# HELLO FROM OTTAWA, ONTARIO CANADA!



## VizslaNewbies

Hello Everyone,

We're about to become new Vizsla owners on August when the breeders litter is ready. We currently reside in Ottawa, Ontario and are super excited about getting the new addition to the family. My girlfriend has always had puppies since growing up so she has some experience bringing up a puppy... but myself (the boyfriend) am an epic fail and totally new to this whole thing... and experience..

Looking forward to talk with you all and perhaps meeting you if you're from our area!!

Marissa & Omar


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## mswhipple

Hi, Marissa and Omar... Congratulations on your soon-to-be new family member! Getting a Vizsla is a very good choice, but be prepared to face a few challenges. The main thing is that your lifestyle is going to change, and you should be mentally ready for that... and be ready to have fun!


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## Macaroni

Congrats. Curious, where are you guys getting you little guy from (what breeder)? My GF is from Ottawa, although we reside in Toronto, but we got our little sh*t from a breeder near Ottawa.


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## Mischa

Macaroni said:


> we got our little sh*t from a breeder near Ottawa.


quoted to preserve the lol!!! 8)


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## VizslaNewbies

@ Mischa: Lol XD I showed this to my GF and we both had a laugh.

@ Macaroni: Hello! We're getting our Vizsla from OnPoint located in Mallory-Town (Spelling?) it's about 1hr 30min out from downtown Ottawa...

@ Ms. Whipple: Thank you! Marissa & I are super excited in having a new addition to the family. I personally feel this is going to be a different experience as a couple and testing our parenting skills... I've heard from friends here that it's like going to be raising a baby... so I'm nervous about this commitment but certainly mentally prepared for what will happen...


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## Mischa

VizslaNewbies said:


> @ Mischa: Lol XD I showed this to my GF and we both had a laugh.
> 
> @ Macaroni: Hello! We're getting our Vizsla from OnPoint located in Mallory-Town (Spelling?) it's about 1hr 30min out from downtown Ottawa...
> 
> @ Ms. Whipple: Thank you! Marissa & I are super excited in having a new addition to the family. I personally feel this is going to be a different experience as a couple and testing our parenting skills... I've heard from friends here that it's like going to be raising a baby... so I'm nervous about this commitment but certainly mentally prepared for what will happen...


Jeez Omar, you seem like such a nice guy. I almost feel bad for you as you have no idea just how psychotic these onpoint pups are...They make great dogs, don't take me wrong, but they all come from hunting blood lines and are serious working dogs. They will require a good 2 hours of off-leash running every day. 
2 words you'll hear frequently in the hunting community are desire and intensity. These words mean demon warrior puppy! They can't mess with your brain when they're asleep, so keep Dax tired! ;D

Puppy classes are a great intro to dog ownership, and socialization, but these dogs are extreme. We were honestly on the verge of driving back to onpoint to return our demon who didn't listen to ANYTHING we said after a couple weeks. We couldn't eat without disruptions, we couldn't sleep without disruptions, we couldn't use the washroom without disruptions!
All this was fixed almost instantly when we hired a trainer to teach US how to train our dog. Knowing what I know now, I would start researching personal dog trainers that will come to your home and work on your issues with you.

Google socialization as well. This is a very important part of raising a puppy. A few short weeks of encounters, shape their adult lives.
Your vet may tell you not to let them out of the house until their second shots. We chose to bring Mischa everywhere we could, including puppy classes, well before she had her second set of shots. It has worked out great for us.

I want to say It'll be easy, but it will not. It will however all be worth it ten fold, after a few weeks and months and years as they grow into the amazing dog you hear us all so lovingly mention. The intensity they have makes them the coolest dog at the park, every time. Watching them work a field is even more impressive when you realize that this dog doesn't just run around like a maniac, but it's in a work mode where they finally focus all of their attention on one task!
They are very loving dogs. Our girl has to follow us around where ever we go. All she wants out of life is to run, look for some birds, and lay down near our feet.


So, like everything worthwhile in life, you have to work for it. The insane puppy stage is a right of passage. Once you own a V, you'll be hooked just like the rest of us nuts in here! 8)

This forum is a great resource, feel free to post up any q's you have. 


-Dennis


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## Mischa

VizslaNewbies said:


> @ Ms. Whipple: Thank you! Marissa & I are super excited in having a new addition to the family. I personally feel this is going to be a different experience as a couple and testing our parenting skills... I've heard from friends here that it's like going to be raising a baby... so I'm nervous about this commitment but certainly mentally prepared for what will happen...


I just want to add that it truly is like raising a baby. An eternal baby. But Dennis is absolutely right, it is a rite of passage that is so worth it a couple of months down the road. And it isn't all bad, too. I hope you don't get that impression! As ominous as Dennis' first few paragraphs are, you will be fine. This forum is also a great resource. It sounds like you've done a lot of research and are really committed to this breed. I am extremely happy we got our pup from Onpoint. 

Just remember, a tired puppy is a good puppy. And as everyone always says to a new V parent, take lots of pictures and videos. It is incredible how fast they grow.

-Janice


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## Macaroni

Hey Omar....I think Mischa had indeed been a "little sh*t" when Dennis wrote that...haha. 

There's quite a few of us on here that have Onpoint pups - myself, Mischa, Kian, etc - search "Onpoint" on here and you'll see a thread that proves this. 

Use us and this forum, as I've found them to be a great resource. As well Kim and John are amazingly helpful so be sure to use them as well, I still do. 

In regards to them being psychotic as Mischa describe, they certainly can be, but it does vary somewhat dog to dog. While Onpoint dogs are definitely hunting dogs first, however depending on the drive of the stud/bitch there energy can change from litter to litter and pup to pup. Onpoint does breed for family companion as well and does there best to match the dog to the owner. 

I think we've lucked out somewhat. While Mac is certainly an energetic boy (he'll wrestle any dog, any size, any time for hours on end!) and definitely a full time responsibility, he doesn't seem to be as high strung as some V's. While he's often busy in the house, he never tears around doing laps, etc, and is generally not too crazy, jumping up on people (too much etc). However, the key is discipline w/ them and exercise and they'll pay you back ten fold! We're 2-3 hrs everyday w/ Mac (now 6 months), and he's now entering the stage where he's challenging us a lot. But as Mischa said, it's the first couple months that are the worst. They seem long...and arduous...and sleep deprived...but I've found at about 5 months, they are quite settled in. They learn quickly and are amazing dogs as long as you are happy to put in the work. 

Don't get me wrong they are definitely little balls of terror at times....but don't be intimidated... be prepared and you'll be fine. 

Best of luck


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## Juno

VizslaNewbies said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> We're about to become new Vizsla owners on August when the breeders litter is ready. We currently reside in Ottawa, Ontario and are super excited about getting the new addition to the family. My girlfriend has always had puppies since growing up so she has some experience bringing up a puppy... but myself (the boyfriend) am an epic fail and totally new to this whole thing... and experience..
> 
> Looking forward to talk with you all and perhaps meeting you if you're from our area!!
> 
> Marissa & Omar


Nice to see another local! We are in Kanata, and ran into a neighbour near us that has a V too. 

Our little monster is 12 weeks old, and waaaaaaaay smarter than anyone else in the house. A demon sometimes but a total love-sponge when she's gotten all her crazies out. 

I have to second the whole newborn thing... BUT I diapered my kids and when I put my newborn somewhere they stayed there. Hahaha! I can't turn my back on Juno for a split second or she's chewing on furniture, hiding shoes, etc. She's so FAST, especially since our last dog spent a few years in a pretty geriatric state before she passed away in December. It's been nearly 15 years since I have done the puppy thing and I had forgotten how exhausting it is.


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## ironman_stittsville

Phoebe and I live in Stittsville and spend a lot of time walking near the GRC (rink/pool) and Bruce Pit. 

I hope that I've met some of you other Ottawa-area V-owners on the trail. Watch for us. Phoebe is a blurry red colour...


Rh.


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## Vlad

I brought a beautiful male puppy from Europe, he is now 7 months old. He has an excellent pedigree with many champions in it. I'd like to take him to a doggie school and later perhaps take him to a dog show. Any suggestions? We live in New Edinburgh, Ottawa.

Vlad


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## trevor1000

We got our boy Bacchus from On-point.
I have nothing but good things to say about Kim and John at On-Point
There are a few I believe in here that have dog's from On-Point.
I'm In the Ottawa Valley
You will have to put up some pic's of the puppy.


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## picsgroup

I guess when we adopted a 3yr old from Onpoint we avoided those early years. Noel was the total opposite for the 10 years we had her (she passed away just last month). When we went for a walk, she would drag us to back to the truck for a ride instead. She did not like the outdoors and was at her happiest when curled up on front of a fireplace....imagine a V not liking the outdoors...unheard of....and forget camping...she wanted the Ritz instead. She was a princess through and through but we wouldn't have wanted her any other way. Truly adored and pampered and missed dreadfully.


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## Gabica

Congratulations, vizsla babes are just the best. They love their humans, admire and appreciate toys, attention, plush covers, are curious and just generally very quick learners. If you utilize that energy, curiosity and smartness, channel them into a task and teach them what pleases you, you will soon see around yourself a happy, well rounded arm candy, you can show off with everywhere. The insomnia at the start, the phases of stubbornness all go away under gentle, but consistent leadership, just don`t forget this breed is sensitive, no harsh treatment helps their long terms development. You seem to still have a bit more time to prepare, read books, watch youtube videos, do your homework. We have spent a lot of time during our waiting time on puppy proofing our house, agreeing on rules both of us would apply and generally prepare ourselves to what has became the best decision of our whole life so far. Just be prepared: once u get hooked up on a vizsla, you will develop serious separation anxiety and after the the tiring but heart warming puppy phase is over, you will find yourself wondering and missing your pup when not with him. They are just incredibly addictive.


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## bertrand

I am actually going to echo some of Mischa's comments. When we got Breeze, we knew she was coming from a hunting line, but we had no idea she would have this much drive. While it is awesome in a way, as it was mentioned watching her work a field in a thing of beauty, it came with its own sets of challenges. Despite her being on 50lbs, as the trainer we are working with said, she is a _lot_ of dog. 

It sounds like Onpoint has strong working lines too, so if you are getting one of those pups, my advice is to get in touch with a trainer who has trained working dogs before. We have tried the "normal" training classes and despite achieving some success, they were mostly a disaster, as they are tailored for your average pooch, such as labs, golden retrievers, or doodles, which you pup isn't. Especially if he/she comes from a strong working line, your pup is like an F1 racing car with a drive that has been honed generations after generations. The issue we found with the training class was that they were working against Breeze's instinct, which totally felt like swimming against the current . Breeze's drive is so strong that we were never going to get anywhere by using those methods . As soon as we hired a trainer who had worked with working dogs before, Breeze changed from being really hard to work with to being awesome and focused and catching on everything super quickly.

I know you mention that your girlfriend has had pups all her life, but a V pup is not like any other pup. My girlfriend has had plenty of pup labs and got thrown in for a loop a few times by Breeze and soon realized that what had worked with her labs wouldn't work with Breeze. 

Is it worth it?? Absolutely, like 100%!!! We biked with Breeze this weekend and seeing her in the woods brings me such joy and there is nothing like getting kisses by a V!!!


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