellions if they were allowed.
Try to moderate the behavior as best you can. It is also not outside the realm of expectation that she stop when commanded to stop. Left to her own devices, she's going to hit like a hammer, and play like a little banshee. Finn is just starting to "calm down" and he's coming up on three years old now.
At 7 months old though, she is old enough for some firmer corrections with regards to small children. Don't let her have her way with the kids. She can, unintentionally, hurt them.


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## Gidget (Jan 6, 2010)

As you can see by all of the responses this is fairly normal V behavior. Our almost 2 year old, Bonnie Bo, would be considered a bully as well. She has been described as an intense, non stop player, not knowing when to quit or read when other dogs have had enough. I usually step in at that point and use the sit or down command to give everyone a break. Sometimes we all get a breather when BB notices a bird and decides it’s more fun to stalk the bird rather than play with dogs😊


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## Sophie01 (12 mo ago)

Thank you all for your responses! I'm having a good laugh at your descriptions! We will most definitely work on training. And think about getting another! We just love her.


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## Red dog lovers (Nov 30, 2021)

Sophie01 said:


> Our Sophie is 7 mo. old and she loves to be around other dogs. But she plays hard and she's relentless! We recently visited friends for a week who have 3 Labradors and Sophie and their two-year-old male played most of the day every day. It got to the point where their male was worn out and we had to keep making Sophie leave him alone. The doggie daycare she attends made a comment about she can tend to be a bully too. She doesn't hurt other dogs. She hasn't gone into heat yet. And my little grandchildren are afraid of her bc she treats them like litter mates too. But wow do I love this dog! Any ideas? Thanks!


I agree with all the comments, Vs have energy for days. We thought this a lot with our other two Vs over the many years. This time we got smart, we have two, a 3 year old female and a 10 month old big boy, and we agree they play very hard, don’t think none Vs people get it but these two work out / play themself out. Keep enjoying everything about this breed is worth having them!!! Take care!


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## Bailey13921 (Jul 31, 2021)

gunnr said:


> They play hard, and they are relentless at times. Even putting them away doesn't stop it. As soon as they're out of the box, they get right back to it. To do "the job they were born to do" they have to have these qualities. All of mine through the years have been little hellions if they were allowed.
> Try to moderate the behavior as best you can. It is also not outside the realm of expectation that she stop when commanded to stop. Left to her own devices, she's going to hit like a hammer, and play like a little banshee. Finn is just starting to "calm down" and he's coming up on three years old now.
> At 7 months old though, she is old enough for some firmer corrections with regards to small children. Don't let her have her way with the kids. She can, unintentionally, hurt them.


We’re having some issues with our boy. how do you enforce ‘stop’ when they’re over excited? 
our V is nearly 9 months old and he is generally good with all the basic commands but not all of the time. if he has something he wants, he will NOT give it up. I can’t get him to come to me either in that situation. 
Our breeder looked after him for a few nights recently. She kept him away from her 4 other V’s, she said he was too dominant but has a lovely nature. He’s too much for other dogs and thinks they all want to play like he does.
If he’s in the garden playing, all of a sudden he will start jumping up and mouthing, grabbing arms and hands. If I say or shout stop he doesn't stop immediately, I do think he’s playing but it’s too rough. If it’s with the kids, he only stops when I got close and then he runs around the garden, tail wagging even though I make it clear he’s in trouble. 
it’s getting us down, we feel that we can’t have people round and we don’t have full control in these situations. 
I think we’ve missed some fundamental training and now we need to deal with it quickly so he knows we call the shots.


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## Gidget (Jan 6, 2010)

Bailey,
He is still young and very trainable at this age. My girl was, and at times, still does exhibit the behavior that you describe with your boy. She is such an aggressive and intense player sometimes treating us more like another dog play mate. We have established 2 commands when she gets too rambunctious, Sit and Down. She is made to chill out for a few minutes in the down position. We also have a raised bed that we keep out in the yard and when she gets to be too much, she has been trained to go “ to place “ to settle down for a few moments. These were tips that a trainer gave to us when she was 4 months old and we already knew that she was going to be a handful. This is our second Vizsla. Our first was not quite as intense as our current girl so we were surprised and a little concerned about the behavior that our current Vizsla was exhibiting. The other “tool” that the trainer suggested for her was an e collar. I know these can be controversial but I also know on this forum, many will agree with me that if used properly they can be a game changer. We had one for our previous Vizsla as well. When Bonnie Bo gets too rambunctious with behavior that you have described, depending on the situation, I will give her a beep so she knows to cool it. I usually will give the down command first of course, but depending on the situation will use the e collar. The other day, a young woman with Down syndrome came to visit. Bonnie Bo was so happy to see my friend but was so overly wound up that the down command and “place” wasn’t enough. BB has accidentally previously scratched my friend on the neck. ( Yes, she jumped that high) In this situation, I am prepared with the e collar if needed. BB got the beep tone from the collar and that was the sign that she needed to knock it off a bit! The collar is used as a tool and not as a punishment! The collar also allows us to take her into the woods, fields, parks etc off leash. Even out of sight, all she needs is a tone and she will come back..albeit sometimes the long way back tracking scents along the way😂
Summing it up..training will help you immensely as well as plenty of exercise for your boy. Don’t be discouraged!


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## Red dog lovers (Nov 30, 2021)

Bailey13921 said:


> We’re having some issues with our boy. how do you enforce ‘stop’ when they’re over excited?
> our V is nearly 9 months old and he is generally good with all the basic commands but not all of the time. if he has something he wants, he will NOT give it up. I can’t get him to come to me either in that situation.
> Our breeder looked after him for a few nights recently. She kept him away from her 4 other V’s, she said he was too dominant but has a lovely nature. He’s too much for other dogs and thinks they all want to play like he does.
> If he’s in the garden playing, all of a sudden he will start jumping up and mouthing, grabbing arms and hands. If I say or shout stop he doesn't stop immediately, I do think he’s playing but it’s too rough. If it’s with the kids, he only stops when I got close and then he runs around the garden, tail wagging even though I make it clear he’s in trouble.
> ...


We have had a total of 3 males and 1 female since our first Vs the year we got married, some 36 years ago. We feel he was by far our MOST active and that’s for Vs. Sound like much like yours. Sunny our latest is very active and excitable!!!! When he see anyone in the family it’s like he hasn’t seen them in some time, the mom for my wife, though I understand this, because there is something about her that all our dogs over the years have just loved!!! Sunny 10 months is a pretty big boy not thick but tall and long, and when excited he can bump even me around at 6,2 280lbs. What our daughter came up with is we have like one toy, actually a towel that we give him when we need him to calm down. And of course tell him easy! It did take time. I think it helps with Sunny is that he is a lover, you touch him and yes hug him he likes it. He is a gentle sole as our 3 yr old V, Sweet Nellie is dominant over him. I don’t think that will always be. We also feel the two Vs was much easier then before, as the PLAY all the time, and time very rough. I feel your love, persistence and patience, and of course sone time for him to age, will work just fine. Oh we use a training collar at first for training to come, NO shock just vibration and sound. Mostly to break the trance that Vs get into. My wife also has a small container of treats that he / they like that they ONLY get when the are called. This works well as we have 2 plus acres, and they come in fast. PS Nellie will have to get used to Sunny now being faster!!! Best of luck !!! But you won’t need luck! 😀


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## Gidget (Jan 6, 2010)

Bailey, one other idea..When we have friends over for a visit, after initial greetings , we will give BB a bully stick to keep her occupied for a while. We usually give it to her at her “place “ on her raised bed. She knows the drill..people come over, greet and then “to place” for a bully stick. This gives her some alone time and a break for the rest of us. By the way, There are some wonderful bully stick holders by bow wow labs that hold the stick so that the dog can’t get to the last bit of it and possibly choke. That way you don’t have to worry about watching the dog as closely when you have guests over ( just another tip😊).


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## Bailey13921 (Jul 31, 2021)

Red dog lovers said:


> We have had a total of 3 males and 1 female since our first Vs the year we got married, some 36 years ago. We feel he was by far our MOST active and that’s for Vs. Sound like much like yours. Sunny our latest is very active and excitable!!!! When he see anyone in the family it’s like he hasn’t seen them in some time, the mom for my wife, though I understand this, because there is something about her that all our dogs over the years have just loved!!! Sunny 10 months is a pretty big boy not thick but tall and long, and when excited he can bump even me around at 6,2 280lbs. What our daughter came up with is we have like one toy, actually a towel that we give him when we need him to calm down. And of course tell him easy! It did take time. I think it helps with Sunny is that he is a lover, you touch him and yes hug him he likes it. He is a gentle sole as our 3 yr old V, Sweet Nellie is dominant over him. I don’t think that will always be. We also feel the two Vs was much easier then before, as the PLAY all the time, and time very rough. I feel your love, persistence and patience, and of course sone time for him to age, will work just fine. Oh we use a training collar at first for training to come, NO shock just vibration and sound. Mostly to break the trance that Vs get into. My wife also has a small container of treats that he / they like that they ONLY get when the are called. This works well as we have 2 plus acres, and they come in fast. PS Nellie will have to get used to Sunny now being faster!!! Best of luck !!! But you won’t need luck! 😀


Thank you very much. I tried the sit and down, he listened and then continued the behaviour but he listened so we’ll carry that on. It does seem to be when he’s tired that we see this jumping and mouthing. 
He’s terrible at settling himself when we’re about, especially outside. 
He’s always slept well on his bed in the night. We have tried to put him in a crate to initiate sleep but he just barks for forever. I think if he could settle when he needs to, it would really help him and us.


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## Bailey13921 (Jul 31, 2021)

Gidget said:


> Bailey,
> He is still young and very trainable at this age. My girl was, and at times, still does exhibit the behavior that you describe with your boy. She is such an aggressive and intense player sometimes treating us more like another dog play mate. We have established 2 commands when she gets too rambunctious, Sit and Down. She is made to chill out for a few minutes in the down position. We also have a raised bed that we keep out in the yard and when she gets to be too much, she has been trained to go “ to place “ to settle down for a few moments. These were tips that a trainer gave to us when she was 4 months old and we already knew that she was going to be a handful. This is our second Vizsla. Our first was not quite as intense as our current girl so we were surprised and a little concerned about the behavior that our current Vizsla was exhibiting. The other “tool” that the trainer suggested for her was an e collar. I know these can be controversial but I also know on this forum, many will agree with me that if used properly they can be a game changer. We had one for our previous Vizsla as well. When Bonnie Bo gets too rambunctious with behavior that you have described, depending on the situation, I will give her a beep so she knows to cool it. I usually will give the down command first of course, but depending on the situation will use the e collar. The other day, a young woman with Down syndrome came to visit. Bonnie Bo was so happy to see my friend but was so overly wound up that the down command and “place” wasn’t enough. BB has accidentally previously scratched my friend on the neck. ( Yes, she jumped that high) In this situation, I am prepared with the e collar if needed. BB got the beep tone from the collar and that was the sign that she needed to knock it off a bit! The collar is used as a tool and not as a punishment! The collar also allows us to take her into the woods, fields, parks etc off leash. Even out of sight, all she needs is a tone and she will come back..albeit sometimes the long way back tracking scents along the way😂
> Summing it up..training will help you immensely as well as plenty of exercise for your boy. Don’t be discouraged!





Bailey13921 said:


> Thank you very much. I tried the sit and down, he listened and then continued the behaviour but he listened so we’ll carry that on. It does seem to be when he’s tired that we see this jumping and mouthing.
> He’s terrible at settling himself when we’re about, especially outside.
> He’s always slept well on his bed in the night. We have tried to put him in a crate to initiate sleep but he just barks for forever. I think if he could settle when he needs to, it would really help him and us.


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

Bailey13921 said:


> We’re having some issues with our boy. how do you enforce ‘stop’ when they’re over excited?
> our V is nearly 9 months old and he is generally good with all the basic commands but not all of the time. if he has something he wants, he will NOT give it up. I can’t get him to come to me either in that situation.
> Our breeder looked after him for a few nights recently. She kept him away from her 4 other V’s, she said he was too dominant but has a lovely nature. He’s too much for other dogs and thinks they all want to play like he does.
> If he’s in the garden playing, all of a sudden he will start jumping up and mouthing, grabbing arms and hands. If I say or shout stop he doesn't stop immediately, I do think he’s playing but it’s too rough. If it’s with the kids, he only stops when I got close and then he runs around the garden, tail wagging even though I make it clear he’s in trouble.
> ...



Bailey
When I first started out with Vizsla's, or hunting dogs which was what I was after, I read countless magazine articles and books about training dogs to hunt. This was before the internet.
The universal theme from books and articles that spanned a century was to never give a dog a command you could not enforce, and that you had under a minute to enforce that command, or the dogs brain was already onto something new.
Every Vizlsa I have owned has spent time dragging the leash around the house. This makes it much, much, easier to enforce a command, and do it in a timely fashion.
Your boy is at about the age mine started. The jumping up is a pain in the butt, and I have never liked it. If they have a leash on them, it's very easy to just step on the leash and keep all four paws on the ground. If the want to jump against the leash and correct themselves, oh well, have at it, they'll stop eventually.
You didn't really miss anything fundamental. Your boy is just starting to come into all of his physical abilities, and "pushing". Now, unfortunately, and for probably the next year, will be a period of constant correction and work. He's old enough now to not be cut any "puppy slack". Given a command, he's to obey the command. If he's too wild, put him in his crate on a timeout. He comes out and gets crazy again, it's right back in, and keep the leash attached.
On the flip side of all this, the hardest dogs, are the best dogs, in my opinion. My boy Finn was a total pain in the butt for the first two years. Everyday I had to prove to him that I could make him obey, and he was relentless in pushing that boundary, but he's really started to settle out in the last 6 months or so. He can still be a bit "over the top" at times, but Finn is hard working hunting dog first and a house dog second, and that is his choice, not mine. You work with what the dog will give you.


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