# Exercise Ideas



## Coya (Aug 20, 2011)

Our 12 week old Vizsla is a bundle of love...and an even bigger bundle of energy! We walk 2 times a day (morning and night) though she doesn't seem to crazy about walking and is more interested in eating every spec of dirt, moss, grass, and anything else we see! She is in a doggy play group 2 times a week where she runs and plays for an hour each session. We take her to state parks and such on weekends. All this said, I know V's are EXTREMELY energetic dogs and I just want to make sure we are giving her the proper amount of exercise. We have heard mixed reviews on when we can start to run her. And if we can, how much can she handle at her age?

Also, what are some other things you guys do to exercise your V's and wear them out???

Thanks


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## Mischa (Feb 17, 2010)

I'd say the single best way to tire a Vizsla, is to go for a long walk/run/swim with a pack of Vizslas in a forest somewhere. They feed off each other and will not quit...

Biking, field training and fetch are another few quick ideas.


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## Moose (Oct 2, 2010)

I agree, find another pack of Vs for your pup to run with- it's amazing how much they can run and play when together.


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## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

On the days we don't take Ruby to daycare, we play in the back yard. We play fetch, hide and seek, and lots of running around with her chasing us and vice versa. On weekends, we always do dog park at least one day. Being in Florida, we have not been able to do long walks since it is still so hot out. Ruby gets overheated very fast. 

Someone mentioned swimming - I wish I would have put a pool in the back yard because it is great for wearing them out.


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## Coya (Aug 20, 2011)

RubyRoo, I see you mentioned that Ruby is in a daycare. We are considering signing up Coya for PetSmarts doggy daycamp for 1-2 days per week. We both work out of the home, and though we have flexible schedules that allow us to go home and check on her/release her from her crate for a little while to eat, play, go to the bathroom, we feel too guilty having to leave her everyday. I have done a lot of research and the reviews seem great, I just want to make sure it's going to be beneficial to her. How does Ruby like it? How many days/hours does she go for? What things do they do with her there?

My friends laugh at us sending her to puppy playgroups, kindergarten, and now considering a daycamp...but until you have a dog, you don't realize how much they really are like children! We just want the best for our little girl


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## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

Coya - I started Ruby at doggie daycare when she was around 5 months. I work from home and it was getting very demanding to be with her all day and get my work done.

Ruby goes to daycare 3 days a week. It depends on the week. This week I am having her go 4 days since I have been sick so it is easier on me and my husband when she gets home.

When finding a daycare - do your homework. The one I found is open from 7am-7pm and it is $13/day (buying a package makes it cheaper like $10/day). You can drop off and pick up any time. I usually drop Ruby off at 8am and pick her up at 4. A daycare should have time for the dogs to rest and eat. Every day they close from noon-2pm and all the dogs are kenneled for lunch and nap. While in group play - the dogs are separated by size and temperament. Ruby is with the medium size dogs - beagles, boxers (her favorite), etc. What I also like about this place is it is a boarding facility too. We have used it to get away for the weekend and Ruby gets to be in group play all day and then sleeps very well at night. The owners are very nice and I talk to the all of the time and you can tell they care. That is very important to me. The best thing is they have a web cam so i can check on Ruby all day which I do from time to time. 

When I pick her up at the end of the day - she eats dinner, goes potty and sleeps pretty much the rest of the day. It is a nice break during the week with a hectic work schedule.


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## MAPLEBABY (Jun 26, 2011)

Wow, 13 dollars for a daycare? That's a steal! I want to move to Florida.  In my area(Vancouver), there's nothing under 25 dollars a day even if you buy passes in bulk. 

I used to send her to a daycare too and think it's beneficial for dogs on one condition that the daycare owner knows what he/she is doing and there's always someone to supervise and intervene when dogs get too rowdy. We just stopped doing daycare because dropping her off and picking her up was getting too hectic. Instead we have a dog walker who comes in the mid day. When I am off though, I take Maple to dog beach, off leash trails, or school play ground to play fetch. 

I know what other people say about your enthusiasm for your pup's mental/physical happiness.. "It's just a dog!" or"your dog costs more than my kids." Well, like Redbirddog said before, they are lifestyle not just a pet!  

Not only the physical exercise, you can entertain Coya mentally. For example, Maple's favorite is hide-a-squirrel. I ask her sit or lie down and put the squeaky squirrels one by one in their little nest thing. Then her hunting insticts kick in and she looks SO intense looking at them. I make her wait for about 1 minute then throw it far and say ' go get it!' Then she goes crazy trying to get the 3 squirrels out and it's the funniest thing to see her snout get stuck in one of the holes. I used to give her a treat when she takes a squirrel out and brings it to me. Once she is done she wants me to start all over.


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## Coya (Aug 20, 2011)

Thanks for your responses!

Wow! $13 is a great price! The cheapest I found is for $22. I believe that we found one that seems to fit all of our needs, we go for an "interview" in a few weeks. 

Maple, the squirrel game sounds like a great idea and extremely fun to watch  Hopefully Coya won't be as afraid of stuffed squirrels as she is real ones! Lol. A hunting dog afraid of squirrels! She hasn't really grasped the idea of "fetch" yet. She usually just grabs the toy and runs around the house/yard like a wild banchi, occasionally (mostly by accident) dropping it by our feet. We're working on it!


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## laurita (Jun 12, 2011)

Coya,
If she's afraid of squirrels, really you can hide anything and have your dog hunt around for it. I have my dog sniff something, anything really (a tea bag, a shoe, keys, a toy, etc), I have him wait behind a door and go hide it and it just say "find it" or "get it" and he looks everywhere for it. I'm not sure how they learn to do this, but to begin, you can have your dog sit for you while you walk around dropping treats and use a cue to teach them to go find them. They love this. Do a few in front of her face and a few where she can't see. Then you can start doing that with the door closed, etc. When I don't have as much time for exercise, I'll hide things 4-5 times just to give him a job to do. Once they get older, it's really amazing to watch how strongly they can perceive an odor.


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## Moose (Oct 2, 2010)

$13/day for doggy daycare is insane!  We have a doggy day-camp that I just found out about here, we'll be buying a membership to this facility [they have free perks for members, such as gland expression which we need to have done at least once a year for Moose- and free nail clipping,etc] and it's $25/day for daycamp, but I think the hours are from 7am-6pm or something like that. if it was $13/day we'd be using it a heck of a lot more often!


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## Fox_Trot (Mar 15, 2010)

at only 12 weeks i would be wary on too much exercise. I would not run the dog on concrete or throw it around a bunch of other dogs due to its immune system not being 100 percent yet. Find a activity you can do with your dog that is easy to do everyday. I would recommend Frisbee, it works the dogs body as well as its mind a bit. As it gets a bit older, try bigger activities. Whatever you enjoy doing for exercise, include the Vizsla! Almost anything you could think of you enjoy doing, your Vizsla would as well. We hike with ours dogs looking for water sources for swimming. Always look for an off-leash opportunity. We thought exactly how you did with the thought of "well, i know its a vizsla, we walked around the area 4 times every day, why are you such a maniac!" We can go for a 5 mile hike where i am sure my dogs run 3x that, and they still want more after a quick nap. I have seen people take four wheelers and have the dogs follow to ware them out, it takes quite a bit sometimes.


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