# Want to own a Vizsla puppy? The story of Lexi the Lunatic



## SunnyDae (Jan 18, 2014)

Somehow my wife and I have managed to make it to nearly 6 months with our little Lexi. We got her at 7.5 weeks and to say it has been a roller coaster ride would be like saying a category 5 hurricane is a tad breezy. She has gone through many stages that I read about online (many on this forum), but at the same time has moved straight past some others. The reason I'm writing this is to give insight to some new/expecting owners. In the months before picking up Lexi I would search nonstop for stories of what people experienced with their new puppy. So here is our story.

I am an engineer and my wife is a teacher. We wake up at 4:30AM to run in the morning and then get back and ready to be at work around 6:30AM for me and 7:30AM for my wife. She gets home around 4 and I get home around 5. We have had to make many sacrifices to make this work, but at the same time it has not been the complete life restructure I was lead to believe. I have started coming home at lunch about half the days of the week to play for about 30 minutes and then leave her outside in our decent sized fenced backyard. I have built her an insulated, shingled, air conditioned, 4ft x 4ft dog house (called Casa de Lexi) for her to play and seek shelter in if the weather gets bad or she needs to cool off. The other days of the week we have someone come play with her for a few hours. When she was a baby we would devote almost all our time to her when we got home and it was incredibly draining. It has only gotten easier and easier. Now we still give her a lot of attention, but she can also self entertain (at the moment she's spinning in circles with a rope). 

So now for the roller coaster. We have used a crate from day one. She only cried the first 5 nights. The first two nights were by far the worst. She cried for about 2 hours each of the first two nights, which seems to be much easier than most people have it. Her crate is on the other side of the house in another room, but still within ear shot. The first few nights I was on constant alert for a whimper so I could let her out. Never a peep. From day 1 at 7.5 weeks she has slept through the night from 8PM to 4:30AM with no need to be taken out. We never restricted water either. The only time she's ever needed to be taken out in the middle of the night was when her eating schedule was off and she had to do business at midnight. That was at about 3 months and at that point we ended the grazing method of feeding and moved her to two meals a day. There are many times where she doesn't finish her food. I grew up with Basset Hounds, so the concept of a dog not finishing food was very foreign to me. 

One thing I was not prepared for was the puppy biting. She wanted to bite EVERYTHING. It was never incredibly hard, but after repeatably being bitten it wears on you. I spent a lot of time being incredibly frustrated. We were consistent with "NO BITE" and she has pretty much figured it out. She was never out of eyesight. Never. And because of that hard work I can say that she has never chewed up anything she wasn't supposed to, other than a blanket or two in her crate. She still gets a little bitey when she gets really excited, but it's more like shaking hands with her mouth. When she gets excited, like when I get home, she knows she physically has to bite something so she puts a toy in her mouth so she's not tempted to go for my arm out of excitement. It is adorable. Yesterday she was in our room with no toys when I walked in and she got so excited that she grabbed my underwear that were on the ground because she couldn't find a toy. 

I would say the turning point for us was about 20 weeks, which I have seen elsewhere too. I wouldn't say she has really calmed down tons, it's just that it has become focused. We can play ball, do tricks, hike. It's all been much easier since the 20 week mark. I didn't think that it would ever come. I remember several occasions where we were lying in bed saying this was the worst mistake we'd ever made. I personally wanted to driver her back to the breeder. Believe me, the effect of cuteness wears off as frustration increases. We had several breakdowns. It was actually hard on our relationship a few times with all the frustration and difference of opinion on how to handle certain situations. We are young and had been married less than a year when we got her and this was a good test for us. 

Now for training. I have never been around a smarter dog. The very first day she was home I taught her sit and lay down. A few days later she learned stay, come, and spin. She loves to please. She also has never had a problem with potty training. The only 3 times she's gone inside it was our fault. We didn't listen to her because we thought there was no way she'd need to go. 

We know we have a long way to go still, but we can definitely say we're at a point where she is a good addition to our family. She makes us laugh every day and is just plain fun to be around most of the time. Everyone loves her. We can't even count how many people have told us they want to steal her. We love her and wouldn't trade her for anything despite some very tough times. As two mid-twenties, newlywed, first time pet owners, that work full-time jobs, while also maintaining a house, we are proof that if there is a will there is a way. It can be done. It is a LOT of work and the point of this is not to make it seem like it's going to be easy. It may not even be right for a lot of people. This is just what we've experienced so far. This forum has been incredibly helpful to me and I hope this can help someone.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I enjoyed reading Lexi's story and I'm glad you were able to stick it out. Don't forget that, technically, they're puppies until about the age of two. I'm sure you're in for many happy years together!! And by the way, she is sooo cute!! Thanks for sharing. ;D ;D ;D


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## redd (May 25, 2014)

I echo this story entirely. I have literally shed tears over our crazy mutt (lol, he's full bred but we like to tease him), my marriage has been tested to the nth degree (and we still have our moments). 

My husband works from home so in the beginning it was like having a baby, I'd come home from work, he'd shove the dog at me, having not showered all day and red faced, and say "you deal with him". His hands were bloody for months!

Our guy is now 5 1/2 months old and so much better, we love him so much and are so glad we worked thru those moments (like can we just drop him off at the breeder and say we give up?? Haha)
The biting has mostly stopped. He is funny and quirky and sassy and all around a riot. He still stresses us out but we know how to handle him now. 
I have no idea how 2 full time young newlyweds could weather this breed. Good work.


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## Dani_and_Tim (Sep 2, 2014)

Thanks for sharing this story. We got our puppy V Max just 4 days ago. My partner has been away for work for 2 days and I rang him in tears last night telling him I literally cannot deal (mentally/emotionally/physicallY) and was almost about the email the breeder about other living arrangements. I thought I had patience, but little Max is really hard work! I am happy to have found similar stories on this forum. I work from home, and its really frustrating that I cannot get anything done as I am always cleaning poo/wee (this I can handle), going outside for abreak about 5,000 times a day, and up at 1am, 3am and 5am (killer!). It's only day 4. Please tell me it gets better?? It's also been hard to leave the house even for even 30 minutes to get the groceries - he absolutely cried the house down. Normally I wouldn't mind about the noise, but we have neighbours all very close. Thanks for your story SunnyDae.


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## aliciavp (Mar 14, 2014)

I have a similar story  

My boyfriend and I both work full time, we bought our first home and moved into it mid-last year. We are both in our late twenties, and neither of us had lived out of home for greater than 5 months. THAT took an adjustment. Then 5 months later I had open heart surgery. Three months after that we got Lazlo, who is not only the first Vizsla, but also first pet dog for the both of us.

I joke now when I say it has been an intense 12-14 months, but intense doesn't even skim the surface. And of all things, the biggest adjustment was Lazlo. I won't re-hash it all, but it did change our relationship dynamic, which was very hard for us to accept, and most definitely has prepared us for children. We now both love Lazlo without thought, but it wasn't always the case. 

Now I sit here at 4:51pm Australian time, counting down to when I can turn off my computer and dash out the door to see our pooch, I never thought I'd get so attached


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## redd (May 25, 2014)

Alicia- A vizsla puppy may change your mind about having children.... Lol lol


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## emilycn (Jul 30, 2013)

Redd said:


> Alicia- A vizsla puppy may change your mind about having children.... Lol lol


I feel like I already have one. Albeit a very hairy one.


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## SunnyDae (Jan 18, 2014)

Thank you all for the feedback. I love to hear all the other stories. They do say that misery loves company.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Sun - you never OWN a V - you share your life with them - time distance & cost they have no clue about - every day they give their heart & soul 2 YOU !!!!!!


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