# 10 month old Vizsla = behavioural problems



## Albert84 (Jan 13, 2014)

Hi,
I am very eager for some advice from others...
My 10 month old vizsla has some difficult behaviours. He jumps constantly, scratching people all the time. How do people prevent/manage this?

We have tried to socialise him as much as possible and he loves the water, however, I am finding it challenging as he will not calm down at all and will terrorise other people when we go out in public places. Is it considered okay to tether him for short periods of time? (I haven't done this at all yet).

He has started to go crazy in the car, I use a dog seat belt attachment with him but he can still reach to the front and will go crazy barking and trying to bite or scratch passengers. This is a new behaviour but makes it very difficult to drive. I like to take him wherever I go, however, this is making it difficult along with his tendency to be insanely hyperactive.

One other issue is that he jumps on the windows constantly. How do people manage this? 

I got a shock as we spent 2 weeks with a whippet, whereby the whippet was calm and would relax whereas my vizsla is crazy constantly.

I do not want it to sound all negative, as he is cute also. When I walk him I use a harness that has helped a lot. If we are in the bush, I do not have him on a lead, and he loves that.
I use a crate inside at times, and he is generally inside and outside as he pleases (although we do not have a dog door). He sleeps inside (in the bed!! I never thought I would allow that!).

Some suggestions have been that perhaps he thinks he is the boss of me and some have suggested that I smack him on the nose however I am not a fan of doing that.
Anyway, I would appreciate any advice on how to manage the above issues from others that are more experienced with this breed.

THANKS!


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## SuperV (Oct 18, 2011)

just some ideas...

1. For jumping up on people. The dog does this for attention...unfortunately the dog isn't able to tell the difference between what humans consider good attention and bad attention. If you push him down, he probably thinks "woo hoo - this game is awesome - i jump up and my owner pushses me!!!" ..... even though you think you are teaching him to stay off. Suggestions...setup/stage an environment, where whenever he jumps you can quickly/quietly get up and leave him behind in a room for about 30 seconds... This will teach the dog jumping on you, sends you out of the room and leaves him alone which isn't what he wants...when you come back just act like nothing happened and continue play.... Keep it simple - he jumps up - you leave the room thereby leaving him behind and alone which isn't what he wanted...

An area where a lot people fall down, is trying to teach their dog "off" only at the moment where the dog is doing what you don't want them to be doing...sooo what you can do, is teach your dog "up" (put their paws on you), and then you can teach "off". You can also do this for dogs putting their paws on teh counter. Teach them a command to put their paws on the counter...and then the command to take them off...

2. I would not tolerate a rambunctious pup in the car - not for one second. Quite simply, I would put him in a crate in the car and keep him contained. Thats not just for your safety or your dogs safety, its for evey other mom,dad, child's safety you share the road with.

3. What are his exercise routines? remember a tired dog is a good dog! Sounds like you dog has a lot of energy to burn...Also remember the training can tire a dog out just as much as physical exercise..

4. With respect to jumping on the window...what triggers that behavior? Figure out does so you can recreate the scenario and then work on redirecting that behavior to something like sitting in a special spot so he gets a treat...so that when the trigger happens, the dog can learn that instead of jumping on the window...its a trigger to go sit and will get a treat. (it doesn't have a be a "sit" - it could be anything... 

Like most things, you need to break down the situation and identify the cause and the effect...once you break it down you can work to address. 

5. I don't know that he thinks he is the boss of you, I'll only assume that he doesn't have strict rules to abide by and is kinda running around lawless...

Hope that helps
Nate


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Sounds like he is a little spoiled and use to getting his way.
At 10 months, he is old enough to tighten up some on his training. During their teens they can be a little rebellious, so expect him to not want to go along with the new rules.
Slow and steady training will bring him around.


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## Watson (Sep 17, 2012)

Hi Albert84

There are probably several ways to train your V not to jump up on people, but we found that rewarding (treats) for "four on the floor" works best. 

If he is jumping up on people, then all fun has to end for him, meaning yes he is leashed so that you can control and correct the behaviour immediately. It's always easier to teach a dog what behaviour you want, than undo behaviour. 

If he's jumping on you at home, turn your back and walk away from him. Our natural reaction is to catch their arms and hold them up, when we really should walk away/ignore that behaviour. You can show him how to meet people using high value treats. You approach someone while he's leashed, high value treats in hand. Give him the sit command, and treat him when he does. If he starts lunging and jumping, you turn around and walk away from the person you're approaching - no treat. This takes A LOT of practice. At around 15months, our boy finally started to understand calmness when approaching people, after practicing daily since he was a puppy. Off leash exercise also helps tire them out. Easier to work on training once they've had a good run out. 

As for the car, not sure. Watson sits in a crate in our hatchback. He fussed quite a bit at first, but quickly realized that being in there led to exploring new places. So patient he became! Is that an option for you?

I disagree that he thinks he's the boss of you. Many people who don't have Vizslas do not understand their energy and temperament. Smacking any dog on the nose (or anywhere) is also a no-no in my books, so good for you for seeking a different approach. It takes time, patience and a lot of repetition. One of the best things about these dogs is that once they start understanding what you want of them, you *almost* forget how difficult it was to get them to that point!


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## Hbomb (Jan 24, 2012)

We bought a dog guard for our car boot and took the top lid bit off the boot. That means H has his dog bed in the boot and could lie there comfortably- before we got this he would squirm, wriggle, get stuck and even vomit in the car :-\ We used it for a period of about 6 months and now H is fine and settled in the car.

Regarding the jumping, I sympathise! We used a method like Watson's to stop him jumping on us/house visitors etc and that worked really well. We are still working on him when he is outside on walks though. He's better, but we have the odd mishap particularly when there is another dog around...


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## Albert84 (Jan 13, 2014)

Thank you SuperV, TexasRed, Watson and HBomb!

I think I will investigate the dog guard for the car, I have a hatchback so that could work well and otherwise a utility vehicle. He is too big for the smaller crate we used which just squeezed into the car (the metal variety) and the larger crate we have is enormous. I take it whenever we go anywhere (collapse it down). The last time he did the crazy barking and biting in the car, it got to the point where I had to put him in the boot (hatchback) and weigh down the lid!! (sounds terrible I know but I was at my wits end).

We do use a water pistol to squirt him with when he is doing the wrong thing and that seems to work (i.e. for teaching him to stay out of the kitchen, etc.). We also equip my partner's Nan with a water pistol when she comes and it seems to be okay.
It just seems as though for me he is out of control. So much that my family comment on what an out of control dog he is!

Exercise wise, currently I take him down our road and back (approx. 4km) and up a bush track (lookout area) which is about 50 minutes return. I thought that while they were pups you weren't meant to exercise them too much as it will cause arthritis issues later?! I am a runner, so am looking forward to him being able to run longer distances (10-20km) but can I start this now??

SuperV - I like the 'up', 'off' idea and will definitely try that.

The window jumping is pretty much when he wants to get inside. I don't let him in and tell him to sit and wait, then when he is calm (for just a very short time), then I let him in.

Thanks once again to all who replied, I was seriously at my wits end and quite stressed with him, however obviously with all the responses I need to increase the training and exercise regime!


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## JessicaUK89 (Nov 19, 2013)

I'm by no means as experienced as a lot of people on here but what I would say with the exercise is to take him on different routes instead of the same route daily, this way all the new smells and things to see will also help to tire him out. 
We love to go off finding new routes and adventures with duke and can't wait to take the little one out to join us


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## SuperV (Oct 18, 2011)

Albert84 said:


> The window jumping is pretty much when he wants to get inside. I don't let him in and tell him to sit and wait, then when he is calm (for just a very short time), then I let him in.


sometimes you have to change the way you think your dog is thinking....always remember you are the smarter being. So for example, you dog probably is learning this:

1. I go jump on the door so my owner comes to the door
2. Once he gets to the door - i'll sit for a second
3. Then i get let in

So how do you fix that? tough to say without knowing your routine, but clearly the dog thinks the above mentioned sequence is what he needs to do to get back in the house...

If possible, I would figure out a way to ignore the dog when he jumps on the window. Maybe there is someway you can watch him without him noticing. Then as soon as he gives up jumping on the window, or offers you an "acceptable" behavior - perhaps just standing and barking...then acknowledge him, make him sit, and then come in...

you could try training drills where maybe you just walk up to the door, go inside leaving the dog behind, and through the door signal him to sit, at which point you can open the door. The object would be to make the dog think that sitting at the door is what opens it. If you do this enough times, i suspect you may find the dog opting for this behavior rather than jumping.

HAHA - teach the dog to ring a door bell? teach the dog "touch" first, then teach him touch the doorbell, and every time he hits the doorbell, the door opens, and he gets a delicious treat.

Doing these drills also will help tire him out too...and can be a lot of fun and rewarding...

other Suggestions - block the window so he can't jump on it? intercept your dog before he has the chance to jump on the window? You may try a horn or can of coins to startle him every time he touches the window? To do that you may have to set him up so he'll do it...maybe you can hide around the corner?? I prefer teaching alternate behaviors with positive reinforcement though...

Nate


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## SuperV (Oct 18, 2011)

you mentioned you spray him to show him to stay out of the kitchen....you say you squirt him when he is doing wrong....OK but do you show him what he is doing right...or teach/show him what he should be doing rather than making him guess?

Why not teach him to "stay" or "place". But here again you can't yell at your dog place or stay if he doesn't know it. I know a lot of people use "place" to mean you go sit on a marker (pillow, towel, inside a hula hoop, blanket etc). So if your dog is food motivated, you can teach "place" simply by putting the marker on the floor and if you have a treat in your hand, your dog will likely try all kinds of behaviors to get the treat. As soon as he touches the marker with a paw, treat and praise. Eventually the dog learns touching the marker gets him the treats (he'll learn fast). Then you will gradually start asking for two paws on the marker, then three, then four and then a sit. You start using the command "Place" when he starts doing the desired behavior.

Another thing that i'll suggest ( and its just my opinion)...I tell my dog to "sit" I expect the dog to stay in a sit until i say "ok" and release the dog. Otherwise how will the dog know how long to stay in a sit???? To teach that, I start with a second or two pause after I ask for the and say OK. If she gets up before that, I say nothing and just put the dog back into a sit, by lifting her collar and pushing her butt down. When i say OK she can break from a sit and I give her a treat and praise. With each training session i'll start expanding that 1 to 2 seconds to 3 to 4, etc etc....

Thats the same way you teach stay. Sit the dog by your side, say STAY, talk a half a step forward and come right back. Release/Reward/Praise. If the dog moves, calmly and without saying anything, put the dog back in a SIT, and maybe only wiggle your leg to initiate a step. Release and then reward and praise. the lesson here is you start SMALL..."STAY" is taught by initially a half step, and then GRADUALLY expanded to more and eventually to the point of you leaving the room (which is usually tough). The dog should learn, STAY, means to stay seated until my owner comes back to my side and releases me...

Anyway sorry for being long winded...but doing these type of drills will give your dog some structure and help mitigate some of its behavior. It will exercise the dogs mind and help build the bond between you two...

I would also suggest reading up on clicker training- its very effective..

If you have any questions..feel free to post here, or shoot me an email I''ll try to help where i can... [email protected]

Nate


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