# Thinking of getting a Vizsla puppy



## vizsla95 (May 9, 2020)

Hello All! My husband and I are looking to add a pup to our new family (newlyweds) sometime within the next year or 2. I recently came across the Vizsla breed and have been captivated ever since. We are both new dog owners so I have currently been researching a lot on our end as to what to prepare for but was wondering if we could truly make it work with getting a Vizsla puppy.

1. Why do we want a vizsla? I read that they are great companions (specifically velcro dogs-which is what I'm looking for) and are also very active! I personally run/workout everyday and also hike as much as I can during the weekends. My husband is an officer in the army so I'm also looking for a dog that will stay by my side to cope with my husbands absence during trainings and future deployments. I also saw that they don't shed as much and are a medium size dog which is what we are looking for. They're known for their temperament and trainability (given the proper guidance) as well. 

2. What does our lifestyle look like? I would be working between 7-8 hours a day while my husband is attending medical school. I know it seems a lot, but with COVID and everything going on, he'd be home for a majority of the time due to distance learning. I am also planning to hire a dog walker to come in during the afternoons to feed, walk, and play with the pup as well as doggy day care if needed. We would definitely not leave our pup for more than 3 hours a day alone. 

3. Exercising and residence info: We live in a fairly large 1 bedroom pet-friendly apartment that has open space in the area for the dog to roam/play. There are also several dog parks no more than 5 minutes away driving which I plan on going to everyday in the evening. 

I am committed to attend training classes (specifically K9-off leash training) as well as possibly get into therapy dog certification. I am a therapist that works with the geriatric population and have dreamed of one day having a therapy dog to visit residents on the weekends. 

Let me know your thoughts and any questions!


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## A-arons Kodster (Sep 2, 2018)

1. It will be very very hard to have a Vizla in a one bedroom Apt. They need room to Run. When they are not given these freedoms they can become destructive. Id suggest waiting or getting a smaller dog.

2. Vizlas need ALOT of attention. And I mean ALOT. They may be velcro dogs but can get anxiety separation if you are away for prolonged periods of time. 

3. I recommend living in a suburb or countryside if owning a Vizla. This creates a less stress environment for them as they have supersonic hearing and sometimes like to bark if something is heard. If you're apt. Doesnt have concrete walls they can be heard when being vocal.

In the End it is up to you. If you feel you want a Vizla get one. But please don't be the owners who tire of owning a extremely active animal and bring it to the local shelter. I have see this all too often and it saddens me. I think of my Doggo as my child as he needs attention 24/7 . If not given this he becomes destructive. He has been doing great as I work night shift and my BAE works from home during the day. Its a perfect storm...he is always with someone day & night and gets walked at least twice a day and loves to play fetch. These dogs are also meant to be Hunted with as they are excellent hunters. They are Natural pointers and tend to love chasing and pointing/ stalking critters its in their genes. I bought Kody my dog due to his possible hunting abilities. And Man ill tell you what.... Watching him work the field and point is a sight to be hold after proper training. In the end I chose the Vizla for me as I can give him what he needs and the bond we have formed cannot be replaced and a dog walker cannot. Good luck!

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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

I'll try to run down your post in order.

Vizslas make outstanding pets!!. It takes a bit of time for them to settle in, but once they do, they're an absolute joy to have around the house, or apartment. Many, many, Vizlsas are happily living in apartments. I know of a half dozen in Boston. Is it easy to keep them in an Apartment? probably not, but it is doable.

The "velcro dog". Uhmmmmm,,,,, yeahhhhh,,,,,, but depending on the blood lines, "velcro" can be subjective. If you hunt an English pointer, or Setter, that dog may be a couple hundred yards away from you. The Vizlsa will usually be within 50 to 60 yards of where you're at. Some bloodlines even farther. Make no mistake though, these dogs can flat out run! They just like to be "close". Once they get on a scent, they'll move out, and run it to ground.
They may not necessarily stay by your side, but you'll know that they are there.

Active dog. Oh yes! these are very active dogs. There are of course, the wallflowers with any breed, but expect to have a very energetic, in your face, lets go, go,go dog! I've spent many thousands of hours with mine in the forests on my mountain bikes. I do not believe it's possible for a human being to "tire" a Vizlsa out, by running. The bike levels the contest. Over uneven terrain, this is the world's fastest dog. It's nothing for them to do 30+ miles an hour through the trees and rocks. They're special. Sometimes "short bus" special too. 

My wife and I have worked all kinds of different shifts through the years. 6/12' together, 6/12's on different shifts, one of us on 12's the other on 8's or 10's, or not working. We've left for work at all hours of the day and nite.
Sometimes it's very hard, and you have to make compromises. I've built kennel runs in the basement, kennel runs outside, hired the neighbor girl, boarded them. They all seemed to do okay in the end..Sometimes you do what you have to do for a period.

i would be impressed if you live in an apartment complex that has an open area big enough for a Vizlsa to turn and burn. My boy can cover a 40 acre field in a few minutes, and just have stretched his legs.
We take two or three trips a wek to a 1500 acre field trial area, and I have 25,000 acres of forest a few miles from the house.
I would plan on trips out to a wilderness area to let the dog run. They do have to burn off energy, or they start "doing stuff". 

You can work a Vizlsa in a smaller area, I have a couple of acres on a river, but they do like to run. Plan on weekly trips to a larger area once they get big enough. 

If you're willing to put in the time and shower the dog with attention, and affection, you will have a loyal companion all it's days. 
Anything is doable. It's just takes discipline and work. As I said, there are more than a few V's in downtown Boston, and Brookline. If they can make it work in Beantown, no reason you can't do it also.


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## rubicon (Dec 9, 2019)

vizsla95 said:


> We are both new dog owners so I have currently been researching a lot on our end as to what to prepare for but was wondering if we could truly make it work with getting a Vizsla puppy.


Hm. If you’ve NEVER owned a dog before then you might be in for a surprise as to how much work dogs are. But I would say any trouble you have would probably be because dogs are inherently a lot of work, not inherently vizslas. Vizslas more so, but no puppy is a walk in the park. be prepared for the night owl phase where they don’t sleep so you don’t either, the incontinent peeing everywhere phase, shark attack demon phase, the preteen rebellious phase, etc. For the first couple of weeks you probably won’t have a social life and can’t really go out, outside of walking the dog, and that’s also normal. One of my biggest mistakes was not child proofing the house before I got him. The amount of times he’s tried to kill himself on something when our attention was even slightly diverted was quite stress inducing In the first weeks. I don‘t have a child but I hear very young dogs compared to toddlers a lot.



vizsla95 said:


> I personally run/workout everyday and also hike as much as I can during the weekends


We have an almost 8 month old boy and one of my frustrations is I can’t run with him yet. I think this is definitely feasible in the future but I wouldn’t move too fast with that. Some people say 18 months old; I think I’ll start at 12 just because I’m impatient. But I do feel really impatient. But just letting you know that it will be some time yet before you have a perfect running buddy. I went for a trial jog with him last week. It was a NIGHTMARE. He ended up back flipping at the end of his leash and jumping at me in circles and lunging at vegetation. It was completely embarrassing, me standing around in my running clothes and a dog who is just flipping out. Jogging is just fast enough he can’t go sniffing around and have fun, but slow enough it’s barely a fast trot for him so he’s bored. They definitely need some training before they’re good at that And be old enough that they won’t be as easily distracted, and their joints are grown.

We live in an 80 Sqm apartment (so abut 720 sqft, I think. A little larger?) and it’s not large by any means but I don’t know that size really matters if your dog has other places to run. When we’re home my dog usually doesn’t run. He just chills out. Granted we appreciate that he can go into a different room and leave us to chill, but I don’t know how big your place really needs to be. I would also be impressed if your apartment is big enough for your vizsla to run; there is about 15 meters from one end of my apartment to the other and it’s just barely tolerable for fetching. So I wouldn’t count on your apartment to be where he burns a sizable chunk of his energy. Almost nobody has a house big enough For these dogs to really run IMO



vizsla95 said:


> I also saw that they don't shed as much and are a medium size dog which is what we are looking for.


Mine sheds quite a bit. They’re really small hairs so it’s easy to vacuum up but I wouldn’t say they don’t shed. Just petting him with some force and he’ll shed.

Good luck. I think you’re in for a wild ride but you can do it  You’ve done more research than we did frankly and we’ve just had to adapt. But we adapted.


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## ledamama (Apr 4, 2014)

If you haven't owned a Vizsla before, I suggest spending some time with them and their owners. I am not sure where you live, but I suggest looking for the Viz Whizz group in your area. The group organizes meet ups for high energy breeds like Vizslas, Weimaraners etc. You can talk to the owners and interact with their dogs to see if they are really a good fit for you. (Velcro is great, but once you realize they want to be with you ALL THE TIME, it could be overwhelming for some..High energy is awesome, but it means finding ways to entertain them even when it is raining , snowing for a week) If you are on Facebook you can sign up for the Vizsla Puppy group, where you can get a lot of information about the breed and how to look for a great breeder. https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=vizsla puppies
On Instagram, I would suggest to look for "mywhiskygirl" Login • Instagram. She is currently training her second puppy, and if you look at her videos it can give you a sense how much time and dedication goes into a well-trained Vizsla.
Best of luck with your search and decision!


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