# The Top 5 Dogs for Families with Children



## ironman_stittsville (Oct 12, 2011)

Interesting that the Vizsla made it to #2 on this list right after the Bulldog. I hardly ever see any of these lists with a Vizsla on it because they aren't as ubiquitous as the Labs, Goldens, ...

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/petmdcom-lists-the-top-5-dog-and-top-5-cat-breeds-for-families-with-children-2012-04-26

Rh.


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## city_dog (Feb 16, 2012)

"the Vizsla has a gentle disposition and manner perfect for living with children."

Made me chuckle a bit, due to the fact that MANNERS have to be worked on _CONTINUOUSLY _to make Sammy remotely _good_, let alone *perfect *LOL

They are a wonderful breed though!!


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

I had a link yesterday, the same... V @ #5 :-X

Also here: 
http://www.sheknows.com/pets-and-animals/articles/807366/top-10-dog-breeds-for-kids/page:6

coutdown starts at #10: http://www.sheknows.com/pets-and-animals/articles/807366/top-10-dog-breeds-for-kids


In any case I don't agree with this at all. Vizsla may be good with kids but it's a tough dog to keep for the average family working 9-5.


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## kristen (Oct 18, 2011)

We had a party at our house a couple weeks ago, Odin decided he wanted to be in the livingroom so he went at his usual Vizsla speed into the livingroom barrelling over our friends 3 year old (who I had just given a box of jellybeans to). You can all figure out how this ended I am sure. Dog knocked over kid, kid went ass over teakettle, jellybeans went everywhere, and the waterworks began. 
They're good with kids when they are not tripping them, running past them or trying to steal their candy. So they're good with kids when they're SLEEPING. haha


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## kiminboonton (Nov 22, 2011)

I agree that they are great with kids, high pain tolerance, social, goofy, friendly, and snuggly. The only thing I read that I thought was incorrect is quiet. My girl doesn't bark alot, but she is definitely a talker!
I always fear when lists like this show a Vizsla, since I always offer a disclaimer when someone asks about them as a pet. They require so much excercise, and if your a busy family, its going to be hard to keep them excercised properly, which will lead to destructive behavior, and then seperation apart from the family which will make for a very anxious Vizsla.


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

Ruby's great with my 5 and 6 year old boys, she had a bit of a stage when she thought she was their boss, but that's all resolved now


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## Suliko (Sep 17, 2011)

Am I missing something?? ??? Why aren't exercise requirements described in any of the articles? It should be in bold and all caps that these dogs need exercise! Yes, they are great with kids and are very affectionate and loving, but proper exercise and stimulation is crucial, in my opinion. It is nice for Vizslas to be recognized, but I would hate to see this great breed to become the new America's Lab or Golden


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Do you think they ment a cross breed between golden and V LOL


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## Suliko (Sep 17, 2011)

*R E McCraith*, when I picked up my little Pacsirta from the airport, a guy who worked there asked if that chocolate lab was mine! :


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## ironman_stittsville (Oct 12, 2011)

kiminboonton said:


> ... I always offer a disclaimer when someone asks about them as a pet. They require so much excercise, and if your a busy family, its going to be hard to keep them excercised properly, which will lead to destructive behavior, and then seperation apart from the family which will make for a very anxious Vizsla.


I give the same advice when people see my Phoebe and remark on how beautiful and loving she is. We are outside running off leash for at least 1 hour per day, most days are more than that. We are also constantly training and finding new experiences. If we weren't doing all of these things together I think she would be destructive and skittish. 

I have friends with families have goldens. They rarely walk them and never take them places with them. They are lovely and friendly dogs anyways. If my Phoebe were treated the same way she wouldn't be as good a family member.

My 2 cents,
Rh.


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## Ms1234 (May 14, 2010)

I would have to disagree on the 'quiet' thing as well. While she doesn't bark a lot, My V is always talking, whining or groaning about something!

Also, mine often seems to lack the non-smelly Vizsla gene, lol. While I suppose she doesn't smell quite as 'doggy' as a lab...she certainly has her own smell issues. In any case. I don't really think the odourless thing should be a selling point for people looking for a family dog. There are varying factors, and it's not really a guarantee that your V will fall into the odourless category!


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Sul - had to V color blind -LOL


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## Bellababy (Mar 31, 2010)

I Agree with Ironman, these dogs need to be with you more, experiencing lots of different things. My Bella gets 2 good walks a day, every day, and 3 days a week she is alone for 5 hours while I work. The remaining 4 days she is with me the whole time, she never leaves my side. I take her everywhere with me, visiting family, she waits in the car while I shop, she even comes for pub lunches with us (dog friendly pubs are great!). In fact anywhere I can take my dog I will, and I think this is why she is such a good dog, and so happy and content, because she experiences life with me and get lots of exercise. 
These are not dogs you can take for a couple of walks and then expect them to lay in their beds all day, they need more attention than that. My Bella is laying on top of me now while I am trying to balance my netbook somehow! They are great family dogs, my two boys love Bella, she is their little sister, but when toddlers have been to visit, we have to watch she doesnt wack them in the face with her tail! She wouldn't knock them over, but would gently try and steal food out of their hands. So I think they are great family dogs, but only if you are prepared to have another child in your house. My Vizsla has as many needs as a child, but I researched for two years before I got her, and it was what I wanted, and it suits me and my lifestyle. 
So many people get dogs nowadays and don't want to walk them, I actually know quite a few people like that. I dread to think what would happen if a family got a Vizsla and didn't want to put the exercise in. I imagine that dog wouldn't last in that family very long!


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## pippa31 (Aug 2, 2011)

I completely agree!!! Case in point : my parents have had lots of different dog breeds in the past - boxers, labs, retrievers, etc. They stayed with us a couple of weeks ago for a long weekend. My mom mentioned to me at one point: "If you ever have kids a baby will seem like a piece of cake compared to your dog!"  Now, not sure that is completely true, but it speaks to what we are all saying on here!!

As many people have already said, a Vizsla isn't just a dog or a pet. It is a lifestyle. Prior to getting Pip, we spent a lot of time figuring out how we would need to reconfigure our lives so that she was a happy, healthy dog. Our weekends consist of early rising, hikes for hours, training classes, and lots of time spent at home with Pip. Not the life I had a year ago (long workdays, dinners out, MUCH less outside time), and though I love how my life is now it was a huge transition. Throw kids into the mix and it would have been even harder! My biggest fear is that with greater popularity comes more puppy mills, backyard breeders, and Vs dumped into rescue. I'd prefer to see Vizslas kept off lists of the sort.


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Yep...as I have mentioned in other threads, (I hope I don't cop another tirade by saying it again.....  ) I have one of the most chilled out Vizslas on the planet. He only needs two hours running off lead per day. He got 4 today.... it's the weekend....... trying to wear them out for the working week


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

I'm going to be the odd one out here and say that it makes me happy to see the V getting the recognition it deserves. This is much better than having a movie starring a V. Now THAT would be terrible for sure. They *should* have talked about exercise requirements, but the description is pretty spot-on otherwise (in my experience).


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

I had posted that the Vizsla was #2 family dog on Marketwatch Saturday to the Yahoo VizslaTalk listserve. One of the members wrote to the author of the article. This is how the response went:

I received a reply: "Thank you for reaching out and providing your
feedback. I'm going to share your email with the individual who created the
content. We absolutely want to provide the most accurate info we can to our
readers. We appreciate your expertise and input."



I basically told the author that while vizslas are nicely tempered and are
biddable, they are very exuberant and not really all that quiet. I suggested
that they may be more suitable for a home with older children and homes
where the vizsla's need for attention and exercise can be adequately
addressed. Pretty much true for most dogs J. I see it all the time in
daycare. Owners already stretched to the max with work and other
obligations.a baby comes along and the dog gets bumped to the bottom of the
pile. The dog gets bored and destructive and boom.that's that. I know it
doesn't always follow that path, but it happens enough to make one jaded.
Drop the author a note and perhaps they will replace the Vizsla with a pug.



Janet Galante CPDT-ka


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