Hi everyone - firstly a huge thank you to everyone who runs and contributes to this site. As a first time vizsla owner I have found this forum incredibly helpful.
looking for some advice. My vizsla puppy Jolly is a bundle of fun who came from a reputable breeder. She was one of 9 puppies and was said to be one of the quieter ones (though I would argue she is quite a dominant little personality!)
She’s aged 12 and a bit weeks now and has had her second vaccinations meaning she can begin to go out on short walks. We had been carrying her outdoors for the last two weeks plenty so she could begin socialising and getting familiar with our local area. When seeing other dogs like this she was quiet as a mouse and just inquisitive.
However, since she has been walking on the ground on the lead she has been quite aggressive with almost every dog she meets in the park - big or small, male or female. She always barks loudly, jumps up or on them, sometimes pins them down, sometimes growls and snaps, though thankfully she hasn’t bitten any other dog yet. It’s a bit awkward with other dog owners who quite often swipe up their puppies in fear.
We haven’t let her off the lead yet but do plan to do this when we get her recalling better on the lead as she is very distracted still. At home we have been practicing positive reinforcement rather than any punishment led behaviour and she is otherwise very trainable and a happy little lady in every regard (she nips like a little shark but does largely respond to ‘stop’ now).
I am wondering whether we ‘threw her in the deep end’ too soon and she maybe needed to get used to seeing dogs on her walks first or keeping meetings very brief at first? My other thought is that she is being protective of us. We should have named Jolly ‘Velcro’ because she really is attached to both me and my partner.
I would so welcome any guidance or help from other owners of Vizslas on here that have experienced similar. Perhaps I am over-worrying as she is still so young? Thank you very much.
looking for some advice. My vizsla puppy Jolly is a bundle of fun who came from a reputable breeder. She was one of 9 puppies and was said to be one of the quieter ones (though I would argue she is quite a dominant little personality!)
She’s aged 12 and a bit weeks now and has had her second vaccinations meaning she can begin to go out on short walks. We had been carrying her outdoors for the last two weeks plenty so she could begin socialising and getting familiar with our local area. When seeing other dogs like this she was quiet as a mouse and just inquisitive.
However, since she has been walking on the ground on the lead she has been quite aggressive with almost every dog she meets in the park - big or small, male or female. She always barks loudly, jumps up or on them, sometimes pins them down, sometimes growls and snaps, though thankfully she hasn’t bitten any other dog yet. It’s a bit awkward with other dog owners who quite often swipe up their puppies in fear.
We haven’t let her off the lead yet but do plan to do this when we get her recalling better on the lead as she is very distracted still. At home we have been practicing positive reinforcement rather than any punishment led behaviour and she is otherwise very trainable and a happy little lady in every regard (she nips like a little shark but does largely respond to ‘stop’ now).
I am wondering whether we ‘threw her in the deep end’ too soon and she maybe needed to get used to seeing dogs on her walks first or keeping meetings very brief at first? My other thought is that she is being protective of us. We should have named Jolly ‘Velcro’ because she really is attached to both me and my partner.
I would so welcome any guidance or help from other owners of Vizslas on here that have experienced similar. Perhaps I am over-worrying as she is still so young? Thank you very much.