# New Puppy Bite?



## Jasperhootie (Sep 16, 2020)

Our new puppy is doing pretty good (crate training/potty training, etc) except for his wanting to bite Anything and Everything. We are getting frustrated and loosing patience. We are tying all the advise that we have read and what people have suggested so far - but no good. He is 8 weeks old. We have had him 1 week and are spending hours each day working with him on this issue. What are we missing here? Are we expecting too much? Thanks for any advise, etc.....


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## PhilipL (Sep 28, 2018)

The Vizsla puppy 'sharkies' are to be expected and perfectly normal for them at this age, it is not 'biting' as such but is their way of communicating with their siblings using their mouth. It shouldn't be too much of a problem as they don't have much force, but expect it to last for around 4-6 months with a gradual reduction. There are very many posts on this subject from new owners on the forum. At only 8 weeks your puppy's brain isn't fully developed yet, so he won't understand you asking him to stop yet. Kong toys are a good choice for little sharks with a need to chew, they are quite tough. Enjoy your puppy and take lots of photos, they grow very quickly.


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## rchik43 (Apr 12, 2020)

Mine is 18 weeks old now, the nipping play biting has reduced but still there. One thing I may suggest is the crate time. I used to leave him out of the crate too long and he would tend to get extra nippy and sharky. I realized later that most of it was because he was tired/over stimulated. Once he is starting to get a bit revved up...just lure him back in the crate with a treat, may be cover the crate from all sides to let him calm down and take a nap...give him ample crate time. They do need a lot of rest. It didn't take care of it completely but did help significantly for me. Enjoy the puppy time, they do grow up fast


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## Jasperhootie (Sep 16, 2020)

Thank you so much for your replies. A lot of this issue is really an issue of not being aware of this biting tendency. We thought that we thoroughly researched the breed and vizslas in general, but the biting issue was never mentioned or we just missed it. Other puppies we've raised never seemed to exhibit biting to this extent. We are not giving up and we are trying a few new techniques...we will let you know how it develops. I know at this point though we will have to crate him when our grand kids come over - and that is not what I ever had in mind....


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

They're known as little red land sharks, and can turn into a Tasmanian devil when tired. I am not sure why, most people are not warned. Maybe it's because they look so cute, and cuddly when we meet them. Or because it's phase that passes. Once in awhile one will have a soft mouth, but in general that's not the case. Those tiny pointy teeth draw blood, rip clothes, and the little bruises are the worst.
In most cases it only lasts a month, or two. We are so in love, and quickly forget the bitey stage. Next comes the teenage stage, where they act like they have forgotten everything you taught them. They have not forgotten, and are only testing boundaries.


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## rchik43 (Apr 12, 2020)

Jasperhootie said:


> Thank you so much for your replies. A lot of this issue is really an issue of not being aware of this biting tendency. We thought that we thoroughly researched the breed and vizslas in general, but the biting issue was never mentioned or we just missed it. Other puppies we've raised never seemed to exhibit biting to this extent.


Me too! None of the other dogs/pups I grew up with had such intensity! I thought I had researched everything, and I'm so surprised now that I didn't come across the biting issue although this forum has so many posts on it. I guess you have to be looking for the biting . Yours is very young, so I think give him some time. Mine is 18 weeks and close to 34 pounds now ... he is pretty strong, so now... I sometimes 'correct' him...IF he bites hard. Mostly he tends to starting jumping and nipping (painful!) at my body and arms at the end of walks...those are the hardest for me to handle, lately a leash correction on a martingale collar seems to snap him out of it. If he does it at home, which has really reduced now, I have used the squirt bottle before and a couple of times had to drag him into a 'timeout' area for a minute or two.... to help him know it was unacceptable. The hard part is being calm through it all, and not yelling at him , but giving him a stern NO!. I think he is making me tougher. I'm hearing a lot on positive only training these days, but I'm not convinced my boy will learn without correction. For now I'm trying a more balanced approach, a lot of positive but corrections for things that are REALLY unacceptable. Anyway, I think you can wait a few weeks...give your pup enough rest and see how it goes.


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

At 8 weeks old, you can have very few expectations of puppies, and any work that you do with them will be forgotten a minute after you stop. Their brains are just not developed enough yet to achieve any type of a long term behavioral response modification. You're a good 4 to 6 weeks away from that point in mental development. Any tips, tricks and advice you have may work once or twice, but then something different will need to be employed. These are smart little dogs, and they do catch on quickly.
Potty training, intro to leash and collar, and lots of fun stuff is about all. So, I guess that my answer to you is that yes, you are expecting too much from an 8 week old puppy right now.
Don't lose patience. You both have a long way to go. We have hands to explore new objects with, puppies have their teeth, tongue, and nose.
The "sharkies" are just an annoying, difficult, phase to get through, and each puppy is different. Some never do it, some do it for a few weeks and some do it for a few months. My hands looked like I'd been stringing barbed wire for the first few months I had Finn. It does subside in time. Now, at the year mark, he's wiggling through my legs, trying to get me to play with hid latest plush toy.
There is nothing wrong with crating him when the grand kids come over. Let him settle down a bit, and have limited duration play times with them. It's a good socialization exercise.
I don't really know what you read, or the authors point of view, but after having these dogs for 33 years, I can tell you that all of mine have been just the most wonderful, loving dogs a person could ever ask for. There is nothing they won't do for you. But, these are exceptionally athletic, energetic, dogs. They are probably the fastest dog in the world over uneven terrain. Mentally they are not soft, regardless of what you may have read. These can be very independent, bold, forward, pushy, dogs. They were bred to hunt, and "soft dogs" don't hunt well.
Give things time, and most of all don't lose patience. The first year with a Vizlsa can be "tiring", but the next ten or twelve will be worth the first.


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## Jasperhootie (Sep 16, 2020)

Again, thanks so much for your replies and encouragement. We in fact let our breeder know the issue we are having and he immediately called and gave us information and some new ideas of how to manage the biting. So we shall see how it goes...


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

That was a good decision to call the breeder. They know their line of dogs.
To put things into some perspective, I had an MRI in March that identified a torn miniscus in my knee, and some other issues. Surgery was supposed to be in late April, early May, but Covid 19 pushed it off to early June. Finn was my "PT partner" pre-op and post op. A 7 to 11 month old pup, and I were walking the woods and fields together, without leashes or check cords, with no issues. We've had a lot of fun over the past 5 months.
You don't have to wait long for them, but they do need a little bit of time. They won't be nuts forever.


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## Kpl (Aug 30, 2020)

Jasperhootie said:


> Thank you so much for your replies. A lot of this issue is really an issue of not being aware of this biting tendency. We thought that we thoroughly researched the breed and vizslas in general, but the biting issue was never mentioned or we just missed it. Other puppies we've raised never seemed to exhibit biting to this extent. We are not giving up and we are trying a few new techniques...we will let you know how it develops. I know at this point though we will have to crate him when our grand kids come over - and that is not what I ever had in mind....


Don’t feel bad- I have a 14 week old and I feel the same way. I never knew they’d be like this as puppies- much more difficult than any breed I’ve ever had. I thought I had done my research too, haha. We love our pup and are looking forward to the biting ending, but I wish I’d known beforehand.


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