# Vizsla Running Back to Car on Off-Leash Walks



## Vancouver Vizsla (Oct 3, 2011)

Hello,

I'll start from the beginning. We got our vizsla almost two years ago as a puppy. She started out her days in doggy daycare while my husband and I were at work, and loved it. She did really well there and attended for nearly all of her first year of life. We played chuck-it with her in the evenings and took her on long off-leash walks on the weekends, in addition to the walks the daycare provided. During the year, I got pregnant and when I had the baby, my parents took the dog while we adjusted. My Dad is retired, and he and the dog had an amazing time together. They did lots of off-leash hikes and swims in the lake, and were together all the time. She stayed with them for about 4 months, and then she returned to our house. For a month, everything was fine, and then the trouble began. She started running away from us on off-leash walks or at the dog park, always running back to the car or to our house. (She also occasionally just ran away from us, defiantly, to play with other dogs.) Obviously the running away (through streets and parking lots) is really dangerous, and now that I have the baby with me, I feel even less in control of her because my attention is divided. We got her a dog walker, but she did the same thing with her, forcing the entire pack of dogs to return to the parking lot each time. The dog walker leashed her, but this didn't allow the exercise she needs. After having her here with us for a few months, my parents heard about the trouble, admitted they missed her, and she returned to live with them while my husband and I figured out what to do. Our plan involves moving to a home with a yard soon, but this hasn't happened yet (we live in a townhouse). Our dog was overjoyed to be back with my parents and everything went well for a month or so, but now she's doing it with them, too. I think they will be returning her to us, as it's hard for them to deal with. She has now also started peeing on their floor, couch and in their cars. This is very new, and she has been housetrained since she was three months old. 

We know that she needs to be off-leash every day to get the exercise she needs. We cannot afford to put her in daycare again, not that this would be a solution anyway. We know that the moving back and forth between us and our parents most likely triggered this behaviour. We understood when she was unhappy being back with us, as the new baby got so much attention, and we felt she might be missing my father, who was such excellent company for her. But now that she's doing it at their house we are really confused, and don't know what to do. No dog has ever been as loved or well taken care of than she is at their house.

Any idea what could be causing this behaviour? It's always the same - she's trying to get back home. Even taking her for a leash walk around the block is sometimes hard as she doesn't want to go, and pulls on her leash back towards the house. The peeing just underlines that she is having a problem...

I'd appreciate any thoughts or advice.

With thanks,
Kate


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I think you are attributing a lot of human traits to your dog. Really, she probably just needs more consistency in her training. At two, she is just now reaching adulthood. 

I don't think she is necessarily unhappy or defiant. I think she is just being a dog, and doing what dogs do. Patience and consistency are required, especially at her young age. You and your husband just need to spend more time on her training, really.


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## Vancouver Vizsla (Oct 3, 2011)

As she is our first dog, my husband and I have no previous experience with this sort of thing. I didn't realise that dogs could regress so much just because they reach adulthood. As a puppy and "teenager" she was easy to train and attended a number of obedience classes. She is crate trained and has no bad habits when in the house (no chewing, flying off the walls, going where she's not supposed to etc). She waits for us to enter a room before her, waits to be told she may eat, stays on her mat when told, goes into her crate when asked etc etc. As I mentioned she has now started peeing in the house - but she'll do it on her blanket while she's lying on it, and not get up because of it. She also peed in the car immediately after an outside "pee break".

From what I have read of vizslas and know of her, I feel that she may be fearful. When she's on an off-leash walk, she'll sometimes be fine up to a point, and then turn and head back to the car. She's not walking though, she's all out sprinting. When she gets there, she sits by the car and shakes. Sometimes she won't even start the walk. My parents say she doesn't like to go into dark rooms to get her toys, and sometimes won't go out to pee without them. The first time she ran back to the car was with me on an off-leash walk, and I couldn't see or hear anything that could have scared her.

If it is training she needs, do you recommend starting obedience classes with her again?

And if it's fear, how can we help her?

Thanks,
K


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## BlueandMac (Apr 21, 2011)

Hi Kate,
Sounds like you all have been through a lot. Have you had her to the vet just to rule out any medical issues for the peeing? She may have a Urinary Tract Infection. So many changes in her first two years - it sounds like she is just not sure of anything and is now insecure. As mswhipple said, she just needs consistency in her life - and you will probably need to take several steps back in her training. Going through obedience classes might be helpful to build up her confidence and allow for some one/one bonding time out of the house (and she can be the center of attention). But you may want to find a trainer who can work with you one on one with the running away/back to house/car issue - they may be able to pick up on something if they see her in action. As you said, this is dangerous, but should be fixable. Trainers can point out simple things that you may just not be seeing - or issues you might be aggrevating without even realizing it (they are extremely sensitive, as you know). I'm sure this is very trying for you all - hang in there... Good luck and keep us posted on things.


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## Vancouver Vizsla (Oct 3, 2011)

She went to the vet yesterday, and she thinks that the dog has been scared on her off-leash walks by something we have not noticed. She is fine in a new walking spot until the thing happens (like a twig cracking or a bird taking flight). Then she is always fearful of that area. She has recommended we keep her on leash 100% of the time for one month. If the problem persists, she recommends doing it for three months. I think this is what we'll try. 

The vet also said she doesn't think that the problem has anything to do with her going between our house and my parents' house, which was interesting.


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