# Non-Energetic, Mellow Vizsla



## DuchessDemi (Jul 25, 2016)

Hi everyone! New to the forum and proud owner of a 3 year old beautiful V girl named Demi (6/13/13) for nearly a month now. She is settling in nicely, she started out pretty nervous/skittish with her tail down for the most part, very sensitive to everything, but has since grown more confident as we continue to get her into her daily routine/schedule.

She's always ate well, 1.5 cups of Orijen food in the morning and at night, with fresh water given all day. She gets 3-4 walks a day, varying in length of 20-45 minutes. She sleeps fine for the most part, occasionally getting up in the middle of the night to join us in bed :. Poo is fantastic, and a recent checkup at the vet says she is generally in great health, with a low heart rate at 50 BPM, which is says is common in athletic dogs (the average dog is 60-120 BPM we were told).

My concern is, she hasn't really seemed that athletic so far! She spends most of her days cuddling/sleeping/exploring the house. She seems to enjoy walking on the leash, and will even jog/run with my boyfriend occasionally. When I walk briskly or try to jog, she just stops and stands her ground. We haven't taken her to a dog park yet to let her off leash as she's been pretty nervous around other dogs/unfamiliar places. Is this normal for a V? Though she is not lethargic, should I be concerned? Or is she just not adjusted to her new life with us yet?

Prior to getting her, we had read about how V's are EXTREMELY energetic and have a high demand to get exercise/runs. I'm a little worried since she hasn't shown a desire to run yet. She's not destructive at home or anything, far from it! She's a sweet, mellow girl. Part of me is telling myself to give her some time to truly settle, but the other part of me is like ARE YOU OKAY BABY?! :'(

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


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## Anida (Jun 10, 2016)

Congrats on your V  I'm not an expert but she could be lower energy (there is always a range) but I really think it's probably more due to the new home/environment. I'd just keep taking her out on walks and let her build her confidence. We got our V when she was a puppy but at 9mths she is just starting to show a lot more energy but her confidence is now much higher than it was when she was younger.

That being said, if we keep our pup away from other dogs she mellows out and will snuggle/relax around the house but if I have the other dogs in all **** breaks loose


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## DuchessDemi (Jul 25, 2016)

Thank you Anida! I'll just keep on keepin' on for now, and keep her schedule consistent and see how she does. It hasn't quite been a month yet, but I'm already that overly-concerned mummy that wants Demi to feel her very best!


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## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

My V is like this and she's been with us since 7 weeks old. She's 10 months now. So she is still a puppy, but compared to other V's her age she is super mellow. Yesterday we hiked 3 miles and she ran around the dog park for 20 minutes (well, she moseyed around the dog park and spent some of that time lying on the ground), with a 30 minute walk at a very slow pace in the evening. This morning she only needed a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood, again at a very slow pace with lots of time to stop and sniff stuff, and passed out when we got home. She lets us know when she's had enough, that's for sure! 

I thought a V would need way more than my girl seems to need, and I want my girl to be happy, so I totally sympathize with what you're feeling. I'm prepared to give her way more exercise, but she doesn't want it. Mine also does not really run with me. Not that I'd go far, given her age, but we don't even get a block before she sits down. I give her lots of off-leash time but she spends most of it lying on the grass. She'll run for 15 minutes then look for a nice, comfy spot to relax. 

Yours may be low energy, like mine. We did pick what we thought was the lowest energy pup of the litter. She is lovely in the house and no behavior problems, so I think she is truly getting enough exercise. We do a lot of training and that does tire her out, too. 

These dogs do seem to let you know when their needs aren't being met. If she's well-behaved, then she's probably getting enough, for now.


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## DuchessDemi (Jul 25, 2016)

Thanks for your reply nymeria, that's comforting to know that your baby pup is a mellow one too! I go on Insta (@demithev) and see other people posting about how their V runs everywhere and plays with everything and it definitely got me overly-worried that she wasn't. I have to remind myself every dog is different!

Demi still isn't playing with toys either (it's like she doesn't know how to + she's scared of them!) but we are slowly working up to playing with a Kong filled with some of her Orijen food, and there's been some good progress there so far with her nudging it aside to get the pieces out from under it ;D


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Just keep bonding with her. Sounds like she is on the shy side, and everything is new to her. DAP does make pheromone products, that helps some dogs relax a little more when dealing with new situations. 
Keep in mind some Vs are more low key than others. But I've found most shine, when you get them to a stage where they can be trusted off lead. 
Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your new girl.


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

Dharma is on the quieter, more mellow not as much exercise side. She does get energy though and you can find her running around the yard at break neck speed or bouncing off of the sofas in the living room. We just got 2 3 month old kittens in addition to our 2 older cats and a guinea pig. Dharma is trying to mother the kittens who are much smaller than she is. Just give your girl a chance to settle in and acclimate to your home and routines.


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## DuchessDemi (Jul 25, 2016)

That is so precious, she must be such a gentle giant to them <3


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## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

Do you know what her previous life was like? Maybe she wasn't given much exercise and she acclimated to it.

Also, there are 2 varieties of "energetic". One is the screaming around the backyard kind, seen on YouTube in such videos as "So you think that you want a Vizsla?". "Hyper" is a better word for this kind of energetic.

The other energetic is the one who's always eager to go with you on a run, and tireless at it. Who needs the run and will remind you if it's getting past the time for one, but who can mellow out at home. This is a good energetic as it's important for their health that they get vigorous exercise, so you are right to be concerned. 

You called her sensitive and nervous, so maybe she's just a bit timid and will be more willing when she becomes more confident of her new environment. This might also be a carry over from her previous life and she can "recover" from it.

Bob


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## DuchessDemi (Jul 25, 2016)

She lived on a 5 acre property with many other Vizslas, not too sure how much time was spent running about. In hindsight that was probably a good question to ask. 

On her fourth walk today she began trotting more quickly for a good 15-20 minutes, I had to jog to keep up! Hopeful and eager to see the other type of energetic emerge


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## lyra (Nov 2, 2012)

I don't think less than a month is long to get used to a new home, especially for a an adult dog who is also of a nervous disposition. It probably doesn't help that she is used to being with a pack of other dogs and now finds herself on her own. Give her time 

We found that our first V (which we had from a puppy) started to get quite sedentary on walks when she was about two years old. Mostly sticking with us rather than exploring like she used to. This was a big factor in us getting a second V (a rescue) which transformed her almost overnight.

I'm not suggesting you follow the same course but if you could find another V owner you could go on regular walks with (so your girl can get used to them), it may have a similar effect. I would also suggest trying areas like woods and fields where there are birds and rabbits etc that your girl can 'hunt'. There is nothing like some game trails to follow to get them out of themselves.

Vizslas have a reputation for being hyper and as puppies they usually are but if you explore the forum you will find that they often become pretty mellow adult dogs. If we go for a days hiking, our dogs will run and chase and 'hunt' all day with no rest but during the week, apart from a couple of hours of off-leash exercise, they generally just lie around the house or sit at the window watching the world go by.


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## Susanaskye (Aug 16, 2016)

I am so glad you asked about this because we have an 11 week old male and he is mellow... This isn't to say he doesn't play or bite or do all the things puppies do but he sleeps a lot and when he plays it is play... Not like he needs hours of running. He also happily hangs out in his crate while we make dinner etc. Now, we do play with him and take him out and are attentive... Sort of attachment parenting for dogs... But he is nothing like I expected in terms of energy. Not a bad thing, just wondering if this is a possible problem or just a normal variation in the breed. He comes from hunting stock and field lines. Anybody else have a "mellow" Vizsla? Thanks. I am also going to post this as a question...


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## mlg1900 (Jun 12, 2013)

Any updates on their Vizsla puppies? They are a month older now. I am still wondering if they are "mellow" or if you have noticed any increase in activity. I was concerned about the puppy that would lay down after walking only 1 block. Could just be lack of exercise like someone mentioned. I remember my parents adopted a 1 year old cat from the shelter to be friends with their 1 year old housecat. And the shelter cat would run around and lay down panting, while the other 1 was still running around like a maniac. I was so concerned about this cat. Thinking maybe he has cardiac issues. But it turned out to just be very poorly conditioned because he lived in a cage for the last year of his life. 

So, updates please!?!


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## Anida (Jun 10, 2016)

Ours has quite a bit more energy now at 11mths than she did 5 mths or so ago. I'm guessing it probably is because she seems to be mostly done growing.


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