# What am I REALLY in for?



## withdrew (Apr 5, 2011)

Greetings,

I've been a lurker for a while, I've done about two years research, I've read the books, browsed countless forums and done all the homework. I know what these dogs are capable of, and I'm still here. This breed is calling me and I just can't ignore it anymore!

I am going to run down my home/family situation and my plans so I'd love your input, positive and negative.

I am 34 years old, my wife 31. We have 2 children ages 3 years and 1 year old.

We live in a residential outer borough of New York City, Queens, NY. This is not the high-rise-concrete "Sex In the City" metropolis that's always depicted on TV or film, but more neighborhood-like.

I live in a moderately sized duplex home. We own the home, so we will not be dealing with landlords or superintendents or the like. We have a small, fenced-in front yard. The yard is not escape-proof by sporting-dog standards, but it provides an adequate buffer should our dog get past our front door, we would have ample reaction time to get him back. We have a similar space in our backyard, providing basically the same level of security.

We live a few blocks away from a large public park, and that park also has an enclosed dog-run.

My father has a home/property in rural Pennsylvania with 30 acres and a lake, so once properly trained we would be able to exercise and practice some pointing/retrieving.

We are an active family, we love the idea of taking long walks/jogs/runs. My plan is to walk/jog with our V in the morning before work (6-7AM). My wife is a stay at home mom so the day would be filled with short/moderate walks and horseplay with the kids. When I get home from work, another long walk/jog and some off-the-leash play at the park for another 40-60min or so (4-5PM). The dog would rarely be left at home alone, and only for very short periods of times when running errands or appointments when the dog wouldn't be welcome.

Weekends would have similar activity, except I would be there for the whole day.

I also plan on obedience and "trick-training," so I will be constantly stimulating/challenging the dog, so while I don't have acres of land for our V to run about, the dog will never become bored.

We plan on crate training, but it would truly be a safe haven for our dog and not a "punishment site" or a place to sit all day while we go about our business. This dog would BE OUR BUSINESS! (in a good way!) We plan on including our dog in all our activities.

I know many folks will knock the fact that I live in such an urban setting, but I've seen very well behaved "high-energy" dogs in NYC so I know it can be done. Also, keep in mind that this dog will rarely be left alone. I think that is a decent trade-off, as I'd rather have a V in our setting than a V with 100 acres to play but sits in a crate all day while both parents are at work all day long.

Thanks in advance for reading. I look forward to any and all replies and I will continue to learn from those here with awesome experience!

Andrew


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## NZ_V (Jun 4, 2009)

Hi,

Welcome! It sounds to me like any V would be lucky to have you  Personally I think they adjust to their circumstances; as long as you set in place the right foundations (training) from the start. They are high energy dogs, but in saying that I have found that mine is happy as long as he is with me. Mental stimulation works just as well to wear Rossi out as huge long runs do....but that's just my experience ;D good luck!


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Hi, Andrew! Yes, it sounds like a great life you have planned for your Viszla. I think that, above all else, they just want to be loved and to feel they are part of the family. Good luck to you! You will be having lots of fun...


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## withdrew (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks for the vote of confidence!

Our biggest concern is dealing with puppyhood for the first two years, all while raising our "human puppies" that will be going through their own maturation and growing pains. But if we wait until our little one is sturdy on her feet, me monitor them closely and never allow puppy/baby out of our sight, crate the dog when it's too much to handle, I think we should be fine, at least until the constant mouthing and razor-sharp puppy teeth subside. 

I also think the mental stimulation will be our primary way of tiring out/bonding with/challenging our dog, in conjunction with the moderate level of exercise our neighborhood and living situation will allow. The love and companionship will not be a problem, because like I said, we won't be leaving the dog alone very much.

How are the V's in the car? Will they rest in a crate during a car ride, or should I get one of those doggy-gate dividers that fences off the rear compartment of my car? (we have a Subaru Outback wagon)


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## Kobi (Oct 26, 2010)

I think you'll be fine. I imagine you'll have to deal with lots of whining when you do have to crate the dog, but you can't really avoid that, especially since you'll be crating it very little.

My dog pretty much wants to be up front with me in the car or he will whine. However this is NOT happening in my new car (bought it last Saturday). He is adjusting to car rides in the crate, he just doesn't necessarily care for them. If you do get a pet barrier just makes sure it doesn't have any large openings, and be prepared to wash a lot of nose prints off your rear windows!


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

withdrew-Our dogs have been raised with 3 young ones. Our V pup, Pumpkin (9m), came to us when my youngest was newly 3. Our dachshund does not have the power P does, but she still requires the most supervision. In our experience, it's the kids who are the biggest concern & challenge to "train" ;D ! The exception to that is P's power. She is so strong & exhuberant that she routinely took my kids downs for a while--especially the 3 & 6 y/o. None the less, Pumpkin has been terrific with the kids! Best wishes to you!


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

Savannah and I do not have any fence for our yard, so your buffer sounds like one better than we have and she is just fine. We learned about not charging the door early and constantly reinforce it. Other than that, we are also in a neighborhood environment and do about the exercise you have planned (although she gets her short walks throughout the day with me at work as opposed to with your wife at home). IMO, you may want to add some toy/game time with you, not just the morning and evening walk/run and off-leash time.

Since Savannah commutes with me, she is quite adept at riding in the car. Currently she rides in a crate, but we are transitioning to include a seat belt harness as an option when the crate would be in the way. Her first couple of days in the car were by far the worst whining and crying she ever did. As a reference point, she was worse than the cat. After those first few trips, however, she figured out that she gets to walk on arrival, so she generally naps during the ride. Last week when she discovered the function of an electric fence on a farm we were visiting, she went running to the car and only settled when I had her load up.

I would read carefully the posts from the mothers and fathers on this board regarding tips for managing the puppy with your kids and maybe ask their advice about choosing a good family puppy. Savannah’s puppy antics were so extreme that I am not sure I could have handled the dog and young kids, but I had purposefully picked the most independent puppy in the litter. She is already turning into exactly the dog I was hoping for, but the puppy stage was almost too much.

The only other opinion I would offer is that a crate can be an effective timeout without being a punishment if you introduce it correctly and put her there before your patience is completely gone. It took me about a month to work that out. I wish I had thought through how to do it before getting Savannah. It would have helped immensely when we both needed to calm down during those first four weeks.


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## withdrew (Apr 5, 2011)

So far everyone's advice has been really great and I thank you for it!

Like I mentioned before, I don't mind waiting a little bit and we are not really in a rush. We actually considered adopting or acquiring a young adult or an older pup to fast forward past SOME of the puppy behaviors, specifically the mouthing with the super sharp baby teeth. We had a few leads but things kinda fizzled out and we went back to looking for a brand new pup.

We are still discussing and deciding what might be best. I am pretty experienced with dogs (have had them all my life growing up and also in my adult life) but I have not raised a puppy. It's funny, because when I close my eyes and imagine myself with a dog, it's a full-grown adult Vizsla, perfectly mannered and well-behaved, jogging by my side, playing fetch or catching a frisbee in an open field, etc. But the reality is puppyhood chewing, socializing, shots, spay/neutering, potty training, crate training, etc..

I really appreciate all the thoughts/experiences that you're all sharing. It's an eye-opener and really helps me fully understand what we'll be diving into.


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## christine (Oct 19, 2010)

I used to live in Queens (Astoria) and I have 3 small children, and knowing a bit about both topics would guess that the kids will likely present more of a challenge than the environment.  As a previous poster said, you will have more trouble training the kids than the dog! 

One of the things that attracted us to our breeder was that the puppies would be raised in the house with a child. We could see from the pictures on their website that the puppies were regularly handled/played with by both adults and children, and that type of socialization alone was worth the hefty price tag and 6+ hour drive to get our dog. I would highly recommend that you try to find a similar situation so your kids won't be the first one this puppy encounters. I am extremely impressed with how well our Vizsla stands up to the kids' manhandling, because as closely as we try to supervise the kids do sometimes play inappropriately with her, and she has never gotten nasty with them. 

That said, no matter how closely you supervise I can pretty much guarantee that your children will suffer some minor injuries from the dog. We taught our V not to nip pretty quickly and easily, but jumping up has been very challenging. She's getting better, but is not yet totally cured of this. Our Vizsla is almost 8 months old now and can easily knock a small child over (we have 5 1/2-year-old triplets). My kids have also gotten several scratches from her jumping up to get a toy as they're trying to play with her. We have also had occasions where she bowled someone over while playing fetch, and one really scary incident where she knocked one of my kids over at the top of the stairs. And of course they are none to happy when the puppy chews up one of their toys - but on the plus side, they have gotten a lot better about putting their things away (might be a problem with the 1-year-old though; if he/she has a favorite lovey, invest in some extras now!) We also have a playroom as well as a basement the kids can play in that the dog is not allowed into; I think it has helped a lot in keeping the peace that they have a place to get away from her if they want to.

I hope that helps and also doesn't sound too negative - I certainly think you can make it work; it seems you have the environment stuff figured out so maybe this will give you some food for thought regarding the kids aspect.

Good luck!

-Christine


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## withdrew (Apr 5, 2011)

christine said:


> I used to live in Queens (Astoria) and I have 3 small children, and knowing a bit about both topics would guess that the kids will likely present more of a challenge than the environment.  As a previous poster said, you will have more trouble training the kids than the dog!
> 
> One of the things that attracted us to our breeder was that the puppies would be raised in the house with a child. We could see from the pictures on their website that the puppies were regularly handled/played with by both adults and children, and that type of socialization alone was worth the hefty price tag and 6+ hour drive to get our dog. I would highly recommend that you try to find a similar situation so your kids won't be the first one this puppy encounters. I am extremely impressed with how well our Vizsla stands up to the kids' manhandling, because as closely as we try to supervise the kids do sometimes play inappropriately with her, and she has never gotten nasty with them.
> 
> ...


Thanks Christine! I sent you a PM!

-Andrew


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

One thing I forgot to mention - make sure the puppy/dog has some alone time EVERY day. Regular practice at being alone keeps the times when being alone is required (errands, etc.) no big deal.


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## withdrew (Apr 5, 2011)

I agree, while my wife is a stay at home mom and will be with pup during the day, she will definitely have opportunities to leave the pup for short periods of alone-time, trips to the bank or doctor's appointments or what-not.

We are thinking about waiting until the little one is older, so now we're leaning toward next spring. I know that waiting as long as possible can't hurt us and will only make a more rewarding and safe experience for my kids.


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## jp (Nov 24, 2009)

I also lived in Astoria (now Illinois), my wife and I are the same ages with two kids the same ages, and my wife is at home during the day, so I can confirm that it can most definitely be done. And the fact that you are doing this much preparation and planning shows the dedication and responsibility that will make a great home. It comes down to this: you have two kids now, are you ready for a third? 

We got the puppy in between the two kids being born, so our daughter was a little more than a year. We underestimated the amount of work a puppy requires, let alone a high energy, high drive dog like a vizsla. From the board and others I have met at dog parks I've realized that there are a lot of breed characteristics, but each dog is still unique, often reflecting the home life they are raised in. Penny is a little more bold and naughty and also anxious I think than the average vizsla (and that is saying something!) but she also doesn't need quite as much exercise as I hear others claim. I think a lot of it is because she has been in a household with little kids so she has had to adapt to the limitations and opportunities. Limitations from parents needing to focus on little kids sometimes at her expense, and opportunities to steal food and chew toys from toddlers.


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## ceecee (Sep 29, 2010)

Sunny had gotten "nippy" and our trainer told us to use Bitter Apple Spray. Honestly, no bull, I used it once and she has stopped totally.
The trainer also to spray a bit on toys or other items and she would smell the apple spray and leave it alone. 
If she starts to jump all I do is show her the bottle and she immediately stops!
You said like you did all the research! Now go and enjoy!


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## ceecee (Sep 29, 2010)

I think I should re-read before I post my message. 
Sorry about the errors!


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## Jasper (Mar 18, 2011)

Good on you for doing your home work and being totally prepared. 

I personally think you are all set for a Vizsla. They are hard work as puppies - but by getting them as a pup you get to mould them into the kind of adult dog that you want. That way you will get your stunning obedient adult dog, jogging by your side!

Best of luck. My Vizsla is the best decision I have ever made. 

My partner and I don't have kids but we both do shift work, have sporting committments and I have a horse. So time wise we are pretty chocka, but our V adapts very well and gets an abundance of attention and exercise. She is also a total trickster - she LOVES doing her tricks. 

Good luck, enjoy ... keep us al posted!


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## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

The only thing I can add to others' advice is to remember during the early weeks/months that what you are experiencing will get better. I imagine it will feel very chaotic and at times you all may want to tear your hair, but you will figure out workarounds for the challenging behaviors that they don't outgrow, and much of the worst they DO outgrow. The kind of exercise your dog will appreciate and look forward to especially is the off leash dog park. That's great to have one nearby.


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