Toffee is a beautiful fifteen month old Vizsla – quite petite for the breed.
She is a nervous dog – and has been since she was a puppy. An obsessive shadow chaser, she was (very unusually) already doing this at eight weeks old when they brought her home.
Her mother apparently also chased shadows as did one of her brothers, and I wonder whether it’s a case of ‘puppy see – puppy do’.
Toffee is anxious and reactive to many things.
She stresses when people disappear from sight. She is scared of the sound of her food bowl on the floor. Toffee doesn’t like people invading her space unless on her own terms and she warns off even family members getting too near her mistress. She barks frantically at even her owners if they are carrying something she doesn’t recognise.
She is likely to be unpredictable, going for certain dogs when on walks. Particularly if they are either too near the lady or if there is food involved.
It looks as though she’s unpredictable, sometimes going for other dogs or nipping people who go into her space, and sometimes not. A lot of this behaviour will depend upon how much stress has already built up inside her.
Decision-making
In addition to her temperament being on the nervous side, Toffee has been given the additional burden of decision making. It’s only when people see the whole picture through the eyes of an objective outsider that many owners realise just how much homage they have bestowed on their dog in the name of love. Just ow much always calling the tune can put enormous pressure on her.
We will never change Toffee’s basic nature, nor would we want to, but a good dose of proper ‘parenting’ will do wonders for her stress levels, resulting in calmer walks, a more confident Toffee and being less unpredictable.
