I have an almost 6 year old Vizsla that I have had since he was a pup. Lately, whenever I come home, something is disheveled, if not destroyed. Case in point, recently he went through a plate glass window in an effort to get at someone walking a dog outside (he’s not people aggressive, nor dog aggressive in any way). He also removed the stuffing from a pillow on the couch and tore that up. He’s definitely an anxious/nervous dog, and it may be separation anxiety. I don’t know. I do not believe it’s a function of exercise, as he gets regular exercise and we have a second dog (a 5ish year old yellow lab mix) with whom he wrestles frequently. Moreover, when I am at home, he sleeps and/or is calm–in other words, I don’t see evidence when I am there that he is restless.
I am really out of ideas as he behaves so well when I am there, but then goes nuts when I am not. Reprimanding when I get home has not had any impact. It’s only a matter of time before significant/costly damage occurs.
Any recs on training and/or a book that I can read, because it seems to be getting worse, and I don’t know what I am doing wrong or not doing in the first place…
check out some of the stuff on this website. I took my old dog, a ridgeback mix, to this place for training, and it helped quite a bit. The ‘jumping through a plate glass window’ move is what struck a chord with me. This was a huge concern for me–because the window he tried (repeatedly) to break through has about 10 feet off of the ground. He did jump UP through a window about 6 feet in the air, to get into the house (the back door was actually open…). He destroyed a lot of stuff, too…
He never got ‘perfect’,but he got much, much better–though unfortunately he died prematurely at a pretty young age.
She focuses on speaking in a language the dog understands, and training the owner–and I was really impressed with her training methods.
The irony is that my current dog (whose breed will remain nameless…) came from the shelter almost perfect adjusted and well-behaved. He required pretty much no work, and I forgot how easy some dogs can be. My old dog was much like yours–but all of the time, whether I was there or not!
See if there’s anything of interest in those links, and good luck!
Agreed. People think crates are negative or punishment and they aren’t, at least not if you use them properly. Crates are their den and their own place. Put him in with a kong stuffed with PB or cream cheese or an everlasting treat ball that gives him something to do.
What does regular exercise mean? Even if he seems fine when you’re home, it’s a great way to get rid of some that excess nervousness or anxiety. Do you run with him? Take him biking? (Maybe not on your tri bike, but). Vislas are hounds, correct? (Sorry, I don’t know) If so, I doubt walks alone would be enough for an adult hound, unless you are walking a LOT.
Mental exercise will also help wear off excess energy. You may already be doing regular training with him, but that’s something else you can do. I still train my adult dogs, both as refreshers and to teach them new fun stuff to. Even doing a couple of short training session a day - I usually try to do 2-3 session of 5-10 minutes each dog - is good. I also sometimes add extra fun sessions - I’ve been working on marker (clicker) training lately, and teaching the dogs to target objects and doing other fun stuff.
Combos of physical and mental exercise will also help wear him out - maybe you already do, but you could track for fun, or do fun agility - I take my dogs to the playground near my house at night sometimes and we do sessions on the equipment so they get to learn to climb up and down things, do jumps, that kind of stuff.
Otherwise - if he is stressed - you might want to try putting some Rescue Remedy in his water bowl or rub into his ears as a calming measure. I’ve used it with my one dog who can be nervous sometimes at our old house during the air shows (we lived in the flight path of the jets, and they flew low).
Has anything changed in your household or routine lately? That might have an impact on his behaviour as well.
I guess now would be a good time to explain that he chewed out of a metal crate–he bit through the welds and bent the vertical bars so he could get out. Otherwise, I would have no problem with crating.
As for regular exercise: dog park (at least once a week), on-leash jogging (1 per week), wrestling with his “brother”.
A viszla is a Hungarian pointer. (Think 55-60 pound Weimareiner, but reddish/brown all over).
The mental exercise is something I have thought about–good chew toys, etc.
I’ve considered Rescue Remedy. He gets VERY nervous when I watch sports–I can get animated–he doesn’t seem to be able to recognize the difference between anger and excitement. One time I gave him some Kava, which relaxed him at first, but then seemed to freak him out because of feeling stoned.
Anyways, I appreciate the responses thus far, just have to figure out how to help my guy…
I hate to say this but 1xjogging a week and 1xdogpark is likely not enough for a Viszla. We have German Shorthaired Pointers and they run 4-5xweek for a total of about 4hrs a week. They’re also at the dogpark once a week and doggie daycare twice a week. Viszla are, in general, a very smart and very high-strung breed (just like GSPs) so if they’re not kept mentally and physically engaged they will start to destroy things in your home. So your pup may need some more exercise to take the extra umph out. We call it ‘running out the crazies.’
My suggestion would be to increase the exercise and possibly look at having a dogwalker or other come by during the day (or daycare) 1-2x week if you can afford it. Interacting regularly with other dogs will keep him mentally stimulated in a way that sitting at home doesn’t.
I’m not an expert or anything, but knowing my dog, I really think it’s not enough exercise. Viszla’s need a lot of exercise, probably as much as my aussie- she gets 2 bouts of exercise every single day of the week. She goes running in the morning 3-4x per week and then gets a session of frisbee, a walk, or play time with friends in the evening. Every weekend we go to the dog park for 1.5 hours and go on some type of long hike. We also take her to doggie day care one day, every other week. She also needs strong leadership and needs to know the rules, which is probably the case with your dog as well. I know the show has a few downfalls, but in general, The Dog Whisperer is a good resource for starting to understand what leadership really means, and watching some of his DVDs helped me get a better handle on how to deal with my crazy aussie.
Goodluck! Viszlas are great dogs- I bet he would love to go run with you every morning!
As the others have pointed out, "dog park (at least once a week), on-leash jogging (1 per week), wrestling with his “brother”.
is definitely not regular exercise, ESPECIALLY for that breed. That dog could go hours everyday and have energy left to burn. Easiest thing you could do right now is get that dog a solid hour workout everyday for two weeks (either 1x hour or 2x half hour), and then see how things are. The dog needs an outlet for lack of physical/intellilectual stimulation. If you don’t provide it for him, he will provide it for himself…
I guess now would be a good time to explain that he chewed out of a metal crate–he bit through the welds and bent the vertical bars so he could get out. Otherwise, I would have no problem with crating.
I am not a regular in the LR, but I am an “expert” on dogs/dog behavior. It is difficult to diagnose a problem from the internet, but I would say you have a separation anxiety problem, not an exercise or training issue. What you describe is not enough exercide for an active dog breed though and dog chews are NOT mental exercise. Increasing both of these should help some.
Solutions to your problem are available, but will take commitment, time and patience. There are far to many unqualified people out there claiming to be “trainers” or “canine behaviorists”. There is not magic fix at this point. If you are willing to take the time this to help you and your dog PM me and I will help get you started, or help you find a qualified behaviorist near you.
To the thread in general. This is why proper crate training in puppyhood is so important. A dog who grows up with a crate used properly learns to draw security from it. It is their “safe place”. Some dogs left lose in a home become very nervous, which ends of in destructive behavior. These dogs benefit from crates, physically and mentally. Introducing a crate after the problem develops is much more difficult.
I’ve also seen crates like this: http://leerburg.com/crate.htm suggested for dogs that are crate escape artists or injure themselves trying to get out of crates. Not sure if they’d be helpful in your situation. They are pricey, as well.
I’ve also seen crates like this: http://leerburg.com/crate.htm suggested for dogs that are crate escape artists or injure themselves trying to get out of crates. Not sure if they’d be helpful in your situation. They are pricey, as well.
IMHO, the dog’s behavior and mental issues need to be addresses, not just lock it in a crate. The dog needs to learn to be comfortable in the crate, not physically restrained. Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe in crating and use them with ALL my dogs, it is just that **this **dog is stressed by them and would be even more stressed to be “forced” into confinement.
I’m not suggesting forcing it - I was thinking that (while getting the dog gradually acclimated to the crate and maybe using marker training to help desensitize it or make it positive) it could at some point be a good crate for this dog. Though I didn’t say that Sorry, codeine is making my brain a bit foggy.
I was thinking since this is a new behaviour it might be more a function of a bored doggy with not enough to do, maybe reacting to something new in it’s life (if such a thing has happened) as much as it could be separation anxiety.
Edit: Does separation anxiety ‘come on’ like this? I’m not sure of that.
I haven’t seen any book advice so far, but I found “Good owners, great dogs” by Brian Kilcommons very helpful. His approach is one of positive reinforcement instead of punishment.
You know those posts where someone is trying to be funny and it just falls flat and comes across as pretty dumb? Yup, I think you do.
You know those posts where someone is trying to be holier than thou and it just falls flat and comes across as pretty dumb? Yup, I think you do.
Support Crew beat me to this thread, but I agree with her. It sounds like separation anxiety to me. Your pup needs help, and it won’t be a quick fix. Ask your veterinarian for a referral to a veterinary behaviorist, one certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. These are vets who have done an additional residency in animal behavior, and they are worth every penny they charge.
Sue (hope I got the name correct). Can you recommend a book for training a puppy, strictly to be a family dog. I’ve read the New Skeet book some time ago, but also understand there method has its detractors.
The New Skeet brothers is a classic, but there are much more “modern” approaches to puppy care and raising. I highly recommend attending a puppy kindergarten class in your area. Books are great, but hands on is better. I have been training for almost 30 years now, and dog training has advanced tremedously in the past 10 years or so. More positive methods are available, especially with puppies.
I believe in balanced training, which will include compulsion and corrections when appropriate, but dogs learn more reliably when shown what TO DO, instead of what not to do. You have to learn to communicate in a way your dog knows what you want and give him a reason to want to do it.
Sorry, codeine is making my brain a bit foggy.