# HELP - going through a difficult phase



## Vinny155 (Nov 4, 2021)

I think I'm just writing this for reassurance and support from other owners but I'm personally going through a love/hate phase with our V. He is 6 months and being very challenging, things that used to work well for us are now not going so well. 
I work from home so from bringing Vinny home at 8 weeks I have crated him during my work hours to build his independence as we were very aware of separation anxiety etc. Initially I would leave him for short bursts and build up the time as he grew, to the point where I could leave him from morning to lunchtime, then after lunch to when my partner got home and it worked great for us. 
However my partner is now working long nightshifts and sleeping through the day, we barely even see each other for an hour and he's up and off to work again so I have full responsibility of Vinny. He has started barking alot through the day where he never used to and obviously I have to try quieten him as to let my partner sleep for his nightshift. I'm not sure why he has suddenly started whining and barking a lot more where he used to be very happily settled in his crate. I have tried having him beside me whilst I work with chews and toys for him but he quickly gets bored and starts chewing things around the room or trying to get my attention. I would love for him to be beside me as I love the company of a dog, but it just doesn't go smoothly yet. 

I spend a good hour with Vinny in the morning, training and playing, then we go out a walk and play at lunchtime and then another walk in the evening and he is with me the rest of the night until his bed so he is well exercised for his age and gets a lot of engagement. However he is barking at me a lot and biting as if out of frustration at times and I dont know why, I feel like we do not have a good bond at the moment and it has brought me to tears at times as Im trying to juggle all this whilst my partner is working nights and I am also trying to work a full time job from home. 

I had to leave the house last night to get the food shopping and when i returned I could hear him whining from the driveway. Has he developed signs of separation anxiety? Or is this his age and sometimes things change suddenly? 

He is great after he gets a good run around or play with other dogs, but we are still working on recall so therefore when I am out myself with him I am wary letting him run to much away from me but I feel maybe this is what he needs to get out some of that built up energy and frustration. 

Sorry a LOT of things going on in this post but we are first time V owners and this puppy phase is definitely a challenge! Any help or just general reassurance that this will pass would be much appreciated.


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## A-arons Kodster (Sep 2, 2018)

Who has the dog bonded with the most?

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## Vinny155 (Nov 4, 2021)

A-arons Kodster said:


> Who has the dog bonded with the most?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Its hard to tell, I would say he follows me around more but I am the feeder, I am with him more even when my partner works normal dayshifts, I walk him most often, take him to his training classes etc. But I am also the one who has to tell him off more, put him into his crate for timeout.
Whereas when he sees my partner its always for fun, he misses him when he leaves for work and gets more excited to see him when he comes home. I dont leave much so dont get to see this side therefore I would say my partner.


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## A-arons Kodster (Sep 2, 2018)

Vinny155 said:


> Its hard to tell, I would say he follows me around more but I am the feeder, I am with him more even when my partner works normal dayshifts, I walk him most often, take him to his training classes etc. But I am also the one who has to tell him off more, put him into his crate for timeout.
> Whereas when he sees my partner its always for fun, he misses him when he leaves for work and gets more excited to see him when he comes home. I dont leave much so dont get to see this side therefore I would say my partner.


When your in a room together with the dog and your partner....who does he lay or sit by? 

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## Vinny155 (Nov 4, 2021)

A-arons Kodster said:


> When your in a room together with the dog and your partner....who does he lay or sit by?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Goes between us both but if I leave the room he sits by the door until I return.


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## A-arons Kodster (Sep 2, 2018)

Vinny155 said:


> Goes between us both but if I leave the room he sits by the door until I return.


Then I would say he has chosen you. Vizlas are like small children. Wanna be with you or near you whenever possible. My Kody is a little spoiled... he sleeps in his snoozer cave in our room most of the time and we do not crate him. When we leave he is in a bedroom with free reign and his snoozer cave on to bed to look out the window. We have a camera in the room with him so we can talk to him or monitor him. He is smart enough to hear the garage door open or the sound of my vehicle hitting the block due to its sport exhaust. He does still bark at the occasional passerby that has a dog with them. But only for a quick second. Then he continues waiting patiently for us to return 90% of the time. He does get separation anxiety ever once in a while.. its just a nature of the beast i think and if he does he can just bark it out or chew on toys we leave for him. He gas gotten better with age....he is 4 now. So hopefully you will see him get better with age like we have. Out of all the dogs I've grown up and old with the Vizla is by far the Best period. Enjoy him....praise him....love him even through tough times. Don't give up on him! He will never give up on you!

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## Gabica (Jan 20, 2018)

6 month is generally a change mark for them and the added change in your household probably makes it more difficult.

when you say walks, are this off leash walks where he can run at his own rhythm or leashed ones? the reason i am asking is that that is usually the mark where i have seen with my boys and increased need for off leash runs. and yes, at the same time recall is an issue at this age, making the situation more challenging. i remember having a 30 foot long leash on Bende between 6 and 12 months of age to help him remember what recall means, yet he often ended up in ice cold lakes chasing ducks and geese etc... this is also the age you may want to see some structured training in a training class, to get his mind more engaged. or of course hunting, if you have that opportunity.


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## PhilipL (Sep 28, 2018)

Sounds a bit like the 'teenager' Vizsla stage too, where they all try it on with you and suddenly don't obey and will test you. We went through this stage when around 6 to 7 months old and it lasted a few weeks, that combined in your case with changes to previously set routine that may be having an impact also. If like our boy Vizsla he will settle down again, but it is challenging for a while after a long period of good behaviour. What Gabica says about exercise too is spot on, for our boy only off leash activity tired him enough as he had so much energy from 6 months onwards. Recall can be challenging throughout this stage. It does and will get better, the teenager rebellious stage will pass.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

It’s a age where they don’t require as much rest as they did as a puppy. They also get bolder, and test rules. It’s a normal stage of growing up. The good thing, is it’s a good age for them to start learning more. So classes, or even pick up some books on teaching tricks to keep his mind occupied. Take him new places with you, and make sure he gets in enough exercise.


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## Vinny155 (Nov 4, 2021)

A-arons Kodster said:


> My Kody is a little spoiled


Its great to hear Kody's routine, they totally deserve to be a little spoiled. they are a member of the family after all! thank you, I'm hoping everything will come together eventually, patience is definitely key and has been testing it a lot lately! but I do love the bones off him when hes good! 



Gabica said:


> are this off leash walks where he can run at his own rhythm or leashed ones?


They are mostly leashed unless i know we are in an enclosed space (booked dog fields etc.) however I have been building it up lately with a long line in places we have been before and today at the park he was great. we played fetch for a good half hour and i let him run around then another dog turned up and he played really well, recall was much better too I was honestly so proud of him. I think I really needed that today! Recall is my main priority the now as its amazing to see him running and just loving life. and from what yourself and others are saying they defo need this, so hopefully we can keep at it and I will gain the confidence to have him off leash more often. 



Gabica said:


> this is also the age you may want to see some structured training in a training class


Thank you! we have just finished an initial 8 week block at puppy school, it was a challenging class with so many distractions but I learned so much from it aswell as Vinny, we are looking into our next block or what we could go to next. 



PhilipL said:


> Recall can be challenging throughout this stage. It does and will get better, the teenager rebellious stage will pass.


Thank you, that's reassuring it will get better with time. The now my stomach drops whenever I think he's about to take off. I know there will be alot of these times in the near future haha.


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

I would absolutely focus on off-leash training (recall, over-hear, stay/wait,etc) and activities. I learned from this forum to use long lines and eventually graduated to an e-collar. If you can give him ~45min or more a day of off-leash romping where he can do his thing whilst you always maintain control, you will start to see the destructive/barking/unwanted attention seeking behavior diminish as he will be satisfied with his "work" done for the day. Try to keep a consistent schedule for activities. While not mandatory, they are very good at telling time and it helps.

Around lunchtime, which is my normal time to take Ellie to the woods, she starts looking for my attention. She'll stare at me, put her head on my leg, act playful trying to coax me up from my desk, etc. After her romp in the woods either solo or with her friend, she is satisfied the rest of the day to be home. She'll relax while I work, take a nap, etc. Then later in the afternoon she'll have a second burst of energy which me and my daughter play inside games with her. Then she is a nice calm sleepy dog the rest of the evening.


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## Vinny155 (Nov 4, 2021)

Dan_A said:


> I would absolutely focus on off-leash training (recall, over-hear, stay/wait,etc) and activities. I learned from this forum to use long lines and eventually graduated to an e-collar. If you can give him ~45min or more a day of off-leash romping where he can do his thing whilst you always maintain control, you will start to see the destructive/barking/unwanted attention seeking behavior diminish as he will be satisfied with his "work" done for the day. Try to keep a consistent schedule for activities. While not mandatory, they are very good at telling time and it helps.
> 
> Around lunchtime, which is my normal time to take Ellie to the woods, she starts looking for my attention. She'll stare at me, put her head on my leg, act playful trying to coax me up from my desk, etc. After her romp in the woods either solo or with her friend, she is satisfied the rest of the day to be home. She'll relax while I work, take a nap, etc. Then later in the afternoon she'll have a second burst of energy which me and my daughter play inside games with her. Then she is a nice calm sleepy dog the rest of the evening.


Thank you! I definitely seen a difference in his behaviour yesterday after allowing him some run around time and play at lunchtime compared to his leashed walk at night (since its dark and we have to stick to lit streets). On returning from the leashed walk he still wanted to zoom around the back garden. 
Will keep working on recall and work on the off-leash as it definitely did leave him more satisfied  
After this meltdown post yesterday morning, we had a great day yesterday and I'm very proud of him. Hopefully we find a good routine that works for the whole household soon!


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## holiwalk (Aug 24, 2021)

I have a nearly 6 month V cross. I work 4 days a week (from home). The days I work, our pup gets m less walks (still plenty in my opinion!) and those days he is ALOT more unsettled. I mean, I manage to get on with my work but he is just mischievous, digging garden up, chewing sticks to bits under the table where I work etc.

the darker nights are stealing away opportunity for walks aswell which isn’t helping!

when I’m off work and I can spend more time with him, he’s the dream pup!

I’m sure they will soon settle with the routines, but my advise would be to try and up the exercise if possible! A tired dog is happy dog (within reason!


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