# Trust and your vizsla



## redd (May 25, 2014)

My mom has a GSP/**** hound/mutt mix who is 6 months old, which is 2 months older than our V. She can leave her pup in her large kitchen with her other dog, unattended, uncrated, for up to 6 hours and she won't disturb a thing. Not even a toy. !!!!

My jaw hit the floor when she told me. I can't trust our V when we ARE home, watching him every second and he still gets into everything and anything! (Actually its quite cute, he is into pushing everything with his nose, just a quick nudge to see if it moves, and when it does he then pounces. Lol. Not so cute when its a glass of water, the lamp on the table, etc)

Is it just our pup who is crazy, or does anyone out there have a puppy Vizsla they trust when alone?


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Two months is a long time for a puppy, so I wouldn't be surprised if your boy gets a little more trustworthy in that time--just a little though, he's still a V. 

Scout didn't start counter surfing until 2-3 months ago and even then it's only been a few times. Tonight I made some stir fry and forgot to put it away before driving my mom to the airport and going to this group I volunteer with. Came home and the bowl is in the exact same place except it's empty. Well at least she didn't make a mess!


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## organicthoughts (Oct 9, 2012)

They do chill out eventually. It kind of happens overnight. By one year old my pup was able to have the run of the house while I was at work.


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## Rufus Tiberius (Dec 18, 2012)

My first V I could trust in the house when left alone! But V's #2 (6 when he went over the rainbow bridge) and #3 who is now 2+ years old (#3 is RT), I cannot trust them to be alone in the house when I'm not there. Both enjoyed redecorating the house when left alone. TP all over the furniture, trash cans gotten out of the cupboards and trash scattered around the house; even with baby locks on the doors. Very smart dogs to figure those locks out and get past them. Close the doors to our rooms, would come back and find the doors open. Bedding, clothes, shoes, TV remotes became their new favorite chew toys for the time I was away. Well you get the picture. V #2 learned he was going to have to be outside, alone, while I was away.  RT is left in his crate, which he does not mind being in.

Some seem to grow out of the destructive behavior when left alone in the house while their humans are away, others do not. Alas, mine never did. I think both suffered from separation anxiety because they were always with me, out exercising or engaged in some activity. 

I did this in the past tense because RT is way for the summer in South Dakota, with Willowynd Ranch learning to work wild birds and become a finished field dog. While he is away I am redecorating the house with new carpet and furniture. 

You pup is not crazy. Just behavior they may or may not out grow. I hope yours does out grow it, makes life so much easier and less expensive. 

RT


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## Hbomb (Jan 24, 2012)

I think Herc was at least a year old (maybe older) before we let him have the run of the house when we were out. We've been lucky in that he never really learned how to counter surf! 

He's 2.5 y old now and he's really good, he will just lounge on one of the beds upstairs and wait for us to come back.

Before that we used to leave him in our kitchen which is pretty dog proof. When he was around 6-7m old we decided to test him out with a run of the house, we came back to find one of the carpets on our stairs chewed to bits!! 

as mswhipple says, 'they chew till they're two'


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

My husband and I are going through the do we trust Dharma to be out of her crate thing right now. My theory is we have 2 cats and a lot of furniture that is fairly new and expensive and given her past track record....... My husband says you need to start somewhere and see what she does. I am not ready to do that because most of the stuff that has been needlessly destroyed in the past could have been prevented and was mine and was kinda sentimental to me.( in other words my husband was careless).
Dharma is 14 months old now and hasn't destroyed anything in a while.....BUT!!!!!!


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## CatK (May 29, 2013)

Morris has been out of his crate when we were out since 11 months, but only with access to limited good furniture! Up until recently we had a tiny fence around the shoe rack, which he could have gotten past/over/around very easily but it stopped his shoe chewing up until now. Due to decorating we've taken it down recently and not put it back up yet... must do that... I don't want to provide the temptation!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

The youngest V in the house is 4 years old, and 99 % of the time they just sleep if left alone. Its that 1% that gets them in trouble.


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## riley455 (Aug 27, 2011)

Riley (my three year old female) has the run of the house and will not touch anything while Kobi (my eight month old male) is corralled in the kitchen. Kobi will destroy anything and everything at this point so I had my kitchen vizsla proof.

It's good that they're separated since Riley is in heat at this time.


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## Saltwater Soul (Jan 17, 2013)

Out 18 month old Maddie does fine alone. Now she does have a dog door to go outside and chase squirels, birds and lizards when she gets bored.


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## CatK (May 29, 2013)

And there we go... got home from work last night and a pair of shoes had been destroyed. At least he chose a fairly cheap pair!

Shoe fence back up asap!


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

It's really kind of up to the dog. (I think your mom is courting trouble with the 6 month old. ) 
In my opinion, if a dog trashes the place, it's not the dogs fault, it's the owners. There are no prizes for the person that can leave their dog unattended at the earliest age. The dog is just as happy in a large crate, or small room. They don't need the whole house.
If a person has a home with a lot of expensive furniture, fragile items, or antiques and such, or even modestly valued furnishing that they can ill afford to replace, it's really kind of foolish to put the dog in position to fail, and they will. Confine the dogs to an area where their actions can be minimized, or crate them.

MCD
I disagree with your husband. You don't just "start somewhere". Create the environment and progress from there. Give the dog a chance to succeed first, and correct the small, inexpensive, controllable failures.

Tika and Gunnr are 5 and 6 years old now and have only recently been given the run of the entire house while we're away. Prior to that they were confined to a room, and prior to that they were kenneled. Even at 5 and 6 years old, we come home to chewed up dog beds occasionally.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

@ 1yr old trust a V as far as you can throw him - PIKE @ 6yrs has the run of the house except bath rooms - toilet paper will always V his down fall - LOL


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

R said:


> @ 1yr old trust a V as far as you can throw him - PIKE @ 6yrs has the run of the house except bath rooms - toilet paper will always V his down fall - LOL


New or used????? ;D


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Oz -new tkg - PIKE can take a full roll and paper the house - LOL


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## redd (May 25, 2014)

Our last dog died in March - cancer. She was 11. Unbelievably heartbreaking. So it's been a while sine we had a pup.
My mom swears it's her other dog who keeps her pup calm. But I don't know, I think Redd is such an interesting crazy different pup, unlike any I have known, I have to think it's the breed. 
He is so impressive in so many ways!! It makes up for the hard times for sure. He catches on quickly, and you can see his wheels spinning when figuring something out.
We love the little guy!! Hoping he can be mellow as a young adult- I don't want to keep crating him but will as long as necessary.


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