cyrus2015

Thanks all for the encouragement. I love him regardless and will see how we heal.

Just blame myself for not seeing the signs and letting the Kelpie get near him while it is my job to protect him. It was a preventable attack.

Not sure if I will show him but he will be a lovely pet.

So sorry that this happened to you. Was the kelpie on lead or did the owner simply not recognise the aggression signals? It is more likely the owner's fault than the dog and please don't blame the breed, there are more well-behaved kelpies than badly behaved ones overall.

For the benefit of anyone else hesitating to give permission for another dog to approach your dog - if they are both on firmly held short leads and stopped at least a metre apart while the owners observe their behavior before permitting introductory sniffs, then there is always time to avoid such a disaster.

I would be making every effort to expose this puppy to busy situations and well-socialised dogs - take him, unentered, to dogs shows and walk him about there for a short time, or join an obedience club. This setback still has the potential to be overcome.

Unless the skin on Visla ears is particularly fine, I think 2 weeks is not not enough for a complete hair regrowth, so do not lose hope just yet.

Thanks. Kelpie was on a long lead, mine a short one. The skin and hair is very fine. The bites went right through.. The vet said it is doubtful they will heal. I can trace him back 8 generations and either the male, bitch or both in every generation was an Aust Supreme Champion. Doubt I can every show him.

I honestly doubt one incident will scar your pup for life.

I'd be talking to a trainer.

Don't blame a breed for the actions of one dog. You'd be better off spending some time coming up with a strategy to help your pup to have some positive experiences with dogs.

The only thing stopping your dog from being shown is you.

My dog has bad scars, spots and bite holes through his ear. The hair will not grow back so he will be marked for life

We looked for 2 years to find the perfect Vizsla. He is a good looking pup from a line of Australian champions

. I was walking him while he was 16 weeks old near the athletic track at Sylvania Watwrs when a lady with a kelpie walked from the other side of the park asking if her dog could say hello. I was cautious and said he is only a pup and very gentle natured. She insisted her dog loved pups and was very friendly and it would be good for my pups socialisation. Big mistake. As she continue to approach while I held back my dog, her kelpie lunged at my dog, biting his neck and punctuating his ear. All about about 10 bites. She said sorry and walked off while my dog was bleeding. 2 weeks later the scar on his back is starting to heal, but the ear has 5 tooth marks and it seems the hair will not grow back. We were planning on showing him in March and later breeding him. I think he is now scared for life. We are all so upset and I feel guilt and stupid for letting someone bring their dog so close to mine.

The lesson for me; don't trust anyone and any dogs unless you know the owner and dog very well. Better to have a gentle, UN-social perfect dog than the vet trips and life long scars from being savaged by another dog. I wish I had been forceful and told her to take her kelpie back to the farm where it belongs ( I read later that kelpies are in the top 5 for dog bites and not recommended for suburban areas or families)