# Stubborn Vizsla



## IagainstI

I think I have the most stubborn Vizsla in the world. No matter how many times I correct her, praise her, scold her, or whatever she does not learn. She just continues to do what she wants. She knows what she is doing is wrong but she doesn't care. To use the saying from the famous Honey badger youtube video. Vizsla don't give a ****, Vizsla don't give a sh*t, it just takes what it wants!


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## Mischa

I felt like a honey-bager owner for about a month when we first got our dog.
Nothing I did got her to stop doing what she felt like doing. 

We hired a trainer to come into our home and work on specific issues, ie: what should she do while we eat (jumping at our plates just didn't seem right).
She had no focus on us at all, and anything we tried to correct her left us more and more frustrated.

Our trainer taught us how a calm person with almost complete silence, could get a dog to STOP and listen. 
Puppy classes were great for an intro to sit, down, stay etc... but we needed real help and found it.


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## IagainstI

She has been to puppy classes. She is now 10 months old and it seems to be getting worse than better


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## Mischa

Like I said, puppy classes are a good intro, but a trainer that will come to your home and teach you how to train a dog is what I recommend.

I'm sure you have a list of specific issues with your dog, and being able to watch a pro trainer transform your dog right before your eyes will give you the confidence to implement what it is they are teaching you.


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## datacan

Sorry you are having trouble with your V.



IagainstI said:


> I think I have the most stubborn Vizsla in the world. No matter how many times I correct her, praise her, scold her, or whatever she does not learn.


*Sorry, but mine was just as stubborn as yours*
Training aside consistency is the key to success with all dogs, but especially this kind. 
I very much agree with *Misha* a specialized trainer would help. 

=============

Without knowing specifics, I can only try and explain how I got my dog to mind. 
First, I got a nice large wire crate. I kept the dog inside the crate at all times as long as I could not supervise him 100%. All other times he was with me, everywhere. I mean if I went downstairs he came with and I went with him. We did everything together. I gave Sam enough exercise outside a puppy can take. I practiced commands in short sessions. I fed him accordingly with quality dog foods. I picked up after him every time he pooped. That way I could tell if he was sick or healthy (poop is a pretty good indicator of health)  
My best lead was a British style slip lead 4 foot long which I attached to my waist harness. You can customize and fit a prong collar and 4 foot soft lead or a longer lead outside. 
I have this one:
http://www.dogztore.ca/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=245

There are many others, just google "freeleash"
http://www.buddysys.com/
http://www.jactrac.ca/categories/Hemp-Hands-Free-Leash/
http://www.dogjogger.com/
http://www.larzequipment.com/hands_free_leash.html

I have learned to stay calm and especially patient at all times. 
Dogs are masters at body language and if you let them they will teach you lots about yourself and allow you into their world.
Oh and all dogs are opportunistic, that's how they survived for centuries. This is not specific to Vs.

My Sam is 11 months old intact male and he has improved every day a little bit. Now I can let him loose inside the house and he will not do damage, yes I still supervise him intensely.


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## Aimless1

IagainstI said:


> No matter how many times I correct her, praise her, scold her, or whatever she does not learn. She knows what she is doing is wrong


I was like this with my first dog. Thought it was all about forcing the dog what to do. Hard won experience taught me I was the problem, not the pup. What I was teaching was that the pup couldn't make me happy, no matter what it did. Your post oozed negativity.

Fast forward to my new pup. I only use a correction if he is doing something dangerous or undesirable. When we're working on behavior it's only praise when he is doing what we're after. Never a correction. Certainly won't hear "no". After all, I'm helping the pup decide to do something it doesn't want to do but will do in order to make me happy. Never train unless you can remain calm and give praise. If you become angry or upset, walk away. There's always another day.


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## INDRAJM

OK, I'm going to put my 2 cents in here. I"ve had Vizslas for 14 yrs. My 1st one is still alive and will be 14 in March. I've trained and trialed 2 in obedience, rally and agility.
A Vizsla has to be handled very carefully. You can't make or force a Vizsla to do anything they don't want to do. They will either shut down, dig their heels in and becom "stubborn" as you phrase it or have their spirit completely broken. They are very soft dogs and harsh corrections do not work with them. A Vizsla needs to feel like he/she is your partner and teammate. I achieved these results by using postive reinforcement such as clicker training and luring with food. I also play trained them. Vizslas get bored very quickly and I would have mine do something and then throw something for them and play. With my boy, Kaden, I only trained for a few minutes. That's all he could take. He earned his CD in 3 trials, CDX in 4 and was 3 snookers away from his CPE agility C-ATCH at the time of his death. He also had his RAE (advanced Excellent Rally) title. I'd find a good trainer who understands the Vizsla temperment and advocates postive training methods.
Your dog is not stubborn, she's just not going to be dominated or harshly corrected.


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## pippa31

I agree that getting a trainer to come to your house for one-to-one sessions will help you. We hired a trainer the second week we got Pippa. She came once a week for 6 weeks and now I email/call her when issues arise and she helps me problem-solve everything. It helped immensely. And now, even though we have just now entered the "teen years", I feel like I have the best dog in the world. 

Seriously. Get a trainer. One who is very knowledgeable about Vizslas and their temperament.


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## IagainstI

Hey everyone thank you for your feedback. I have read a lot of the literature on Vizslas and own Versatile Vizsla so I do not use harsh correction techniques. As for the the trainer I would love to find one with Vizsla experience, but I just do not think that is possible. I contacted a fellow vizsla owner in the city and said that there is no trainer who has experience with the breed in town. I have worked with her on clicker and treat training, but she only acts the way I want her to when she I have a treat. If she doesn't see a treat, she doesn't care.


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## INDRAJM

That's why you incorporate some play into your training and make the food treats more random. You have to keep her guessing as to when it might be coming. Always make sure that before you give her any food reward you praise and pet her profusley and then give it to her. Start making her do a few things before you give her a treat or encourage her to fetch something. I've found that Vizslas love play training. Be up and happy, encourging. Take the food off of your person and put it up. ask her to do something, help her or show her how to do it and then run happily with her to the food or toy and reward. This is how we wean our performance dogs off of food while in the ring.


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## threefsh

IagainstI said:


> If she doesn't see a treat, she doesn't care.


Sounds like your dog is outsmarting you! Riley has to do something for everything she wants. Go outside? Sit first. Eat food? Sit, leave it, okay! Water? Down! Play with a toy? Sit! The dog will quickly learn that obedience = getting good things (not necessarily treats). Oh, & you have to be more stubborn than they are. Follow through and don't give in if your dog doesn't listen.


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## Ozkar

I also know that both Ozkar and Astro went through a stubborn phase at 10 months. Astro is still in it slightly. It required a ramp up of discipline to solve it. Like threefsh said, reward for effort on everything you do. When mine start playing up, I just start ramping up the training again. The last few weeks I have just been doing some simple stuff each night. Come, sit, stay, drop, heel etc., all for random food rewards, then I played chase with the rope toy for 15 minutes as reward. 

I find whenever mine start to become a little unruly, it's usually as I have been a little lax and allowed them to step over the mark. I recreate the boundaries and they tend to start to listen again. 

Perhaps also try to make it work a little harder for it's dinner. Hand feed for a little while. See if the dog starts listening more then.

Good luck, I hope it works out for you, having an unruly V is no fun.


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## IagainstI

She can be a handful at times, but I love her more than anything.


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## polkan

It may be better if you post a specific example where things seem to go wrong. For example, pick an exercise you've tried to train that didn't work consistently and describe what you do/how you train.


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