# New puppy!!!



## veifera (Apr 25, 2012)

Hi everyone! It's so hard not to share (I mean, not to talk constantly about your puppy) once it's home, right??? Need, need need to tell someone... ;D

I posted a picture if anyone wants to see. Picked up a beautiful female puppy in the Chicago area five days ago and she's the most incredible little thing in the world. I'm officially in love.

Here are some "notes to self", basically a need to share with someone and hopefully it can help others. 

First lesson - no amount of preparation and research can describe how overwhelming the first couple of days and nights were going to be. I haven't had a dog in a while, so in all honesty it's a brand new experience. 

Second lesson - my "homework" started paying off right away, even before I showed up at the breeder's to pick up my puppy. It's definitely *not* a waste of time. Thank you to those who said it's better to wait and get ready, rather then get a puppy and learn together.

I started looking for a breeder last year. The best thing I did at that time was get in touch with breeder referral person at my local Vizsla club and the Vizsla Club of America. She became my "adviser" in selecting a breeder and she's a really really nice lady. 8) 

Looking back, the two pieces of advice I'm most grateful to her for:

1. If possible, do not to deal with the breeder who's willing to ship a puppy without meeting me (and letting me spend time with the puppy). I was in touch with half a dozen breeders and decided to go with a *really* tough lady from Illinois who raised some well known dogs in her Vizsla career. Her puppies were almost twice the average price. Picking up the puppy in person was a non-negotiable requirement. It wasn't always a walk in the park dealing with her, but now that I have the puppy with me and can observe her temperament I realize how lucky I was to make that choice. 

2. Do not pick a puppy from a litter that's already born. Instead, talk to the breeder who just mated the dogs and announced the _future_ litter. It buys more time to research the dogs. Amazing how many things one can learn from a pedigree and Google. LOL! The downside is waiting, waiting, waiting... But it's really worth it!

Some things that I've done since bringing her home that somehow stood out to me:

Potty training. The breeder kept the puppies in a playpen that connected to a potty box (I think it's the most common set up). Basically, the puppy already knew to go to the same spot every time. So putting a leash and taking her potty to a designated area was easier than I thought. She doesn't even pull on leash, as if she knows what the plan is. The only problem I have is I don't wait long enough after pee, so the poo often happens all over the yard. 

The day after I brought her home, it started to rain. The grass was wet and it was chilly outside (she was shaking like a leaf). Needless to say, I was having a meltdown! We still went to pee in the same spot. And she even tried to play and run in the rain after that. So I take it as part of "weather socialization" and peeing in the rain is one of 10 experiences to have before you die. LOL.

Crate training. I bought a wire crate with a divider, but threw the divider away after the second night. She can stretch out better without it and move about. Since I'm taking her potty like it's my greatest passion, I'm pretty sure she won't want to potty in the crate. I also added more padding on the second day, and she's visibly more comfortable. 

She went to the crate the first night at home and won't be allowed on furniture until she's fully potty trained. Like everyone else said, listening to her screaming like she's skinned alive is just unbelievable. I became really emotional and felt like I was intentionally torturing her. Even remembering those few times upsets me. She was screaming like this every single time I put her in and it was *HARD* to follow everyone's advice and wait until she got quiet before giving her any attention. 

Someone wrote on this forum about getting to several hours in a couple of weeks. Sorry, I don't remember the nickname but it was a terrific how-to. That's basically what I did. TV is on, I'm walking from room to room (shaking, depressed and unable to focus on anything) and she's screaming. Oh. My. God!

My puppy stopped screaming and went to sleep in the crate after just 5 minutes the very first time! I guess that's where the choice of the breeder is paying off already - all the puppies are very even-tempered and not reactive. She remained quiet as long as I was in the room. I put the crate time into my daily planner and basically kept at it, walking from one room to another. By day three, she goes to sleep right away and I can leave the room immediately and stay out or keeping going in and out. She sleeps for 2 or 3 hours at a time, so my next challenge will be to keep her quiet inside after she wakes up. So far, if she wakes up after sleeping 2 hours, she whines for a few minutes (no digging anymore) and tries to go back to sleep. I'm holding off on longer until after potty training. 

I also discovered a way to make her settle instantly in the crate and used it on day 2, 3 and 4. First of all, there are only thin rugs in the room she's at. Secondly, she's not allowed to get on the furniture for now. So when she slows down and looks for a place to settle, I get down by the crate, point her inside ("Crate!") and once she's in, I go on my knees and stick my head inside. Blocking her way out. Thank God nobody is around to take a picture of my butt sticking out of the crate. What follows is just a few minutes of kissing, belly rubbing and she's fast asleep. I'm reducing the "kissing" time so that I can eventually eliminate it completely. If anyone thinks I'm doing it wrong, I'd love to hear from you and alternative ideas. 

That's it for now (gotta run), sorry it's such a long post and thanks for reading!


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

verifera,
You are a perfect example of "how to do it right." So many first posts from new puppy owners that are "learning on the fly."

Congratulations. You have entered the Vizsla lifestyle.


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## Aimless1 (Sep 25, 2011)

Congratulations! So nice to see an owner who is both responsible and excited


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

That's brilliant. 
Just had to chime in.

Dealing with the tough breeder lady made me chuckle... we were grilled over the phone for more than 40 minutes. "Why do we need a Vizsla?"
When we arrived she grilled us more. I our case, the breeder's main concern was our previous dog was a German Shepherd. The two breeds are worlds apart. 
As a result we have no behavioral problems, but I had to learn how to mellow out and not act like a German robot machine.

PS last year in april it was raining non stop (Ontario, Canada). Early "weather socialization" ;D

PPS We were allowed to pick the puppy... as long as it was a male. The females seem to go first.


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## veifera (Apr 25, 2012)

Thank you for your kind words! 

We went outside earlier, to walk around the front yard and watch cars drive by. also to cross the street and walk on asphalt and in a small park down the street. My puppy doesn't seem afraid of cars. She needs to see something at a safe distance first and then she no longer tucks her tail. Acting like it's nothing and distracting her seems to help a lot. We stayed really close to the road to watch about 3 cars drive by and she was awesome. 

Also, she is *SNIFFING* like you won't believe. Making that strange sound. Her nose is on the ground constantly. I don't know if that's the reason but she was so easy to walk on leash I just couldn't believe it. A gentle tug and "Come on" and she comes right along. I was expecting constant pulling and fighting. 

I wanted to mention the nipping and biting. Seems like a big topic. 

The second or third day at home after she woke up we greeted her with (ok, let's be honest here) an obscene amount of love and went to the backyard with a big volleyball. It was meant for us, not her. But she got really excited. Then we came back in, sat opposite each other and started throwing a small ball for her to chase. She got really wild and out of control. Biting, jumping and so on. Was running up from behind and nipping, after that play, for at least 10 minutes. Like possessed by the Devil. I paid her back by calling her an "Evil B***" in my gentlest and kindest voice and a smile. Repeatedly. Sorry!!!

"Ouch" didn't work for me at all. 

I think it's because to her it probably sounds the same as "Come" or some other command. The intonation is very similar. And also, to be perfectly honest, my first "Ouch" was more like _"If you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you could possibly consider not nipping, but it's really no big deal. Thank you, so very much"_.

Since that time, I basically turned her play time upside down. 

When she gets out of the crate, she only gets a little "hello" pet on the chest. Then I lie down on the floor and place a few toys around me where I can reach them. She spends a few minutes saying hello (meaning, licking my face, hair and clothes, like a mad one) and then starts to play by herself. She just wants to be close to me. Lean on me, etc. Gives me time to catch up on Facebook. LOL. 

I moved all the vigorous play towards the end of her time awake, not the beginning. And I'm letting her play more on her own, just offering toys and sitting on the floor. So I'm still connected to her and bond with her, but the experience is at the level where she's able to control herself. Or so it seems to me. 

To be honest, the effect is really astonishing. I think what happened is I wound her up real fast and she simply didn't know how to let it out except to nip and bite like she did with litter mates. Let's see if it lasts.

I have a question! 

It's the fifth day, we have been out leashed three times on a front lawn (unfenced), rode twice in the car (truly horrible experience, even worse than crate training!!) and walked around in the park. She met two construction workers (men in boots and work gloves). Saw two strange dogs (neighbors's) and was able to calm down somewhat after the initial moment of fear. 

Is that enough for five days since picking her up or am I too slow with socialization?? 

Second question - we still haven't been to the vet. She got negative on parasites while at the breeder's and had DAPP. The 2nd DAPP isn't due for a few weeks. Should I take her to get looked at overall, or maybe to sit in the waiting room for socialization or is it OK to wait a few more days??

Thanks for reading


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

> I have a question!
> 
> It's the fifth day, we have been out leashed three times on a front lawn (unfenced), rode twice in the car (truly horrible experience, even worse than crate training!!) and walked around in the park. She met two construction workers (men in boots and work gloves). Saw two strange dogs (neighbors's) and was able to calm down somewhat after the initial moment of fear.
> 
> Is that enough for five days since picking her up or am I too slow with socialization??


Not bad. If you have a train station, or shopping center with benches go sit on the bench with the pup on the bench or on your lap. People are drawn to Vizsla pups like flies to sugar.

Sure sounds like you are enjoying yourselves.

RBD


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## kristen (Oct 18, 2011)

We personally took our pup to the vet the day after we got him, we wanted to ensure he was completely healthy. They gave him the worm medicine, flea/tick meds, gave him a physical, weighed him etc. Then when we had to come back in less than a week for his 2nd needle, they didn't charge us the appointment fee, they just took him in, gave him the jab and sent us home. I trust my breeder but still wanted to make sure with my own eyes that he was okay. 

For socialization, this is a list my trainer gave us for socializing a puppy:

"Socialization Scavenger Hunt"

Go for 3 car rides
Have a bath (at home or groomer's)
Meet 2 gray haired senior citizens
Meet a person with a cane or in a wheelchair
Visit a garden center or hardware store
Visit the Vet without an appointment and just sit in the waiting room
Visit 2 friends at their homes
Do "sit" and "down" for a stranger
Go to a friend's house and leave puppy there for an hour without you
Take biscuits from 3 different children
Carry your pup to 3 different parks
Ride on public transit while being carried
Meet 3 friendly (vaccinated) dogs owned by friends
Ride in an elevator
Meet another domestic pet while on leash
Take a biscuit from a man with a beard


She also added a few while we were training with her:

Put on and expose the pup to every odd piece of clothing you own, even if its offseason. ( Not all at once, but that could be good for a picture!  )
i.e. bicycle helmet, motorcycle helmet, gloves, toque, winter jackets and boots, safety glasses, sun hats etc. 

We live in a big city, so we started taking Odin pretty early on the subway, streetcar, bus, and along busy roads with shops, cafes, markets etc. Now he's curious about everything!

The nipping will dissipate...but it does take persistence (and thick skin, literally) The ouch combined with the turning our backs and ignoring worked better for us.

Odin is 8 months old and still cant get his nose off the ground. I tried to take pics of him on the weekend outside, and the only time he wasn't sniffing is when he was pointing.


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