# Teen issues



## CatK (May 29, 2013)

We've just found out from our dog walker that Morris is totally out of control when he is out on walks. She doesn't want to walk him any more. I'm quite surprised, as I knew she was struggling with this humping other dogs, but since she mentioned it we've cracked down on his training and he's been much better on our walks. Also better at coming when called from another dog. She says he is 'sex obsessed' and tries to hump everything, and (although I'm embarrassed to write this) actually entered a lab the other day, which is clearly totally unacceptable.

He is hard to get back when he's running with a group of dogs, he loves it. I said that if he isn't listening to her he needs to go on the lead, but she said he pulls too much. We're currently working on his heel walking, but I regularly do whole walks on a loose leash with him. It sounds like he is two completely different dogs, and I probably need a new dog walker who is equipped to handle a teenage vizsla through this stage of his life. I'm thinking a session with a trainer to make sure we're doing everything we can to get him out of this behaviour too. I'm taking him out for longer morning walk/runs to take the edge off before she gets him.

Any further suggestions? We may struggle to find a dog walker who will take an intact male, but I refuse to get them taken off until he is at least 18 months, I'd prefer two years. But the boy needs to get out during the day.


----------



## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

You are right. You need a new dog walker. 

It is tough as my boy who is nearly 3 now and is intact can be a nightmare on walks with our dog walker sometimes. Not so much humping but he runs up to other dogs and no matter how much the dog clearly wants him to get away it seems to make him stay even more. He doesn't do this with me as much. 

Training and long will sort it for the most part.


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Morris knows he doesn't have to listen to her.
So no matter how much training he gets from you, it won't apply when he is away with her. 
Its hard for me to believe a female would stand for him, if not in the right time of her heat cycle. Most would have given him a good correction. Sounds like he has some hormones going on, and the playing with other dogs is getting him over excited. He does not know how to handle the excitement, and starts humping. Just as puppies try it on owners legs when over stimulated.

Even if you never plan on hunting him, I would suggest a gun dog trainer. As gun dogs have to be able to run, and work fields with other dogs. While he is away, search for a new dog walker. Take a couple of walks with the new walker, and see if they are able to control the dogs they walk.


----------



## CatK (May 29, 2013)

Thanks born36.

Texasred, the girls are good at telling him off, he entered a male lab! She said she thought the labs were too submissive, but i don't see Morris as dominant at all. I have found a local trainer who works with gundogs, do you mean send him away for training? I think you're right, its all just too exciting. 

Good news is, i think I've found a new walker, i know what i need from a walker now so we'll have a good chat tomorrow when she comes to meet him.


----------



## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

Good luck! 

We too have an intact male (Chase). He's been kicked out of daycare per their age requirements to be neutered, so we too have a new walker. It was hard for us to find someone to take an intact male. We are definitely paying a premium for this walker, but she has agreed to take them and often brings her twin sister so they can wrangle our two boys. For now, they are doing long leashed walks until the boys come to respect and listen to them. Hopefully in a month or 2 they can start doing dog beach.


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

No you don't have to send him away. Although they get more done if your dog is staying on site. They may also have other trusted dogs, and can work with him on good behavior around them. They train him and then teach you on visits how to work with him. It just takes longer if you do private once a week lessons.


----------



## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

Also I meant to mention that one thing you can do to try to break the craziness is positive distraction as a technique. 

For my boy it is a ball with a squeak in it that does the trick. I use the Kong tennis ball that has a squeak in the middle. 

He only gets the toy when we are out never in the house. So if he is really distracted or being crazy I use the squeak to get him back to me. Put him on lead and then make him get into a sit and give him the ball and praise him. 

In time it has meant that he comes back to the squeak 95% of the time. The trick is to not praise until he is back to you on lead and in the sit. If you praise before this he might think he should go cause trouble because when he does he gets the ball. You want him to think that he gets the ball for sitting and waiting calmly.


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I don't know why the first thing people say Is neuter the young dog. You only get a neutered dog that still humps.
You have to teach the correct behavior.
With mine, I give them a command that they cannot complete, while doing the unwanted behavior. It maybe a Here, or move to the front (run in front of me) command. Even a whistle, to look to me for direction, and send them over to right or left. It is all pointer training, that we use while hunting. The good thing is you can use it anytime you have your dog off leash. I have used it if Cash was a little frisky, or June started to buff up at a dog. 
I would think agility training would work in the same way. 
That way you can let him know humping is not the behavior you want, and then give him a alternate behavior to do.


----------



## CatK (May 29, 2013)

Right, dog walker coming tonight, dog trainer booked for some one on one time with us. On it.

I'm getting bored of people telling me to chop them off, I've met some people who have said it worked for theirs, others who said it made no difference, and one who said hers started humping after the chop! Pup deserves to be allowed to grow properly. We'll do everything we can to let him.


----------



## Melissa_DT (Jan 9, 2013)

I feel your pain on this one. I have an intact 16 month old right now 
who can be super bad with his humping at times. It's definitely embarrassing and very frustrating at times. Generally people's first reaction is "neuter your dog already" and some people can be quite rude and in your face about it. I've seen plenty of neutered dogs that are still humping machines, so I don't look at neutering as a solution at all. 

What I've been doing is if we are having a play date with some dogs and he starts trying to get frisky, I will do what TexasRed suggested and give him a command. If he doesn't respond to it at all (which sometimes happens when he's really fixated on the dog) I go over and grab him and make him sit with me for a "time out" and he has to watch the dogs have fun with out him. When he's sitting calmly after a few minutes I let him go and if it tries it again, I grab him again and give him another time out. Eventually he realizes that if he has any hope of being able to enjoy playtime then he needs to behave properly or I buzzkill his fun. Again, this is still a work in progress for me too so Im not sure if this will be the winning method for me over time to get his humping under control but I thought id share!


----------

