# Working and raising a puppy



## PhilD (Nov 13, 2014)

I am new to this forum and I hope that your experiences with your own little Vs will provide the guidance I am looking for!

My girlfriend and I are the owners of a cute little 9 week old V called Bali (she is our first dog). We've had her for a week now and she's been acting just like any typical puppy (the biting, chewing and attempted eating of everything she finds outside, and she had her first case of the zoomies yesterday when her toy got stuck under the furniture!) and she is a fast learner. Apart from two little accidents, she has already started to ask for the door when she needs to go out. The last two days, she slept through the entire night without asking to go out and she is no longer whining and crying when we put her in her crate.

What worries me is that me and my gf both work 40 hour weeks. Right now, one of us gets up early (around 5:45-6am) to take a walk with Bali and give her some exercise. The other one leaves early for work. We put her in her crate at 8:15am and one of us comes back home for lunch which is not spent eating but taking care of the little one (another walk, some play, feeding etc.). The one who doesn't come home for lunch comes in at around 5pm and then we have a little furry tornado on our hands. We usually don't get a chance to cook dinner until 6:30-7pm. By 9:30 pm we are spent and other than taking care of the little one and working... not much else gets done...

We absolutely love her but I am worried that our physical (and mental) health will not allow us to keep this up for too long...

Have any of you had to combine work and baby Vizslas? If so do you have any tips that make it easier?

Also, the hardest part is having to go back home for lunch (I'm about 15 mins away from home, my gf is about 20 mins). At what age can we expect them to stay in their crate for the entire day? Also, I am worried that if we do that (keep in the crate all day), we will have an unhappy puppy on our hands... Am I right?

Thank you!!!


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## organicthoughts (Oct 9, 2012)

Welcome to life with a vizsla pup.

It will be grueling for many months and all of a sudden you will have a dog that will adapt to your lifestyle.

Don't expect the dog to last more than a few hours alone in the crate until it is 8 months or so old. At that point you can probably leave it for 8 hours without an accident. You will still have a tornado when you get home so expect lots of long morning and evening hikes. You own a Vizsla - a hard working, energetic hunting dog! It needs an outlet and lots of exercise to be happy and for you guys to have calm in the home.

Good luck!


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## MeandMy3 (Feb 27, 2013)

Welcome to the Forum and the craziness of having a V in your family. 

My vizsla will be 2 in a month and she is still crated all day. I am up at 5:30am with the dogs (we have labs and a vizsla) and I leave for work around 7am. I am back at 12:30 for about 40 minutes - feeding, playing, etc... and then the vizsla goes back in her kennel. My 100-year-old great aunt lives with us and I have caretakers for her during the day. I thought that perhaps Bristol could stay out during the day but she is a bit much for our caretakers. Plus, she prefers her quiet time in her crate. It is now a habit for her. 

As far as your emotional well-being, you're ahead of the game since your pup is allowing you to sleep throughout the night. Most of us have lived through the sharkies and potty training while being sleep deprived. Most of us have cried, screamed, threatened to give our dogs away to the first person who commented how cute they were, and yet we are all still alive to tell the story and more in love with our little ginger tornadoes than we ever expected to be. 

My one tip to you, especially when the sharkies start, don't think of time out as a punishment, but an opportunity for the pup to calm down and reset herself. You will find that your pup will get over-stimulated and over-tired and has the ability to be naughtier than the naughtiest traveler you have ever seen. She also has the ability to be the calm after a stormy day (even if she caused the storm), your confidante, your best friend, and one of the greatest loves you will ever know.


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## dextersmom (Oct 29, 2013)

PhilD said:


> What worries me is that me and my gf both work 40 hour weeks. Right now, one of us gets up early (around 5:45-6am) to take a walk with Bali and give her some exercise. The other one leaves early for work. We put her in her crate at 8:15am and one of us comes back home for lunch which is not spent eating but taking care of the little one (another walk, some play, feeding etc.). The one who doesn't come home for lunch comes in at around 5pm and then we have a little furry tornado on our hands. We usually don't get a chance to cook dinner until 6:30-7pm. By 9:30 pm we are spent and other than taking care of the little one and working... not much else gets done...
> 
> We absolutely love her but I am worried that our physical (and mental) health will not allow us to keep this up for too long...


It's totally doable if you work full time, but it IS a lot of work. The scheduled you listed out is very similar to our daily one, with the exception that we can't come home for lunch, so we have a dogwalker. We don't have a dogwalker so much for the potty break now, but more to give them a bit of a break to release some energy. It is physically and mentally exhausting but it also gets more and more rewarding as they get older. 9:30 has just become the regular bedtime at our house as a result  By far the best thing we did was find a doggy daycare. Our guy only goes about once a week, but he loves it and having a tired dog when we get home from work is SO nice. It's my weeknight to catch up on everything. Sometimes you just need a day or two to relax and press the reset button!



organicthoughts said:


> Welcome to life with a vizsla pup.
> 
> It will be grueling for many months and all of a sudden you will have a dog that will adapt to your lifestyle.


I think it happened the other way around in our case : We definitely changed our lifestyle to fit the V's. I am not a morning person, but I'm up at 6 every day to walk the dog now. I'm also not super outdoorsy... but yet, somehow I spend more time in the woods than most these days!



MeandMy3 said:


> As far as your emotional well-being, you're ahead of the game since your pup is allowing you to sleep throughout the night. Most of us have lived through the sharkies and potty training while being sleep deprived. Most of us have cried, screamed, threatened to give our dogs away to the first person who commented how cute they were, and yet we are all still alive to tell the story and more in love with our little ginger tornadoes than we ever expected to be.


YES!!!I was ready to give Dexter away to anyone just for a NAP ;D


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Phi - U & your GF - are going in the right direction - my only comment is THIS - go home 4 lunch - now & in the future - asking a V 2b convient 2 your schedule is a mistake !!!!!!! THESE R NOT a WEEKEND BREED !!!!!!


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## Yillie (Jun 18, 2014)

My husband works full time, I work four days a week and we have two kids age 7 and 4. Our Summer is now 15 weeks old and things have finally started to settle down. It was really hard at first, especially with the sleep deprivation, the constant nipping, and not being able to trust the dog (or the kids for that matter) AT ALL. However, the kids and the puppy have calmed down a lot, the nipping has greatly subsided and she is turning into an energetic cuddle monster. This is also our first family dog, but the learning curve is not so steep now.

Our lives were busy before and now it is ridiculously busy. It gets my butt off the couch. Aside from occasionally feeling overwhelmed, I love it. My husband comes home for lunch to give the dog a break - this is imperative. We are lucky that my parents come and let her out once or twice a day for a bit more interaction/potty during the day. I'm NOT a morning person, but now get up at 6am to walk/run the dog. As long as its not pouring rain outside, I love this time. As a result, our bedtime has also moved up to 9 or 9:30 on most nights!! The kids and the puppy have a great play (within my sight) while I cook dinner in the evenings. But she is a NUTTER when we get home from work. Be prepared for that. I bet a doggy daycare or walker would help alleviate that.

On days off, she gets loads of attention, walks, plays etc. The crate is also a must. If I can't watch her, or I'm feeling like I'm about to snap, I put her away with something fun to chew.

It is not always easy, but I figure you get what you put into your relationships.


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## miru (Sep 9, 2014)

HELLO
WElcome to V life.It feels good to share the mix of tiredness, despair ,fun,and incredible love that a V puts you through the first week after the arrival.
Leo is 6 months now.I am working 35-40 h a week but i have him with me for the morning after a 40 min walk in the forest(6,30 with a lantern .He is usually tired and sleeping but if he gets too excited he gets happily crated in the car(his heaven)

At noon we get another 30-40 min walk-run which keeps us fit but enhances the pile of letters to be answered and other things of the human life get postponed too.

Leo passes the afternoon alone at home .He was never in the crate .The living room stays open to the garden but I think he does not like to go out alone so he waits for us-6pm- to pee outside and show us how much he missed us(talking,jumping,playing bringing ball,bone, wanting car keys,opening bags,giving kisses and little bites of excitement,etc.
He usually has another walk on leash this time,and by the time all this ends we are happy to go to bed to tired to want anything else.

So..may be owning A V transforms us in the fittest ,tiredest ...happiest persons that enjoy talking to each other on this forum while our V sleeps near by...COOL 

Good luck ,enjoy every moment!

Mir


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

Congrats on the puppy! 

I work 50ish hours per week, same with my husband. Before we got our 2 boys, I changed my work schedule so I can go home for a long lunch. A typical day for us is a 75 min off leash run (puppy would be a short walk/ play time/ training since they can't run), then leave them with safe toys until I come back at 12 and I take them for a 45-60 min off leash hike. My husband gets home at 5 and takes them out to play fetch or play with their friends for about an hour. We have a closet full of durable toys/ antlers/ chews for them at night time while we are winding down for the evening, and often find ourselves playing a game of tug of war while we are watching TV. 

Our boys are almost 3, and 18 months of age. I can't imagine them staying home all day alone. Next week we are going to do a trial of me working a 6 hours straight and see if they are ok with a 2 hr morning exercise and then an hour after I get home. We have two dogs and have noticed they are calmer now vs when we just had one when we get home. 

They are a ton of work and honestly I would expect to keep your current schedule for at least 2 yrs unless you utilize a dog walker (which we sometimes do,) or enlist help from a family member (also one of our options on a busy day.) We try to stay home weeknights with them because we are gone for work, and if we can't we drop them at my parent's house so they get lots of attention on those rare worknights we can't get home. 

Best of luck! You've signed up for a breed with a long puppyhood! Our Chase is 18 months and the second my alarm goes off at 5:15 he's a nut and he's still trying to play tug as we lie down for bed at 10.


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## Kristend (Apr 20, 2012)

Hi there! 

You are going to have so much fun with your little girl! My husband I both work full time and the first few months of having our girl was very stressful! I think it's great that you guys are able to come home at lunch time to let Bali out of her crate, even though it sounds like this is difficult!

I am not sure if you have a secure backyard or courtyard but if you do you could put the crate in yard with the door open? We did this so our girl could retreat to her crate for a sleep and to feel more secure but she could wander out for toilet breaks and a bit of an explore in the yard. Our yard isn't very big and has high fences so this might not work for you. I don't think this is in line with strict "crate training" but you have to do what works for you and your V!

I would also recommend Doggy Day Care. I think they can start going from around 6 months of age? They have to have had all of their shots. Make sure you choose one with a good reputation, asking your vet for their recommendation is a good idea. Doggy day care is good for socialisation and she will be exhausted and you will have a normal night!

Other than that, once you get through this tough time and get your routine established you are going to love Bali even more! They are the best dogs ever, they are fun, affectionate, loyal and your best friend. Plus they keep you fit - which is always good


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