# 6 month old Vizsla HELP!



## txhuntingwife (Oct 13, 2015)

Hey Guys! 

I am the proud owner of a 6 month old baby girl and she is an amazing dog! We love her to pieces! I just have a few questions...

At night she is up constantly! Like 4 or 5 times and I have to get up every time because we don't have a doggie done due to indoor cat. She is wearing me out. Do you have any suggestions on how to get her to sleep through the night? I have not had this little of sleep in years. And it is to the point where my husband wants her to sleep outside, but I really don't want that. 

And I love taking her places. I think it is good for her. But every time we get in the car she whines when I won't let her in the seat with me. She is just too big for it to be safe. Any ideas on how to make her ride quietly? I have tried holding her paw, petting her, talking to her... nothing! 

Thank you so much for your responses in advance!


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

At 6 months, she should sleep thru the night. Has she ever?

If she has slept thru the night, then talk to the vet and see if she has a UTI.

If no, then she's got separation anxiety. Where is the crate? If it's not in your room, consider putting it there. But, if she's in there for the night and she whines, you should be ignoring it, otherwise, you end up unwittingly reinforcing it.

The whining in the car could also be about separation. If you have a car/SUV large enough, put her in a crate in the car. She might continue to whine, but it won't be dangerous or distracting for you.


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

We put Dharma in a car harness in the back middle seatbelt early on because crating her was a disaster. She learned to lay quietly and is actually secure without being able to go very far.
As far as crate training and potty breaks- check if she has a UTI. At that age it is very possible. Do put the crate in your room and don't give in to her as maddening as it is! This will pass and you are setting the tone for her and your future. She is still just a baby and her bladder isn't very big either. Try extending the time in between going out and maybe try taking her out later before going to bed. The best thing to do is set a routine and stick to it. Being consistent is important.


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## organicthoughts (Oct 9, 2012)

I second the crate in car idea. I do not understand how people manage without crating their dogs in the car. My dog would be all over the place and it would be quite dangerous if we got into an accident for all parties.


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## Janders (Feb 27, 2014)

I, too, would like suggestions on riding quietly in the car. Gus is now 2 and goes everywhere with us. I have to admit he is a HORRIBLE rider! He was in his crate when he was younger but we don't have room for it now. He does stay harnessed in the backseat. He doesn't mind the harness at all. It's as soon as he knows where we're at, that he goes nuts - whining, barking, jumping. It's awful. Even if our destination is past his fun spots (parents house, farm,etc.) he still goes crazy. Sometimes he doesn't even know where we are he just still gets excited. When we're going to my parents house he actually starts quivering he's so excited. I know he likes to go & it's not fear. He loves to play with their dog. I just don't know how to quiet him on the 20 minute ride there.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

With the exception of our first car trip, Scout has been a great passenger and will actually curl up and sleep in the backseat, BUT I still recommend using a crate for safety reasons. You'll be less distracted and if you were to get in an accident your girl won't become a projectile which would harm herself and others. Get a good plastic or sheet metal crate, rather than a softsided or wire one. I like ruff tough myself.


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## Pecan_and_BB (Jun 15, 2015)

fairly long post, but here goes....

Pecan has been in the truck since we picked her up from the breeder at the very least once a day. She knows full well what it means when she hears the beeps of the doors unlocking which is we are going somewhere fun. Or my wife and I will say "Time for the Truck" and she knows exactly what we mean and will completely spaz out. However, we have not let her into the truck until she calms down. She can do 30 running circles around the truck and we will stand there waiting for her to sit quietly before letting her in. We've done this since the first time we took her in the truck so she understands that the truck is a calm place.

Same rules apply for the destination, there is no way she is allowed out of the truck until she sits quietly and is relaxed. There are times where people have looked at us strangely and other dog owners actually make comments like: "She just wants out", to which my wife responds much more courteously than I, but I am of the opinion that if you want a calm dog in your vehicle, they have to enter and exit when they are calm in order for them to understand that it is a place to relax and enjoy some quiet while we are on our way to the fun stuff.

It took about 3 months but now she understands and is calm in the truck at all times, so much so that the majority of trips (even short ones) she falls asleep.

As far as keeping her safe? I am not an advocate for crating. My personal opinion is the crates/carriers have never tested out well in crash tests, however if your goal is to just keep them off of you while driving and they always relax in their crate, then it could be the right solution for you. Just don't put a lot of value in thinking that the crate/carrier will keep them safe in a crash. 

Since my wife and I have no children, I've retro'd our SUV specifically for our needs with our dog. The goal was to keep the cargo area at the rear lift gate as that, a cargo area, while having the back seat area setup for the dog where she still has access to us, where she is secured, and where she is protected from any rear cargo (or the cargo is protected from her). So the back seats are folded down, the upholstery on the back has been replaced with a raised rubber flooring (the height matches the height of the front middle console), and a barrier between the cargo area and the backseat area was secured into the A Pillars and bottom frame. She is then harnessed into the middle seat belt (which protrudes through the floor) with just enough slack where she can rest her front paws and head on the center console if she chooses. We also put a bed and blanket back there for her on longer trips. 

If it's a local trip to the neighbours or just up to our local conservation area for a walk, then we usually won't harness her in anymore since she understands the rules of the truck and just lies down in her area, but anything more than 5-10min or anything on major highways and she gets harnessed in.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Whats her day like?
She may just need more mental, and physical exercise to be tired at night.



> And I love taking her places. I think it is good for her. But every time we get in the car she whines when I won't let her in the seat with me. She is just too big for it to be safe. Any ideas on how to make her ride quietly? I have tried holding her paw, petting her, talking to her... nothing!


The only way they learn to settle in a car, is by taking them, and repeatedly working with them.
If you stop because she whines, she will always whine. Start securing her, and taking her on short trips. The outings might even get her to sleep better at night.



> My personal opinion is the crates/carriers have never tested out well in crash tests


Some crates are better than others. You can go from flimsy, to ones that I would ride in myself. I've seen some crash test for harnesses, and most didn't fair very well either.
Using one or the other, at least keeps the dog off the driver, and doesn't cause distraction.


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## Pecan_and_BB (Jun 15, 2015)

TexasRed said:


> > My personal opinion is the crates/carriers have never tested out well in crash tests
> 
> 
> Some crates are better than others. You can go from flimsy, to ones that I would ride in myself. I've seen some crash test for harnesses, and most didn't fair very well either.
> Using one or the other, at least keeps the dog off the driver, and doesn't cause distraction.


Agreed here that, in general, a cheap harness is no better than a cheap crate when it applies to crash test safety and it wasn't my intention to imply that harnesses are somehow a better solution, just that they work for me.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

We all make adjustments to fit ourselves, and our dogs. There's no one size fits all when it comes to this breed. I'm glad it's that way . How boring would it be if they were all exactly alike.


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

Dharma just lies down in the middle back seat of the car. You don't know she is there most of the time. She doesn't stick her head out of the window either. Most times our back seat is full with one other human, 2 cats in crates stacked and seat belted and Dharma. I honestly don't think it is safe at all for any pets to be in the front seat with you while you are driving. That is a BIG DISTRACTION!


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