# Thinking about getting a Vizsla



## amashton (Mar 19, 2014)

Hello, I am an 18 year old male who lives in East Lansing Michigan a large college town. Around August of last year I started fiddling around with the idea of getting a dog. As a result I started feeding my temptation by researching dog breeds and the Vizsla really stuck out to me. I absolutely love distancing running and running with a dog that I personally raised sounds like an incredibly appealing and rewarding experience and Vizslas sound like the perfect breed for that. I also want a dog who will kick back and relax with me afterwords and not completely ignore me. I have never been a socially active person and as a result I find myself home a lot and with a lot of free time even though I am attending college classes. I am not a first time dog owner, I had a female beagle growing up that I absolutely adored but sadly it passed away about three years ago. I currently live with my parents in a home and will for most likely about the next 3 years. I have spoken with my parents about it because I obviously plan to raise it here but it will be my dog and once I move out it is moving out with me. They both seem on board and OK with helping me which is good because my mother works from home so there is almost always at least one person home. I understand that a Vizsla is more of a commitment then most dogs, that by getting one is a binding contract to exercise it everyday. I would be lying if I said I did not have my heart set on a Vizsla, they seem like nigh perfect dogs but at the same time I want to make an informed and responsible decision and I have no delusions that a lower maintenance/less demanding dog breed might be a better choice. So do you guys/gals think my lifestyle is right for a Vizsla?


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

From experience, I don't think getting a dog in college is a good idea. You don't know where your life will take you after college/ loving situation/ work hours. New to the work force to will be on the bottom of the totem pole so no flexibility with hours or schedule. 

We had a lab mix in college. Shared him with all my roommates and husband. He now lives on a farm with a friend's parents because we all went to graduate school and moved out of our shared place.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

I graduated in '12 and got my vizsla a year later using my savings and uh... parental loans.  It's been a terrible financial decision, but amazing for my physical and mental health. I probably owe my folks $5000 and my dog is only 11 months old. You seem like a very mature 18 yr old and I'm glad you're taking the time to do some soul searching before diving in. My advice would be to wait, not just for a V, but for any dog. It seems like a long time to go without a dog, but these next 4 years are going to fly by. Who knows what opportunities will arise that you would have to turn down because of dog ownership. Study abroads, out-of-state internships, etc. that would require you to leave your pup behind. Your parents might be on board with caring for the dog in these circumstances, but it wouldn't be fair to the dog.

Start making connections with breeders now. There are some really good breeders in MI, probably within an hour's drive from you. They might appreciate having someone walk their dogs occasionally or babysit a new litter of pups. Get a job at a shelter or a doggie daycare. Go to shows and field trials. Meeting them in person is the best way to know the breed and might help take the edge off.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Some people love feisty puppies and others do not.
How much have your parents researched the breed?
I ask this question because they will be helping with the pup, and might be doing it for its lifetime.
My daughter owns a vizsla, that she purchased while in high school. I love the breed, and already owned two at the time. I knew as a parent, the pups care would fall on me when she was away. Her pup is now 4 years old, and still with me. She does not have the time a vizsla takes,with college and a job. She does pick her up and take her running, or to spend the night away. But Lucy's daily care comes from me. There is a very good chance she will always live with me. You need to ask your parents if they want to take care of a dog for the next 15 years.


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## hoovers7 (Sep 5, 2013)

Hey! I can completely understand your situation! I am a junior at michigan state right now. I got Toby in the fall and he just turned 7 months yesterday. 
My question to you is what vizslas have you met? Have you met with any breeders? Talk to them. They will be able to give you so much information. And meeting a breed gives you a better idea of their personalities. Keep in mind that any vizslas you meet have had hours and hours of training put into it. 
It would completely change your life. Toby has been in obedience classes since I got him (Good Dog! Training in Lansing is great! Janet's classes focus on positive training which is very important with the breed) and we plan on doing agility when he reaches a year old. The Lansing agility club requires them to be a year old. We also go hiking at sleepy hollow state park and other close parks all the time whether there is rain or snow. This is not a breed that you can walk every now and then. There is also a dog park on abbot road that occasionally has vizslas show up. All of this requires a ton of time and money(not to mention just buying a well bred vizsla is $1000 or more). For me it has been a great decision. 
Just make sure that whatever decision you make it is an informed decision.


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## mlwindc (Feb 8, 2013)

einspänner said:


> I graduated in '12 and got my vizsla a year later using my savings and uh... parental loans.  It's been a terrible financial decision, but amazing for my physical and mental health. I probably owe my folks $5000 and my dog is only 11 months old. You seem like a very mature 18 yr old and I'm glad you're taking the time to do some soul searching before diving in. My advice would be to wait, not just for a V, but for any dog. It seems like a long time to go without a dog, but these next 4 years are going to fly by. Who knows what opportunities will arise that you would have to turn down because of dog ownership. Study abroads, out-of-state internships, etc. that would require you to leave your pup behind. Your parents might be on board with caring for the dog in these circumstances, but it wouldn't be fair to the dog.
> 
> Start making connections with breeders now. There are some really good breeders in MI, probably within an hour's drive from you. They might appreciate having someone walk their dogs occasionally or babysit a new litter of pups. Get a job at a shelter or a doggie daycare. Go to shows and field trials. Meeting them in person is the best way to know the breed and might help take the edge off.


This is great advice from someone who has been through it. I did not get our pup until we were adults, but I could not imagine having a dog while in college. There were way too many opportunities that I would not have been able to experience and take advantage of if I had a dog at home. While it is true that you live at home and can rely on your parents, that kind of defeats the purpose of having the pup (IMO, not everyone would agree with this). As a dog parent, you really need to understand that the responsibility falls on your shoulders -- not on your parents. You have no idea what the future will bring and it wouldn't be fair to you, the pup, or your parents right now.


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## hoovers7 (Sep 5, 2013)

Very true about missing opportunities. I turned down an internship in another state to take one in Lansing instead.

Keep in mind:
-No spring break trips where you're leaving the dog behind 
-Out of state jobs or internships would be hard to work out
-No study abroad trips
-When you do move out you'll have to find a landlord who allows pets. Many do not in the Lansing area.
-When you turn 21 you are going to want to go out much more. 
-money, money, money! Do you have a job?
-How often are you at said job?


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## dextersmom (Oct 29, 2013)

What's with all the Spartans on here today?! Go Blue  Haha, just kidding, we moved from East Lansing only about two years ago ourselves. (Ironically we lived right down the street from the Abbott Rd. dog park - FYI Hunter's Ridge is a great apartment complex in that area that allows big dogs.)



TexasRed said:



> Some people love feisty puppies and others do not. How much have your parents researched the breed? I ask this question because they will be helping with the pup, and might be doing it for its lifetime.


TexasRed hit the nail on the head, IMO. My parents were super excited that we were getting a vizsla (my dad especially, as he hunts and loves the breed) but I can tell you, one week after visiting with our new pup, they were ready for us to take him home! They are wonderful dogs, but they can be little terrors as puppies. My mom is rather timid (especially around animals) and although she would have loved to have a puppy around, there's no way she could have handled him. She's now helping raise my brother's miniature poodle puppy (he just graduated and lives at home) and that's more her speed. So even if you're up for the challenge, your parents might not be. Read up on shark attacks etc. to get a better picture.

I wanted a pup in grad school but made myself wait. I don't think I would have missed out on the opportunities, trips, parties, etc. since I'm pretty much a homebody myself. But I can tell you - you will get NOTHING done with these guys as puppies. Our neighbors are in love with our dog Dexter but they are students too and they know they'd never be able to study, read, write papers, etc. with him around. Borrowing ours works out perfectly for them and it helps us out too!

I'd recommend waiting a couple of years. Start school, see how much of your time that takes up by itself. Figure out your career path/plan so you know what your lifestyle will be like after college. Then, maybe halfway through, get a pup. Get crate training done before you move out and housebreaking done while you have a flexible schedule. Make sure you get your pup used to alone time so it doesn't develop separation anxiety when you move out.

@hoovers7 - Beautiful pup! Did you use a Michigan breeder? (Would be very interested in who if you feel like sending a PM) We went out of state for our first, but always keeping in mind a second


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

> So do you guys/gals think my lifestyle is right for a Vizsla?


Take the test on the below post:
http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/05/vizsla-right-dog-for-you.html

Read a bit about the temperment of a HEALTHY Vizsla.

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2010/07/purchasing-vizsla-so-it-doesnt-end-up.html

How much money is in your bank account? One trip to the vet can be expensive or buy expensive health coverage.

Happy trails,
RBD

RBD


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

yes, in agreement with above. 

Without emergency vet visits we estimate it costs us about 5000 dollars a year to have our two boys for food, toys, treats, supplies, dog walker, and travel. If we still had a trainer I'm sure it would be more expensive. Miles had a bout of illness in October that ran us a 500 dollar bills, and another bout of hives last month. 

They are pricey, and like I said in an above post from experience I would not get a dog in college. Deeper into my college story, my roommates got a puppy that had been being shot at with a BB gun on the train tracks. He was a high energy yellow lab mixed with what we think was greyhound. With 6 people sharing a large home and yard, he got lots of exercise, attention, love, and constantly had someone home. When we all split up to go to grad school, one of my roommates took him with him to the city and he was miserable from the shock of the change in environment. Despite my friend taking the dog to work every day, when he would go to meetings the dog would rip up the office, bark, pant, cry etc. None of the rest of us had a better living situation as we were in school 40+ hrs a week so now he lives on a farm with a friend's parents. In the big picture we feels good to have given him a better life than on the train tracks, but we really should have taken him in and re homed him to a more stable family to avoid the emotional trauma he endured with the changes.


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## Vizsla Baby (Nov 4, 2011)

I had a dog in college and kept him until he was 16. You just have to make sure that you have good backup in case something comes up. My parents or friends were always around to help.

This young man seems like he's put some thought into this. He's active and said he rarely goes out socially. And he lives at home so his parents can help if need be. His Mom works from home....so do I, it's perfect for Vizsla owners.

The only caution I have is one that someone else already gave you. Dogs cannot run with you until they are 18 months or so. Between now and then you'd have to be committed to alternate exercise for your baby. About an hour per day with several 10 minute "potty" breaks.

You could consider a 2-3 year old rescue Vizsla who is in good enough long term health to run with you. We have 2 V's - one we got as a pup and a rescue we got when he was 4. They are both fabulous, very active and very snuggly dogs. I just love them!


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## KB87 (Jan 30, 2012)

It's been said already, but try to do a little forward thinking on what your life will be like in college. Will you have a PT job? Will you be doing an internship? Will you maybe transfer schools? Could you potentially move out of state? Think about every possible scenario that you could be in over the next 12-15 years and then ask yourself, "would my V fit into this situation?" College is a HUGE time for change so just be aware of that so the duties of the dog don't fall onto your parents or the dog's needs are not met. Is it doable? Yes. Would everyone do it themselves? Probably not.


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## hcrowder (Dec 26, 2013)

Personally is would wait. At least wait until you have started college so you know what to expect. I never went out in high school but college was a whole different story. 

You living situation sounds great for a V if your parents know what to expect. Everyone that visited us for the first two months left with band aids on their hands and arms from the shark attacks. It was awful. 

Your life has the potential to change drastically multiple times in the next few years and you need to be prepared for that. What if you are offered a great internship with long hours? What if you decide to move out of your parents house? What if you want to do a study abroad term? Most college students change their major a couple of times before graduation so your employment goals might change. 

My husband and I waited years before we got a puppy because our lives were so chaotic and up in the air. While you sound like you can handle it, I wonder if you will regret the missed experiences you could have if you didn't get a puppy. I ended up moving from Seattle to NYC and then to London all within a 6 years of graduation. I am a teacher so I never could have predicted this, but by husband is an attorney and we have moved for him. Now that we are stable in London we have the puppy but we never could have made those moves with a dog. 

Cost is another big factor. Between my husband and I we have a ton of student loan debt. Our puppy has cost about $2300 in the last 3 months and that doesn't count what we paid for her. There have been no crazy vet fees and that does include dog walking twice a day. We could not have taken on this expense while in school. 

Sorry in advance for any typos I am writing on my iphone.


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## KB87 (Jan 30, 2012)

From a cost perspective I just went through my files of vet bills and totaled up our cost for our boy for our first year. Granted, our vet cost includes the cost to neuter and the fact that he had demodex mange as a pup that we had to treat. The rest are estimates:

First year of vet bills: $1,700
Food for the year: $600
Toys: $100
Crate, bed, cleaning products, etc: $250
Training: $300
Flea/tick/HW meds: $200
Pet insurance: $300
Total: $3,450

This doesn't include the cost of the pup or travel to get him. I'm probably forgetting some other costs to factor in (like a dog walker, etc) and/or on the low end of some estimates like training. We do daycare so that is in addition. I would say that in the first year we likely spent a good $6,000 on our pup without anything major happening medically. Personally I didn't expect it to be as much (he was my first dog since moving from home so I was walking in kind of blind) but was prepared for much worse and kept a reserve in my bank account for him. Had I been a college student at the time vs working FT for a few years while finishing grad school, I probably would have been dead in the water financially, mentally and physically. To each his own though. Again, not saying it isn't doable but just take into account absolutely every aspect before calling a breeder. We're all here to speak from experience and help you see all of the aspects


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## mlwindc (Feb 8, 2013)

Wilson cost about 8000 the first year. Three walks per week and all the supplies. We did spend about 2500 on training, which appears to be On the high end. My husband calls him"my gold plated dog."


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## amashton (Mar 19, 2014)

Thanks for all the great responses. I actually already started college, I will be a sophomore at MSU starting this fall, I am transferring from another college. I graduated from ELHS (east lansing high) last year. I used to take my beagle to the dog park on abbot. I will be studying communications at MSU and plan to get my masters in telecommunications from MSU as well. My mothers childhood dog was a Weimaraner so she is at least familiar with the sporting class of dogs. In my original post I came of as selfish. I want this dog to be much more then just a jogging companion so I am fine with waiting 18 months until I can start training with it. I am not an "average" college kid in the sense that I don't drink or party all night, I am much too in tuned with my body physically to enjoy these things. I am an introvert but that dos not mean I do not have friends etc I simply mean by that that I really do not enjoy spending the bulk of my free time socializing. My father saved up enough money for me to be able to go out of state for four years if I wished, I chose not to. As a result cost is not an issue for me. I have recently sent out emails to breeders in Michigan. I am confident that I am up for this.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

We just wanted to give you some things to think over and it sounds like you have. With a good head on your shoulders and parental support you can absolutely make this work. My recommendation would still be to wait, but I ignored my parents telling me the same thing, so I can't blame you for going ahead. ;D I'm sure you've thought of this, but probably best to get a puppy during the summer so you can focus on the early training. Get a part-time or volunteer job or something so it can practice alone time in the crate. You are in for the time of your life! Good luck and keep us updated. 
Oh and if you like the look of wirehaired vizslas, they can keep up with the smoothies no problem, but don't need as much exercise to relax around the house. I could see that coming in handy around finals. Wet beards might drip on your papers though...If you're interested I know of 2 breeders up your way. 

Scout just jumped up for a hug and yawned in my face, so looks like I need to go to bed. 

Oh one last thing I'm with dextersmom, GO BLUE!


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