# change in behaviour



## carol3163 (Aug 19, 2015)

Hi,
I am new to this forum and would like some advise on a problem i have with my Vizsla Alfie. I have had Alfie since he was 8 weeks old and he is now 14 months, he is well behaved most of the time but just recently he has decided he will do what he wants and not what i want him to do. He is a very sociable dog but he has started jumping up at people again and no matter what i do or say he ignores me. He has also decided to ignore recall he will only come back when he is ready and not when called. He does not behave like this all the time just randomly which is very annoying as I never know when safe to let him off the lead. When he does do as I ask I always treat him, I have also offered treats as a distraction from jumping up but he is not interested. I would appreciate any help/advise.
Thanks 
Carol


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## Rbka (Apr 21, 2014)

I would guess he's just being a teenager! I remember reading somewhere that at about 1 year old a vizsla would be ~14 in human years.... prime rebellious, hormonal and moody phase. Stick with training very consistently and don't lose your temper. If you can't trust him off leash anymore, maybe get a check cord for the time being? That way you can step on the leash/cord to prevent jumping up.

Nico wasn't crated from the time he was 4 months until he was around 1 year old... then he started countersurfing, shredding books, eating shoes, and he stole a bowl of about 30 walnuts off the table (and ate most of them.... I came home and the shells were all over the hallway. The ones he couldn't finish were hidden in a blanket in his crate!) This silliness lasted about 2 - 3 months then he seemed to get his wits back about him.

I always found this article helpful (I had it posted on our fridge during the teenager time!): http://www.trader.co.nz/versatiledogs/articles/awkward.htm

Hope this helps!


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## carol3163 (Aug 19, 2015)

Thank you for your reply, I did wonder if this as the case. Thank you for the article it is very interesting reading.


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## jean (Feb 17, 2015)

I agree, it is a tough time for Vizslas! Mine is 18 months, and we've had to really focus on the training the last several months. 

If he practices ignoring recall, it may become a habit beyond this teenager phase. Since we couldn't stomach the idea of not letting him off leash through this phase (check cords aren't practical for all situations), we did e-collar training to reinforce recall starting at about age 14 months. It isn't for everyone, but it has made life a lot less stressful for all of us. We rarely have to reinforce, but knowing we have control is critical in the off leash trails around us. 

It also is a great time for another training class (or work with a trainer) if you aren't a super experienced dog person. Puppy classes teach you how to deal with puppies (luring & hand signals, etc.), but we learned a lot from an adult training class.


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