Help with disruptive Vizsla (breed) dog?

Question

I have started dog-sitting for a friend who recently got a 2-year old male Vizsla from the pound. It is probably not a pure-bred, but the appearance and personality traits are dead-on.

The dog is very friendly and generally well-behaved when I am at home with it, but if I leave the house (work, store, etc) I usually come back to find things knocked over or pulled off counters and tables. I believe the dog is being disruptive to get attention and in protest of being left alone (it is a bit clingy - common for Vizslas).

I don't have much experience with Vizslas, but several websites mention that they are very sensitive dogs (emotionally) that do best with positive re-enforecement while strong negative punishments can actually make the situation worse (see link below).

My question is how do you make the dog know that misbehaving when left alone is not OK?

Vizslas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Vizsla

Answer 1

There are 2 things you can do here, 1 is to crate train and the other is more excercise. Vizslas are very active dogs and more often than not, when properly excercised they are 100 times more easy to manage.
Also, when you are gone, there is no reason the dog can't be in a crate. It keeps him safe, your home protected and he eventually learns that what he is supposed to do when he is alone is to rest.
Problems solved and no punishments necessary.

Answer 2

the dog is probably a pure-bred, appearance is the best indicator. he's likely not looking for attention, just bored or has "separation anxiery". here's what you can do

- first find out if the dog was a runaway. vizsla owners don't often surrender take their vizslas to the pound. these are treasured family members and this one sounds like he is generally a pretty good dog. when i was a kid someone in my city captured my vizsla for their own, we got him back but it was really traumatic.

- crating is an easy solution, the dog can't do much damage in a cage. since this is just your neighbors dog you are sitting, a crate will probably work OK. get a 26" tall crate, he'll be able to move around a little bit but not *too* much, which is what you want.

- if you don't want to crate, move the stuff off the counter and table. just put it in the cabinets.

- the usual advice for separation anxiety is to gradually adjust the dog. leave for a few minutes at a time, then 15 minutes, then 30 minutes, etc. but this doesn't always work.

postive reinforcement is almost always better, this doesn't just apply to vizslas. but don't worry too much, if you aren't physically hitting the dog you are probably OK. just make sure to be mindful of how you are treating him. if you feel guilty about it, you're probably being too mean.

Answer 3

Vizsla's are chewers and really need a lot of companionship from their family. Otherwise they are good dogs to have around.

While you are gone, you need to confine the dog to a smaller area of the house. If possible, put in a dog door to a safe outdoor area and one interior room. The dog is going to destroy anything you have in the area, so give him acceptable things to chew on.

You are right that negative punishments do not help this breed and they do not respond to food treats. Positive reinforcement in the only way. This means that you have to be there or the dog needs to be with you. While this is not always possible, you can minimize the disruptive behavior by controlling the dog's space.

Good luck. They are great dogs.

Answer 4

i have to agree with the 1st response

my viszla cross is the same way but was crate trained as a puppy and hasn't been that bad

I'll occasionally come home and find a loaf of bread from the counter on the floor and eaten, but it's a dog thing. I simply keep "interesting" things well back from edges so the dog cant reach them

Answer 5

Maybe you should invest in a crate and start crate training him. My german shepherd/husky mix was the same way so I started to put him in his crate when I would leave the house for an hour or so. I only had to do this about a half dozen times until he got the idea that if he behaves, he stays out of the crate. Good luck.

Answer 6

This is a high energy hunting dog that is left alone....euuuughhh. Not knowing what has happening in its formidable years you can only assume it was left alone to
self destruct everything.
Crate train, exercise 3 times a day till it's drained, obedience training classes and home obedience training for every morsel of food...they aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer, needy for attention and need constant working to relieve the anxiety of sitting around.....might not be the right dog for the right setting.

Answer 7

when you get home DONT GIVE HIM ANY POSITIVE ATTENTION IF HE WAS BAD!!!! completely ignore him.....no kisses no attention at all. let him out and make him time out after you show him was he did wrong. you dont have to yell or anything just nicely bring him over to what he did and say NO BADDDDDD BOY and then time out. Maybe he will realize he has to be a good boy for attention which is all he is looking for