Does anyone work full time?

Hi Becky,

You'll find that there are a lot of different vizsla owners with varied training methods, experience, and advice. In my opinion there's no such thing as "enough exercise" for a vizsla. (or any pointer for that matter) My dogs would likely run themselves to death if I let them.

My wife and I both work weekdays, our schedules are a bit hectic, but we try and stick to a routine as best we can. This generally involves a short walk in the morning before work and a long walk after work. On the weekends we let our dogs "run their brains out". In addition we have someone come by the house to let them out for a stretch/bathroom break 2-3 times a day.

My wife used to get home during lunch for an hour and do exactly what you're talking about. There's no set plan that works best, but I think being around your 4 other dogs will definitely help.

I think it's important to understand that vizslas can run 5,6,8 miles at a clip and still have gas in the tank. As long as you're able to give them a place to unload that energy as often as possible you'll be okay. The less often you let them get a run in the more likely you are to be "disappointed" with their behavior.

Ditto on "there's not enough exerciste for a V!" ;D An hour each day off-leash is going to be great for a V. It's especially helpful that someone can get home during lunch; especially when they're a puppy and need to relieve their bladders. I would still recommend crating your young pup when you're not there to minimize accidents and keep your pup safe and your home intact. And, with the extra agility training on the weekends, it sounds like your V would have a fantastic time. We did an intro class with our guy and he LOVED it, not to mention it totally gave him a great workout; not only physically, but mentally as V's are pretty smart!

My husband and I both work FT and took turns coming home at lunch for an hour. Now, since my company is only down to 2 workers, I'm able to bring our guy to work.

I think you'll also want to work on getting your pup gradually used to you not being there since V's are super social dogs who really desire to be with their pack. Whereas other dogs I've known have been more content being alone. I think V's can be prone to separation anxiety if not de-sensitized to being alone.

Good luck on your decision, but it sounds like you're on the right track!

Hi, I'm a new and surprised Vizsla mom! Our adult son rescued this one from a shelter, had him about a year, had living situations unexpectedly change on him, and now this two-year-old sweetie is bunking with our family for a while (or forever...). It was us or back to the shelter, so we saw this as a real option, but...

Here's where your opinions would be helpful: we have two cats, also rescues, who seem to need to stay "kings" of their lion kingdom for their mental health. The V is "very respectful" of one of them, almost afraid, and super-curious about the other one. Does anybody else have this combo? Do they eventually become "friends," or find a way to play, even happy "chase"? The V has no interest in hurting them at all, and that's clear, but he really wants to play.

Now, for the bad part: we both work full time, far from home, and the V will be in his crate around 7 hours a day. (We had no intention of getting a dog, promise, but we're trying to do our best!) We're planning to reorganize our day so that he gets a long and a short walk before we leave, plenty of potty time, and out for a good walk when we get home, but I'm worried about UTI problems. Has anyone else encountered this situation? (We still see us as a better option than the shelter--lots and lots of love, attention, appreciation, and walks, but we have to make the kibble money!)

And speaking of kibble...how much does a 2-year-old V eat? He's thin, but not emaciated, and eats about 3 C a day in one feeding.

Thank you so much from all of us!

Well, the good news is that at his age it should not be a problem healthwise for him to stay in the crate while you are at work. As long as he is able to get plenty of time out in the evenings and weekends you should not have a problem. The thing that you may be concerned about would be boredom and extra energy when you finally let him out of the crate.

As far as the kitty situation, if the cats have never been around a dog and the dog has never been around cats....it's gonna take a while for them to be buds, if ever. It's great that he has respect for the cats and does not see them as prey.

I know a lot of folks only feed once a day, I have always fed my dogs morning and evening. I hate to think of them having to gorge on one meal and then being hungry for hours later on. I recommend a quality dog food with NO CORN and as little other grains as possible. There are lots on the market that are good. Look for high protein and fat percentages.

You sound like a very concerned foster parent/parent. The V is blessed to have found your son and you. Best of luck.

Our V update!

Hi everyone,

Your advice was tremendously helpful! We have been a truly happy little family for our first month, have survived even a kennel experience so we could go on a prearranged trip, and everything is working super-well. One of my friends assured me that her vet's advice that "a dog has no concept of time passing" was real, and that has been a great comfort. Eddie the V is one incredibly happy boy! He claims our laps at night when we're watching TV, cuddles close and sighs that huge "ooomph" sigh that lets us know he's going to be just fine.

The cats antagonize the life out of him, but have helped to draw the line between "playtime" and "get out of my face" so there really are no fights. Eddie learned not to mess with them after a couple of face swats (claws in, thank goodness), and the "lions" think that drinking from his water bowl is the best. Eddie is truly a gentle giant, and we will enjoy having him for as long as our son needs our help.

This forum is terrific!