# Home alone training - what to expect at 4,5 months?



## Ane Cecilie Remvig (Apr 7, 2018)

Hello.
We had our V (first dog ever) since 10 weeks and she is 17 weeks now.
Everything is going great - except the home alone training...
I’m not sure if I’m doing it wrong or if I am just being impatient.

But as far as I can tell most other dogs can be home alone for at least an hour at 17 weeks; With Daisy we can’t even leave the room before the crying starts.

A little back info:
I started the home alone training when she was about 13 weeks. The first 3 weeks we had her, she woke up once an hour to check if we were there, so it felt pointless to try to make her feel safe at night and then challenge her with leaving during the day. Maybe that was a mistake...

I work part time at a shop and she is with me 4 hours 3 times a week at different hours. She is with me when I do errands, drive my kid to school and so.
Once a week my cleaning lady “babysits” in the morning and my mother in law in the afternoon, because we are all gone the whole day.
She is semi crate trained. She doesn’t sleep in the crate at night anymore but will happily take naps and general chew time in the crate. But only if we are in the room with her.
She sleeps with us in the bedroom (basement) in a cosy cave. The crate is in the kitchen/dining room , in the corner where its peaceful (ground floor).

What I have done so far:
“Leave and enter 2 seconds later” thing. A million times. But she still cries as soon as she is alone in the room. 
Jiggled my keys and sat down again without leaving to she doesn’t connect the sound of keys with leaving.
Added a little more time and have left her for up to 25 mins. 
Left her llast week every day for 20 mins. And she still cries like someone’s pulling her legs off!!

She gets 2 x 20 mins off leash in the woods or at the dogpark a day. She had growing pains a few weeks ago so we are monitoring the amount of exercise.
And she has of course done all her business before crate/alone time.
She gets nice bones, stuffed kong and so on in the crate and she loves it. Right until we leave the room.
I don’t pay her much attention the last 10 mins before leaving. And I ignore her completely when I come back home until she is calm.
I have sat outside my house to hear if the crying had a break at some point but it’s none stop. She does quite down as soon as we enter the room and so I can wait for 30 seconds of silence before I let her out. Sometimes I let her stay in the crate when I enter the room and then she will eventually start whining to let me know she wants to get out, but not crying like she does when I leave the room. 

A lot of info!! Sorry!! But what I really would like is a step by step plan? One that takes in the fact that is a Vizsla and that it’s normal for a V to follow you and watch you pee 😆
My dog trainer suggested that I just stared over. Back to away and back in 2 seconds.
But I so don’t feel like we are getting any where. 

What do you think? Adwise, correction, a plan - anything is appreciated 😊


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I start the alone time, crate training on day one. By staying with her 24/7 , you are setting her up for failure. 
Vizslas do need a lot of attention, but they also need to learn to settle on their own. 
If I need to do something, shower, clean house, or make a quick trip to the store. I crate the puppy. Them crying for a little while, is not going to hurt them.
My present puppy is 12 weeks old. She sleeps all night in her crate. She is also crated when I can't have my eyes on her.
No doubt the crate training can be rough, the first few days. But the playoff is enormous.


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## GracieGirl (Jan 21, 2018)

We filmed our pup for short periods out of house. Noticed that she whined for 2 minutes then settled, if you linger and hear whining it’s unlikely to stop! 
Also, when I don’t have work I leave the house for short errands to keep up the routine. Otherwise if I spend too many consecutive days/time with her, then go to work for two days she struggles 

Routine is best, set her up for what your routine will look like 🙂


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## Ane Cecilie Remvig (Apr 7, 2018)

I sure I startes the hole alene training to late and that makes it even harder now.
Talked to the dog trainer yesterday who pointed out that Daisy isn’t the most confident dog and adviced me to take her more to new places and new experiences (like walking in the actual wood and not just on the paths going through the woods) so she could build up some more confidence. I think that makes sense as well.
And definitely remember to leave her every day, thanks for that note. It seems very relevant in this case!


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Take her everywhere, and offer gentle encouragement and lots of praise..but try not to coddle her if she shows fear.

It's never too late to expose them to new situations and help them learn to adapt, and the crate/alone time is one of them, no worries. Try not to see and certainly use the crate as solitary confinement, the crate should be apart of her daily routine regardless if you're home or not.


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## Betty (Apr 14, 2016)

yes, they follow you into the bathroom, I haven't been in my bathroom alone, without a dog, for 11 years.


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## skillingsworth (Jun 1, 2018)

*My experiences with training V's to be alone*

Vizsla's do like a lot of attention and companionship. That does not mean though that they should get or need to get it all the time. What is happening is that you are conditioning you V to make demands on you rather than you training her. Crate training is ok and it is ok that they stay in a crate at night and while you are gone. They will get used to it just as a baby gets used to a crib. However, if you respond to them when they cry just because they want you, you teach them that if they cry you will come. So my suggestion is leave your V in a crate at night and while you are not home. They will adjust. If you prefer to keep your crate in your room at night, that is fine and I think does help. Our V was crate trained from day one. He stays in his crate while we are at work, although I do come home some days to let him out for a while. He is 3 1/2 now and while I wouldn't say he loves his crate, he does not mind it. Also you might try offering a treat every time you put him in his crate. My V now will go to the treat cabinet when he knows it is time to go to bed and then as soon as we get the treat out, he runs to his crate and waits for us and his treat. The crying will stop but only after she realizes that she can't make you come get her.


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## Ane Cecilie Remvig (Apr 7, 2018)

Thank you so much for your replies 🙂
I do take my V everywhere and that seems to be part of the problem because is not that she doesn’t like the crate. So goes in several times a day by her self.
But it’s the being alone in there that starts the issue.
But I did start over the home alone training, as the dog trainer recommend me.
And found a “teach your dog to be alone”-recipe online and today we are up to 30 mins alone without crying. Yai!!
She didnt look like she had been sleeping for those 30 mins but she was silent (I was outside the house, listening).
So progress, although small steps and lots of patience before we are at 4 hours 🙂


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## Nova7 (Jun 8, 2018)

*Crates are awful*

I have no idea which dog, if any, would ever "like" a crate - maybe a Chuwava as they can actually move around the crate due to their miniature size. But a Vizsla certainly would not. It's a super active dog that likes to move, even if just around a living room. Moving is life for a V, and create is no movement.

A Vizsla stops ruining anything very quickly - in say 4-8 months, and ruins nothing after that. My V made a hole in a couch only once and chewed some shoes a couple of times - not a big deal.

I have no idea how one can leave a dog in a crate and think it's "good". No motion is not good for anyone - dog, human, cat or bird.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

That sounds like a opinion, of someone that's never used one. Also someone very lucky, to not have more things in the home destroyed. 

Not all dogs can be trusted uncrated, and it's as much for their safety, as it is to protect our belongings.


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