# Tell me it gets better...



## city_dog (Feb 16, 2012)

At 8 months, Sammy still can't be left alone for more than 2 minutes in the house... 
I know she's getting plenty of exercise. She runs with me every morning (at least 5K) plus plays frisbee/fetch/chase at the local soccer field for about an hour after that. When we get home, she has quiet time on her bed with her Kong while I stretch and have breakfast, then she has her breakfast in her crate while I have a shower. 
I work all day (8:30-4:30), but have someone come to let her out and take her for a walk at lunchtime.
Thing is, I feel bad about having to put her in her crate when we're at home. My hubby was home alone with her a few days ago and while in the bathroom (which takes all of what - a minute?) she pulled down two hats off a coat rack in the entry and destroyed them, along with a pair of my dress shoes. We still can't allow her upstairs, because if one of the kids' bedroom doors are open, she runs right in and tries to eat their lego or destroy a stuffie on their bed.
She can't be left alone in the yard because she digs holes.
Ever since day one I've been marking chewing and digging as negatives "EH-EH" and redirecting to her stuffed kong or a chew toy that she's allowed to have. It doesn't seem to be working. I was hoping "bed" and "stay" would help with times when we have to leave the room for a moment, but as soon as we're out of sight, she's counter surfing.
Last night I heard the laundry buzzer go off, so I put her on her bed, said "stay" and ran up. In the time it took me to put the laundry from the washer to the dryer and come back down, she had gone into my office, taken my blackberry off the desk and was back on her bed chewing it. Grrrrr.

Please tell me that this will end. I'm really not enjoying her right now. I feel like all I do is discipline her, and I want to have FUN with her, like we do in the mornings.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

It will get better :'(

If you are willing to cooperate... 

Last week we brought home a nine week old Spaniel (cross something) that was raised by some kids. Separated from the parents way too early, the little dog was a menace. She bit and humped Sam ( our 18 month old V). Sam did nothing, gave up his food (did not eat for 2 days) because the little terror kept butting in and biting Sam's lips.

I know she is only nine weeks old but I cannot wait until 16 weeks... I picked her up and put her in the wire crate, shut the door and only allowed supervised outings on leash and under control. 
This is one of the keys to behavior control. The other is repetition. 

Please do not use treats of any kind to shape the dog's behavior other than initial introduction of commands. The kennel command is achieved most effectively with leash pressure and not by throwing treats in the kennel. Repeating the command while the dog is guided by leash pressure into the kennel time and time again. Until the dog goes on command.
It will happen but it has to be done repetitively.

PS 
In Hungary, this dog is famous for whining EH-EH. Many are put off by this behavior and because of this do not want to raise a Vizsla. Long hours alone are not good for them regardless of the level of exercise. These dogs need to stay close to the owner. They were bred like this for centuries.
SORRY :'(
They can be trained but it takes baby steps and long time. It took us over 9 months to leave him alone.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

city_dog, it DOES get better... it really, really does. But they are puppies until the age of two. Constant supervision is required (as you now know). "They chew 'til they're two!" Hang in there. What you are experiencing is normal behavior. Those of us who have been lucky enough to have a non-chewing puppy are, well... lucky! Sammy is doin' what comes naturally. ;D ;D


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

8 months is when we went through the most bully sticks. Those things were lifesavers (quite literally). Where we are it's $20 for a bag of 10, but it's worth every penny. 1 bully stick would keep her occupied for about an hour. I have to admit, there were days when she had 2 bully sticks to preserve our sanity.

Do you give her time to run in the evening when you get home? Riley has two crazy times: morning and early evening. As long as she has an outlet (exercise or a bully stick) during that time we are okay.

We also paid my parents and sister to watch her every once in a while for a date night. Sometimes you just have to take a break from V parenthood to drink a nice glass of wine and relax.

It will get better, I promise.


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## Keneomac (Oct 12, 2010)

As everyone has said it does get better!

Something that we found to help a similar issue was making sure toys were new and fun. Essentially, we would put all of the toys on a rotation where as soon as the toy was being ignored it went away and a new one came out. This made Darwin think he kept getting new toys and stopped him from deciding that things like shoes were toys.

It may help!

Good luck!

K


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## pippylongstocking (May 21, 2012)

I agree with mswhipple. We are constantly on guard with Ester, (7months) you are right, you only have to turn your back for a second and they can find trouble from nowhere, even when you think they are fast asleep! I even get my teenage children up early to 'babysit' when i go to work, or have any chores to do. She needs constant supervizslan! for her safety and our sanity! Chin up, lots of us are going through the same issues and all hoping there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Still, they get right under your skin, into your heart and we love them to bits. Madness!!! ;D


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## city_dog (Feb 16, 2012)

threefsh said:


> 8 months is when we went through the most bully sticks. Those things were lifesavers (quite literally). Where we are it's $20 for a bag of 10, but it's worth every penny. 1 bully stick would keep her occupied for about an hour. I have to admit, there were days when she had 2 bully sticks to preserve our sanity.
> 
> Do you give her time to run in the evening when you get home? Riley has two crazy times: morning and early evening. As long as she has an outlet (exercise or a bully stick) during that time we are okay.


I have stock in Bully-sticks LOL. And unfortunately, only the odour-free ones - because the less-expensive ones give her diarrhea .
Yes, in the evening, the kids play frisbee with her after her dinner for probably 45 minutes, then we have "training" time, when we work on our come, stay, sit etc... It's just such a pain that every time we have to go to the bathroom or run upstairs/downstairs, she can't just be left alone... *sigh*


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## city_dog (Feb 16, 2012)

datacan said:


> Please do not use treats of any kind to shape the dog's behavior other than initial introduction of commands. The kennel command is achieved most effectively with leash pressure and not by throwing treats in the kennel. Repeating the command while the dog is guided by leash pressure into the kennel time and time again. Until the dog goes on command.
> It will happen but it has to be done repetitively.


I'm so glad you said that about treats... I don't use treats for anything other than teaching her commands - after she knows them she gets affection and "happy voice" when she does a good job/the correct thing.
She learned "load" at about 5 months and is very good with it, actually. At night, before bed, I take her downstairs and outside to the bathroom. When I come back in, I say "load" from the bottom of the stairs and usually find her sitting in her crate staring at me when I get upstairs...
If only she followed ALL commands so well haha

**Also, I should explain that the people that come to let her out at lunchtime - 3 days a week she is with them for 2 hours on an off-leash run at their property. I trust these people because they have V's so know and understand the energy.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

city_dog, please be careful about allowing vigorous exercise right after Sammy eats dinner. If she rolls over during play, and she has a full stomach, this simple act can cause the life-threatening condition known as bloat. Have the kids wait a while before the game of frisbee. You can do a Google search on canine bloat. I think the technical name is "gastric torsion volvulous" or something like that. Deep-chested breeds, such as the Vizsla, are more prone to bloat.


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## city_dog (Feb 16, 2012)

mswhipple said:


> city_dog, please be careful about allowing vigorous exercise right after Sammy eats dinner. If she rolls over during play, and she has a full stomach, this simple act can cause the life-threatening condition known as bloat. Have the kids wait a while before the game of frisbee. You can do a Google search on canine bloat. I think the technical name is "gastric torsion volvulous" or something like that. Deep-chested breeds, such as the Vizsla, are more prone to bloat.


No, we always have at LEAST an hour of downtime after she eats... I'm very sticky about that, for the reasons that you mention. I just re-read it and realized it said after HER dinner when it should have said after THEIR dinner (the boys'). 
Thank you for caring, though.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

city_dog, I still get EH-EH-EH and our Sam is 18 months old and intact :-[ But he is much more reasonable now.... OOPS he just started, he's upstairs in he kennel (sleeping off his lunch). 

Gotta go, good luck
It will get better little by little. A little trick I used when he whined in the crate... I let him out but did not allow any running except bathroom if needed and put him back in the kennel right away. This usually shut him up for a while.


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## frozentundra (Sep 10, 2012)

It will get better, 

V's love to be around their owners. They hate to be left alone. When you run to get clothes from the dryer, invite your V. 

More toys!! and keep them in rotation to keep them fresh.


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Plenty of great answers above. However, I would add, an 8 month old V should not be running 5 klms with you. It's too young to run a V IMHO.


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

it does get better ;D Ruby still likes to pick up lego and stuffed toys out of my boys bedroom, but she rarely chews them now and brings them to me with a vizzy butt wiggle. Ruby's 14 months old.


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

Darcy is now 18 months, she no longer chews our new suite and chairs, but she still runs around like a loon. I put her in her crate when we go to work,not for her chewing, but to keep her safe just in case she starts jumping around and hurting herself.she is never in her crate any longer than 2 or 3 hours,and she has loads of exercise.
At the moment we are at a gundog trainer,as I want to do some game beating with her as a hobby really as she is a family dog first and foremost.
It does get easier in a sense but they just throw new and more challenging puzzles at you ....I love it as it beats fly ball with a collie any day.......sorry collie owners


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

One bit that hasn't been mentioned yet is giving your pup something to do when left alone. Mac has always been great in the house and we have been lucky in that he has destroyed nothing. 

So if your pup is left alone why not give them a treat dispensing toy to work on. Introduce them to the toy with you there and then build up the time that they are left alone. There are lots out there like the buster cube, kong genius, and other toys. This gives them a job to do and the next step is to then teach them to go to their bed once finished.

It will get better.


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

born36 said:


> One bit that hasn't been mentioned yet is giving your pup something to do when left alone. Mac has always been great in the house and we have been lucky in that he has destroyed nothing.
> 
> So if your pup is left alone why not give them a treat dispensing toy to work on. Introduce them to the toy with you there and then build up the time that they are left alone. There are lots out there like the buster cube, kong genius, and other toys. This gives them a job to do and the next step is to then teach them to go to their bed once finished.
> 
> It will get better.


 I used to leave Darcy in her crate with a kong filled with peanut butter, it kept her occupied for hours...I never put shew stick in as she could choke...


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

All great answers with some good suggestions. I am one of the lucky ones with a puupy that only chews his toys so I will keep quiet ;D ;D Maybe not??? 

I was wondering if you go to any obedience classes, a good trainer is always helpful with problems like this. Also perhaps he needs to have a job - eg hunt training, working trails? I have just joined a very active gun club and plan to do all sorts of training courses with Boris - hopefully it will keep us both thinking.

*NB* * I just want to reiterate what mswhipple posted - please do not exercise your dog for an hour before or after breakfast - it is really dangerous, and is known to be a cause of bloat/gastric torsion.

I posted an article some months back on the causes and symptoms of bloat. It is under health. Will try and post the link.*

http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,4504.msg33073.html#msg33073


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

mswhipple said:


> city_dog, please be careful about allowing vigorous exercise right after Sammy eats dinner. If she rolls over during play, and she has a full stomach, this simple act can cause the life-threatening condition known as bloat. Have the kids wait a while before the game of frisbee. You can do a Google search on canine bloat. I think the technical name is "gastric torsion volvulous" or something like that. Deep-chested breeds, such as the Vizsla, are more prone to bloat.


 I had a Weimaraner that suffered bloat and went on to have full torsion, lickily he was saved in time...his stomach was untwisted and stitched to his chest wall,this happened when he was seven and I was always worried about this as weimaraners suffer badly from this. In fact on the torsion danger list the weimaraner is 2nd with the great dane top of the list...my Weimaraner went on to a ripe old age of 11 and a half before limphoma took him 18 months ago...I now have a beutiful Vizsla to keep me busy..


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## Crazy Kian (Aug 10, 2009)

As someone suggested, have your V go to do laundry with you.
Tether the dog to your waist. It will get better?..can't say, our guy is 3.5 yrs old and somedays he cannot be trusted alone... oh well. ???


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