# Frustrated first time owners



## Vanbpoun (Jul 16, 2014)

Greetings Guys, 

This is my first post. I've been a long time browser.

Here is a little about our story. My fiancé and I spent about a year researching dogs. Then 3 months researching specifically vizslas and then found the perfect breeder for us. 
After waiting 6 months after our initial call to the breeder we finally brought our little girl home. It was one of the most joyous days of our lives. We had been waiting so long for this addition to our family. 
She has been with us for 3 weeks and we have had some great times and some terrible times. She can be the sweetest and she can be pure evil. 
I've read a lot of old post about puppy vizslas and how this is only a stage but I guess I'm looking for some additional guidance and some other owners to give my fiancé and myself hope that she will soon stop biting, growling, pouncing, ripping, Ignoring us and antagonizing our families dogs. 

Overall nothing we do has stopped the hard aggressive biting (drawing blood on several occasions). Every time we do something she comes back twice as hard and aggressive. 

My fiancé is in tears because she is so frustrated. I want to find the best way to alive some of this stress. 

So in all if anyone could offer some advice, stories, and encouraging words please do so. 

I look forward hearing from you guys. 

-Vp


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

It does get better. Turn your back on her and ignore her(put your back up against a wall, Dharma liked to bight our bums. Tire her out and give her quiet time in her crate. Learn to recognize when she starts to get over wound up and nip it in the bud. Try giving her a toy to stop the biting. Wear clothes that you don't want ruined. Just be consistent and patient and love her.
My husband and I were in a serious car accident when we got Dharma- We managed a puppy, work, home and physiotherapy twice a week....... I thought it would never end! Dharma is 1 year old now and I look back on it and wondered how we survived but we did.


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

Just to add to my previous post, start obedience training with a trainer at 12 weeks and as soon as all shots have been given. Do as much socialization as possible too. Hope this helps. I am a first time vizsla owner. They are like no other dog.


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## friendbeast (Aug 20, 2013)

This stage was tough for us too, but you will get through it. Our guy drew blood, ripped clothes - the whole story. There are lots of techniques described in previous threads, and something will work for you. We found we got the worst behaviour when he was over tired. Also, rubber garden boots can save your ankles while things are improving


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

It's absolutely normal for these guys and you'll all get through it! Search the forum for threads on shark attacks or puppy biting.


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## Teak_bos (Jan 11, 2014)

I agree with friendbeast. Our pup gets super crazy when she's overtired. It took us a few weeks to figure this out. When she gets the zoomies or starts with the shark bites we try to give her a toy to play with if she's still crazy after that we lead her into her crate with a treat and let her chill out for a while. She usually falls right to sleep. 

At just over 4 months she can still be a little nippy but she gets better and better each week.


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## vangtt (Feb 27, 2014)

Ours was somewhat like yours too when he was really young. We talked about it awhile back here http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,19817.0.html

It may be helpful to go back and read.


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## hcrowder (Dec 26, 2013)

I completely agree about her getting over tired. It took us a little while to learn that the zoomies were normally when she was over tired and they would be followed promptly by a biting fit. She is 8 months now and will still get nippy at night. 

We put her in her crate with a toy when she gets over tired and she normally calms right down. It does get better.


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## 4kidsandaV (Jul 10, 2014)

I wish that I had some magical answer for you... I would be using it too! Unfortunately, patience, consistency and time is all I can really say. We do the turn back and ignore when biting starts... But we have to put her on a very short tie down (a time out spot) each time she bites. If we just turn our backs or ignore her she ends up biting us on the back of our legs or just runs away and gets into something. A tie down allows her to do nothing but look at our backs and miss our attention. If you use this it has to be very immediate to the bite and you do not need to leave her there for long (45 seconds or so). The hardest part is being consistent with this so they learn. And yes, socialize her as much as possible! A week after the second set of shots we started puppy preschool. It really wears our's out! 

We have our second V (12 weeks tomorrow) and I keep asking myself why did we do this again? I remember it being tough... But not this tough! We keep telling ourselves that we survived it before so we can again. It does get better, and eventually the shark like biting stops. I don't remember how long it took though. Goodluck!


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## tknafox2 (Apr 2, 2013)

The biting is bad, but when they catch a tooth in your skin, the ripping is even worse :'(
They grow out of it pretty quickly. I also agree... when they get crazy... they need to sleep. New pups can really only handle about 10 min. of solid exercise/rigorous play before they need to go back into their pen for a nap. 

Try not to get your hands near her mouth, at least for the time being. Occupy her teeth by putting a toy in her mouth.
If she has something you want... don't chase, or try to take it from her... Pups are very curious, and will want to see/have what you've got, so pick up something, (preferably something you can give her) and pretend like it is a real find!. She will want to trade.
If you want her to follow you, turn your back on her, and say come on lets go and leave her behind. (most likely she will come after you) They do want to be with their people!

As for your family dog, Our pup climbed and chewed on our adult Bloodhound Pearl... when she was tired of it, she would let the pup know in her own way, to get lost!

All Vizsla puppies are holy terrors, but it is a short lived phase... They DO turn into the cuddly, lovable, always energetic friend that you chose her for. ;D


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

It gets better, I promise!

What completely solved our biting issues with Ruby was a squirt bottle with water. When she'd nip at us she'd get a quick squirt and at the same time a firm "No biting!" It literally took only a couple times and she got the idea. This was after we had tried everything. We tried ignoring her, turning our backs, yelping, etc. We even had resorted to covering our hands and arms with bitter apple hoping that it would keep her from biting. The squirt bottle was the only thing that worked.


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

Tell your fiance that she's not the only one whose puppy has brought her to the point of tears. Follow the forum advice. Modify it to work with your pup and your family. 

Also tell her that it is worth every one of the tears.


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## number10 (Jun 2, 2014)

Teak_bos said:


> When she gets the zoomies or starts with the shark bites we try to give her a toy to play with if she's still crazy after that we lead her into her crate with a treat and let her chill out for a while. She usually falls right to sleep.


We often put her into the garden for a bit. Consequently, it is full of enormous holes she has dug everywhere - but it calms her down. At night into the pen and her soft bed. She'll usually lie down, grumbling a bit - sounds almost human when she does it LOL!


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## Vanbpoun (Jul 16, 2014)

Thank you all for the advice and kind words. 
All of this really helps. 
Reading over the stories and advice has helped my fiancés emotions. 
One of the reasons we went with a vizsla was because of the strong community the breed has along with it. It's great to be a part of it as well. 

-Vp


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## bifis28 (Aug 7, 2013)

I am a little late to the thread but wanted to offer some support as well. My wife and I went through a similar experience with our V (Ozzie) He was TERRIBLE as a pup. He would aggressively bite or growl if he didnt want to do something and he was constantly into something he wasnt supposed to be. We did not find that turning our backs to him worked as he would jump on us anyway. The squirt bottle is the only thing that he responded to and it is still utilized from time to time. Try a red laser light (i know it is a cat toy) Ozzie LOVES his. He will chase it inside or out if it is dark enough. We also put him in training classes as soon as he was old enough. You can also try puppy daycare. we send Ozzie to pet daycare (at the vet) every wednesday to play with the other dogs. I drop him off on the way to work and pick him up on my way home. It only costs $16 and he is exhausted by the time he gets home. Other ideas would be to train him to walk on the tread mill and teach him to run along side your bicycle. These are both helpful to get exercise in a pinch. Good Luck....


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

Be careful of those laser light toys - there are stories on the forum from owners whose pups became overly focused on them leading to anxiety and behaviors similar to OCD.


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## Cricket_theV (Jun 14, 2014)

It does get better! We have a 16 week old female V and her biting has decreased a lot. We tried the yelping/ignoring/leaving the room and even the squirt bottle and she just thought it was all a game. We were also very frustrated and she drew blood a few times on us as well. 

What has worked for us, which some may disagree but Cricket is a hearty V is when she was getting mouthy we would gently hold her mouth shut and say "no bite" in a firm voice. If she was very hyper and amped up we would have her sit and lay down as well. This was the only method that worked for us. She hardly ever bites now unless she is play biting or over tired. We also sometimes let her play bite when she was calmer to teach bite inhibition and if it was hurting we would yelp and she got the idea pretty quickly. Also, as everyone else said, time outs work well too. We were told to never use her crate as punishment because you want them to have positive ideas about it so if she is being too crazy we hold her for a few seconds and say settle. When she stops struggling I pet her give her a treat and put her in her crate and she calms down. Sometimes the time outs are for your sake as much as hers!  good luck and hang in there! It gets better quickly. Also make sure she gets plenty of exercise. Tired pup =happy pup =happy parents!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

bifis28 said:


> I am a little late to the thread but wanted to offer some support as well. My wife and I went through a similar experience with our V (Ozzie) He was TERRIBLE as a pup. He would aggressively bite or growl if he didnt want to do something and he was constantly into something he wasnt supposed to be. We did not find that turning our backs to him worked as he would jump on us anyway. The squirt bottle is the only thing that he responded to and it is still utilized from time to time. *Try a red laser light (i know it is a cat toy) Ozzie LOVES his. He will chase it inside or out if it is dark enough. *We also put him in training classes as soon as he was old enough. You can also try puppy daycare. we send Ozzie to pet daycare (at the vet) every wednesday to play with the other dogs. I drop him off on the way to work and pick him up on my way home. It only costs $16 and he is exhausted by the time he gets home. Other ideas would be to train him to walk on the tread mill and teach him to run along side your bicycle. These are both helpful to get exercise in a pinch. Good Luck....


Please stop using a laser pointer with your pup.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/10/02/pet-laser-toys.aspx


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## Chaos911 (Oct 30, 2013)

My boys in the height of laser pens thought it was fun to play light games with our Frenchie. Funny at first but... The result is an uber light/shadow sensitive dog. Not good for him and annoying for us. Every time something like a watch etc catches the light and throws a ray our Frenchie goes bonkers chasing and barking. It happens with any thing that casts a light. Not good don't do it!!!


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

Just a word of caution-Do not train your young V to run beside you on a bike or rollerblade with them until they are about 18 months old. This is not good for their development and you could really injure them seriously.


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## Rbka (Apr 21, 2014)

We survived the shark attack phase! If Nico was being nippy I would sit on the floor hugging him in my lap and holding a toy (literally in his face) for him to chew. I called it "assisted chewing sessions". It helped calm him down and taught him what he was allowed to chew (*his* toys). I used these "sessions" to mellow him out for naps.

Good luck!


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## Janders (Feb 27, 2014)

Hang in there! Gus is just about 7 months old now. We experienced everything you wrote about. My fiancee actually has a scar on his nose from a shark attack. All the sudden though on day when Gus was about 3-4 months old, he just quit the shark attacks. I have found that a daily routine worked best for him. I work from home so it might have been a little easier for me than others but here's our routine. Wake up & let out around 6 am. He's out of his crate until 8 am. During this time, he's fed and played with. He stayed in the bathroom with me while I showered. I have a toy that he only plays with in there so it doesn't get quite as old to him as if he played with it all day. He's then crated from 8-10. At 10, we take a short break & go outside to potty & play for a few minutes. He's then crated again until 12. I have an hour break here so we do a lot of fetching outside, he finishes his breakfast, and we have some cuddle time. I used to use this time for catching up with friends on the phone, etc. I soon realized that in order to stop the attacks - he required all my attention. At 1pm, he's crated again until 3. Another 15 minute play/potty break until 5. At 5, he eats dinner while I prepare ours. Around 6 or so, we go back outside for some more fetching exercises for about 30 minutes. We then work on his training. I think the training exercises wear him out as much as the fetching. He really wants to please us. We used a lot of positive reinforcement. He would get so excited when he did something right. When we did have to punish him, we would tell him he was a bad boy and we were not happy. This would hurt his feelings so badly. He is always ready for bed around 10 & sleeps through the night most nights. Enjoy the cuddle time. We would often wonder how he could be such a monster when he was so precious during cuddles. He's shaping into a great puppy now. He has started chewing more now but knows what he can and can't chew. He's very attentive and listens great. We still have a lot to work on but I feel like we've come so far. Just hang in there. It will get easier. I will tell you though that I did just about lose it one day - I had spent all day with him & my fiancee had to work late. I really needed some time to myself. I dropped him off with my parents that evening & just drove around for a few hours. He was so excited to see me when I got back, I forgot why I was frustrated with him in the first place.
Good luck!


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## vangtt (Feb 27, 2014)

TexasRed said:


> bifis28 said:
> 
> 
> > I am a little late to the thread but wanted to offer some support as well. My wife and I went through a similar experience with our V (Ozzie) He was TERRIBLE as a pup. He would aggressively bite or growl if he didnt want to do something and he was constantly into something he wasnt supposed to be. We did not find that turning our backs to him worked as he would jump on us anyway. The squirt bottle is the only thing that he responded to and it is still utilized from time to time. *Try a red laser light (i know it is a cat toy) Ozzie LOVES his. He will chase it inside or out if it is dark enough. *We also put him in training classes as soon as he was old enough. You can also try puppy daycare. we send Ozzie to pet daycare (at the vet) every wednesday to play with the other dogs. I drop him off on the way to work and pick him up on my way home. It only costs $16 and he is exhausted by the time he gets home. Other ideas would be to train him to walk on the tread mill and teach him to run along side your bicycle. These are both helpful to get exercise in a pinch. Good Luck....
> ...



So is anyone aware of any studies on leaves and bugs or anything small that moves to have the same effect as the lasers on dogs? They almost seem like the same problem to me. I swear mine sounds just as compulsive and crazy around little moving objects as what I've heard about dogs who are obsessed with lights. It can be irritating some days . he is only 7 months but I really hope he grows out of it.


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## bhindi (Aug 25, 2013)

treadmill, laser, running along side a bike. All not recommended for a puppy


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

vangtt said:


> TexasRed said:
> 
> 
> > bifis28 said:
> ...


No its different, and what you are experiencing is prey drive. You bought a hunting breed, and they will find something to hunt. You either channel the drive to what you want to hunt with them, or they will find something on their own.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

From the day you bring the pup home - till the day they are put to rest - a 'V' is always in training !!!!!!!! they were not bred for your amusement ( a laser- how mindless ) they were bred over a 1000yrs to WORK !!!!! so what ever you do - use their mind & body in a way that when they come to your side - the praise is for what they were bred for - to SERVE & PROTECT - not your entertainment !!!!


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## EuroVizion (Jun 8, 2014)

Vp,
I have only been a V owner since June, and my pup will be 15 weeks tomorrow, so my advice may not be the best. Since the start, I have tried to visualize my pup as a 40-50 pound adult, and treat her as such now. Despite the beautifully changing eye color, soft coat, and floppy ears, I have always tried to look at my dog as the dog I want her to be...not the puppy she is now.
We both did the research and we both waited for these special furry flashes to enter our lives. Don't get caught in the circumstances of the moment too much and keep visualizing where you really want this pup to go in the future.
There are lots of good responses posted here about overtired pups. I wholeheartedly agree with them. Prevent a meltdown if you can, and make sure your little one gets the exercise and structured stimulation only you can provide. Respect your dog for what it is, and where it is in its development, but continue to chart a course for its future to be the dog you want...and the dog it wants to be for you. We both chose Vizslas deliberately to be a part of our homes. Be consistent, and show your V what it should expect to be a part of your family.


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