# New Puppy help! Smell/Crate/Bedtimes!



## Sam111 (Jul 6, 2011)

Hi, we last week brought home a 10 week old Viz boy! He is surprisingly settlelin in well, toilet training is going great. I just have a few questions as I have never before owned a Viz.
1. He smelt quite fresh a bit sawdusty when he arrived, he now smells very doggy! He is lying at my feet and I can smell dog quite strongly. Is this normal, I never noticed a smell with other Vizslas I have met. I assume his mother licked him before we got him but he does not yet lick himself is it something Vizslas develop as they grow up? Should we bath him? if so how often is to often. He is perfectly healthy with a lovely glowing coat, the smell is just a doggy smell! 
2. He has slept in our bedroom on a bean bag for the last 5 nights, we want to move him to a downstairs crate, is this best to do straight away or wait a few more days till he gets used to us? 
3. He has been crated everyday (5days) for about 30-60 mins once a day, when I have had to go out, when will he stop crying and barking?
Thanks Sam.


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

Not sure what could be causing the smell. Our pup never really smelled. To be honest Vizs do have a slight smell but very slight. If he is really smelly you might need to check his ears for an ear infection as this can cause puppies to smell. You will know if he has one as he will have lots of dark wax. Other than that I am not sure what would be causing him to smell. 
If you are planning to crate him but have started with him in his room you will need to put him in the crate in your room first. Then after a couple of nights move him just outside then after a couple of nights move him further and further until in the room or spot you want him to be. The crying or barking takes different amounts of time depending on the dog. Our pup was good. We put him in the spot we wanted him from day one and the first night he cried all the way through and the second on off the whole night. Since then no crying. The main thing is don't give in and open the crate while he is crying or the training will never work. You must wait for a natural break in the barking or crying before you open the crate. To get him to like the crate let him go in and out through out the day by putting treats in and don't close the door. Then when you do close the door also give a treat for him to get. It could take a long time. There are many good posts on crate training on this site if you run a search. Good luck!


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## Suliko (Sep 17, 2011)

I gave my V. a bath with a gentle puppy shampoo (small amount) when we first brought her home just so she can have a "fresh" start. But V's in general do not need a lot of bathing.


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## Sam111 (Jul 6, 2011)

Hi, we are going to bath him this evening. Its def not his ears they seem clean, it just a doggy smell! Its just like my sisters labs when they have been out and smells a bit like her house, we will have to see after his bath. Do they make dog deodorant???!!!


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## laurita (Jun 12, 2011)

Hi Sam111,
I remember thinking the same thing with my puppy when I got him. I was told that vizslas didn't smell like dog and he definitely had an odor. Now, I love his smell and it seems like a very faint smell (not dog-like) and I'm not sure if I got used to it (!!) or if it changed when I changed his diet. The breeder was feeding him purina puppy chow and I changed over to innova and then to raw food.


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## Adelle25 (Sep 4, 2011)

One thing i found with the crate is put it in a room he is familiar with, when i first got my little boy i put him in his crate in the office and he cried to nights solid (we never really went in the office) i moved it into the loving room and he hasn't cried since, they like to be somewhere familiar.

Every now and then he will have a bark when i first put him in it but i shout from upstairs "No Copper" and he shuts up. I don't hear from him then until the morning when he needs a wee. 

I get in the crate with him and make it a fun place for him to be, i also feed him in the crate with the door open so he associates the crate with somewhere fun and homely. 

I agree my boy smells, i gave him a bath when i 1st got him but i don't think i bathed him propably as he still smelt after, i got these dog wipes which works wonders, you shouldn't bath a vizsla too often, as they have oils in there fur. 

Hope this helps


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## SandraDee (Oct 19, 2010)

With regard to the smell it could be an anal gland thing. Our dog, had the worst smell until he was about 5 months old. It was because he had swollen anal glands, that weren't getting released when he had a bowel movement. If you notice your dog licking his butt a lot, or dragging it across the floor a little, that could be it.

Vizsla's really shouldn't have that much of an odor to them.

We had to move our dog to a crate downstairs because he was keeping us awake at night (he was in one in our bedroom to start off with). Once we moved him he started sleeping through the night. 

Don't worry about the howling and barking in the crate (unless you are in an apartment and are bugging the neighbours). I think they all do it when they are puppies. They get over it eventually.


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