Hello there... This is actually my first post here, and I just HAD to say something...
Our Vizsla Vera is MY first dog, and I have definitely done a LOT of research before we adopted her. When we first went to observe her I was extremely wary of adopting her- mainly because of the jumping. Her front feet RARELY touched he floor. Her previous owners were rarely home and she was kept in a crate most of the day, so she had a lot of pent up energy. We still decided to do a trial weekend with her...
Thankfully, our first stop with her before taking her home was to Petsmart to pick up some treats. We ran into Nicole, the trainer at Petsmart who noticed our constant apologies for Vera's continuous jumping on everyone she came in contact with: people AND other dogs. Nicole brought us over to the training area where some other dogs and their owners were gathering for class that evening. There she showed us a little trick: an empty pop can filled with a few coins and a taped opening. She encouraged another pet mom to "meet" Vera. Vera did her typical jump greeting, but as soon as her front feet left the floor, the trainer gave the pop can an abrupt shake. Vera instantly lowered herself to the floor... Magic!
Nicole told us the "evil can" can be used for counters too. Once they recognize the noise from you shaking it when they jump on people and things you can just place it on the counters and surfaces you don't want them jumping on, or prop it just on the edge, so if they DO decide to jump up, it falls down and has the same effect as if you were there shaking it. The BEST thing thing about the evil can is, you're not the bad guy: the can is.
So... We started our trial weekend with Vera Friday the 20th of February. It's Monday the 23rd. We had decided by Saturday that we were for sure going to adopt her. The jumping has reduced by 85%-90%. We don't even really have to use the can as much anymore. A simple "no" is working now, where before, you had to HOLD HER DOWN. She was nothing short of a wild animal. Like a puppy...
Give it a try. I love to hear how it works for you!
Now... If we could just get her to poop outside...