# jumping on people



## Shany (Dec 8, 2012)

Hello dear Vizsla owners,

I have a 7 1/2 month old Vizsla. She is a wonderful energetic dog and it's amazing to see how much she has changed for the better. No more nipping, no more shark bites, no more going in the house. 
She hated her crate so much she broke it and I had no choice but to leave her out of it and alone in the house. It's been three weeks and she hasn't destroyed anything. 

I do however have 2 issues with her that maybe someone could help me with.

The first one is her constantly jumping on people. She is quite tall and very strong. A few days ago she pushed down a 3 year old girl that fell flat on her face on concrete. The next day she almost pushed to the ground an old man. I was lucky in both cases in that they were nice people and didn't blame her, nor me. She was off leash. I'm afraid I won't be that lucky next time. So for now she's on a 20 feet leash, that way she can play with other dogs and still I have some sort of control over her. 
I would very much like to set her free and know that she won't jump on people. Has anybody had this problem with their Vizsla? Anything I can do so we can both enjoy our evenings out?

My second problem is that when she's distancing herself away from me while playing with other dogs or simply because she has seen something that caught her eye, I can scream from the top of my lungs, I can kneel, I can talk in a sweet voice, I can flip over backwards and she still won't come close. She'll look at me and then ignore me. If I walk away, she'll come, but not too close and it's still impossible to get her on the leash. It takes me about 10 minutes to finally catch her. 

I want to take her to the beach soon and I would like to know that I can trust her to come to me when I call her. 


Thank you dear people, I would very much appreciate any piece of advice. I'm sure Milo would too. It would be way more fun for both of us.


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## Hbomb (Jan 24, 2012)

H was exactly the same, at 1 1/2 yrs he is better but still has his moments! 

This is what we tried..

Recall: practise with treats every day even when not out on walks. We made it a game, hiding around the house and calling him. When you are out with milo, if there are two of you take turns calling her between you. It will be fun for her and tire her out 

Jumping: really wish I had an answer for that!! We stopped h jumping on people at the door by getting him to sit/stay and praise him for being calm. Outside is a different story! Now his recall is better we call him to us if we see/ hear someone approaching. If they look old or have kids we put him back on the lead while they pass.. Just in case! Really wish he could calmly walk past people without jumping though!


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

Shany

Everyone wants their V to be off leash, and who wouldn't. Bottom line though is that they, and their owner, need to be ready.
Those of us that hunt our V's generally have them off lead within the first year, because they have to be at that point to introduce them to hunting. What folks that don't hunt, don't see, is the hours upon hours, upon hours of work with them on a leash, check cord, or eCollar that gets them ready, and sometimes it still goes wrong at times. I would venture to say that of you could poll the hunters here, they would tell you that they've put in a couple hundred hours of leash and obedience work into their dog, in it's first year, prior to their first hunt. There are no shortcuts that don't lead to holes in their development later on. A hunting V has to be just this side of out of control. 
That being said now, you need to put your girl back on the leash and go back to ground work. Walk at heel, stay, come, whoa, etc. In her mind you have to fix that you are the most important, and most fun thing in her life. 
Take the 20 foot leash and turn it into a 50 foot check cord. You give her the command, she has to obey. This is "extending the leash". She is still young so give her some slack, but in the end, she must obey. Take every opportunity and turn it into training when you can.
As for the jumping: Firmly, but gently, take her feet away. She jumps, you put her on the ground. Every single time. Leave a 6' leash attached and step on it if you need to, or use a 9' leash and put a loop under her stomach and turn her into luggage. The moment she even looks likek she may jump, it's down and on your feet. Anticipate, don't react. If she also has someone else in her life that is allowing her to jump up, they need to stop.
It takes time and patience, but it's worth it.


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

THIS WILL SOUND ODD

GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES GROUND LEVEL WITH THE PUP

WORK HIM OR HER

REWARD IN BABY STEPS

STRANGERS SLIGHT KNEE UP AND THE COMMAND NO DOWN'

WHEN YOUR GROUND LEVEL STUFF A FRESH **** BIRD IN THE NOSE 

AND REPEAT DOWN AND GOOD BOY AND GIRL 







I USED THIS ALL THROUGH THE 80'S WITH PURE PROTEIN BEGGING STRIPS

LATE LAST CALL ;D :-*

LMAO


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

Rudy said:


> THIS WILL SOUND ODD
> 
> GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES GROUND LEVEL WITH THE PUP
> 
> ...


 Doesn't sound at all odd to me Rudy. I like it. 

Great pic's! Nothing like a little puppy and a wing.

Mike


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## Shany (Dec 8, 2012)

Thanks everybody! 

I have had a dog trainer for a while, but she seemed to be obedient only around him. I have to admit I was and still am a softie with her. That being said, I have to work on myself before working on her. 

The problem is that she is so stubborn, so strong, so when we arrive in the park, I completely lose her. She starts pulling me so hard I almost fall to flat on my face all the while chocking herself with the collar. She breathes like she's asthmatic and she doesn't care. She just keep pulling and pulling until she reaches the other dogs. Until we've had those two last incidents when she pushed people down, this is the moment I'd release her and let her run around. Now she's running around with her leash on and I try to stay close and anticipate her movements and step on her leash, if need be. 

I can have her sit down but I can still see that she is very excited, and the moment we start walking again, we are back to pulling each other. 

She doesn't really heel unfortunately. 

Will try working with treats, tho I'm not a big fan of those. Wouldn't want her to be the size of the Atlantic Ocean in a few weeks. 

Around what age do they start relaxing a little? Will I always be this terrified while walking with her? Does it get better or worse? 

One thing is for sure, she's on the leash again..


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

Shany

Pulling problem;
When she pulls you stop. Turn yourself into a post mentally. She does not move. If she wants to keep pulling on her own, let her, but you do not yield. Become a pillar. She will stop pulling, I promise, it could take 10-15 minutes, but she'll stop eventually. To get more leverage on the leash let it loop around your waist, and use you body as a capstan. Do not pull back on the leash, or yank it, or you could seriously hurt her. You musy let her inflict her own puninshment. My girl Tika was a serious puller when I first got her at 22 months, she could move me and rock the truck I was anchored to.

Work the Heel. It is paramount to establishing control of a dog's mind. The heel is total control of a dog. It sucks, and it's boring, and it feels as if you are getting nowhere for days sometimes, but it is critical. 

Treats.
I don't use them in training. Good positive encourage, praise, affection and attention have always workd for me.

They start to relax at about 2-3 years old, with proper training.

Don't let her train you.  V's are very adept at training their owners. ;D

I know you want to be a softie with her, who doesn't, but you need to realize that one day she will need you to make the decisions for her to keep her safe. You are her safety net, both for comfort and discipline. She will understand it, and she is probably looking for you to assume the leader role right now. Basically she is making her own decisions now, and she is too young.
You'll get there with her. It just takes time.


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

When Darcy is off the lead, her heel work is brill, her recall to the whistle is also good, even in mid chase.But put the little bitch on the lead then she pulls for England.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Gunnr said:


> Treats.
> I don't use them in training. Good positive encourage, praise, affection and attention have always workd for me.
> 
> They start to relax at about 2-3 years old.


 I spent a total of about $50 in two years on special dog treats. Never used treats beyond the intro to basic commands. He gets fed real dog food that's good enough. 

My dog is two years old but the random jumping phase ended at about 7-8 months when the "leave it" command could be properly enforced. 
Leave it, to my dog, means quit staring and focus on other stuff.


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## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

Hi Shany,

Your dog isnt ready to be off lead. Sorry. The hardest part in training (and frankly the biggest cause of problems) are owner expectations being greater than the dogs development.

Vizsla should be on lead at all times that she can come into contact with people and jump on them. This gives you complete control over the situation, which is good for her, and is a safety issue for others. When you see her beginning to lunge, you must tighten the lead so she cannot, followed by a firm "DOWN!". When she complies, "Good down! *Treat*". 

If it's just you or family when you come home, for instance, you should kneel down so she can greet you w/o jumping. Same "Good girl, good down!".

Your second issue about recall off lead is related to the first, she's really too young to be off lead. The goal is to let her off lead, for sure, and when to do that is an age old secret we trainers have: It's called confidence in the dog. Getting that is again dependent on your focusing and understanding her abilities at any given age rather than your expectations or needs. So, if you can walk with her on lead and have her not pull at you, if she seems aware of your presence at the other end of the (short) lead (test: If you stop suddenly and change directions, does she change quickly and easily with you, or is she more focused on herself and doesnt make the turn?).

Lastly, you want that really long lead, and when she's at the end of it, you want to call her back with a "Come!"command, and if she doesn;t you want to go out there and get her back. Make her sit there for a few seconds and wait, then try again. You never, ever, ever, want to give a command..any command, ever!... that you cannot enforce, otherwise the dog learns that they do not have to listen.

If you think like your Vizsla, you'll get a Vizsla who will adore you and listen to every word.


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