# HELP - At breaking point with 1 year old Vizsla



## Hughesjd (Jan 5, 2022)

Hi there - looking for some guidance, help, anything. My family and I are almost at our breaking point with our 14 month old Female Vizsla (Libby), and we think we need to re-home her. We've had her since she was 8 weeks old, she was recently spayed and it's just been 1 year of chaos, and it's taken a toll. We have two young kids (3 and 5) which I think together is making a hard combination.

Our Vizsla is terrible with food - she steals food off counters, your plate, in your hand. We had a trainer come in. We did all the practice work with her - which she excelled at, but didn't stop her from stealing. So any meals, we have to put her in the crate for. 

She cannot sit still. We take her for hour long off leash hikes where she runs around like crazy - 3 times a week. She will rest for 1 -2 hours after, but that's it. If you are not watching her, she was get into anything and everything. We can't enjoy being home with the kids, because ALL of the attention has to be on the dog. In addition to our hikes, two other days she goes on 1.5 hour long hikes with a pack of dogs (they come pick her up, go hiking in the woods, and brings her back). Again - she'll rest for 1 -2 hours and then back to crazy mode. The only way we can do anything at home, is if she's in her crate, because we know she can't get into anything. And I mean, she'll will find anything to take - I've been really tough on putting our kids toys away, keeping temptation away, but she'll take a my dish towel off the stove if she can't find anything else. 

Lastly, if my kids are outside, she will go after their jackets, their hats. Just now playing in the snow, my kids came crying to come in because Libby jumped and took their hats and gloves right off of them. 

I am heartbroken even thinking about giving her up, because she is very loving with our kids, she cuddles, but everything else is just overwhelming to the point we're mentally and emotionally stressed and it's impacting our family too negatively. I know she's in her adolescence, just got spayed so we're dealing with a bit there, I just don't know if there will be any light at the end of this, where we can just enjoy her and not be stressed because of the dog. I'm almost in tears writing this, because I am not the person to give up on a dog, but there comes to a point where too much is being sacrificed. 

Any thoughts, words of wisdom? Has anyone re-homed a Vizsla before?


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## InTheNet (Jun 1, 2016)

Usually by 1 year they are fairly well settled in. ( we have had three/ currently 2 in our house)

When you say off leash exercise are you out in the woods/a field? Do you have a tracking collar that shows how many miles she has gone? Is she able to really run like a" crazy" dog?

Our 2 are run pretty much everyday and log 6-8 miles on their tracker. This is full speed running. About 2 hours in the field./ woods. They would go more but my wife is getting tired.

When they get home they usually "fight "with each other for 15-20 minutes then settle down for a nap.
Our first male was a real challenge . He was a monster on shark attacks, stealing gloves, hats, counter surfing. 
The counter surfing was never really resolved, but was better after he had eaten his food. But we had to keep an eye on him always.

Our 2nd V a petite female we got on a rehoming. She was 10 months old and her owners could not provide the time to keep her tired. She was resource guarding and knocking down their young kids and they reluctantly gave up.
My wife picked her up and when she got home grabbed our male and tracking collars and went for a run.

She has been perfect ever since.
(We do not have small children.)

I guess I do not have a real solution other than Lots more hard exercise every day.
A vizsla is a big commitment that even if you think you are prepared for , you are NOT! Not pointing a finger at you, just see this often. We thought we were prepared on our first, we were not.

We have started to look to add to the pack so keep us in mind
. We live on 30 acres with 5 under fence in S/E Michigan. Almost daily runs in the 6 parks we live near with miles of trail/woods/field/lakes/ river.

A good Vizsla is a tired Vizsla.


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## InTheNet (Jun 1, 2016)

Well after re-reading your post It sounds like she is getting a fair amount of exercise. The off leash running with the pack is great.

Maybe take a couple of days on a weekend and really let her run till she is worn out?


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## InTheNet (Jun 1, 2016)

If you are any where close bring her by. Our 2 will take on a run and tire her out.


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## Hughesjd (Jan 5, 2022)

InTheNet said:


> Usually by 1 year they are fairly well settled in. ( we have had three/ currently 2 in our house)
> 
> When you say off leash exercise are you out in the woods/a field? Do you have a tracking collar that shows how many miles she has gone? Is she able to really run like a" crazy" dog?
> 
> ...


Yeah, we thought we knew what we were getting ourselves into when we researched - but I guess like with kids, nothing really prepares you for the real thing! I do not want to give up on her, because she really is part of the family, and I don't even know what I'm looking to get out of posting here, but appreciate your response. 

For the off-leash, yes we're in the woods. We have a preserve by our house that has trails and so she's running like crazy, climbing on large rocks, there's a large open meadow that she's just all over, plus lots of ponds + hills. I'll look into the tracker, that's interesting and may be a fun way to set goals for her. 

I've thought about getting another dog (most likely not a Vizsla lol) but thought I may be crazy to think that of an option, knowing the state we're in with just 1!


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## InTheNet (Jun 1, 2016)

On the tracker we use the Garmin alpha with tracking and correction. The tracking is nice cause you can see where she is at all times . We have only had to use the correction feature a couple of times. When they have a coyote in sight verbal commands do nothing, a quick tickle breaks them out of their trance.
They are expensive, but if you ever see your beast gaining fast on a coyote running across a frozen lake it pays for itself.

Having 2 ?

Actually for us it is a lot easier than just one. Ours entertain each other and expend a good amount of energy "fighting"
You would swear they are killing each other with all the growling, bared teeth and posturing, but rarely is there a squeal of pain .


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

It appears Libby is getting plenty of exercise with off leash runs in the woods and fields. I'd say that is many times the #1 problem with these dogs is not enough exercise. Can't say that here.

That would lead me to believe that Libby needs a bit of a more assertive approach with correcting bad behaviors. By no means am I saying hitting or "punishing" etc. Consistent and meaningful corrections for bad behavior and tons of great rewards for good behavior is the key. It should be like a 20/80 split between corrections and rewards. We broke Ellie out of counter surfing by rewarding her when NOT surfing when food is out on the counter in the kitchen. We'd randomly look down on her and reward her with praise and a small training treat when all 4 paws were on the floor. Now when we start doing food stuff in the kitchen she runs in not to eye our food but to stand or sit nicely on her spot in the kitchen waiting for her random reward. Early on when she did surf, she'd get a firm scold (we say EHHH EHHH loudly) and a squirt of water from a spray bottle. We haven't had to do that for a long time now.

These dogs thrive on praise and reward markers for desired behavior. Always be praising for good behaviors with random treats (more in the beginning to set the framework). Consistently correct bad behaviors, maybe try a squirt bottle, etc. She will learn being good gets her praises and treats, and being bad gets her nothing but a correction which is totally not fun. Be consistent with it and you will see it click!

As for the stealing of hats and jumping/nipping at clothes, that is a tough one. We are still dealing with Ellie wanting to jump up and grab clothing. We have been pretty successful with redirection with "go get your toy". Whenever she starts that behavior , we say "get your toy!" and she'll go grab one of the dozens of toys around the house. When she has something in her mouth she is pacified and saves us from her mouth wanting to be on us!


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## Hughesjd (Jan 5, 2022)

Dan_A said:


> It appears Libby is getting plenty of exercise with off leash runs in the woods and fields. I'd say that is many times the #1 problem with these dogs is not enough exercise. Can't say that here.
> 
> That would lead me to believe that Libby needs a bit of a more assertive approach with correcting bad behaviors. By no means am I saying hitting or "punishing" etc. Consistent and meaningful corrections for bad behavior and tons of great rewards for good behavior is the key. It should be like a 20/80 split between corrections and rewards. We broke Ellie out of counter surfing by rewarding her when NOT surfing when food is out on the counter in the kitchen. We'd randomly look down on her and reward her with praise and a small training treat when all 4 paws were on the floor. Now when we start doing food stuff in the kitchen she runs in not to eye our food but to stand or sit nicely on her spot in the kitchen waiting for her random reward. Early on when she did surf, she'd get a firm scold (we say EHHH EHHH loudly) and a squirt of water from a spray bottle. We haven't had to do that for a long time now.
> 
> ...


The spray bottle is a good idea, I'll try that! I'm desperate - so appreciate the different ideas.


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## rchik43 (Apr 12, 2020)

Hughesjd said:


> Hi there - looking for some guidance, help, anything. My family and I are almost at our breaking point with our 14 month old Female Vizsla (Libby), and we think we need to re-home her. We've had her since she was 8 weeks old, she was recently spayed and it's just been 1 year of chaos, and it's taken a toll. We have two young kids (3 and 5) which I think together is making a hard combination.
> 
> Our Vizsla is terrible with food - she steals food off counters, your plate, in your hand. We had a trainer come in. We did all the practice work with her - which she excelled at, but didn't stop her from stealing. So any meals, we have to put her in the crate for.
> 
> ...


It looks like she is getting a lot of exercise. Free running etc. I agree with the previous post regarding the need for some corrections. One thing I would suggest is that , while off leash is great , I have experienced significant improvement with more structured leash walks . Make sure she is getting a lot of on leash too, because these on leash activities give enough opportunities for corrections via simple Leash pressure … if needed … leash pops etc. along with lot of positive reinforcement for good behavior , good response etc… it takes practice … but I think they do need on leash walks too. In my case I actually do probably weekdays 80 -90 percent on leash … rest off leash … I do weekends in the woods significantly off leash.


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## CanadianVizsla (Mar 5, 2021)

This sounds familiar for sure! Our Mo is now13mos old and we had a terrible time with him up on the counters and stealing the kids food. Nothing worked until I ordered the Pet Safe Pawz Away on Amazon and created a barrier around the kitchen island. It was an absolute game changer. I wish I had ordered it earlier!


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## Hughesjd (Jan 5, 2022)

CanadianVizsla said:


> This sounds familiar for sure! Our Mo is now13mos old and we had a terrible time with him up on the counters and stealing the kids food. Nothing worked until I ordered the Pet Safe Pawz Away on Amazon and created a barrier around the kitchen island. It was an absolute game changer. I wish I had ordered it earlier!


So I'm probably jinxing myself, but for the past 2 days Libby has been an angel, however I broke our the e-Collar to achieve this. It was definitely a last resort but it's working. I used the vibration mode and not the shock mode and just 1 vibrate, she's now getting it. I'm not sure why it took so long for me to think of this - she has an electric fence where it vibrates when she gets too close - she trained so quickly and doesn't leave the yard, ever. So the vibration seems (so far) to be doing the trick. Stealing hats and coats and getting too crazy will be the next adventure, but we have been able to eat meals for 2 days as family without crating her and food theft - I'll take any wins!


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## TaraW (Jan 12, 2022)

Hughesjd said:


> Hi there - looking for some guidance, help, anything. My family and I are almost at our breaking point with our 14 month old Female Vizsla (Libby), and we think we need to re-home her. We've had her since she was 8 weeks old, she was recently spayed and it's just been 1 year of chaos, and it's taken a toll. We have two young kids (3 and 5) which I think together is making a hard combination.
> 
> Our Vizsla is terrible with food - she steals food off counters, your plate, in your hand. We had a trainer come in. We did all the practice work with her - which she excelled at, but didn't stop her from stealing. So any meals, we have to put her in the crate for.
> 
> ...


Where are you located? We have a 12.5 year old female Vizsla and we are looking for a new family pet for her to live her last days with, and get acquainted with our family before our old sweet Gracie passes. We have 9 and 6 year old children who are very active.
We are in Tennessee. If you’re very interested in truly rehoming I would be interested.

thanks so much!


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## hipEchik (Apr 13, 2012)

Hughesjd said:


> Hi there - looking for some guidance, help, anything. My family and I are almost at our breaking point with our 14 month old Female Vizsla (Libby), and we think we need to re-home her. We've had her since she was 8 weeks old, she was recently spayed and it's just been 1 year of chaos, and it's taken a toll. We have two young kids (3 and 5) which I think together is making a hard combination.
> 
> Our Vizsla is terrible with food - she steals food off counters, your plate, in your hand. We had a trainer come in. We did all the practice work with her - which she excelled at, but didn't stop her from stealing. So any meals, we have to put her in the crate for.
> 
> ...


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## hipEchik (Apr 13, 2012)

This sounds so familiar to me. About 9 years ago I was in this very forum, at my wits end, with my rescued 8 month old Vizsla puppy. He was pretty wild. I was in tears and thought I'd have to "send him back". I stuck it out and he turned out to be the best dog. Our heart dog. And we sadly lost him at age 10 just 3 months ago. I will forever be grateful to the members of this forum for the advice and encouragement that first rough year. And it was rough. For the counter surfing and other behavior, we used a spray bottle of water, which he HATED. We sprayed him right in the face. He learned fast. It's not so demeaning that they will hate you forever for it, but it is enough to correct them and prevent the counter surfing and other naughty type behavior. He only ever really learned one command, but it was an important one, and it was SIT. And we used it for everything. If he was too excited, SIT. If he was bad SIT. Whatever it was, we made him SIT and then praised and treated him for doing so. He was a crazy Vizsla and really anxious so that SIT command came in handy more times than I can say. It allowed him to calm down and listen to us as we praised and treated him. He was never crate trained because by eight months, it was too late. I'm not sure why you are averse to putting Libby in the crate when you eat and not sure that's a problem. But then, I don't have enough experience with crates to know either way. We always ran him, and now his brother, at least once a day off leash, and then another walk or two per day. They need to be tired. Especially true when they are so young. Also, when our Scout (RIP) was neutered, he calmed down almost immediately. You say that your Libby was recently spayed, but I wonder how recently? She may calm down yet from that. It took us a LOT of work and patience and a few trainers, and that spray bottle, and by the time he was two, we rescued another 8 month old (who is now almost 8). And we're looking for a Vizsla puppy now too. However, I don't have small kids. I cannot tell you what is right for you, the family, and the dog, but I'd hate for you to have regrets. May want to increase the exercise, add a spray bottle, bring another trainer in, and see if some time post spaying helps before you re home. If you do decide to re home, I suggest a Vizsla rescue. It's where we got our first monster and for that we are forever grateful. Good luck!


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## AbeeV (Mar 9, 2019)

Hi. We definitely went through similar trials and tribulations with Abee. If you read the posss on here you’ll see you’re not the Lone Ranger here. And that may not be much comfort. But having read different books on dog behavior (including the Dog Whisperer’s book) and having taken Abee to training, some of the training eventually stuck and she learned some boundaries. Not perfect, but we didn’t re-home her and when she’s not nuts, she’s a joy. A Velcro joy to be sure.
The one piece of advice I can share (echoed by many here) is this: a tired Vizsla is a better behaved Vizsla.
So if you can get her a long walk and exercise _every_ day that may yield dividends. It’s more time you may not have but I’ve found that when Abee’s at her most obnoxious is when she hasn’t been exhausted by play.
The other thing is - she wants your love more than anyrlthing. So if you express disapproval at counter-surfing or clothes grabbing with a negative sound like “uh uh uh” and turn your back on her, she will get the message that you’re disapproving. Conversely, when you say leave it and she gets off the counter, you praise her and give her an approved treat. Put something she likes on the counter and practice the leave it. Drop something she likes and when she goes for it, make the sound and cover it with your foot. treat. Put something she likes on the counter and practice the leave it. When she doesn’t lunge, praise and reward. Vs often are very smart but stubborn. L Eventually consistent, repeated training pays off, at least that’s the theory. 
having gotten through the sharkies and zoomies, you’re almost at “regular Velcro dog.” So I hope you don’t give up!


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## Red dog lovers (Nov 30, 2021)

Hughesjd said:


> Hi there - looking for some guidance, help, anything. My family and I are almost at our breaking point with our 14 month old Female Vizsla (Libby), and we think we need to re-home her. We've had her since she was 8 weeks old, she was recently spayed and it's just been 1 year of chaos, and it's taken a toll. We have two young kids (3 and 5) which I think together is making a hard combination.
> 
> Our Vizsla is terrible with food - she steals food off counters, your plate, in your hand. We had a trainer come in. We did all the practice work with her - which she excelled at, but didn't stop her from stealing. So any meals, we have to put her in the crate for.
> 
> ...


I feel for you, it can be tough with kids but well worth it. We are on our forth V, have two in home now, a female that is just SO sweet and a young male 7 months. We only have 2.5 acres but it does the trick, the two play like made dogs, like the other person said it sounds like they are hurting each other. But NOT! A V was the first dog we had when we got married, and we love him but he was something else, we were in out 1st home with a decent fenced in back yard. But he had so much energy. And got into things, he even chewed his way half way though a door. We were young and not the beat, we took him to our vet and our vet suggested a four legged friend, lol for him. After about two weeks of them working things out, it was the beat thing we did. They were that beat of friends and played like crazy even tho the second one was a rescue. It would like you are doing every thing you can. Whatever you do I am sure by reading your post that you will do the best for him. Best of luck, and enjoy those kids with your 4 legged family as the time goes by too fast. Best wishes. D


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## Kpl (Aug 30, 2020)

I frequently wondered if we should rehome our dog between the ages of 3 months-16 months! The most effective thing we did with our V (now 21 month old male) is squirt him with the squirt bottle! Like others have said, it was the cure for counter surfing and other negative behaviors. Now, if you give him a verbal correction (I use an "uh-uh" sound) and pick up the squirt bottle, he squints his eyes and stops whatever he's doing. We never have to use it anymore. Like others said, they thrive on praise, so when your dog does what you ask, or is just being good in general, give her loads of positive reinforcement. 
Sounds like your dog is getting enough exercise, but I would also echo what someone else said, leashed walks are important. In fact, my V was difficult - a typical Vizsla. We live on only an acre, in a neighborhood, and he has a very large fenced yard. His daily excerise is only a three mile jog/walk with me (leashed) every morning, and two afternoon running play sessions of about 20 minutes in the woods or yard (off-lead). That's a LOT less than other people are able to give their dogs, but we both work all day. On the days when both of us are in the office, he goes to the local doggie day care and gets 6 hours of full-time play with other dogs. He is a very well behaved V now, and has adapted to this routine quite well. They definitely need exercise, but don't necessarily need 3 hours of running every day. The leashed walk/run is an important opportunity to train and socialize. 
E collar worked well for us also when it came to barking at golfers (we live on a golf course). Just the vibration was all we needed. I plan on using it to work with him on off-lead recall, and I bet I'll never need to use more than the warning beep. 
If I didn't already have two senior little dogs, I'd definitely get him a playmate. That's what I feel he is missing- a wrestling partner! He tries to wrestle my teenaged son but he's all teeth- not a fun game! 
One last thing- we neutered our dog at 18 months, for a few reasons- so that he could go back to the play group which banishes un-neutered dogs at 7 months, and also because he was "challenging" me when I would correct him- something he started doing at about 13 months. His attitude was becoming more assertive and defiant. We are now 3 months post neuter, and he's sooo much better. He never has that "I want to fight you" attitude, and still has great energy. 
Good luck! I feel your pain.


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## Gidget (Jan 6, 2010)

Oh my! Your Libby sounds just like our Bonnie Bo. Bo is our second Vizsla and has been a huge challenge compared to our first. Bo is now almost 1 1/2 years and is full of it. Steals socks, dish towels, gloves, basically anything that she can get a hold of. She does it for attention and wants us to play keep away with her which we refuse to do. Also a relentless counter surfer. Thanks Canadianvizsla for the tip of pet safe paws away. We’re going to try it!
We make sure that she gets plenty of exercise, 1 1/2 hrs of daily off leash runs through the woods and fields as well as runs with a friend’s Vizsla as often as we can. Bo is intense but she has definitely chilled a little since hitting the 18 month mark. So give your Libby a little more time..there’s hope! When Bo lunges, jumps and gets mouthy we tell her to go get her toys and she does which seems to satisfy her. As far as meal time, we have established a “ place “ for Bo to go to so that we can eat in peace. Her “place” is a cave bed. When it’s time for us to eat we tell her to go to “place “ and for the most part she stays there until we release her. If she’s being particularly defiant, we have used a leash at “place”. We also use an e collar which has been helpful especially when she gets overbearing and belligerent. As I said before, our Bo is getting a little easier with age and we really do love her. She is comical and makes us laugh. Couldn’t imagine our life without her!
I do understand the challenges of having small children and a rambunctious Vizsla. Our children were young when we had our first Vizsla. 
I think with consistent training, enough exercise and time, Libby will turn into the dog that you’re hoping for.


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## GusP (Sep 5, 2021)

Hughesjd said:


> Hi there - looking for some guidance, help, anything. My family and I are almost at our breaking point with our 14 month old Female Vizsla (Libby), and we think we need to re-home her. We've had her since she was 8 weeks old, she was recently spayed and it's just been 1 year of chaos, and it's taken a toll. We have two young kids (3 and 5) which I think together is making a hard combination.
> 
> Our Vizsla is terrible with food - she steals food off counters, your plate, in your hand. We had a trainer come in. We did all the practice work with her - which she excelled at, but didn't stop her from stealing. So any meals, we have to put her in the crate for.
> 
> ...


 We've had 3 since 1999 & believe we understand the breed. They are an active hunt breed with some "very" active which is part of their DNA. The walks & interactions sound good and perhaps try more. We've found using a high quality beep/shock collar wirks great for changing behaviors. Viszlas are sensitive dogs so we only use vibration/berp feature. If this foesn't work, suggest finding a home where much hunting is done.


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## samsmom (Nov 16, 2009)

InTheNet said:


> Usually by 1 year they are fairly well settled in. ( we have had three/ currently 2 in our house)
> 
> When you say off leash exercise are you out in the woods/a field? Do you have a tracking collar that shows how many miles she has gone? Is she able to really run like a" crazy" dog?
> 
> ...


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## samsmom (Nov 16, 2009)

We got Samantha as as a pup - 8 weeks- I cried every day because she was such a handful. I wanted to send her back because it was awful. after a year and training she became fabulous! Fast forward12 years- I love her more 
than me or my husband. Please do not give up on Libby.


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## Evmiller1 (12 mo ago)

I can absolutely relate to this, our 11 month old Vizsla is displaying some similar behaviors and we have often been in tears wondering what em we’ve done, it’s been a stressful time! We have changed a few things up and found it helpful, so I hope these may help you too. In terms of the exercise, we found we were over exercising him which was leading to difficult behaviour. Now we take him out three times a day but for shorter stints, he gets 30 mins in the morning, an hour at lunch and another 30 mins in evening as well as some training in the afternoon and this seems to be enough and he sleeps. We implemented some ‘settle’ training, started by putting his lead on, leading him to his bed and saying “settle”, keeping the lead short. When he would lay down and exhale he would get a treat and “good settle”. This helped a lot and we found when he was being overactive and stealing shoes etc we would settle him and he would often go off to sleep. 
Our boy also steals hats/gloves, our trainer has said he needs to have something in his mouth that hangs (resembles dead animal) as a ball can feel odd in his mouth. So we have a fluffy octopus whose legs hang down. When he starts jumping/mouthing we make him sit and hand him the toy. Also good to use for some ‘stay’ and sniffing out training in the park.
I hope you get some help here and that things improve, but it’s good to identify when things aren’t working for your family and doing what is best for you. Good luck! 



Hughesjd said:


> Hughesjd said:
> 
> 
> > Hi there - looking for some guidance, help, anything. My family and I are almost at our breaking point with our 14 month old Female Vizsla (Libby), and we think we need to re-home her. We've had her since she was 8 weeks old, she was recently spayed and it's just been 1 year of chaos, and it's taken a toll. We have two young kids (3 and 5) which I think together is making a hard combination.
> ...


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## Bradley (Dec 7, 2021)

We are on V’s #3 & #4, who are sisters, just like our first 2. We are very pleased that we got 2 because much of the attention pressure you described is to be expected and since there is another beastie handy, they pour all that energy into each other. That may not be feasible for everyone, so keep that knowledge in mind as you unravel specific issues.

It is essential to remember that dogs are pack animals whose social framework is based upon a hierarchy. If your dog is challenging you, then in her mind she does not see you (and very other human in your home for that matter) as alpha and she is challenging you for that position — in her mind, the survival of her pack depends on clear leadership. Please do not confuse leadership with harsh treatment; a successful alpha consistently sets the boundaries and guides the beasties in a predictable way back to the right path with much more positive reinforcement than negative reinforcement. V’s are happiest when they know the have pleased you.

From your comments, it sounds like your pup sees your kids as competition for your love, praise, and attention, and is therefore subtly trying to establish a pecking order with the kids. It is okay and good to establish that your pup is the last in the pecking order of your family, but that needs to be achieved without breaking the dog’s self-esteem. I suggest that you simply make it a daily, every time task for your kids to work together and eventually take turns feeding the dog. In the pack, food is shared from the top down, so once the dog understands that the kids are passing food down to her, she will stop with the challenges and in time she will take important commands from them.

If the food stealing is a problem for you, then you will have to make a choice for the sake of clear messaging to the dog: DO NOT give or allow her to eat human food at all without exception, period. If that is too hard for you, then you will have to tolerate her becoming confused about the complexities of when and why she can sometimes have it, but get corrected at others times. Personally, I think the sometimes path is unfair to the animal.

The underlying theme to my comments is “Clarity of messaging,” and that ultimately is about the humans and not the dogs. In the pack, the alpha role is a high stress position, but deep down dogs know in their genes that without strong leadership, the pack will not survive, so when they are challenging you they are actually trying to shake out who is going to take the alpha role on. If you keep your position as alpha clear, then the dog will eventually relax knowing that someone else is leading the pack. Lastly, V’s seem to like boundaries but not rails so much.


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## beccamomoffour (Jan 24, 2021)

Hey! I just wanted to put in my 2 cents because I feel for you. We got our vizsla 4 months ago and I have. 6 year old, 5 year old, 3 year old, and 1 year old. I did so much research before getting him and nothing could have prepared me. I was all about positive reinforcement training only, until I finally started researching e collars and read soooo much about them. I just recently introduced it and I can’t explain the life changer it is. I haven’t even used it yet for corrective behavior- just training him with it. It’s like for the first time, we have consistent communication. He loves it, I love it, and our life has changed. I saw you got yours out and I’m hoping it helps. Don’t immediately use for corrective behaviors.


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## FrancoD13 (Aug 9, 2012)

Same issues here. I’ll echo the thoughts on it seems like she gets enough physical exercise. We have done a lot of mental exercises and incorporated my kids into that (ages 7 and 5). They put the dog into his crate, give him a treat for listening then hide treats nearby. Then they let him “find it”. They do this for 15 mins and you can noticeably see his energy come down. Getting closer to the kids hiding and the dog finding them. Double bonus is the dog gets interaction and I don’t have to play hide and seek. 
We tether him to a door at meal times right near the table. The kids or I will toss him a treat sporadically while he is tethered. Also, we tether him near the kids when they are playing and give them some treats to give him every now and then. the more we have the kids playing with him the better the day seems to go.
Lastly, to encourage boundaries, we use a zap mat. A small 4 foot mat with a battery that we use to give the kids a no dog area. The kids make a mess, but we don’t have to worry about the dog getting their toys because the mat deters him from going in (similar to an e-collar).
But it is hard. I essentially have three kids and none really listen to me, but I find enjoyment where I can. It will get better. This is our 2nd V and they are the only dog I’ll ever have.


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## CatskillsDogMom (10 mo ago)

Hughesjd said:


> Hi there - looking for some guidance, help, anything. My family and I are almost at our breaking point with our 14 month old Female Vizsla (Libby), and we think we need to re-home her. We've had her since she was 8 weeks old, she was recently spayed and it's just been 1 year of chaos, and it's taken a toll. We have two young kids (3 and 5) which I think together is making a hard combination.
> 
> Our Vizsla is terrible with food - she steals food off counters, your plate, in your hand. We had a trainer come in. We did all the practice work with her - which she excelled at, but didn't stop her from stealing. So any meals, we have to put her in the crate for.
> 
> ...


Consider a behaviorist, if you haven’t already. Not sure where you live, but if you are in the North East, I can provide a reco. Also, training tires out a v more than exercise. They are bright and need to be challenged. 45 min of Agility tires my dogs out far more than a six mile hike.


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