# Is it really easier with 2 V's???



## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

We have been spending a lot of time with our friends 14 week old V puppy. The dogs play hard for hours on end and Ruby is really good with him BUT it is crazy and the only time they stop is if we step in or the puppy gets tired and relaxes. At this point, Ruby stares at him and is still ready to go.

We go back and forth on getting another V down the road. I can see it getting easier when they are older but the puppy and adult dog situation seems very trying.

I know many of you on the forum have more than one and would love to hear your experiences on the first year and puppy phase of one of your Vs.


----------



## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

RubyRoo - I can't give you advise on having 2 Vizslas but I got Boris knowing that it might be a bit too much at times for the older dog. Although I am not into crate training I made the decision that we would have to have a crate to put the puppy in to give the older a dog some respite. The crate has been good for other things too I might add!!!

Thw older dog has been brilliant with the pup and enjoys playing with him. He has been totally subsurviant to the pup, I sometimes wish he would tell him off. The main problem has been the puppy jumping up at Fergus. At 61/2 months it is not so bad and you can tell him off and he will get down, but we did used to put him in his crate to give Fergus a rest and also the puppy as I think they don't always know when to stop .

I think as Fergus is 6 he has taught Boris to be calm and now they are great together. However, I sometimes think it would have been nice to have had Boris when Fergus was say 3. We might not have had a house left if we had  

I will be interested to see what folk with two or more Vs say as I will be looking to get a second in a few years.


----------



## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

Doz is 23 mos and Penny is 14 weeks. I'm hoping for it to pay off in the long run but I am drained of sleep and energy at this point. They play fairly well together already and therefore are occupied without us humans at times. But they still want you to join in at times. Which i of course want to do anyway. Potty training her however is literally about 4x worse than he was. I think bec they play so much and you know when they play stopping to pee just doesn't cross their mind. 

Also, I've been a lot more lax with training and Dozer is starting to forget his manners. So I need to step it up.


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I wouldn't say its easier but it has its rewards. 
They love to run and play together but you need to work them separately.


----------



## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

Thanks for the replies. I can see in the long run it has its rewards. I think I just forgot how hard the puppy phase is even though it was not that long ago for us with Rubes. I think maybe in a year or so we will think about it.

Here are some pics of the play sessions with Ruby and her new friend Chase. They are so cute together and at least they get to spend time together since we live so close by Chase's owners.


----------



## ryker (Apr 14, 2012)

Can't wait to hear the replies as I'm wondering something similar!


----------



## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

I love the pups white spots. It may not meet standards but I love it. 

Some of ours together...


----------



## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

SteelCityDozer - love the pics, hate the Steelers blanket...lol. I grew up in Cleveland so we have to be enemies when it comes to football 

Your V's are beauties - love little Penny pulling on the blanket where Dozer is sitting


----------



## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

Flynn is 7 and Luna is 1. In many, many ways it is easier having 2. It was tough for the first 4 months or so. He didn't like her and we had to be good about keeping them separate.

Some of the pro's: 
- they keep each other company when we are not home (she has been able to be out of the crate when we're not home for some time) 
- she learned a lot of things by watching him (swimming, fetch, etc.) 
- she is much more confidence, less jumpy than he was and we think that comes from having a big brother 
- she does not have any of the separation anxiety issues he has - probably because she is pretty much never a lone 
- they play together (but given their age difference they have different energy levels. If we did it again, we would have them only 2 or 3 years apart, not 6) 
- Flynn seems a bit more stable and secure having another 4 legged "pack-member" around 

Some of the con's
- Sometimes it's hard to give one-on-one attention to one of them because the other gets jealous
Sometimes I realize that Luna has always been the little sister so she is used to letting Flynn get his way more (but she doesn't seem to mind since it's all she knows) 
- Doing training and work can take double the time sometimes because it's not always easy to train hem together since they're so different 
- I feel Luna misses out on some special things an only-pup gets to experience because we rarely ever take her out alone (because we feel to guilty leaving Flynn behind). She is a classic second child but she doesn't seem to mind. 

Anyway, that's my experience with having 2.


----------



## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Just to add to what has already been said. I find that having a pup and an adult is awesome. Both dogs get more activity when you are busy and that is never a bad thing with a V.

However I think it all comes down to how much you enjoy having a pup. Some people love the puppy stage others not so much, as it requires lots of time and attention. Me personally, I think I could have a string of pups and be as happy as a pig in mud. I really enjoy the puppy stage, even with its trials and tribulations. So for me, it was never a big deal to have and adult and a pup. So I guess, the choice comes down to how you feel about it.


----------



## Suliko (Sep 17, 2011)

*RubyRoo*, I won't say it's easy at the beginning while the pup is still little. It's best if the oldest V is trained well - will save you lots of additional work  Like *TexasRed* already said - still need to continue to work with each of them separately which can be more time-consuming. Having two Vs is also double the cost, especially through the puppy months. 
When deciding on Pacsirta, it was very important for me to know she's not timid and overly submissive. Our oldest V Sophie was extremely timid and submissive when we first got her, and it took LOADS of time and energy to train her, but the training was extremely rewarding - she's a great dog now  With our little pup Pacsirta, we have been very different with her training. She has been an excellent puppy so far - smart, well-balanced, easily trainable, no bad habits, just a joy to have her part of our family. I am expecting her to start and challenge me soon during her teen stage, but she's been mostly really good. 
I say YES to 2 Vs in household. They are great companions to each other, and I have never smiled so much in my life as watching the two go at each other out in the woods  

Here are some pics of my crazies:


----------



## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Jesus Suliko...... where have I been??? Pacsirta has grown soooooo quickly. It seems like yesterday that you got her!!!


----------



## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

Thanks Rubyroo. No worries about being a browns fan. I forgive you.  we grew up in western PA but now live somewhat close to Baltimore. So I have Ravens fans to worry about!


----------



## Suliko (Sep 17, 2011)

Ozkar said:


> Jesus Suliko...... where have I been??? Pacsirta has grown soooooo quickly. It seems like yesterday that you got her!!!


*Ozkar*, that's how I feel!! You've been busy with your pack, and she's been busy growing. I think she still has lots of stretching to do!


----------



## barretts87 (Apr 24, 2011)

We have a 15 month old female V and last week got a male puppy, he's 9 and a half weeks now. I will be the first to admit that having a puppy again is more work, and Abby was quite happy to play with him, until she realized he was coming home with us to stay. She was never mean to him but you could tell she just didn't understand. Fast-forward about two weeks and she is starting to realize that although she has to share everything with him, its actually fun having him around to play with and run circles around the house. I was nervous going into the situation but we specifically picked a male V that we thought would have a personality that would compliment our females and so far they seem to be having a great time. Also, crate training the puppy has been soooooo much easier. We put two crates side by side, Abby goes into her crate first then the puppy goes into his crate at night and just by having Abby nearby he calms and quiets down quickly. With Abby she could scream for 3 or 4 hours, we had literally no sleep the first two months, but we actually sleep for about 5 hours straight each night with Porter before he wakes up to go to the bathroom. It may not work for everyone, but so far for us having two V's has been awesome!!


----------

