# Another Vizsla + Apartment Thread



## 67124 (Aug 15, 2016)

My girlfriend and I are considering getting a Vizsla, but we live in a ~650 sq ft 1Br apartment in Brooklyn, NY. I grew up with them in a suburban setting so while I'm familiar with the breed and know they're great dogs, I do have some reservations about having them in the city. Neither of us are runners, though I walk a lot (~3miles a day). We also live ~50 feet from a park that has an off-leash dog run, and I can take the dog off-leash for ~30-45minutes each morning to play frisbee or fetch. Our schedule would probably look something like this:



[li]630am - 715am: off-leash frisbee/fetch in the park or long walk[/li]
[li]9-930am: off-leash in the dog run[/li]
[li]945am - 12pm: crate[/li]
[li]12pm - 1245pm: walk with dog walker[/li]
[li]1245pm - 3pm: crate[/li]
[li]3-345pm: walk with dog walker[/li]
[li]345pm - 530pm: crate[/li]
[li]530pm-615pm: off-leash in dog run after getting back from work (or long walk)[/li]
[li]915pm-945pm: quick walk or dog run[/li]

Outside of work hours, we plan to be with the dog a lot. I work 8-5 and my girlfriend works 10-6, and both of us can work from home once a week. We also visit my parents in the suburbs ~ once a month with a fenced in backyard, two other dogs, and a wooded area across the street.

Do you think this would be enough for a vizsla or am I just crazy?


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## organicthoughts (Oct 9, 2012)

It's crazy but doable. If you guys are the social type you might regret getting a v as all your time outside of work will be taking care of the dogs needs


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## 67124 (Aug 15, 2016)

We actually love being able to get out of social commitments (work happy hours, birthdays, etc.)


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## Yoda (Jan 1, 2016)

Congratulations on your upcoming pup!  We have a 6 month old male pup (Rocky), got him when he was 7.5 weeks. From my experience (although depends on individual pup) your plan looks great, however I would adjust individual outdoor sessions depending on his/her energy. Soon you will be able to pick their signs of being bored or tired and plan accordingly. For weeks between 8-16 and/or before housebroken it might be hard for them to control peeing beyond 1-2 hrs. We live in a townhome/condo and small space (without backyard) with patio worked fine for us. I used combination of crate, pen area and real grass sod in patio to manage those first weeks with just couple of accidents. As per me, weeks between 8-12 are crucial to teach them to do their business outside. Consider taking-off from work or spend as much time as possible with pup so that you can take him out often (once every 1-2 hrs) during day time and 1-2 times during night. Good luck!


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## 67124 (Aug 15, 2016)

So that's another thing that does concern me. Seems like the consensus is that he really shouldn't be out much in NYC until getting all of his shots, which will be a few months out. For this reason, most vets recommend first having the dog trained to go on a pad into the apartment, and then train him to go outside once he has his shots. 

We're worried he could go pretty stir crazy during that time.


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## Rbka (Apr 21, 2014)

We raised Nico in a small apartment until we moved last year (he was almost 2 when we moved). We lived near a dog park which was a huge help with curbing his energy once he had his final round of shots (16 weeks).

First - with regards to going outside/being exposed to potential threats as a pup, if you keep him/her on leash I think that can be mitigated. Just don't let the pup sniff, eat, or lick anything suspect.

Second - as a young pup you will be surprised how quickly they tire! A walk around the block on a puppy's 4inch long legs is a lot for their body and their brain! Yes - they will still get the zoomies, but your pup will still be small and the apartment will probably be adequate for zooming.

Third - indoor mental exercise (treat balls/training/hide&seek) and exercise is doable even in a small space! I made a wand toy for days when we couldn't go out due to snow/cold https://youtu.be/tGO922hT9LE

Your proposed schedule certainly seems like it would work! Nico is a relatively lazy V from what we can tell and he was fine being left alone 6 hours a day by the time he was 8 months old (my husband's and my work schedules were off-set) without a dog-walker. However we didn't do evening engagements and leave him alone on top of that. Now I work partly from home so our evenings are more flexible.
We also make sure he gets some good outdoors time every weekend either hiking or mountain biking with us in the woods.

Hope some of that info helps!


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## 1stVizsla (Jun 22, 2016)

The dog won't be in the crate at night will he/she?? If yes, I' add up the hours of total crate time and think about that as that will be most of his/her world; 12-16 hrs seems like a lot.


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## hecallsmebama (Mar 31, 2016)

Rbka touched on this, but I want to emphasize it again. Vizslas aren't just energy. They have smarts too. You need to think about training time. Right now, your proposed schedule is all go, go, go and that might be what your pup needs but you owe it to them to spend time training each day. It's also a great way to tire them out as well. It's mentally exhausting. Good luck!


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## 67124 (Aug 15, 2016)

Rbka said:


> We raised Nico in a small apartment until we moved last year (he was almost 2 when we moved). We lived near a dog park which was a huge help with curbing his energy once he had his final round of shots (16 weeks).
> 
> First - with regards to going outside/being exposed to potential threats as a pup, if you keep him/her on leash I think that can be mitigated. Just don't let the pup sniff, eat, or lick anything suspect.
> 
> ...


Thank you, this is very helpful. We definitely plan to play indoors too, with plenty of mental exercise.


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## 67124 (Aug 15, 2016)

1stVizsla said:


> The dog won't be in the crate at night will he/she?? If yes, I' add up the hours of total crate time and think about that as that will be most of his/her world; 12-16 hrs seems like a lot.


Most breeders I've talked to (and books I have read) advocate for crating the dog for a few hours each day and overnight when you're home. The dog should enjoy his/her crate, and the only hours it would be in the crate while I am home would be at night.


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