# Day 1 with new Vizsla Puppy - Any Advice?



## moviegoer

If all goes as planned, we're bringing home our 8 week old female Vizsla puppy on Saturday. We're so excited. I have a couple of questions:

1. Does anyone have any general advice for the first day? Anything we should start from the first moment we arrive home after the long car ride, that you know from experience? One example is something I read in another thread - immediately take her from the car to the the spot in the backyard where we want to encourage her to go to the bathroom. Forget who posted this. But else? What is a good way to 'introduce' the puppy to our new home? It will be on Saturday afternoon, so we have all day. 

2. We're crate training her from the get-go. Does anyone have a specific crate they recommend? We're finding that the crates we see at PetSmart etc. are either too small for her to grow up in, or too big for right now. Anyone have a good Vizsla sized crate they can recommend?

Honestly, after reading these forums we're a little bit apprehensive and nervous! We have owned a V before several years ago, but for some reason now that we know how much energy they have, plus reading these threads, we're happy but a little afraid we're going to screw up!


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## Aimless1

Reading posts in this forum is enough to scare even an old geezer like me 
When my new V arrives it will be our 5th dog in 35 years.

Both you and the pup are going to make mistakes. Rather than worry about the perfect introduction, concentrate on enjoying the day and the experience. Have fun with the new puppy. Laugh. Play. Relax.


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## Kobi

For crates, I've always been fond of the Midwest Double Door style. It comes with a divider which will be VERY useful when she is just a puppy and doesn't need tons of room (prevents soiling in crate).

I have the 42 x 28 x 31 size... just tall enough for my dog to sit in, but can be a bit unwieldy to carry around. You could probably do fine with the 36 x 24 x 27 size, especially when she is young. I paid about $81 for mine.

For a travel crate (or all-time crate, if you want and think she won't try to shred it), I recommend the Firstrax Port-A-Crate. I got a really good deal on mine ($47) on Amazon. It is EXTREMELY durable for a soft crate.

As far as preperation... lots of patience and keep a camera handy!


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## gunnr

Bring your puppy home. Give her lots of love, affection and attention. Lots of touching.
Patiently, and gently let her explore everything she wants too and don't force her to explore things she doesn't want to.
Introduce her to her sleeping arrangements and show her the area you want her to do her business.

There are 4 things puppies do.
Play, sleep, eat, and go to the bathroom. If they're not actively involved in the first three things, they're getting ready to do the fourth. ;D

You'll be fine, and don't worry, because she'll teach you what to do.


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## tanners_mama

HAVE FUN 

It's not like you get to bring home a puppy everyday, so make the most out of it!

To lessen any stresses, make sure you puppy-proof your home. Bring her into one room and gate it off so she can explore and get accustomed to her new space 

Get a few toys for her to play with too, different kids e.g ones that squeak, stuffless animals, a kong, etc. She what she prefers, playtime is the best!


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## ironman_stittsville

Gunnr said:


> There are 4 things puupies do.
> Play, sleep, eat, and go to the bathroom. If they're not actively involved in the first three things, they're getting ready to do the fourth. ;D


LOL! Well put!


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## KonasPop

Ive always been fond of the pet porter style and for about 5 dollars at the hardware store you can make your own divider with some OSB and basic light fixture brackets. Pet porter breaks down easy and travels well. I didnt like the all open cage style cause the doors are so flimsy I've heard stories of the doors being bent or the dog actually unhinging it with their mouths...this is probably more an issue of traiining though haha, than faulty equipment. 

one thing not listed yet is "leash draging". Exploring pups can get away from ya sometimes and this is just a habbit you get into for the first few months to keep them close, or in the case of having an older cat around, keeping their little pink puppy nose intact lol

good luck and congratualtions!!


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## Skywalker

moviegoer said:


> One example is something I read in another thread - immediately take her from the car to the the spot in the backyard where we want to encourage her to go to the bathroom. Forget who posted this.


Not sure either, but from experience, I wholeheartedly agree with this and I had no persistent problems after introducing Leia to the appropriate area to go (with lots of praise), just a few incidents in the house over the first weekend and that was it. 

We got her in May and I agree with everyone else, keep a camera handy and take a lot of pics, she's 5 months now and I look at the plethora of pics I have and still wish there were more to cherish 

As far as crates go, we are using the 36x24 size, double door wire crate, the Petco brand was a little cheaper and there havent been any issues with its quality so far (except the side door is a little skewed) its a great size for her as a pup now, but unsure if it will be ok when shes full grown (or if I will need/use it)... I didnt use the divider that it came with. I wrapped the plastic bottom in a fluffy blanket and put an 8 dollar bed on top after washing both. It is working out great. Theres another blanket on top for the 'den effect' many people have suggested. Definetly cumbersome to transport in and out of the house and my truck like Kobi said, so when I know shes not going to tear it apart, Ill probably get one of the softer porter style. They seem to be more expensive.

Good luck!


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## luv2laugh

moviegoer - Today is our day 1!!  I got worried reading the forum as well, but I think I had forgotten how much fun having a puppy is. Enjoy it!! I like that we started a schedule right away. every hour out for potty, quarter to the our (or more) put him in the crate. The first time in the crate, he cried for 8 minutes, crying like someone was hurting him. I didn't know what to do, but then he fell asleep. Second time in the crate, he cried for 2 minutes. 3rd time, he didn't cry at all. I feel like the schedule is good for him. Plus it gives you a little bit of down time.  It's very difficult watching a new puppy every second, fun and difficult, I'm tired already.

Have fun and share photos!!


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## moviegoer

luv2laugh said:


> moviegoer - Today is our day 1!!  I got worried reading the forum as well, but I think I had forgotten how much fun having a puppy is. Enjoy it!! I like that we started a schedule right away. every hour out for potty, quarter to the our (or more) put him in the crate. The first time in the crate, he cried for 8 minutes, crying like someone was hurting him. I didn't know what to do, but then he fell asleep. Second time in the crate, he cried for 2 minutes. 3rd time, he didn't cry at all. I feel like the schedule is good for him. Plus it gives you a little bit of down time.  It's very difficult watching a new puppy every second, fun and difficult, I'm tired already.
> 
> Have fun and share photos!!


Thanks for the replies, everyone! Well, we survived the first day /night. Yesterday we drove about 6 hours round trip to pick her up, and introduced her to her new home. Last night was a little rough to be honest - my wife and I kept getting up to let her out of her crate about every 2 hours, would let her go in the backyard and do her business, then try to return her to the crate. So we're exhausted today. But it's going well I think.. Anyway thanks for everything!


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## moviegoer

Actually I do have some other questions. 

1. We're crate training our 8 week old V. puppy. Last night, her first night home, we took her out when she cried out at all, and immediately took her outside. The reason we did this is that she already had an accident in her crate on the long drive back from the breeder as she was crying out, and I think my wife and I are both now afraid that any of her cries could mean she has to use the bathroom. For those of you who crate train, did we make a mistake on the first night? Should we let her cry it out?

2. Bells. We used bells hanging on the back door to train our first Vizsla. The idea was she'd push them with her nose when she had to go to to the bathroom outside. I remember it actually worked alright during the beginning phases of housebreaking to alert us. Does anyone else still do this method? We still have the bells left over and are considering it. 

This board is a wealth of information. Thanks to all of the contributors!


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## OttosMama

Hi moviegoer,
My boyfriend and I brought our 8 week old vizsla home last Saturday. I flew to go pick him up and he rode back with me on the plane so he had a very long day of waiting in the airport, the flight, and drive home. By the time we had him home and fed it was almost time for bed. He cried uncontrollably in the crate and soiled it twice. By the second time we felt so bad we let him out and slept on the kitchen floor with him ( it was the safest room for us all to be in incase we fell asleep and he didn't). I knew it was not wise to take him out because it would only prolong the process of him getting adjusted to the crate, but it was such a long day without much structure so I just didn't feel right having him so stressed. The next day though we started our new routine and agreed no matter how long he cries we have to leave him in. Even though we fed him much earlier in the night and brought him out to do his business there were still a few nights of the same soiling. I'd say the third night was the last he cried and fourth was the last he soiled. I would invest in some ear plugs - they helped us. Also, to help him we tried to make him feel comfortable in the crate. Petting him while in the crate until he became sleepy... lots of treats in the crate... and feeding him his meals in there as well with the door closed until he finished. I also read, maybe even on this site, not to talk to your pup while she cries, not to comfort or scold, because any attention is what she is looking for and it will reinforce her crying. The literature found on the onpointvizsla website was very helpful to us. We did not get Otto from onpoint but they offer a lot of info and advice on their website. Today after a morning of playing he walked into the crate and laid down on his own! The first few nights are a huge transition and life change for everyone involved but totally worth it. Best of luck to your girl!! What is he name?


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## luv2laugh

Hi again moviegoer,

1. For crate training, I think it's really difficult to tell what the crying means. If you keep her on a strict potty schedule though, it's a little easier to guess. I think I read somewhere that puppies can hold it for 1 hour past their age in months. So for ours that would be 3 hours (although at night he holds it longer). We've been trying to do the thing where you take the puppy out to pee about every hour, play with him 30-45 minutes after and then crate him for 15-30 min. He cried like CRAZY when we first put him in the crate, but we knew he could hold it so let him stay in. I don't think one night will make a difference. What we do is wait for him to be quiet for at least a minute before taking him out, if I think he's just whining I wait 3 minutes. Noises other than whining (like soft groans) are ok. When we first got him, I praised him every time he quieted even for a second and gave him kibble every time he was quiet and it didn't work as well. Covering the crate with a blanket did work though. 

2. Oh and we are using bells. We just take his little paw and have him ring the bell every time we go out for potty (not for other times). He has rung them three times himself. I think sometimes he is just playing with them, but we take him out anyways and he always goes. No accidents for the last two days - yay! Let's hope it becomes 3 tomorrow. We used up a huge bottle of nature's miracle the first 2 days. 

Hope that helped. Also there is another active thread on bells, I was just reading. Tap it into search and it should pop up.


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## Ozkar

You are all cruel, cruel, nasty Vizsla owners!!!! I don't know how you can be so harsh to your Vizsla. Mine sleep on and sometimes, if it's really cold, in the bed!!!  They have a crate, but it's only used in a storm!!


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## luv2laugh

awww, Ozkar!! he sleeps in a VERY comfortable crate surrounded by yummy toys RIGHT next our bed, he's even at eye level with us. 

Once he's potty trained he may or not be welcomed in (not sure yet), but until then, nope, no thank you.


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## Suliko

Sophie has a whole couch ALL to herself! : Although now with the power outage we are all bunkered down in the basement where the fireplace keeps us warm. Sophie gets an extra soft plush blanket....and loves it!


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## moviegoer

We absolutely plan to let Ginger, our V, have a sleeping life outside of the crate someday. But until she's housebroken and past the puppy chewing/ destroying phase, we'll wait.  

I think the best idea that I've heard is to take her outside and crate her on a regular schedule. Last night (our night #2) was even somehow worse than the first. She cried and howled at being crated, and since it's in our room next to our bed, it's impossible to sleep and let her cry it out. We're both pretty miserable today.

My wife ended up sleeping half the night on the couch, because eventually we just broke down and took her out. As soon as Ginger can snuggle up against either my wife or I, she is out like a light.

She's 8 weeks old and already living up to the reputation of a Velcro dog, even though she's only been with us for 2 days! 

Also - as soon as I let her out of the crate, if I'm sitting on the flood next to her, she runs out of it, jumps on my lap, curls up and shuts her eyes. It's very cute and sweet, but not the most fun activity at 2AM when I have work.


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## luv2laugh

I don't see too much wrong with having her fall asleep on your lap and then putting her in the crate. Maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong. 

It isn't good though to take her out when she cries for a long time. That actually encourages her to keep crying. It trains her that she just needs to cry long enough or loud enough to get out.

My breeder crated Oso for 4 days before we got him. So, he was already sleeping through the night when we got him. I'm SOOO glad about that! We had to deal with a lot of crying for naps/settling down time though (for potty). 7 days in, he has finally stopped crying when we put him in. yay.

You all must be so exhausted.


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## Cavedog

Every puppy is different, so what worked for one may not work for another, but here was our first night experience.

We put the pup to bed at 10:00 PM. We had his crate in our bedroom next to my side of the bed and the first night he began to cry when we put him in. I told my wife I was going to take a quick shower and then I would see if I could calm him down. When I got out of the bathroom the pup was sound asleep. I asked my wife what she did. She told me that she laid down on the floor in front of the crate where he could see her and he fell asleep in a few minutes. He slept soundly until 6:30.

The next night he cried again when we put him to bed, so this time I laid on the floor and in a few minutes he was asleep. After that second night, we never had to do it again.


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## Ozkar

luv2laugh said:


> awww, Ozkar!! he sleeps in a VERY comfortable crate surrounded by yummy toys RIGHT next our bed, he's even at eye level with us.
> 
> Once he's potty trained he may or not be welcomed in (not sure yet), but until then, nope, no thank you.


Ahhhh... but you have no idea of exactly how gorgeous the feel of those velvet soft ears and neck are when you wake up at 4am with yr V asleep with his/her chin across your chest, neck, head, face.............  It's heaven on a stick for me!!!!


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## mswhipple

I'm with you, Ozkar! For me, part of the joy of living with a Vizsla is sleeping with one. Willie is almost five years old now, and a perfect gentleman. Snuggling up at night next to that velvety, silky, big red love muffin is such a soothing experience. 

Willie has his choice of where he wants to sleep -- his couch or my bed. I let him pick. I'm actually a little disappointed when he picks the couch. HA-Ha-ha!! He is such a good boy, really, it has never been a problem.


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## redbirddog

There was a singing group in the 70's: "Three Dog Night." The term comes from, what I understand, when it is really cold, you need to have three dogs in your bed to stay warm.

When field trialing in the motorhome, Bailey and Chloe sleep in the bed with me. It can get down in the teens during the winter and I call those "two dog nights." Their bodies run warmer than humans and it can stay nice and toasty. 

At home it is crates with sleeping bags for them. In the spring and summer they sleep on top of the bags, in the winter they disappear deep inside.

RBD


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## kristen

It is the end of week two with Odin. 
We've been working with the crate since we brought him home. He sleeps in it fine all night, although you have to calm him down before you put him in his crate. If he is sleepy and chill, he will go in quietly and to sleep quickly. If you try to put him in when he's in "play mode" he will scream like you lit him on fire... endlessly.
When we have to leave for work and he wont chill out, a peanut butter filled kong tossed in his crate will keep him occupied long enough to forget that we left. 
I know listening to them scream and whine is heart breaking, but Odin seemed to learn pretty quick when we ignored him, and his whining and whimpering are getting less and less. Although he is currently discovering his bark, but he reserves that for when he goes upstairs and is too afraid to come back down on his own!


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