# When Do Vizslas Mature Mentally?



## Lena121624 (Oct 3, 2021)

I mean this in a very light-hearted way and I'm aware all dogs are different, but I'm curious at what age did you notice your vizsla go from "absolute chaos ahhhhhhhh" to "I've always been smart but now you're actually go to see it"? And I'm always interested in hearing from those with intact females if heat cycles made a difference. This is my first vizsla and I've heard the breed matures slower than some, but I'd love to know when you stopped wanting to pull your hair out lol.

My 18-month-old female and I have started flyball training and I'm looking forward to the day she has an attention span longer than a gnat. The trainer loves her and calls her the "smooth-haired mal", but we all agree she still has puppy brain. I love her regardless, but hope we don't have many more months of this!


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

One of the defining characteristics of this breed is how playful they are well into their senior years.
Start looking for the changes you’re seeking. You should start seeing them in the next six months to a year.
My rule of thumb, is three years old they start to stop being so energetic, just for the sake of being energetic.
Gunnr could be pretty goofy when she was 11.😉


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## Gabica (Jan 20, 2018)

vizslas are clowns generally. they say the boys mature later (or never really, my boys are only serious when we hunt, everything else is a game...) than the girls. 18 months is still a puppy, as @gunnr mentioned before 3 years old I would not expect physical and mental maturity.


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## TrumpetBlast (Jun 27, 2020)

As to your question regarding heat cycles, I remember hearing that each cycle brings increasing and noticeable maturity and I do believe I saw that in my girl. She seemed to calm down quite a bit after her first heat, although it may just be the age as well. She is two, and while she is still very high energy, she also is able to settle in a way she wasn't capable of as a one year old. As an example, when off leash she used to just run and run to expend her enormous energy. Now she will still run (and OUTrun any dog she sees, I might add!), but she also wants to simply sit and watch for squirrels, or follow a scent and work a trail. Maybe it is because she is a hunting dog and that's all she really wants to do? Her focus has definitely increased and her patience as well, two things that we worked hard to foster as a part of her training. She can now turn it off as well as on.


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