# Fun at the Seaside (or how to make a Vizsla sleep for 2 days)



## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2020)

Hello all,

So...Oscar had his first trip at the seaside. We were all really happy with him. He behaved well, the hotel owners adored him, he did not bother anyone, sat nicely, heeled perfectly, never begged at the restaurant, he was calm and composed in all establishments - in one word he was exceptional -he was everything I wanted from him for this exact purpose, that he can travel with us! 

However, we had it worse than families with young children. He did not want to get out of the sea. At all. He was marvelous to watch - so athletic, determined and full of joy. He made me so happy. But we were unable to enjoy a book, or sunbathe properly. 

We did tie him up, but every time someone (not only from our group, anyone else on the beach) went into the sea, he pouted and then started to suffocate trying to get out and go swim. It reminded me of myself as a child, when my mom used to beg me to come and sit on the beach, at least for 20 minutes, so they could relax a bit 😅. He even begged a passing couple to throw something for him - luckily they thought he was sweet, because he just went near them and put down a stick and sat and then put himself in down, handed the paw, pushed the stick closer to their feet, anything and everything that would make someone, anyone, throw something in the sea for him to fetch. But this is not ok - we were shocked by the level of betrayal 😅.

My question is: what is there to do? How do I make him less obsessed with the water? We never noticed this before, because we always went to a lake specifically for him. Perhaps he understood that when there is water, it is all about playing? But even so, he should get tired at one point, which never happened. 

Thank you in advance for any tips on how to make him more balanced around water. 

* We don't mind playing with him, even when we are at the beach, on holiday, but all that time in the water (it was more than 5 hours each day, for 3 days), made his tummy really upset (and the water is not as salty as the ocean), plus he's been sleeping for 24 hours straight since we got back. Last evening's walk was cut short at his demand - he barely dragged his feet and then turned around and wanted to come home. He is fine otherwise - eats well, acts happy, but is exhausted.


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## organicthoughts (Oct 9, 2012)

It's good that you are mindful how much time he spends in the water because dogs can get water toxicity if they ingest too much!

He's young. My male was also a wildly outgoing pup when he was younger... this is a good problem to have, much better than fear or nervousness. Keep asserting your expectations and boundaries and he will mould into them.


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

What @organicthoughts said. Just like children they will keep wanting to do what is fun regardless of the safety and risk to themselves. He has to learn that you control the activities of where/when/how he can play. Is that a derelict ship in the water?


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2020)

Thanks for the replies! 

Actually, he is different around water. I've never had any issue with Oscar understanding limits, NO, wait, game over - to your spot etc, at least after he turned one year old. He is a really good dog, the best I've had yet. It was like he had gone mad. He would come and sit for 5 minutes and then wanted to go again (he would come right away whenever we called, and performed the commands, but would just sit and stare for the next throw. When we ignored him for too long, well, that's when he went to some strangers passing by, perhaps his clever tricks would work on them). Somehow, he could not snap out of the fetching mood. It's more than play, he was having an obsession to retrieve something. It's like his mind was completely locked on retrieving. Whenever we left him alone, to mind his own business, he kept diving to get rocks at the bottom of the sea (hope we won't be going to the vet soon with ear infection, but that is another story). 
From now on when we go to the lake, we will also take a blanket to sit. Between the fetches, we will try to slowly instill the idea that water means we also sit nicely sometimes, not just fetch until we all die of exhaustion. We usually made quick trips at the lake - 30/40 mins swimming, a walk and head home, probably he understood that water is for fetching, or something...I cannot think of anything else. I know it is good he is outgoing, brave and determined, and I do like that he is always having fun and is not rejecting new experiences, but he also needs to chill around water. The moment we left the beach, he was normal again. 

@Dan_A - it is a shipwreck ( I just learned the word derelict 😅). It was the property of Aristotel Onassis (2nd husband of Jackie Kennedy) when the crew wrecked it, apparently on purpose for the insurance benefits, in 1968. The crew abandoned the ship, and according to maritime law, the ship became property of Romania. It was built in the same ship yard as Titanic, in Northern Ireland. However, the communist government at the time did not have enough money and the technology to get it out, so it just remained there (it is buried quite deep in the sand). It has become a sort of a symbol and it remained there for the past 53 years (polluting the sea, if you ask me, but no one really asked me, so there it stays 😅).


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## Gabica (Jan 20, 2018)

Oscar sounds awesome and yes, it is the best issue to have, a hunting dog with drive and love for water , ready to manipulate anyone just to get in

I have gone thru a lot of this myself, and i agree that having activity only at the area teaches them that this is all we will do there. 
So now our routine at the pool is the following: crazy playing, jumping for toys, retrieve, run around pool, throw, fetch etc. Then i get towels and start drying them off, not fully, just the dripping part, and with a big dramatic introduction i give some of their poolside only chews (the ones which would make a mess indoors, like a marrow bone or himalaya chew). they have to do some tricks for those before getting them, and that helps them refocus from the water to the chew. We all lay down then on lounge chairs and i can read, while they chew. Don`t expect that it will last hours, also don`t forget they get hot more easily than we do, making them want to go back into the water even more. But eventually it teaches them the routine. 
Just like with many other of their skills, it is all about association with their learning process. When they see me coming out from the bedroom all changed into bathing suit, they go crazy and run towards the backyard door. When they see me taking out the towels post water exercise, they know their special chews are about to come and all sit and wait what is the next command.
So yes, just like with children, with these guys around the beach, your beach time will need some expectation modification, but well, we all know we would not trade it anymore for our prior to vizsla times.


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

Off topic... Wow , very interesting history around that shipwreck. I located information on it online, it is known as the Evangelia. Very odd circumstances around its beaching so the lore is probably true about it being an insurance job. Seems the former Romanian government didn't really investigate too much, most likely money was distributed far and wide.

Interesting side note is that I own a few rifles from the Cugir Arms factory in Romania. They may be the only Romanian things that I own.


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2020)

Thank you so much, @Gabica, for this valuable insight! And thank you for confirming that activity only at the lake made him asociate water with fetching. I will try to find a high value treat to offer during our process of learning to chill out near water. Peanuts and crackers were spat out in disgust (he usually loves peanuts) 😅. Having a routine works excellent with them, I have noticed as well, more than with other dogs, so that is a great idea, to create a process around chill-out time. 
I do not expect him to stand still for an hour, but maybe just 20 minutes? I brought a beach tent and towels for him to be able to relax in the shade. Obviously, they were ignored. 
I highly appreciate what Oscar is doing for me. If it wasn't for him, I would have never touched the water, as it was full of seaweed (it's the disadvantage of a warm, not very salty sea, and the option to go to a beach that is not owned by any hotels, because Oscar could be free this way), but Oscar seemed just fine and having so much fun, so I had fun as well, swimming with him. It's a trade - we give them some of our time and comfort, but they give us so many invaluable things. Probably I am biased, but a Vizsla can really teach one what having fun, being free spirited and being happy really means. Plus, they do teach us like no other what unconditional love is.


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

I use himalayan yak cheese chew sticks and water buffalo ears as things to keep Ellie busy especially when out at new locations. One example is my daughter's softball games. She gets 45min of off leash in the back woods, then we have to sit and watch the game for 45minutes. She gets some water and a chew to keep her pacified for some down time.


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2020)

Dan_A said:


> Off topic... Wow , very interesting history around that shipwreck. I located information on it online, it is known as the Evangelia. Very odd circumstances around its beaching so the lore is probably true about it being an insurance job. Seems the former Romanian government didn't really investigate too much, most likely money was distributed far and wide.
> 
> Interesting side note is that I own a few rifles from the Cugir Arms factory in Romania. They may be the only Romanian things that I own.


Yes, interesting story indeed. I learned the history rather recently, probably it became more mainstream since the Romanian Government is trying to attract more foreign tourists (and since you cannot sell only low prices, the history became wildly mediatic and we, Romanians, learned it as well 😅). I am pretty sure the Gvt. enjoyed the extra cash they made, and there is an urban legend that the village was full of oranges and all sorts of foods that people did not have access to at that time. 
I had no clue that the Arms factory in Cugir is exporting to the US. But it makes sense, since here one is not allowed to own fire arms, unless for hunting, but for that you need a permit and you cannot keep it and use it like in the US (I do think this is the case in most EU countries). That is an interesting information  .


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2020)

Dan_A said:


> I use himalayan yak cheese chew sticks and water buffalo ears as things to keep Ellie busy especially when out at new locations. One example is my daughter's softball games. She gets 45min of off leash in the back woods, then we have to sit and watch the game for 45minutes. She gets some water and a chew to keep her pacified for some down time.


I've read about these interesting treats available in the US. I cannot find them here, unfortunately, and having them delivered from the UK would mean paying double, or triple the price of the treats on delivery. The treats available in pet stores here are rubbish, this is why I resorted to raw treats (I know that is a bone and I know where it came from). I will try to find something that he loves more than the water😅. I even tried to find rabbit ears (I saw some people giving them to their dogs and I could not even find a proper rabbit farm).
I am quite jealous, to be honest, I also saw that some marrow bones available in the US have the femural bone (or some sort of big bone) cut longitudinally. That is so cool! I will have to make it work with whatever I have available.


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## Gabica (Jan 20, 2018)

[email protected] said:


> I've read about these interesting treats available in the US. I cannot find them here, unfortunately, and having them delivered from the UK would mean paying double, or triple the price of the treats on delivery. The treats available in pet stores here are rubbish, this is why I resorted to raw treats (I know that is a bone and I know where it came from). I will try to find something that he loves more than the water😅. I even tried to find rabbit ears (I saw some people giving them to their dogs and I could not even find a proper rabbit farm).
> I am quite jealous, to be honest, I also saw that some marrow bones available in the US have the femural bone (or some sort of big bone) cut longitudinally. That is so cool! I will have to make it work with whatever I have available.


i was not even thinking about that aspect. i was trying to google in Hungarian whether they had anything similar to himalaya chew (thinking transport cost from there should be lower than from the UK) but i could not find anything, but that could be also google settings fault. the frozen treats you could make at home would probably melt quickly on the beach. 
well, if that helps making you less jealous, the toilet paper quality in the US is rubbish too, so every time i get to go to Hungary or have someone coming over, there is a suitcase full of toilet paper traveling to the US! And now since Covid that possibility diminished and i am at my last rolls of good paper. LOL.


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

@Gabica You are doing it all wrong with toilet paper! Install one of the many available toilet bidet retro-fit kits and you will never look at toilet paper the same again. It will just be used in small amounts for a quick pat-dry. Trust me, your behind will thank me once you make the switch!

Too bad we humans don't have more intelligent butt designs like V's have!


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2020)

I am sorry about the toilet paper situation in the US 😅. 

I think here (Central-Eastern Europe) it is not only a matter of lower income ( Hungary is doing considerably better than Romania in that regard), but a matter of culture regarding pets. People do not invest as much in their pets (some do, but it is the exception), so there is not much interest for pet shops to bring excellent treats - because most people will not pay the money for them (either because they actually don't have that kind of money to spend on their pets, but mostly because it's not in our culture to think too much about what our pets are eating / how their health is impacted by food). It is rather recent that more information is available and more people are switching to raw, or considering better brands of kibble for their pets. It is normal, since before 1990, most people in the city could not own a dog - there was barely any food available for humans, having a pet would mean sharing your ratio 😅. So we are some 30 years behind Western Europe and North America in all respects, and also regarding care and interest in our pets. 
Also, some niche pet shops started bringing some cool stuff (clothing from Ruffwear and antlers), but obviously, and contrary to our income possibilities, the stuff is twice as expensive as in the UK or US. The normal in US is luxury here. Except for toilet paper, apparently😂.


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## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

[email protected] said:


> [snip]
> He even begged a passing couple to throw something for him - luckily they thought he was sweet, because he just went near them and put down a stick and sat and then put himself in down, handed the paw, pushed the stick closer to their feet, anything and everything that would make someone, anyone, throw something in the sea for him to fetch.
> [snip]


Who could resist that? What a charmer he is - cute and super polite!


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2020)

Bob Engelhardt said:


> Who could resist that? What a charmer he is - cute and super polite!


I think so too, naturally 😅 , but he is a big "animal" and people are afraid of him, sometimes. He is so goofy and jolly, I could not imagine being scared of him if I saw him randomly, but some people see a big dog and are instantly scared. This was not the case, and I was relived 😅.


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

Haven’t met a person yet scared of Ellie. Everyone thinks she is “cute”. She’s only about 40lbs so not too large, maybe that makes a difference but I just don’t see how people can look at a V and be fearful. It’s a breath of fresh air from owning a sweet GSD previously that everyone was afraid of for no reason.


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2020)

Ellie really is sweet! She is such a pretty girl!  I really don't know why people are afraid sometimes, but Oscar is about 65 pounds (he's a big boy), so probably they just see the size and don't know the breed, and there you have it - fear.


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

Ellie says thank you, and she says Oscar is very handsome . 65lb is a good size, yet V's just have that typical hunting dog physique to them which isn't in one of the "scary" dog buckets. Perhaps folks are just uneducated or just had a bad dog experience in the past, like being chased or attacked as a child. I find this is more common than many realize.

I was curious and looked into postage to Romania from the US. It is quite expensive. On top of that , Romania charges a 19% "duty" tax. Sounds like a good business opportunity to start a home-grown Romanian dog treat/chew company as importing them is very expensive between shipping and taxes!


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2020)

Dan_A said:


> Ellie says thank you, and she says Oscar is very handsome . 65lb is a good size, yet V's just have that typical hunting dog physique to them which isn't in one of the "scary" dog buckets. Perhaps folks are just uneducated or just had a bad dog experience in the past, like being chased or attacked as a child. I find this is more common than many realize.
> 
> I was curious and looked into postage to Romania from the US. It is quite expensive. On top of that , Romania charges a 19% "duty" tax. Sounds like a good business opportunity to start a home-grown Romanian dog treat/chew company as importing them is very expensive between shipping and taxes!


Yes, postage is incredibly expensive and really slow. And yes, now everyone has to pay VAT on all goods coming outside the EU irrespective of amount. Romania is a really good place to start a business, as there are many areas where you can be a pioneer, unlike other countries where there are established big businesses and it is very hard to become competitive on the market without a substantial investment. This is the sole good reason I returned home😅. However, Romania is a terrible place to start a business if you don't have the entire amount of money yourself - there is hardly any support, especially when the business is young and you actually need the support. There is support for developing a steady business, but in order to make it profitable and think about getting a loan to grow it, you need to bring the investment yourself (unless it's some technological innovation, or something really smart - an app, or an automation - that you have developed and want to start selling). Also, there is not a real investment angel culture - it's not Silicone Valley type, it's Eastern type - "you give me 51%, and I give you the money". Since all my money is in my current business, which is still young, I will have to wait for now before I start thinking about starting something new. But this may be something to take into consideration.


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## [email protected] (Nov 12, 2019)

[email protected] said:


> Hello all,
> 
> So...Oscar had his first trip at the seaside. We were all really happy with him. He behaved well, the hotel owners adored him, he did not bother anyone, sat nicely, heeled perfectly, never begged at the restaurant, he was calm and composed in all establishments - in one word he was exceptional -he was everything I wanted from him for this exact purpose, that he can travel with us!
> 
> ...


We invested in one of these dog cots. We take it to the lake with us every time we go. This gives our pup a place he knows is his own, and helps him to figure out that at times he needs to chill and lay down by us. When the sand gets too hot he loves to lay on this, we usually just place a towel on it and he is good to go. I noticed the day I forgot to take it with me, he was all over the place and crazy, but maybe it was because the ground was so hot he didn’t have a place he felt he could get away. 
.


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## Mrs M (Jul 21, 2021)

[email protected] said:


> Thanks for the replies!
> 
> Actually, he is different around water. I've never had any issue with Oscar understanding limits, NO, wait, game over - to your spot etc, at least after he turned one year old. He is a really good dog, the best I've had yet. It was like he had gone mad. He would come and sit for 5 minutes and then wanted to go again (he would come right away whenever we called, and performed the commands, but would just sit and stare for the next throw. When we ignored him for too long, well, that's when he went to some strangers passing by, perhaps his clever tricks would work on them). Somehow, he could not snap out of the fetching mood. It's more than play, he was having an obsession to retrieve something. It's like his mind was completely locked on retrieving. Whenever we left him alone, to mind his own business, he kept diving to get rocks at the bottom of the sea (hope we won't be going to the vet soon with ear infection, but that is another story).
> From now on when we go to the lake, we will also take a blanket to sit. Between the fetches, we will try to slowly instill the idea that water means we also sit nicely sometimes, not just fetch until we all die of exhaustion. We usually made quick trips at the lake - 30/40 mins swimming, a walk and head home, probably he understood that water is for fetching, or something...I cannot think of anything else. I know it is good he is outgoing, brave and determined, and I do like that he is always having fun and is not rejecting new experiences, but he also needs to chill around water. The moment we left the beach, he was normal again.
> ...


Oscar looks confident and very at home in the water!
A happy boy having fun 🤩 
Very interesting story about the shipwreck also.
Our Oscar is still not sure of the sea, got caught in a wave when he was a wee pup and got a scare.
Loves the beach though and will have a paddle, just building his confidence and fun 😊


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## Mrs M (Jul 21, 2021)

Taking in the sea air 😀


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## Mrs M (Jul 21, 2021)




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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2020)

Mrs M said:


> Oscar looks confident and very at home in the water!
> A happy boy having fun 🤩
> Very interesting story about the shipwreck also.
> Our Oscar is still not sure of the sea, got caught in a wave when he was a wee pup and got a scare.
> Loves the beach though and will have a paddle, just building his confidence and fun 😊


Your Oscar looks lovely! Such a beautiful pup!  
Our Oscar used to be some sort of Courage the Cowardly Dog when he was younger. He just got better with exposure, until he actually learned to have fun and enjoy all activities. He still has his own opinions about things, but if we do make a certain activity look fun enough, he is willing to leave his strong opinions aside and give it a try. I have noticed that acting ridiculously happy about a certain activity is making him want to give it a try. Perhaps your Oscar will want to join if you go in and have loads of fun, maybe he wouldn't like to miss all that fun.


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## Mrs M (Jul 21, 2021)

[email protected] said:


> Your Oscar looks lovely! Such a beautiful pup!
> Our Oscar used to be some sort of Courage the Cowardly Dog when he was younger. He just got better with exposure, until he actually learned to have fun and enjoy all activities. He still has his own opinions about things, but if we do make a certain activity look fun enough, he is willing to leave his strong opinions aside and give it a try. I have noticed that acting ridiculously happy about a certain activity is making him want to give it a try. Perhaps your Oscar will want to join if you go in and have loads of fun, maybe he wouldn't like to miss all that fun.


Thanks, will give that a try 😀
Seemed to work with the trail biking, although just a wee tryout locally on a sort trail until he’s old and strong enough 👍🏼


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