Please help with manic/crazed puppy

[saturdaykid]

My nine week Vizsla pup is adorable and good for most of the time, EXCEPT in the last few days he's developed some really worrying behavior. His playful nips and crazy half-hours, which used to be quite easy to deal with, have turned into full-on bites and one and half-hour manic freak outs - three or four times a day. He gets a crazed look in his eye and is desperate to bite us, no amount of time out/sticking toys in his gob/yelling 'no'/walking off and ignoring him seams to make any difference - he just comes back for more. This happens three times a day, and he's getting bigger and stronger daily. It's like he's got an insane frenzied energy. Do you think when he's finally allowed out for walks it'll help get rid of some of his energy? I play with him LOADS, give him loads of attention and love,I'm at home all day, but he's getting more and more edgy. To be honest I'm a bit freaked out by it. He's turned from eager to please, playful little sweetie to hound from hell - he's drawn blood twice already.Any advice?

Even at that age, you have to make sure the attention they get is earned - it's like kids, even negative attention is attention, and if he's calling the shots about when and how he gets your attention, he's setting himself up thoroughly as alpha-dog - you'll have to be ruthless about nil eye-contact or attention unless he's earned it.

Have you any canine behavioural trainers locally - might be worth the investment of a couple of one-on-ones for early training tips,and get booked in with your local vets puppy party scheme, if they have one.

Viszlas are lovely, but strong characters!

When he bites/nips you need to yelp like a puppy and then turn your back and ignore. We did this with our pup and it worked, she now only nips my dad (because he plays rough with her).
Walking also helped with our pup, as soon as she had her jabs we started walking her twice a day.
Good luck.

Thanks for responses. Snigger, do you think to just keep putting him in back room when he bites, ignoring his cries, then letting him out again when he's quiet, will start working eventually? At the moment he's just coming out and starting all over again. I've got him booked into puppy classes in a couple of weeks but might ask if they do one on one home visits. yikes.

I know with our (sadly deceased) Rhodesian Ridgeback, even escorting him out of the room would have been deemed a reward - I think you have around 60 seconds from the act and the reward/punishment before the puppy ceases to connect the two (I think the times vary).

If he nips, yell OW and then break eye contact, walk away, DO NOT SUCCUMB TO THOSE WOEFUL EYES AND 'I'M SO SORRY' NUDGES'

Give me a minute, the Humane Society had some factsheets we used when training ours, they, and more breed specific advice garnered from breeder forums, helped us enormously.

Here you go

Puppy rearing advice tends to be universal but it's probably worth getting some breed specific info to cover any possible breed quirks.

Have a hunt round the dog behaviour tip sheets, and really, be firm - it'll pay off, and it really is cruelty to succumb to the cuteness because you think you're being harsh - they really don't think like us, even that tiny, he's just a machiavellian ball of future world domination, and you Must Be Boss

The best advice I ever got was - reward the behaviour you like - the behaviour you don't like, and the dog that committed it - DO NOT EXIST. Keep to that and he may get the message that your attention is easily won, on strictly written terms.

Sounds like he has settled in and is now testing the boundaries so I would agree with the general theme of the answers so far, namely be firm and set very clear boundaries now as to what is and isn't acceptable.

It's bad enough now but when he's 6 months old with adult teeth and 20kg or whatever, it really won't be funny.

Best of luck

Thanks both. The thing is, he really doesn't seem to give much of a shit when I say no, break eye contact and ignore him. He just goes and plays with something else, then when I go back to him he starts all over again. I think you're right Bella29, he's definitely testing his boundaries. I just can't believe how much energy he has had over the last few days - it's relentless. Perhaps I should put him into time out more Will phone the puppy trainer tomorrow and ask her to come round and help! Thanks for that link Snigger, will have a read now.

obedience classes would help and is also a good opportunity to socialize him with other dogs which is an absolutely crucial, essential part of rearing a pup.

I think the main problem is that he's just not that interested in toys. People keep saying, give him a kong, or keep back special toys as a way of disciplining him, but playing wise he's only really interested in tearing round the house or garden, trying to tear chunks out of me or dp, or trying to eat wires/furniture. I think he's bored. He just gets this crazed look in his eyes and can't seem to hear me when I tell him 'no' or 'off' ? to begin with he was the most biddable, easy to train mutt in the world and we really bonded. I dunno, I just took him around the block in my arms and that seemed to subdue him a little, other than that though I'm stumped... anyone got any other ideas? He's probably slept only about four hours today in total and only now is starting to yawn. Erk. I wish I could just give him a good long run but he's still too little/unvaccinated.

Eight weeks. Didn't seem to miss his siblings or mum at all. Slept through the night almost at once, very affectionate and trusting very quickly. We do all the stuff the books say, re acting like top dog, not letting him have his own way, and he's actually very good at that, it's just the over-excited edgy manic few hours he goes through. We also give him loads of stimulation. Maybe I just give him TOO much playtime but I'm trying to tire him out/stop him from getting bored, and when he wants to sleep I leave him to it.Perhaps it's just a phase. Please God

aww just saw you have a vizsla, I have one too. just gonna read rest of op now.....

you've got loads of good advice here. Have you been on to the Hungarian vizsla society forums? There are loads of very experienced vizsla owners there who may be able to help some more.

have you tried him with any of the kong toys yet? you put wee treats inside. I'm sure you can get them for puppies nowadays, it keeps their brains ticking over.

Thanks Rubyruby and hi Flier. What was your vizsla like at this age?Have tried kong toys, yes, putting soft cheese and a bit of sausage in, which he just licks out and then ignores. He's not massively into chewing things yet (apart from my flesh).

I remember him playfully biting me, and me completley ignoring him. I also remember the yelping (me) he doesn't bite at all now . He probably thinks you're a sibling and hasn't quite "got" the you master him dog thing yet . Have you got any doggy training books?

do you want the vizsla website? I'll need to look it up as there are two and one isn't as active as it once was, but can't remember which is which

Have you tried teaching him basic commands? If you did a bit of training with him it might give his brain something to do and also let him have your attention (which he seems to want) but in an acceptable, non-skin-chewing way!!!

I know lots of people have suggested obedience classes and I'd definitely second that, but if you don't want to/can't do classes with him, there are lots of good training books you can use. You'll have to train him at some point and now is a really good time to start.

As for the biting, I scruffed my lab puppy gently but firmly (grabbing the scruff of his neck) and said 'No!' whenever he bit or nipped and he stopped it very quickly.

HTH

As an afterthought, what do you feed him? Some foods have a lot of artificial additivies which might be a contributing factor (bit like E numbers for children!!!).

Is it this one www.vizsla.org.uk/ ?
They are such beautiful dogs, arent' they. Thing is, I didnt' get him just for his looks, I got him because we had one as a family pet when I was a child and she was such a dream dog and SO obedient and sweet natured. Maybe I should have got a bitch. Perhaps this little bugger will start to chill out soon. I think he needs more mental stimulation tbh ? bring on the puppy classes!

Actually bella29, now you mention it, I did wonder whether the sausages and cream cheese I was feeding him as training treats might have something to do with it. Hmmm. He's too young for shop bought puppy treats so I thought a bit of sausage and cheese might be ok. Maybe not. Hold on... my dp bought some weird halal mini sausage things (wierd I know, he said that's all they had down the corner shop) and, just checking the label, they have 6 E-numbers in. Sheesh, do you think that's why he's turned into a nutcase????

Not sure if you're taking the michael there, Saturdaykid?!

Might I recommend the James Wellbeloved hypo-allergenic dog treats? Guaranteed not to to turn your adorable puppy into the flesh tearing zombie of yuor nightmares?

Failing that, a wee bit of cheddar cheese?

Ha! I wish I was joking, but I'm not. In my defense he has only had about two over the past few days (they're tiny little things) so sadly I don't think that's the route of my problems. He started wobbing out before that. Will obviously stop pronto though I REALLY did think they were pure meat!