[Tash - Dexter's mam]

Dexter my vizsla is one in April and I still find it hard with him at the moment, I feel like I am failing as a dog mam 🙈

He still jumps up, I find walking him a struggle sometimes because he pulls a lot and he has some strength in him

He likes to bite a lot when he's bored I try to play with him but he still like to go for my hand instead of the toy, he also likes to dig the sofa

Does anyone recommend any advice or does this go in time? All I see is... have a got a naughty dog or am I failing? 😔

 

[Sophie01]

Dexter my vizsla is one in April and I still find it hard with him at the moment, I feel like I am failing as a dog mam 🙈

He still jumps up, I find walking him a struggle sometimes because he pulls a lot and he has some strength in him

He likes to bite a lot when he's bored I try to play with him but he still like to go for my hand instead of the toy, he also likes to dig the sofa

Does anyone recommend any advice or does this go in time? All I see is... have a got a naughty dog or am I failing? 😔

 

[Sophie01]

What worked so effectively for us was Doggie Dan Calm Dog Code (something like that title). I almost immediately became the alpha in my relationship with our V. It was about $100 for the 5 video lessons. Super simple and very effective. Then, once I had the alpha spot, she was SO much easier to train! I will tell you, when Sophie and I are playing, if she gets her teeth on my hand, games over. I say 'ouch' (kind of like a yelp voice) and walk away. She is so careful now not to get her teeth on my hand. But I love this dog! I give her lots of praise and snuggles and we play Frisbee and fetch a with different balls, she's a blast and so funny! Be the kind, fun alpha, and things will change quickly! Honest!

 

[HG33]

Dexter my vizsla is one in April and I still find it hard with him at the moment, I feel like I am failing as a dog mam 🙈

He still jumps up, I find walking him a struggle sometimes because he pulls a lot and he has some strength in him

He likes to bite a lot when he's bored I try to play with him but he still like to go for my hand instead of the toy, he also likes to dig the sofa

Does anyone recommend any advice or does this go in time? All I see is... have a got a naughty dog or am I failing? 😔

I feel like I am in a very similar situation. My dog is 10 months old and some days I am really struggling.

We do a lot of off leash hiking - he has pretty good recall - but as a result of trying to let him run off his energy, we don't do as much leash walking (usually just a few minutes after an hour of exercise) - he is good for short walks when he's tired out, but any other time he's pulling quite a bit and has no interest in listening. He also wants to lunge at other people walking nearby - he's friendly, but as soon as he gets excited he wants to jump and get bites with mitts/sleeves.

My dog has also started demand barking. We try to completely ignore, give no eye contact and leave the room until he stops.

I now live in a house full of baby gates so that we can limit our dog's access to other areas of the house.

Everyone keeps telling me that he'll start to figure things out around 18 months...that's a long ways away

 

[Bud D]

I can relate. Buddy is 15 months. We still have baby gates. He countersurfs so we must keep everything clear. He no longer bites, he mouths gently. So hang in there, it will get better. What works for me when walking is a head halter. It makes a world of difference.

 

[Tash - Dexter's mam]

What worked so effectively for us was Doggie Dan Calm Dog Code (something like that title). I almost immediately became the alpha in my relationship with our V. It was about $100 for the 5 video lessons. Super simple and very effective. Then, once I had the alpha spot, she was SO much easier to train! I will tell you, when Sophie and I are playing, if she gets her teeth on my hand, games over. I say 'ouch' (kind of like a yelp voice) and walk away. She is so careful now not to get her teeth on my hand. But I love this dog! I give her lots of praise and snuggles and we play Frisbee and fetch a with different balls, she's a blast and so funny! Be the kind, fun alpha, and things will change quickly! Honest!

Thank you for the advice ♥

 

[Tash - Dexter's mam]

I can relate. Buddy is 15 months. We still have baby gates. He countersurfs so we must keep everything clear. He no longer bites, he mouths gently. So hang in there, it will get better. What works for me when walking is a head halter. It makes a world of difference.

We have the baby gates too and Dexter does jump on the counters too 😂🙈
Really appreciate the feedback ♥

 

[Tash - Dexter's mam]

I feel like I am in a very similar situation. My dog is 10 months old and some days I am really struggling.

We do a lot of off leash hiking - he has pretty good recall - but as a result of trying to let him run off his energy, we don't do as much leash walking (usually just a few minutes after an hour of exercise) - he is good for short walks when he's tired out, but any other time he's pulling quite a bit and has no interest in listening. He also wants to lunge at other people walking nearby - he's friendly, but as soon as he gets excited he wants to jump and get bites with mitts/sleeves.

My dog has also started demand barking. We try to completely ignore, give no eye contact and leave the room until he stops.

I now live in a house full of baby gates so that we can limit our dog's access to other areas of the house.

Everyone keeps telling me that he'll start to figure things out around 18 months...that's a long ways away

Dexter does the lunging at people (friendly) he also sits and waits for other dogs to go by and play

He also does the barking too all the time

It really has been the hardest/stressful thing I've had to do, but I love him
Thank you for the feedback ♥

 

[Rachpach]

You're not failing - you and Dexter just need to do some more training to manage the behaviors you aren't happy with. Despite the bad behavior, vizslas are so willing to please, so by rewarding him for good behavior and redirecting the bad behaviour you will get there - it just takes time.

For the biting, as Sophie said, every time he goes for your hand, calmly remove your hand, say the same word (like ouch or ow), show you are hurt, and end the game.

Also when you start to play with a toy, use the word gentle if he starts to get mouthy to remind him to be gentle before he bites.

For the sofa digging, every time he does it, tell him to get down off the sofa, or use a command that he knows as stop. If he ignores you, remove him off the sofa and redirect him to something else - a toy or a dog bed or outside.

For the leash pulling it is such common vizsla behavior and really takes consistent training - joining a local dog training club may be helpful if you don't know where to start or there are lots of youtube videos to watch to help you - you need to go back to the beginning, practising in the home and yard. In the mean time try and avoid the walks where he pulls the most (like if he knows he is going to the park) and if possible drive him there instead.

 

[Sophie01]

Also, what worked like a charm with my V for barking-when she barks I tell her "Thank you" ( for warning me something is outside) If she barks again, I go see what she's barking at, I tell her is OK, thank you. If she barks again, she goes in time-out. Her time out is the bathroom. I take her calmly by the collar and put her in the bathroom and shut the door. I leave her there about 60-90 seconds, then I let her out. She got the message so fast! She doesn't bark more than once hardly ever anymore. But I am consistent with this. She does not like time out! GOOD LUCK!

 

[texasred]

A lot of us think we have a somewhat trained pup, then the adolescent stage hits. They want to act like we have spent 100s of hours working with them. It’s just part of them growing up, and trying to push the boundaries. We just work through it, like we did in the beginning.
Training a vizsla is more of a journey, and they like to turn it into a adventure.
As long as you don’t give up, there is light at the end of the tunnel.