# Letting Henna roam the house without it being torn apart.



## Zaidat (Jan 14, 2014)

We have been kennel training successfully since we got her. We also had her restricted to the living room when she is out of e kennel, Now she is seven months old and I want her to be able to start exploring more of the first floor. 

What usually happens is I will let her out of the kennel to go potty outside. I bring her in...And she goes wild. She grabs ahold of anything in her reach, drags stuff off of tables, bounces off the couches and chairs, and acts like a complete basket case. The only time she is calm is when she is sitting on the couch with someone. 

Is it too much to dream of her sitting in the kitchen with me, watching me cook, without wanting to jump on the countertops or drag whatever I am cooking off the counter?

Another thing she does is that she gets really excited and will start peeing while she is zooming around, even if I have just taken her out for a potty break.

It has become frustrating to the point that she is in her kennel whenever she is not being walked or sitting on the couch with us.

I need help. I don't want her to feel like she is in jail all the time.


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

While it may be easiest to kennel her when she's not being directly supervised, you are not doing her or yourself any favors. 1) She needs to be exposed to situations and be taught the proper way to behave. 2) She needs to be more mentally and physically stimulated than being a kennel promotes. 

She's going wild when you first let her out because she's excited and has pent up energy from being in her kennel. Ruby used to do this all the time around your pup's age. We started encouraging "zoomies" in the backyard before we let her inside. This helps get some of that energy out. Basically we just pretended like we were going to chase her and she would go crazy and do laps around the backyard. Once she was good and tired (5 minutes?) she was MUCH calmer when we brought her in. 

When you're in the kitchen cooking I would bring a dog bed into the kitchen and place it near you. Give her a chew toy or something else to entertain her. Put her leash on and tie it to something nearby so that she can't leave the dog bed.

Hope this helps some!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

> we just pretended like we were going to chase her and she would go crazy and do laps around the backyard


While I would not play that game because they like it too much, and it could backfire on you when working on recall.
The concept of having fun with her, and letting her get out some energy before coming back in the house is a good advice.

She will never learn house manners while sitting in the crate.
She will have to be out with you to work on them.
A lot of things tire a dog out mentally, after a brief run. 
Walking at heel around the neighborhood is a good one.


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## Zaidat (Jan 14, 2014)

We have tried a lot of these things. Her nickname is Basket Case and I wonder if all Vizslas are like this. Even after a day at the park running in circles, we come home and she just wants to continue the circles in the house. I have a leash that I keep tied to a bannister that I put her on. I will keep working on it. 

I know she is still young so hoping it gets better with age.

I looked into obedience training classes that we can take together. I have taught her a lot of the basics, but she gets so wound up that she does not listen half the time.


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## mommaofalot (Apr 10, 2014)

I have posted this before but think its fitting... watch this video of a V after a 8k run https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IBzXu21Z5o


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

As puppies and young dogs mine always had to run a few circles through the house as soon as we returned home. It didn't matter if we were in the field 30 minutes or 2 hours. What I started doing as they got a little older was going straight to the backdoor. Then they would run the yard and come in and be calm. To this day as soon as we get home, they make a dash for the back door. They run the yard check for birds, and squirrels, then come in and crash.
You might consider having the leash attached to your waist in the house. They way she is with you, and easy to correct any unwanted behavior.


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

I agree with TexasRed. I loved when I saw Savannah's zoomies because they gave a quick outlet for her energy, but not in the house. When she started zooming, we went outside immediately - preferably at a full run. 

In terms of house manners, Savannah was initially restricted to only a few rooms, too. She learned the rest of the house one room at a time. She was never granted access to a new room until she had mastered behavior in the previous room. The kitchen, in particular, took a while to master. 

With that said, the only way to get the behavior you want it to define it first. Your dream of "her sitting in the kitchen with me, watching me cook, without wanting to jump on the countertops or drag whatever I am cooking off the counter" is very attainable. It just won't happen overnight.


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