[dgoll]

Hello all...

My girlfriend and I are looking to get a new pup and the Vizsla is toward the top of our list. However, we are slightly concerned with our schedules and how they will work with this breed. Here's the scenario:

I leave for work at 6:15am in the morning, but my lady doesn't leave until about 7:45-8am and has time for a 15-20 minute walk/jog every morning. The pup would then be either crated or left to run free in a fairly large garage with a selection of 3 couches to lounge on until I return home at about 4:30pm. At that point, I have time for a good 15-20 minute walk/jog and to hang out with him/her until around 6:15-6:30pm, at which time my girlfriend and I are both in the gym until about 8pm. Then from 8pm until bedtime, roughly 10:30-11pm, we would both be able to spend some quality time with him/her.

Now, a few things to keep in mind - 1) This is only the weekday schedule and only about 3-4 days a week, rarely 5 if ever. My girlfriend works for a bank and has 1 weekday off 3 out of 4 weeks per month, which woud give her the ability to spend the entire day with the dog. I always have weekends off, so I'm always there for those 2 days. 2) We would take him/her to doggie daycare on a workday 3-4 times per month so he/she could get more socialized and not be alone quite as often. 3) We are both running/hiking people, so the dog would be out either running along side one/both of us or out hiking with the both of us on the weekends.

The main concern is being able to leave the dog crated or just alone in a garage (well lit and quite nice) for 8-9 hours at a time... What are your thoughts?

We look forward to your responses.

Thanks much!

 

[1notenough]

I don't think you should get a puppy .Maybee you should look into a rescue dog.there is no way you can leave a puppy alone for eight hours in a cage.Secondly your couches in the garage would be shredded and there would be pee and fecal material on the floor of your garage

 

[tbone13]

While I won't tell you that you shouldn't get a dog, I agree with 1notenough that a rescue would be a better option for you. 2-3 hours of "quality time" a day is not enough time for most dogs, and certainly not nearly enough time for a vizsla.

My wife and I both work, but we have someone come to the house 3x during the day to let our dogs out. Generally someone gets home around 6pm, so they're out and about from 6 to 11pm. Even still you can see they have a lot of energy left to burn on weeknights. Now that summer is approaching and it's light out later we do our best to get to the lake for a run every day after work.

If you get a puppy and you leave him/her alone for hours and hours each day you're guaranteeing that you will have one of the worst behaved dogs in town. Not to mention it's not fair to the dog. Now if you're talking about a vizsla pup multiply that by 5.

You also have to think about the unpredictability of life, I live a very laid back (boring) lifestyle and my dogs are a priority. Even still, things come up during the week that force me to make tough decisions. Staying after work for happy hour, playing on a softball team, going out to dinner with friends on a weeknight. It gets **** near impossible to juggle your schedule, your pup will end up suffering. And ultimately you will pay the price... on leash walking problems, house breaking problems, hyperactive behavior, etc.

There are plenty of breeds that are happy to lounge around all day in the house with little exercise... vizslas are not one of them. Sorry for the blunt reality, but it's much better to find out sooner rather than later.

Let us know if you have more specific questions.

 

[Lucy Vizsla]

Hello,

My husband and I were worried about having the time too, but I cannot imagine my life without my Vizslas. I would agree that if you get a puppy of any kind no matter the type, it needs to be in a crate and when you are potty training, they need to be let our at lunch to go potty. I did this for about 2 month, then after that we got someone to come and let her out for us until she was 8 months. She now stays in her crate 8-9 hours a day and is fine.

We also just rescued a Vizsla from the rescue in our area, and he is amazing! He was 8 months old and it a sweet heart. He also stays in the crate 8-9 hours a day.

They get 2 - 30 min walks a day. And we play until bed. We are both home all weekend and we have pond we go to and a dog park. What I have noticed is on the weekends they sleep so much, which means to me that they sleep during the day when we are gone too.

Though a rescue may be a better choice if you cannot switch up your lunch hours alittle or get someone to come. I think you could make it happen.

But make sure you crate your dog, don't let it free in you garage or home. It is not safe for you dog. I would say even up to 2 years old. Also even at night to start is important as well, so they learn structure. Vizslas are smarter than more breeds, so our dogs do sleep on their own beds on the floor in our bedroom at night now, but the one we got as a puppy did not until 8 months old. And she did regress alittle and she had to go back in her crate at night for alittle bit.

Hope this helps!

 

[smitty]

When we first got are V, we were able to stagger our work schedule !! My wife was able to go home at lunch and spend an hour with her !! She is now 13 months and spends 6-8 hrs in her crate.. Their is no way, even at this age that we could leave her loose... She is such a counter surfer and just looks for anything to grab, especially if she is bored ..

Not sure if you have this available and it can be expensive, in the winter it can be hard to get out, so we also do doggie day care about 2 times a week..She comes home exhausted, and this gives us a break too !!

With that said, she has still turned out to be a great dog.. she gets a lot of exsercise.. we live next door to a 3000 acre state forest.. My wife and I both trail run and mountain bike.. so she gets a lot of off leash running in the woods. She is so fast, we run into other dogs all the time and haven't found one that can stay with her !!! I wouldn't trade her for nothing.. but they do need a lot of attention and they are very smart and can be very sneaky !!!

 

[Dandys Girl]

ALSO Considering a Vizsla and need your opinions, please

There is good feedback here on this post so since the topic was started, I thought I'd tag on.

We are a couple in our late 20s in Northern California. I am a grad student on campus (away from the house) about 10-15 hours a week and my partner works from home. He is also a grad student but attends classes at night when I'm already back. We will maintain this lifestyle for at least two more years as we finish our degrees. We are considering a Vizsla and would value any feedback you can give, thank you!

If we get a dog, it needs to be:
short hair (low shed and dander for allergies)
low dog odor
mid-sized
comfortable with two owners but the potential to adapt to a baby in a few years when we are out of school
Are these drooly dogs?

I have several concerns about a Vizsla's energy and need to be with family. Are morning walks, a person at home with them available to stop work to take them out, a quick walk at lunch and then again in the evening or free run time enough family time/activity for them? Will a Vizsla with this much human time be okay then when we go out to eat or to a movie from time to time?

We have a rainy season, since a Vizsla has no undercoat, how do you give them off the leash run/ball chase time and ensure that they still stay warm?

We have a small 8ft high fenced back yard and a tiny front yard but are surrounded by undeveloped open fields, are these good spaces for Vizslas to run? How old do they have to be to be safe in an unfenced area retrieving a ball? Do we start retrieving training in a dog park with a fence and then gradually move to an open space when we feel they can be trusted to be off leash? I've read that these dogs are not bolters, but want to keep humans in sight. Is this true?

I am an equestrian, how do I best introduce my potential Vizsla to the barn/horse environment?

If we go rescue vs. puppy, what should I look for in terms of age or personality in the dog?

I have a lot of questions, I know, but I think it is better to ask these BEFORE we get a dog rather than after. I've also contacted a local AKC rep to recommend reliable, responsible, breeders in the area.
Thank you!

 

[Blaze]

Hi Dandys girl:

-not drooly @ all
-sounds like this is a good activity exercise regime. You have to love to exercise if you want a V.
-they shed only moderately, you won't notice it around the house but you will after a cuddle with black clothes on
-if you crate train from the start you wil have no trouble leaving him for 2-4 hours at a time in the crate

Just a few comments on some of you questions but hope it helps.

 

[Vlicked]

Re: ALSO Considering a Vizsla and need your opinions, please

If we get a dog, it needs to be:
short hair (low shed and dander for allergies) Check.[/color]
low dog odor Check.[/color]
mid-sized Check.[/color]comfortable with two owners but the potential to adapt to a baby in a few years when we are out of school
Check! V's are great with kids. I am currently 8 months pregnant and not worried in the least. But, as with all dogs, I believe there are certain things you need to do to prep your dog and never leave dog unattended with child. I think when the kid gets old enough to run around, that this will be a perfect play mate for a V![/color]
Are these drooly dogs? Nope.[/color]

I have several concerns about a Vizsla's energy and need to be with family. Are morning walks, a person at home with them available to stop work to take them out, a quick walk at lunch and then again in the evening or free run time enough family time/activity for them? If you can get them out every day, that's great. I would suggest giving your V most of his exercise first thing in the morning (about 45-60 min)..he'll be better behaved during the day and will transition easier into a crate (i.e. he'll just want to sleep) and then a 30 min lunch break would suffice.[/color] Will a Vizsla with this much human time be okay then when we go out to eat or to a movie from time to time? Absolutely. Especially with aforementioned exercise! But you might want to work on gradually increasing time away. Much like how they suggest to work on dogs with separation anxiety. Best to do this when they're a pup immediately after getting them.[/color]

We have a rainy season, since a Vizsla has no undercoat, how do you give them off the leash run/ball chase time and ensure that they still stay warm? My V has no problem running in the rain and snow. But they do make dog coats that a lof V owners in my area use in the winter...sometimes little booties in the snow for snowshoeing too.[/color]

We have a small 8ft high fenced back yard and a tiny front yard but are surrounded by undeveloped open fields, are these good spaces for Vizslas to run? YES! and an 8ft high fence is perfect. Ours is only 6'H but our V has no interest in fence hopping. I would suggest not leaving them outside all day unattended, however. But an open field is perfect for running.[/color] How old do they have to be to be safe in an unfenced area retrieving a ball? I'd say as long as you've properly trained with a recall command and your pup is consistant, that should be fine. [/color] Do we start retrieving training in a dog park with a fence and then gradually move to an open space when we feel they can be trusted to be off leash? There's no reason you can't train on-leash to begin as we did. You can also buy really long leads for this purpose.[/color] I've read that these dogs are not bolters, but want to keep humans in sight. Is this true? This is VERY true of our V. The gate in our yard will blow open from time to time and while he's gone outside the fence, is never far at all and always comes when called. And when we're out on the trail off-lead, he never gets too far ahead of us that he can't see us. He'll always stop and turn around to make sure and wait if he's too far up. Even up in the mountains where there's all sorts of fun smells.[/color]

I am an equestrian, how do I best introduce my potential Vizsla to the barn/horse environment? Not sure on this one as I have no personal experience. But keep in mind since V's are hunters, a lot of them work along side a horse in the field. Our breeder has a horse she takes out in the field and worked the dogs with the horse. It's totally possible and I imagine you'd have to get them out to the barn when they're a pup still.[/color]

If we go rescue vs. puppy, what should I look for in terms of age or personality in the dog? Well. Of course, a puppy is going to be more impressionable and at that point it will do you good to find a responsible breeder who is foremost concerned about breeding for temperament. I would recommend observing sire and/or dam to see if they're friendly around humans, whether or not they're skiddish, etc. It's SO important to properly socialize V's to all sorts of sights, sounds, situations, etc. They do not have the same temperament as a lab, for example, as they're a little bit more "soft." So if you see that the dog is skiddish or otherwise easily spooked at any noise, I'd be cautious. With rescue dogs, at least they will have had some time to adjust in a foster home and I believe rescue groups are great about being honest with the temperaments of their dogs. I would google for a local V club in your area that can help with these questions. Here's a link to our local one: http://www.rmvc.org/vizslalabgolden.html [/color]

I have a lot of questions, I know, but I think it is better to ask these BEFORE we get a dog rather than after. I've also contacted a local AKC rep to recommend reliable, responsible, breeders in the area.
Thank you!

Just some random thoughts! I absolutely love our V and am glad we decided on him over a lab which was our second choice. He's so loving and care free!