# Nervous new owner of my first Viz-8 wks old.



## Dani_and_Tim (Sep 2, 2014)

HI all. We have picked up our boy Max from a breeder here in Queensland, Australia. He has been with us for 5 days, or 4 LONG nights.. I would like to know some insight particlarly on l eaving Max on his own for 30-60 minutes once a day when I have to run errands. I work from home, and my partner is normally home too, but goes away for work for 3-5 days at a time. I literally need to leave the house to do groceries and other things, is this safe for him mentally? He absolutely howls and cries if he can't see me in another part of the house. We have a granny flat type room on the bottom floor of our house, so I will leave him in there in his pen. He is very comfortable with being on our couch upstairs but I can't leave him there to freely run a muk around the house.

We do not have a kennel for out the back yet, and I do not want to leave him there just yet, being so young, and also to bother my neighbours with the crying. :'(

Any advice is appreciated as I am ripping my hair out, and had a small meltdown yesterday and spoke to my partner in tears last night asking if it was too late to give him back. This is not in my character! And I wouldn't do this, but I felt so fed up. The build up of 2 days on my own with him, trying to work, get things done, constant attention giving has really taken it's toll. At what age will he be begin to be better with not crying (with training ofcourse). And be content with just playing around with his 500 toys on his own. I may be jumping the gun, as we are only 5 days in, but I really need some good feedback and motivation. I walk him for 20 mins in the morning and again late afternoon. And constantly play with his toys and balls.

Secondly - sleeping arrangements. I set up his pen next to our bed at night, and so far have had to pat him to sleep for about 20 minutes. Then try to sneak out of the pen quietly, but if i accidently hit the sides, BOOM, he's awake and i have to do another 20 minutes 
He is up crying at 1am, 3am, 5am - I take him outside for wees 4 - 5 times throughout the night. Even though he has a wee mat next to his bed (how do I get him to pee on this??). 

Thanks in advance, any suggestions or insight greatly appreciated!


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## Bailey smith (Aug 22, 2014)

Hi from the uk!

I so know how u feel and had a very similar experience. There is lots of really good advice on the forum and u are not alone! Our v puppy is 12 weeks old and we have had him for 4 weeks. My husband works shifts (2 days and then 2 nights) and I work full time but can work from home two days a week if need be. The first weekend we had him my husband went away. It was one of the longest weekends of my life, with the crying, chewing, constant attention and no time to myself (not even to go for shower!). It's got a lot easier though. Our breeded and trainer were firm in telling us that Bailey needs to learn to fit in with our lifestyle rather than us with him. Therefore there is no harm leaving him for a while whilst we go out in fact the earlier he gets used to this the better. We just need to make sure he is exercised, tolieted and has an enriching environment e.g some toys prior to leaving him. He will cry but he also needs to learn how to Self sooth. We got him a smaller crate and made it into a den which helped and we also got him an anti stress collar. He still cries but only for 10 mins or so and we have left him for up to two hours during the day time and he has been just fine. In fact I think it's been really helpful in terms if my stress and energy levels to have a little time away from him. We also leave him over night from 9:15pm till 6:30am and he has never had an accident /incident toilet wise and he doesn't make a sound. We exercise him right before bed time so he is sleepy when he goes into his crate. Routine has been important to help settle him in this respect. 

Good luck, u can do it!!


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## redd (May 25, 2014)

Dani-
Welcome to parenthood! I'd surmise to say these pups are equivalent work to a human baby for the first few days at least.... And they will test your patience and emotions, and you'll wonder why on EARTH did you do this to yourselves. 

It's all par for the course. I had the worst sinking feeling for the first two weeks with our V (now 5 1/2 months, yay!), but it gets better, I promise. 

For the crate: our guy still doesn't voluntarily go in the crate, won't put himself to bed like you read about here. He certainly didn't like it at first and had lots a seperation anxiety, which is normal by the way. He is wondering where the heck all his litter mates went! And his momma, where is she!?! He's clinging to you for dear life! 
We put Redd in the crate at least every hour, or when he got riled up (means he's tired), and would sit with our back right up to the crate door. We would slowly scoot away, never talking to him or looking at him. If he howled we would scoot closer, still no talk or no touch, back to him. We would wait until he fell asleep and then go about our business. If he woke too soon and cried we would do it again. 
It took about three days of doing this consistently and it got easier, and he became more tolerant of not being able to see us. Then I would put him in his crate, leave the room for 2 minutes, then come back in, no talk no eye contact no touch and would sit in front of his crate until he calmed. Then I would do it again. Key is, he will learn YOU WILL COME BACK. It's imperative he learns this. 
There are tons of posts on this very topic, search the forum. It will save your life!

Play: unfortunately, your pup won't play alone for awhile, probably a few weeks. Our guy was not happy unless he was on our laps with a toy in his mouth. I spent about 4 weeks sitting on the floor, where I drank my coffee, read books, fb, etc. My butt was always sore! Plus, we don't allow Redd on the furniture (expect our bed, we're suckers) so it was hard. Once I moved up to the couch he would bark and jump and paw us incessantly to get up on our laps. Enter the dreaded water bottle: a few sprays in the face and he decided the floor was just fine!

Now you are going to laugh- we literally put his small crate on our bed-king sized- facing us at our feet at night. I did that out of desperation by night 3 after no sleep and a crying puppy. He slept on our bed for about 2 weeks, not much of a peep. Sometimes if he cried I would wait it out a bit...you learn which whines are for potty (he would ramp up) and which are just whines (would die off). I then moved him down to the floor right next to my bed, so he could see me. Each night I moved the crate over to where it rests now (a much larger crate, he grew out of the baby one by 12 weeks). He was totally fine with it. 

My husband works from home and it has been a major adjustment, he literally had to leave the house for 2 hours a day so he could get work done. Our deal was he did the daytime, I took over after work and nighttime. And I felt GUILTY leaving for work everyday because I know how hard it was to manage the pup. Ahhh, we are so glad to be past that!!

It WILL get better. They are such amazing dogs (and yours will be too, I promise). We fall more in love with our boy everyday. But we didn't at first, which I suppose is natural when you have an untrained crazy biting barking crying whining baby with shark teeth on top of you at all times!

Oh, also: we learned that because my husband is home all the time our V did not, and still does not require all the exercise everyone talks about. He moves around all day unless he is sleeping.... Most other pups are crated a good part of the day for full timers. In fact, we were over exercising our pup in the beginning and it made his behavior even worse!!!! A tired dog is NOT a good dog in our home. So, keep that in mind. Maybe back off the walks??? Just a thought.


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## CatK (May 29, 2013)

It does get better, loads of love and patience and it is almost always ok. Use the search bar here and also google ' crate games' for videos. 

Many never learn to play on their own, but do get to the stage where they'll chew on their favourite toy/kong/antler while part of their body is touching yours or at least they can see you. In my experience, they have little interest in being outside without you there (or at least another dog or person to play with, eventually). 

Like most new owners I had my doubts early on, but he has turned into a family member and best friend in one. Bear with it and don't let the pup get away with anything the dog wont be allowed to do. Very best of luck, you'll be allowed to sleep again soon!


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## Duke14 (Jul 20, 2014)

We picked up our Duke on Sunday. He's 7.5 weeks old. He is crazy and amazing all at once!

The first day, he howled if I put him in his crate. I was going on the reading I had done to crate him almost all the time to get him used to it. I decided it wasn't working for him, even with it being covered so it's like a den for him. Instead, I let him fall asleep wherever and then gently move him to the crate. The first day he would wake up and want to play. I kept my head inside the crate, trying to avoid him attacking my hair and face. I'm on day two of doing this and I can put him in and not need to keep my head inside. He may try to get out but I just block his way and tell him to lay down. If he tried to chew, I give him his blanked, because if I give him a toy, he just plays and gets riled up. He sleeps for 1-2 hours and then when he wakes, I take him out for a potty break. I tell him to pee and he does right away. I am fortunate that he came almost fully housebroken from the breeder.

He does sort of play on his own. He needs frequent redirection as he will wonder around and start chewing on things he's not allowed to, like the couch, the coffee table, the cupboards, the drawer handles! But Incan redirect him to a toy and he plays with that instead. As long as I am in the room, he's happy, he doesn't have to me touching me. Falling asleep is another story. He wants to be close and whines until he settles, then, as explained above, I move him to his crate. 

He goes to sleep in his crate about every 1-2 hours. It's quite the routine we have. My breeder let him sleep in her bed as he was he last of his litter to leave and they felt bad for him. We don't want him in our bed....well, my husband doesn't. The couch is fine though. The breeder said he was able to sleep through the night in their bed without needing to go out. I want to get him crate trained before that happens though. My husband thinks that once he is more used to the crate he will let him in bed with us. I think he is more in love with him that he lets on! 

I realise it's tough when you're working so hard to do everything right. But, you should be able to leave him for an hour in his crate if you time it right, just go after he has had a potty break and has fallen asleep. They also get overtired at this age, I read somewhere they need 20hrs of sleep a day! Lol not sure it's THAT much, but they do need a lot of sleep, just like a baby. And, they do need a lot of attention, just like a human baby, however, unlike a human baby, they are mobile and get into everything!

It just takes time, and lots of patience. <3


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## Ruthie_67 (Jan 25, 2014)

I remember these times so well, including the wondering whether to give him back, I can also remember crying my eyes out at times. It was very hard work but with consistency we now have a great 9 month old viz. I learnt that it is okay for him to whine, he's just objecting like a child, I never over-did crate time and he grew to love it and see it as his safe place (he now voluntarily takes himself into the crate when I just the living room door as he knows its a sign I am leaving him). I would say this took a good few weeks though. I always gave him a treat for going in the crate, and still do. It will all work out


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

First of all, yes you can leave him and go run errands.
Next Vs love their people and can just about drive you crazy, if you let them.
I suggest you buy a crate, and start using it.
He is going to howl at the top of his lungs at first, but it will get better. If you need to get things done around the house crate him. Trust me it takes 3 times as long to get something done with them out. At night put him to bed, and then put in earplugs. You can normally take them out once a night to potty, and they won't have a accidents in the crate. 
If you give a vizsla puppy attention 24/7 they do not learn to do anything without you, and become very demanding dogs. So find a balance of playing with the pup, and crating him to take care of normal daily activities.


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## SunnyDae (Jan 18, 2014)

I do not envy the position you are in having been in the exact same spot 4 months ago. I would say for about 5 weeks i wanted to return the puppy (maybe even longer). To answer your basic question of whether it will get better... YES. I thought it never would. I was so tired of the crying, biting, needing to go out, always needing attention. It is a gradual change, but I would mark 20 weeks on your calendar. I remember taking a step back at that point and realizing we had a dog that we could enjoy. Every week it will get easier. 

As far as the crate goes, we were lucky enough to have a dog that could make it through the whole night from day one. She did cry for the first week though. She has always been on the other side of the house from us in a separate room. When we realized she could make it through the night (after night 2) we started closing the doors and turning on a box fan. Not sure if that's good or not (in case she really needed to go out), but we had to do something. 

I would take a look at the post I made a couple days ago on this Puppies forum. Look for the subject about Lexi


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## sophvale (Jul 28, 2014)

Dani_and_Tim I feel your pain. I am from Sydney, Australia and have Henley a 7 month old Vizsla. We all go through the terrible phases that come with having a Vizsla pup. Henley is 7 months old now but there were many times were I asked myself why have I brought this on myself. I have to say that crate training, which initially I was unsure about but listened to the breeder and other Vizsla owners about the benefits of crate training and stuck at it. Henley got used to being in a crate by using treats and positive reinforcement every time he went into it. He now goes in there anytime he wants time to himself or is tired. 
Henley did cry for the first couple of nights but I didn't give in (no matter that he cried non-stop forever, or at least it seemed like forever) and found that a routine is imperative for both his and the families sanity. Henley now has a bedtime/ evening routine that includes a walk, some play/training, dinner and then bed. 
Hang in there and even when your at your wits end know that it does and will get better.


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## debsy (Aug 22, 2012)

Hi there,

were going through the same thing we have Hugo 15 weeks but also have Ronnie who is two, the ear plugs are very important, the more you pander to them the worse you will make it, the first night we brought Hugo home I crated him and he cried for 4 hours but Ronnie also joined in !!! he hadnt done this for a year and 6 months ! anyway put the pup in his crate try a water bottle and a frozen peanut butter kong and cover the crate up. I guarantee two maybe three nights and it will all be fine, you need your rest when adjusting to a pup V, it will all be fine I never used to beleive it would all fine but it now is and we went and did it again !!! help


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## DK519 (Aug 26, 2014)

Ruger is a 4.5 mths now and I know exactly what you mean.

We lucked out a BIT with the crying at night thing. His crate is on the main floor near our back door while our bedroom is upstairs. We took him out every 2 hours, then 3 then 4. Was hard at first but we just ignored him and he would stop whining after ~4-5 minutes at night. Was maybe 3-4 weeks and he was sleeping 8-9 hours at night, in fact he would have to be dragged out in the morning to pee.

Putting him back in during the day in order to go out was a different story unless he was tired. You have to though sometimes in order to get things done and also for your own sanity. Our neighbours hated us at first because it could go on for a half hour at times during the day.

We now leave him from 8am-12pm then from 1pm-4pm. He has adjusted well but still has a ways to go. It's hard but sometimes you have to tell them to suck it up and ignore the crying.


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## Janders (Feb 27, 2014)

Hang in there! Gus is 8 months old now. It does get better! I stayed at home with him all the time. While this sounds great and did make crate & potty training easier, he's so, so attached to me. Neither one of us (me or Gus) is ever in a room alone - EVER. He cried in his crate at first but as long as he could see me - he was fine. We made the mistake of letting him in our bed when we brought him home. Needless to say - he's still there. He is now over 50 pounds. We had to buy a bigger mattress (which he chewed but that's in another post).
I, too, felt like I couldn't go anywhere by myself. I was at my breaking point on evening & actually dropped him off at my parents house in tears. I just had to have some alone time. After calming down & going to the grocery store I picked back up a very excited puppy. I forgot why I was upset to begin with. My Mom stressed to me that I had to leave him alone for periods of time. After that, I would put him in his crate with a Kong filled with some peanut butter & cheerios and leave for an hour or so. He was fine when I got home.
The biting suddenly stopped a few months ago. I'm not even sure when - it just stopped. He still demands a lot of my attention but has grown to be very patient when he doesn't receive it.
It does get better!


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Suck it up Dani. Take a dose of cement with your morning coffee. There is more hard work and tears to come. You haven't got yourself a Maltese terrier, nor a Lab. You've got yourself one of the smartest, most challenging, yet most engaging breeds of dog on the planet. 

The flip side, is that they are also the most rewarding dog on the planet!!!! It's going to be a long and often frustrating journey. But one day you're going to put your head up, look around and be very satisfied and grateful that you chose a V to share your life.

Three things will get you through.......

Repetition
Consistency
And a bucket load of patience


Never lose your cool. Remember while a V is a strong resilient worker, they are also the most sensitive hearted dogs to walk the planet.

Last, but not least, consider doing some form of hunting, field trialling or tracking. While they can survive without it.....they thrive with it!!!!!

Born to hunt they are and hunt they will, with you or without you!!

Enjoy!


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## Benson-May (Aug 8, 2014)

Hi Dani - I am also a fellow new V.mum!

Reggie is now 4months and we generally get woken up once now for tiddles! Annoyingly about 30mins-1hr before we get up, not good when you are someone who needs their sleep! 

We got Reggie at the beginning of the summer holidays, being a teacher I felt this was best so I could have the summer to train. He is doing fantastically and is very well behaved, although he does suffer separation anxiety!

He is crated in the kitchen, I spent the first three nights sleeping on the floor outside the crate, then I would wait until he had settled down and move to the sofa out of sight but close. I then opted for what I call the 'super nanny' approach that others have spoken about. I waited with my back to the crate until he had settled then very quietly moved away (our down fall was usually the creaky stairs!) if he whined I would back track a little and wait for him to settle again, never speaking to him! I gradually moved further away. We now put him to bed 30mins before we go so that he can settle down.

If he whines during the night I ignore him, if he barks I come down take him straight outside for tiddles and poops, I still do not talk to him. As its been getting colder I do have to help him outside (as sometimes he does not need or want to go!) so now he will not bark unless he really needs to go, he's not a big fan of cold wet grass!

My problem is that I am now back at work :0( and he is in the crate for up to 3 1/2 hrs, when in it he won't eat, play or sleep! Its killing me! I started to record him whilst I was out it went from barking for 2hrs solid and is now very slowly reducing. 

I know it will get better, just hoping my colleges and tutor group can put up with me talking about him all the time and dashing off early! 

I do have a problem with a non-smelling wet crate but shall post a topic about that!

Enjoy him, I am so in love with Reggie and never thought my husband would be such a soft touch and that I would have to wear the trousers when it comes to dog training!


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## Hugo_the_Viz (Sep 17, 2014)

Hi!
New to the forum and here because I need to be! We have had Hugo our vizsla since Saturday. He lost his mother at 4 weeks and has been with the breeders hand raised since so I think he's slightly more clingy! 
We have a crate and in all my dog years of having puppies never used one! But I pop Hugo in when I shower and my 3 kids who are 8,6 and 4 all talk to him and in his crate is a antler and chew and we tried the kong with peanut butter which was met with utter horror!!!

Because of how he's been raised I have slept with him in my bed,but have a blanket that he sleeps on in the day next to my bed and I transfer him to that but sooner rather than later he's back in my arms!This feels awfully like a child and I think well it will get better and they will sleep alone!!! 

During my school runs with the kids I leave him at home in my kitchen which is average size with his bed, toys, and chews and water and food, I have returned to him settled, eaten his food and no accidents.

He is quite house trained for almost 10 weeks. not my doing I might add!

I think it all depends on you and your life and how you can fit around your puppy I don't' want to have Hugo in our bed all night every night but right now to keep him and my house of little people sane I am doing it the way that suits us!


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