# HELP - OUR BOY IS OUT OF CONTROL



## OverprotectiveMum (Aug 10, 2021)

We have a 5 month old boy and the majority of time he is a nightmare. He bites and growls at us constantly. He jumps all over us and is really rough. He drags on the lead and ignores commands unless offered a treat and to be honest I’m scared of him.

We’ve been to puppy training and socialisation classes and a loose lead session but none of it seems to stick unless he feels like it. When he gets hold of something he shouldn’t he growls and snaps at us and has bitten myself and my husband quite badly. I’ve seen suggestions to hold him on his back or remove him from room etc but I’m frightened to go near him as he’s so vicious. We’re just at the end of our tether and wonder how we get things on track. He’s exercised twice a day and I regularly try to do brain training with him, where do we go from here?


----------



## Vizslaowner123 (Mar 21, 2021)

Hello, only advice I can give you are things that we've tried and that have worked with out Viszla (now 11. 5 months old).

If his teeth ever touched our skin we told him "no" in a firm manner and if it persited we would leave the room and shut him in there as a time out. We would repeat the time out until the dog was calm. Now he barely ever puts his teeth on our skin because he knows the consequence for that behaviour.

As for him getting things he shouldn't and then biting you for trying to get them off him - we've always tried to keep any objects that we didnt want him to have in the house away from him (we moved everything, and started to put items back when he was older) to stop the dog learning how much fun it is to get things and then run away from us trying to get it off him.

When he does get something he shouldn't, I try not to make a big issue over it because I've noticed the more I want something he's got, the more he wants to keep it. And the more he wants to keep it the more likely he is to lash out if we go to grab it from him. 

I try to get the dog to realise I'm more fun than what he's got by getting another toy and getting him to swap with me. If he brings the item he shouldn't have towards me I don't instantly take it from him, I'll reward him for bringing it to me and showing me what he has so that he associates me with a happy place for him to come - I'll then get him to drop it and swap/reward.

I hope this can help? You've still got a very young pup and they are a real handful at times! I have been (and still am) reassured by plenty of posts on this forum that things get better with time and it's true!


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

He’s bitten you, and your scared of him.
He also realizes that your scared of him. Even at his young age, he’s learned this kind of behavior lets him get his way.
There are normally some reasons why this happens.
1 We are to soft with them, and a bold puppy has learned they can bully us.
2 We have chased them down yelling, to grab unwanted things out of their mouth. Now they feel like they need to protect what they have.
3 We have been to harsh with training, and our expectations exceed the amount of pressure these puppies can handle.
4 The puppy is more pron to be this way genetically, and should have been placed in a very experienced vizsla home.
Any of the above, or a combination of them can cause what you are seeing in your pup.

Just for reference
It takes this breed many, many months of daily practice, before ever getting them to walk on loose lead most of the time. They are high drive dogs, with a short attention span for at least the first year. The attention span slowly gets better, but the high drive remains.
Please don't hold him down on his back. You can put him in a flight, or fight mode, and flight is not one of the options he has available to him. A good chance you will get bitten again, and more trust will be lost by both you, and the dog.
If you have not already, speak with your breeder. Hopefully they can help with the problems your having, as they should know their bloodlines, and the type of temperaments they are producing.
Your average obedience trainers, are not equipped to deal with a vizsla puppy having this type of problem..
You best way to turn it around is through a certified behaviorist.


----------



## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

As of right this moment here are some things you can do.
Put his leash back on him and keep it on him even in the house. If the leash is a leash that he can easily chew up, you'll need to get a tougher one. You need to demonstrate that you can, and will, enforce your command.
When he misbehaves, you get ahold of the leash, and not him. Right now, he's turned this into a "play game" to find out who is on top. This is the same way he would treat another dog, so don't think it is you.
Once you have control of him on the leash. you start walking him in squares around your body . Step-pivot, step-pivot, step-pivot. Do this and then step off in a straight line for 2-3 steps, and turn around and step out 2-3 steps.
With the leash on him, if he starts to jump up on you, you can just step on the leash. Step on it and let him work it out until he stops. Then do the squares and walking on the leash until he calms down.
Biting is a timeout. He bites, it's back in his crate for a time out. Don't fight with him. That is what he wants, and that is what he understands. Get control, walk him on the leash, into the crate for a timeout and repeat the same when he comes out.
Some puppies are very obedient when they're young, lulling folks into a false sense of confidence, and then decide to give you the finger at 8-10 months old, and then it's' a few months of obedience work. Some are very difficult from the get go and you'll be working obedience continually for the first 14-16 months.( I have one of these.) By about 18 months to two years old they start to even out.
Don't flip him on his back and try to dominate him. Vizslas respond very poorly to dominance based training methods. This doesn't mean that you don't show, and enforce, who the boss is. You just don't try to do it physically on his level and terms. You do it on yours.
Don't fight with him and don't give him a command you can't enforce. He's still very young, so he is going to resist. Don't hurt him or get physical with him, just control him from your vantage position.
Texas Red is correct. You need either a behaviorist, or someone more experienced with high energy dogs like Vizslas.
I know that we all want that cuddly little snuggle monkey Vizsla right out of the box, but some of us don't get that model and we have to wait for them to grow into it.


----------



## Carol Lilick (Sep 11, 2021)

I’m shocked to see I’m not the only one who’s puppy is out of control I put a post on Viszla lovers and some people told me I was crazy they trashed me so I no longer belong to that crazy place cause there’s dogs are never like that they have their head up there ~~~ sorry but I know I’m not the only person whos puppy is a crazy boy


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Members, administrators, and moderators enjoy this group being supportive. We share the highs, and lows of life with our Vizslas. We each add our thoughts, experiences, and opinions, which may differ at times. We do this without calling each other out, or causing drama.
I hope you enjoy it here.
Deb


----------



## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

Carol Lilick said:


> I’m shocked to see I’m not the only one who’s puppy is out of control I put a post on Viszla lovers and some people told me I was crazy they trashed me so I no longer belong to that crazy place cause there’s dogs are never like that they have their head up there ~~~ sorry but I know I’m not the only person whos puppy is a crazy boy


Sometimes we forget what a trial they were as puppies as they get older, and as we get older. We tend to remember the good stuff, and blank out the negative.
If the puppies weren't out of control crazy at times, I would be worried about them. They're supposed to be a little nutso.

There's no reason not to help someone looking for help via a forum. It's really the dog that suffers and pays the price in the end. Sometimes tragically.


----------



## Hbomb (Jan 24, 2012)

I’m not an expert, I’m thinking back to when our first V was a pup, you may well be doing some of these already.

Sorry to hear you are having a rough time with your puppy, they look so cute but can be real sharkey devils at times.

Does he have enough down time in the day to sleep? Our boy used to get mega bitey when he was over tired. He needed his own space to go and sleep and we would direct him there with the help of a stuffed Kong. When he woke he was reset. 

A stuffed Kong or a lick mat is great to help to try to calm puppy down if he is wired.
If possible put all items you don’t want puppy to get at in a room you don’t let him in/ out of his reach. It is easier to avoid the battle

Biting: as others have said please don’t pin him or put him on his back- it will make him scared of you and more likely to bite out of fear which is a bigger problem. Time outs worked for our boy as did redirecting with a toy.

Handle him when he has calm moments. Give him a chew toy and as soon as his teeth touch your skin get up/ walk away. He will take more in when he is calm. Feed him some of his meals by hand to teach him a soft mouth.

Jumping is tricky. If you react while he does it, even in a negative way, he may think it is a game and keep doing it. Teach him sit, and get him to do it at every opportunity. ie before meals, before coming in the house, before lead comes off. Ignore him/ turn back to him if he is jumping at you, till he is calm,then reward. It will take a while to start with but with time hopefully it will come.


We were never great at training H not to pull sadly! We ended up using a head collar which did work but he spent most of his life off the lead on walks as he was quite wimpy so never went far.

This is what we did for H and we are doing it with our new puppy. If you are getting frightened of your pup I would suggest getting a proper trainer in to help however. 

it will get better with time/training though.


----------



## Rambler61 (Aug 28, 2013)

Vizsla’s are normally a pretty sensitive breed, so vizsla moms and dads are taught to be a little extra careful so as to not break them. That said, if you aren’t firm enough with them, they’ll think they are the family alpha. You must stop the biting now, and you must establish yourself as the alpha. Otherwise you are in for a miserable decade+. For the biting, we simply grabbed the upper part of Hannah’s muzzle wrapping her lips around her teeth when she got bitey. She’d chomp her own lips, and when she did, we’d say ”no teeth”. Pretty soon, a matter of days for us (Hannah is a pretty bright girl), we didn’t have to grab anymore…just say “no teeth” and she was done with that. Same with other things really, you just have to establish with your pup that you are the boss. Make sure he understands that you are not happy. They generally want to please, so they’ll usually stop doing what makes you unhappy, once they know you are the boss and that you won’t let them do what they please.


----------

