# Help Needed with Our Rescue



## NatalieP (Oct 22, 2017)

Hi Everyone! My first post, first Vizsla! Definitely not my first dog.
Oh lord. We adopted our boy Odie at the start of the summer. We were told that he was an older pup that the owner wanted to just rid of. Being that this satisfied my need to do something good and have a beautiful pup, we decided to go for it. 
As it turns out, he was a YEAR AND A HALF living outside for his whole life up until the point we took him in. Was SO PATHETIC. We sent him for a 7-week training program just to get him to the point where he was like semi-normal. Our biggest focus was the crate—thinking he was a 6-month-old dog I thought for sure we could straighten him out—after the real age reveal we realize it’s not in the cards for us. He totally loses his mind when he’s in there-- pees all over himself, throws up, poos, cries like he’s being murdered, barks, hurts himself trying to escape and that’s AFTER the ordeal of trying to get him in. I mean sheer terror. Turns out, duh, he lived like a feral dog for 1.5 years so maybe some things we will never be able to combat. 
Trouble here is that leaving him in the house is just so difficult. He is so incredibly bad with potty outside as well as he has a need to destroy our whole entire house, piece by piece by piece. We live in an apartment and I don’t have the ability to sequester him. He’s only by himself for up to 4 hours total (2 before daycare pickup and 2 after) and is certainly getting literally the most stimulation a dog could ever get. He’s in a dog daycare all day running about like a mad man and also receives an hour at least of straight running each day on top of his full day of running around. I mean really, a dog was never treated so good. I am pretty sure that it’s not anxiety, it’s just curiosity and boredom and just not being able to know any different since I can’t crate him.
I guess 1. I am just looking for someone to tell me that it’s going to get better 2. Help me figure out how to get this dog to not eat another sofa and rug and floor and just all our stuff and 3. What the heck am I doing wrong over here 
Any trainers out there to help?


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I've crate, and potty trained foster dogs. They have likely never seen the inside if a house, much less a crate. Their ages have ranged from a year old, to a senior. 
What you are dealing with has nothing to do with age. 
The dog is going into pure panic mode. 
Probably needs tons of training on impluse control, and learning to settle on his own. Dogs that suffer from separation anxiety, and/or containment phobia don't always overcome it. I'm not saying your dog has it, but it sounds like he could. 

It is something that is new ground for me.
I agreed to foster a vizsla with known separation anxiety. It's been very slow going, and it can be 2 steps forward, and then back to square one.
He has had improvement over the last 6 weeks, but it's so slow. I can go outside without him for up to 30 minutes, and couldn't do it for a minute when we first got him.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Try walking him at heel every day. He's on your time during these walks. It's not a stop and smell things, or mark areas during these walks. Give him time to potty before you start the walk. You can start at 15- 20 minutes at first. Build up to a hour a day, even if you need to split it up into 2 walks.
Start feeding him as close to the crate as he will eat. Every couple of days move it closer to the crate. Eventually in the crate. 
Then in the crate with door closed but not locked. He can push it open when finished eating.The next step his him being told Wait, and then you open the door. You try and extend the wait period without him getting stressed. It is only a couple of seconds at first.

During the same time we work on the Place command. A rug, a towel, old blanket will work. Put it in a place where you spend a lot of time. Walk the dog to the rug/towel. As soon as his feet touch it, say Place. Then down, or sit. Because treats hype the dogs up, and your trying to get a separation anxiety dog to be calm. I don't use treats for this one and only spot. I also don't use a happy voice of any kind. Just use a calm voice when putting him on place, and the same when you release him. Do it next to a comfortable chair you like, because you will be sitting there with him on leash a lot. You build on it, until you can walk away, and then come back to him. Just keep extending the time.

You can also try impulse control games that involve treats. Dogs love to play them, and they help with the other training. 


I feel for you.
I can only say what has given us some improvement. Wish I could say there is a light a the end of the tunnel. 
I even thought about a behavioral therapist. But $250 an hour in my area, it could add up very quickly.


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## NatalieP (Oct 22, 2017)

Thank you so much. It makes me feel better knowing that I am not alone. 
We love him so very much. But yes, absolutely panics with the crate. Completely. 
Will start here-- he already knows place but yes, no impulse control and trouble doing anything for more than one second or two. Will work more on the crate feeding. 
I might also look into a behaviorist as well.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

For impulse control. Start with a treat in your closed hand, with palm of hand facing upward. As long as as he is nudging it, don't give it to him. Wait until he moves his nose away. Open your hand, remove it with the other hand, and let him have it. Also use whatever word you use, to let him know he had done it correctly. I use the work Yes. Give a good week, or two of doing it every day. Once he has it down perfectly, you move to the next level. He is presented with a treat in the open hand. If he tries to go for it, you close the hand. Once he avoids eye contact with the open hand, you take your other hand and give him the treat, saying (insert your word) at the same time.

Also work on him looking to you for direction.
Either use his name, or the word Look.
You hold a treat close to his nose, and say Look, as you raise it towards your face.
As soon as he looks at your face, say Yes, and give him the treat.
You will use this later, on the first exercise mentioned. As he will not only have to avoid looking at the treat. He will have to make eye contact with you, before given the release to get the treat.

You need to work on sit with him, as the exercises above require him to be in control. 
I enjoy training sit, and down with treats, but keep in mind the treats will get fewer as he learns the exercises.
Keep him on leash whenever your training, try and not repeat saying commands if he tries not to comply. 
Teach a release word, so he knows when he can get up from sit,or down. Slowly stretch out the time he is on those commands.
Building slowly, and him getting praise for doing it correctly, it better than trying to push to fast. You want him to be successful. 

If you learn anything new that works for him, let me know.
As we are in the same boat.


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