# Puppy Help!!!!



## zelda5 (Nov 30, 2015)

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and I cannot tell you how much reading I have done over the past two months, it has been an immense help!

We currently have a 16 week old Vizsla pup who we absolutely adore. This is our first Vizsla and we fell in love with the breed after we saw how much joy it brought to our friends lives so we wanted one also. The night time snuggles and affection he gives us is just adorable beyond words, however he is really testing our patience and our sanity right now! When we first got him he was just like any ordinary puppy except a lot more energetic then I have seen in any other breeds. We have enrolled him in puppy school which in the beginning was hard for him to settle as he would bark and carry on but slowly he is getting used to the other dogs around him.

Our main issues right now are excessive barking and severe separation anxiety. We have never really left him alone for long periods and during his first 8 weeks with us he was probably alone all of 2 hours by himself so we made sure he had a loving and safe start to his life. However last week we left him alone in the backyard for a few hours during the day whilst we had to go out. He has a kennel which he loves, toys, treats scattered, plenty of water and food and a decent sized yard where he likes to play. But as soon as we left he was howling and barking at the door, we didn't make a big deal of leaving him and just acted like normal so he didn't suspect anything. We set up a little camera so we could keep an eye on him whilst out and we found that he jumped up on the table, knocked over chairs, was trying to get through the door to go inside or to get up high for some reason and he howled the whole time we were gone! This isn't the only time he's shown such bad anxiety, we literally can't do anything without him at our feet wanting attention. We can't eat, shower, go to the toilet without him barking and howling. If he is sleeping in his crate and realises no one is there he wakes up and howls like he is being tortured (he loves his crate and goes there to sleep on his own). When we are at the table eating (we give his food at the same time so he feels part of it or a kong toy to keep him distracted) he will eat his food then jump up on us and bark and bark and wont let us eat in peace. It has come to the point where everyone is just exhausted and frustrated. We know he is a puppy and in particular this breed takes a lot of patience and work but we just need some help to improve this situation, does it every get better??? He gets lots of exercise (not more than a puppy should though) and play time. We are with him constantly and I take him on daily walks. Please help, we don't know what to do we have tried being firm with him he just doesn't listen. He bites a lot too if he doesn't get what he wants. Any feedback would be helpful!


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## organicthoughts (Oct 9, 2012)

A pup that young needs to be crated when you aren't home. By setting him up to succeed, he will be less anxious and howl less over time.

Everyone has their own method to crate train.... this is what I did: I would crate my dog when he was tired and I would estimate how long he would sleep for. I would then come home and open the crate before he would wake up so he didn't have a chance to howl. Over a few days and weeks without the negative experience of him being anxious, he had totally accepted the crate and had no issues being left alone.

Pups need to be eased into things. He will make mistakes and so will you. Give him and yourself a break, it sounds like you are doing great so far. He doesn't need so much freedom right now and can get hurt or worse if you leave him unattended outside of his crate. Boundaries are key!!!!

Keep up with things and you guys will find your stride in no time.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I don't think your pup has separation anxiety.
He just hasn't learned to settle on his own. Its something we have to slowly teach them, and they sure don't like the idea while learning it. They are so cute and cuddly, and we want to be with them every waking moment. But they get to where they sleep less, and we realize we can't spend 24/7 entertaining a puppy. The more we try and please them, the more demanding they get.
Try and make his crate a happy place. Put his favorite treats, and chews in with him. Leave the door open when you can have eyes on him. Play and tire him. Then if you need to do something (shower, clean, cook) put him in the crate. He's gonna howl, but 20 -30 minutes here, and there aren't going to hurt him. He will learn your are going to come back and let him out.


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## zelda5 (Nov 30, 2015)

Thanks so much organicthoughts and TexasRed for your replies, I will definitely take them on board! its nice to know we are headed in the right direction. He has access to his crate most of the time which he goes in and out by himself when he gets sleepy or sometimes has a play in there with his toys. however whilst we are not home we cant leave him inside unsupervised as we also have a cat who is rather stubborn and has not taken a liking to the pup whatsoever which makes it a bit difficult at the moment until our pup matures, other than that he loves being outside and I find that if he's inside too much he goes a little crazy! I just hope he starts to learn that we haven't abandoned him and starts learning to be on his own for short periods while we have to work or run errands etc without the constant howling  .. night time is getting a lot easier now however, he sleeps right through with 1 max 2 toilet breaks which is great! so fingers crossed things keep improving!


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## susanmazz (Nov 19, 2012)

We are on our 3rd Vizsla and like to think we are smarter and stronger this time around! Our "Louie" is 15 weeks old and we are very strict with the crate. He gets a TON of exercise during the day since we live across the street from a huge dog friendly park AND my husband works from home. Our pup goes in the crate at 7PM and sleeps until 7AM - every day without question. The crate is in our bedroom and 2e have lots of blankets in the crate and cover it with a sheet when he is in it. When he is free in our condo we can see him at all times - we even take him into the bathroom and shut the door while showering if needed. Bottom line, the more exercise they get the better off everyone is - I know it can be exhausting in the beginning ! It will get better.


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## emilycn (Jul 30, 2013)

TR that was actually a really great point that I hadn't considered before... perhaps a new "reference" thread on separation anxiety versus learning to settle (like what each is, how they are different, and the different approaches each requires)?


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## Oyster (Mar 7, 2016)

By no means am I knowledgeable but I can share my experience here. My pup did the same thing - the howling was crazy every time I left her for any period of time. Trainer said let her cry it out. Well, the problem is that she also needed to pee every 90 min and potty training is #1 and crate training is a close second, so how to distinguish between "when I howl, the guy comes to let me out" and "the guy came to let me out so he didn't have to clean up a messy crate". The trainer I was working with eventually escalated me to the squirt bottle... So she howls for a while... then I show up, but... I squirt her in the face with water. Pretty heartbreaking, but she had me at wit's end so I did it twice, and it was just DONE. A couple of times I've taken the squirt bottle out and put it on the table. She gets it.


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