# Vizsla attacking other dog when doorbell rings



## Jenn252 (Apr 25, 2014)

Hi, I am new here. I have an 8 year old Vizsla female. Recently she has started attacking our little rat terrier when the doorbell rings or people come to the door. She is great other times (except with treats) but this time, my other dog has a puncture on her back. I have been giving her more exercise and getting her out but it doesn't seem to help with the problem. 
She has never been food aggressive but when playing fetch and another dog goes after her ball, she will attack that dog. We avoid dog parks for that reason. If there is no ball then there is no problem. I am thinking of desensitization with the door bell but does anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks


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## MeandMy3 (Feb 27, 2013)

We had this problem between two of our non-vizsla dogs. Our older, yet smaller dog was in the early stages of dementia and started attacking our lab, no matter what she was doing. I talked to many trainers and vets and what it came down to was a power struggle for the alpha position in the house. Our lab was maturing and our small dog didn't like the threat. It did get extremely violent twice. We finally had to start separating them at all times. 

Good luck!


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## Jenn252 (Apr 25, 2014)

Thanks! That is what I was thinking I would have to do. I am doing it now when I leave. I hope there is something else to do.


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## MeandMy3 (Feb 27, 2013)

Our trainer and vet also both suggested a basket muzzle. Unfortunately we didn't get that far because our little dog's dementia progressed so quickly.


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## emilycn (Jul 30, 2013)

Given the ball thing too, it sounds like maybe she's set off by overexcitement? if you're going the desensitizing route, you might want to also work with any other situation that gets her wound up.


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## Jenn252 (Apr 25, 2014)

EmilyCn - does that seem like the right thing to do? I don't know what to do and it definitely had to do with excitement. Thanks


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## emilycn (Jul 30, 2013)

Well, anything I could tell you is from an animal behavior class, so take it with a grain of salt, but I'd say yes. Are you getting the same "attack" reaction in other excitement-inducing situations? If so, then the behavior is conditioned to occur only during super-exciting experiences. You'd need to teach her to remain calm in exciting situations if the excitement is driving the behavior. In behavior theory, it's called extinction.

However, that's easier said than done. First, if there's some medical reason why your dog is stressed to the point of lashing out during high-excitement situations, you'd obviously need to address that --- trouble is, you and your vet need to figure out what's ailing her first. Second, if you can rule out a physical issue, the theory of behavioral extinction is easy to understand, but can be very challenging to properly analyze behavior sequences and design an effective intervention. I hear that behaviorists are very expensive, so if it's not a medical issue, you might consider whether MeandMy's solution will work for your house long-term and stick with that.


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