[mswhipple]

Welcome to the forums, Jughead! So glad your experience with puppyhood is going so well. Do you have any photos of Cooper you'd like to share? ;D

 

[Jughead]

first day we brought him home, 8 weeks:

Here's one from last week

 

[Jughead]

Last night watching TV with me.

 

[R E McCraith]

My 1st V fell into my lap over 45yrs ago - a gift - at this POINT in time - I have PIKE - ADJUSTING !!!!!!!!!!!- still WORKING on THAT !!!!

 

[Libertysmom]

I have to agree with the other posters already said. They are a lot of work in the beginning. Just like having a newborn baby. Our pup is 5.5 months old and we still can't stay out long when she is in her kennel, just because she's kenneled all night too and I don't like putting her back in her crate during the day unless we have to. Makes us feel guilty. So we keep our outings short. In fact, I had to leave a funeral before it was over so that I could get home to my pup. Granted, that funeral ran LONGGGG.
Our life revolves around our 4 kids and our pup. Every morning starts with who is getting up with the dog first!! But you adjust as they get older. Puppies are work until at least a year old. But aren't they so worth it??

 

[Vizsla_Luka]

• 
  
  After a couple of days I had got over the initial puppy love to 'what have we done' . A couple of weeks after that I wished we hadn't made the decision to get a dog.
  
  A few of the 'lowlights' that immediately spring to mind:
  • 
    [li]We bought a high energy dog because we enjoy fell walking but of course we can't go now (not together anyway) until she is older.
    [/li][li]
    The first training session. Watching an experienced trainer effortlessly getting Lyra to do things, bringing home just how much I had to learn (not Lyra).
    [/li][li]
    We've had three and this is much harder work than a baby (although over a shorter period of time). None of my babies chewed the skirting boards!
    [/li][li]
    I can't use puppy day care until Lyra is six months old
    [/li][li]
    Feeling constantly pressurised to achieve as much as possible in the first few weeks before her mind sets like concrete and we end up with an untrainable, antisocial monster.
    [/li]
  [li]
  [/li]

This is soooo true!
I remember my husband, the second night after bringing Luka home, and he was in the middle of one of his zoomies running around the apartment saying "I don't think I can do this"….he definitely did not love the dog!

He does now though

Also, that last bullet point actually made me laugh out loud - we were exactly the same, we were told everything they learn before they're 16 weeks will be retained much better than things they learn after….so I found myself doing so much training (and not working..don't tell my boss!). Now that we're moving into distraction training I'm worried we didn't do enough

 

[KtVaBch]

I am an uber dog geek!

As a die hard Dog Whisperer follower, owning and reading all of his books and working with dogs for a living... I found our Vizsla Puppy to be one of the easiest puppies ever! From day one we set the rules, boundaries and as a family we tackled each problem. She was housebroken in a week. We never allowed her in the bed from day 1- that must've been the hardest because I just wanted to pick her up and squeeeeeeeeeze her.... but I didnt, so there were maybe 2 weeks of nightly whimpering.

OWNING A SMART DOG IS SO MUCH HARDER THAN OWNING A STUPID DOG ---- 9 times outta 10

so sometimes we would have to get creative with our "when we leave" toys. That was fun. If she had a job, she was happy. Vizsla puppies are not autopilot dogs. They have 2 speeds... off and on. In your lap/arms snuggling... or running like red lightning after the neighborhood bunnies (who we found out don't run as fast as she does)..... We never had to scrub a poop coated kennel, she would even take baths with our daughter... overall Bumblebee kept us laughing... always being goofy and fun... I know strong willed dogs can be a pain, but just think how prepared you will be when it's time to add a brother or sister!!!

 

[ks310]

I really love this post mostly because I love seeing you all say:

- It took me a few weeks to LOVE my Vizsla.

I think if more puppy owners of ALL stripes knew that there is undoubtedly going to be a few bad weeks of adjustment on both sides then it would slowly get better, we'd have less dogs in shelter.

When I was younger I had a bulldog that has since passed on. The potty training situation was insanely difficult. I really felt like an overstressed single parent. The bond took a while to build.

I'm hoping potty training goes better with my Vizsla girl as I'll be home a lot more to be more consistent.

 

[Vizsla_Luka]

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2009/06/importance-of-mastering-art-of-walk.html

Heel training should me measured in the 100's of miles IMO.

That's reassuring to hear! Mine can only walk to heel at the moment with NO distractions out on the streets. But distractions come in all shapes and sizes from other dogs, to leaves, to tissues, sticks...but slowly getting there!

 

[mnadraus]

Ok Dutch...... Hes 14 months old and 70lbs male V. Hes a ham and loves to sleep with us at night only. We have a 3 yr old and a 18 month old so he isnt able to run free all day. We have passed the shark bites and all that nutty puppy stuff. But he still gets wild. Somemtimes wont go back in his cage and theser is no way to get him in. It drives me insane.

I met his mom and sister and they were pretty relaxed. Im just curious as to when you guys found your V really chilled out from the puppy stage. Im talking, letting him loose in the house all day when we are home. Now we have to keep him in there on and off thru out the day too time out or chill him out. Any thoughts?

 

[Telamore]

So happy I found this thread! Was starting to think it's just us :-[

Our V is 9 weeks old tomorrow, home with us for 2 weeks. We have a 1.5 year old crazy chocolate lab, so we thought we knew what we were getting ourselves into. Nope. The thing that i didn't expect the most was not feeling the love as many have mentioned before, which scared me. I loved our lab from the minute i saw him, but with the V I'm still not there. And I went through the "omg what have I done stage" mostly because the V is torturing the lab. She won't leave him alone during the play time and i feel so bad for him. Trying to find a balance between letting them work it out and giving him alone time and attention. We gave up on the crate training with the lab and the V. While everyone is at work, we isolate the V in the living room. She doesn't cry, goes potty in designated area with the wee-wee pads and catches up on sleep. We still have accidents all over the house during play time, but we made our peace with the puppy stage. Luckily we are new to this house and left the first floor empty to keep the dogs out of trouble, so it's completely puppy proof. For night time, for the first week we used the crate with the V, but she would wake up and start screaming, so then i had to get up, take her to pee and then calm her back down to sleep. After a week of no sleep, i gave up. So now she falls asleep on her bed and if she wakes up she walks over to my bed, whines, i pick her up, and then we sleep through the night. Some days it's 9 pm - 7 am without potty breaks! Except for last night's 4 am wake, which went into "on" mode for both dogs with running around and driving me bananas.
On top of all the puppy adjusting, we just found out that the puppy's poo has giardia (from the breeder), but the lab's doesn't so we have to keep the isolated from each other for at least 10 days so there is no poop contact of any sort from her to him. This should be fun. Has anyone dealt with giardia? Is it still safe for the puppy to sleep in my bed?

Some encouraging words for others in the same boat:
1. All things are replaceable: Carpets, shoes, towels, socks, bras, floors, etc. If any of those were destroyed, it's your fault for leaving it accessible so don't take it out on the puppy. Floors and carpets can be replaced or cleaned, also not the puppy's fault, they are learning still.

2. As everyone has said, take lots of pics. I don't have as many pics as i would have wanted of the lab, regretting it all the time. V is going to have lots of pics!

3. Get help if you are starting to lose it. I've been taking the V to work on Fridays. Everyone at my office who has dogs are all obsessed pet owners so i know everyone is up do date on their shots and such. And everyone wants to watch her. So she's sleeping in my co-workers office now, while I write here Break for the lab - break for me - socializing puppy - win win

4. Remind yourself that it will get better and calmer

I keep calling my V "Sour Patch Kid" - have you seen those commercials? First they're sour, then they are sweet. Those cuddle moments make it all worth it

 

[Anida]

We can get giardia so I'd keep her off your bed/furniture etc. unless you are sure she has no fecal matter on her. I wouldn't risk it personally

Good luck with the puppy stage. At 11mths things are SO much better. Ours was difficult to potty train and it also made me a little slow to bond with her (Fortunately, my husband kept encouraging me and telling me it'd get better).

 

[Telamore]

Thanks Anida!

We are wiping her down all over after all potty breaks, before going on furniture and before she comes in contact with the older pup. That's not a guarantee, so I'll do a course of herbal meds against the bug as well. Cleaning and steaming the floors everyday, washing toys and everything else in hot water. Lots of extra work, but really don't want to spread the cooties.

She hasn't been feeling well because of the meds she's on for giardia which mellowed her out and everyone started bonding with her.

We are getting back to normal slowly ;D Thank God for this forum

 

[texasred]

Unless she is getting poo on the toys or in the house, I really wouldn't worry about it. Just clean up outside poos right after she goes.
My daughter's first Catahoula had it. With meds it cleared up quickly, and never spread to the other dogs.

 

[Telamore]

Thanks TexasRed - that's really good to know!!

 

[VizRunr]

Having seven kids, I think that having a new puppy is more demanding than a newborn! The first day I was ready to crash after she had been there 4 hours.

Luckily, everyone chips in, so our V, Sage, has not run me ragged.

We got a dog play area pen for her within the first week, because I did not want to have to watch her every minute. This gives us a break from constant vigilance, and she is much calmer in there than when we have her out for interaction.

It was a tough first two weeks. My husband kept threatening maybe he should try to sell her (we got her from far away), and I was secretly wondering if we made the wrong decision too, but know that the kids would be so disappointed. We are feeling better about it now. I agree with others that all the conflicting advice out there is the hardest part.

Today I tried my first "training" for a task. She always goes for sticks in the yard. I decided to see if I could get her to pick up sticks in the yard and drop them by the refuse pile by the road. She worked at it for a while. I think we were making some progress, then she got bored. Will try again tomorrow.

 

[TSeymour]

Love this forum and this thread - glad I found it. We are on the waiting list for our first V - I am beyond excited and now slightly terrified.

 

[MattGrab]

I have my first baby V - she is just 8 weeks today and adjusting to life perfectly!!

My only question is how anxious and loud/hyper she gets around feeding. I chose Blue Buffalo Puppy food - which I am going to switch shortly - and going to do Orijen ADULT food - my question is how much food do you find to be OK?

Note: she has not had vaccines, and being a city V, she cannot really go outside yet. She runs around the apt, and burns off energy - but seems to wake up barking until she is fed, and barks at lunch and dinner as well! We are feeding 1/2 a cup of food 3x a day. Should this be increased?

Note: she weighed in at 10 pounds 11 ounces today at 8 weeks - is this on the larger size? The vet said she looks extremely healthy!

 

[Betty]

I would rethink going from Puppy to Adult food so early. Vets & breeders usually suggest that 1 year on puppy food gives the pup the nutrition it needs to grow and develop good bones and muscles, but not too fast! I fed my V 3 times a day for almost 9 months (and sometimes he needs a snack in the evening) He is 1 yr. 7 months. To keep them interested put some rice, lettuce, shredded cheese or meat scraps on the top. I usually mix the kibble with canned, wet food (just enough to flavor and coat the pieces). I feed 3 cups divided into 3 feedings, divided that into 2 feeding at almost a year.

 

[MCD]

This is a very interesting, informative thread. I am not even sure what page my first post was on now.
I do know that it has been probably almost 4 years ago now that I knew we were about to have an encounter with our first Vizsla.