# Vizsla behaviour with young children



## ironman_stittsville (Oct 12, 2011)

I was very proud of Phoebe this past weekend. I have 2 young neices (3 and 6 yrs old) who are cute as buttons and also quite wee for their age.

They are very interested in my 'kissy red dog'. 

The girls wanted to throw a tennis ball for her in the back yard. I supervised but let the girls play with Phoebe directly. I couldn't believe how gentle and sweet Phoebe was with those little girls. She would run off and get the ball and then drop it for them to pick up and throw again. She also had no trouble letting them take the ball from her mouth to throw it again. She never once knocked them over or bumped them or anything.

I think I remember reading somewhere that back in Hungary they would destroy any Vizsla who showed any aggression or hurt a child in the hunters home. It's hard to believe that this gentleness and acceptance of children is in their genes but ...

Rh.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

... but it truly is in their genes! 

The dog I had just before Willie was a Vizsla-mix, but predominantly Vizsla, and she was as gentle as could be with little kids. And she minded them, too! Willie is also very, very gentle with kids. These are the only two dogs I have ever had that I could trust completely around children. That is such a joy!


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

I agree!

I have a niece, and she is not a big fan of dogs that move. Her day care has an older, small dog, that just mopes around most of the time. She likes him. But Jasper moves to fast for her liking. I think when the two of them are both a year older they'll be best friends.

Despite the odd moment when they're both running and she gets frightened because he moves too fast for her, it's easy to see how good he's being with her. He never tries to run her over, knows not to initiate any kind of games where he could accidentally hurt her, and mostly just tries to kiss her (which she HATES, actually). 

She likes to give him treats, and he likes to let her give him treats. Since he holds still for the treat-giving, that's all she wants to do with him at the moment. If she was in charge, my dog would be fat.

One day, a few months ago, we were at the park. There was a young boy, maybe 6, who was just a few feet away from two dogs that were wrestling pretty enthusiastically. Jasper went over to stand between the wrestling dogs in the boy, to (it looked like) shield him from the other dogs. I was awfully proud, since I had never expected him to do something like that for a kid he didn't know. I mean, I suppose he could have just been standing there for giggles, but I like to think he was protecting the boy from doggie roughhousing.


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## Moose (Oct 2, 2010)

Moose is incredible with children, but he absolutely *loves * babies. people bring their kids/babies over to our house, if they want to help them not fear dogs- it's amazing.

Moose can be running like a mad-man in the backyard [ you know that burst of energy that gets them running laps as fast as they can, and turning on a dime "aerating" your lawn??!] with 4-5kids randomly placed around the yard, and he zips around them and never ever touches them. if they fall down, it's because he was going so fast they anticipated him to knock into them and they fall on their own- hilarious!


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

Riley LOVES children! She stayed with my sister & brother-in-law a few weekends ago while we went to a wedding and I was worried because they have a woman living with them who has a 15 month old baby. Riley had been exposed to kids & babies, but hadn't spent a lot of time around them. My sister said that Riley was very gentle with the baby and loved to give her kisses on the face/hands, but immediately backed off when her kisses became a little too much and my sister gave the "leave-it" command. Riley was so well-behaved that my sister didn't want me to take her home! She even gave Riley a frozen yogurt treat to eat while the baby was sitting next to her and had the baby put her hand out to feel how soft her ear was. Riley didn't even pause, just kept snacking away, tail wagging. I swear, that dog doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body. My hubby and I are very excited to have kids because we know that Riley will do well with them!


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

This is incredible, Sammy loves children, also. He doesn't chase them or jump on them. 
Just wants to be close to them. THAT is the problem because his tail works so frantically like windshield wipers in heavy rain.


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## pippa31 (Aug 2, 2011)

+5

Pippa has been wonderful with kids. I am a teacher and I tutor an 8 year old student with special needs every Saturday. This student has severe balance issues and some overall delays. She LOVES Pippa and Pippa is INCREDIBLY gentle with her. With grown-up visitors Pips can still sometimes (at 10 months) be a whirling dervish, but with Nina (my student), she sits, licks her sneakers, and obeys all commands. I feel incredibly lucky.


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## bug2916 (Mar 5, 2012)

I have a 7mth old V and I do daycare at my house. I have children ranging form 7months to 5 years and I can't leave Bodi to roam the house without him jumping on them and knocking them over. Once they are down on the groung he thinks thay are in play mode. I leave his leash on so I can step on it if he does go and jumps on one of them. I'm home all day and he seems to be either in his crate or in the kitchen behind gates. Even outside he has to be leashed up or in the pen. On occassion I take him over to each child and let them pat him so he can smell them and know they they a friendly. He is just so excited when he is off leash how do I get him to leave them alone?


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

@bug2916: Have you trained him with the "leave-it" command? That has worked best for us. 

Also, how much exercise does he get in the morning? A tired V is a calm V!


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## bug2916 (Mar 5, 2012)

yes we have trained him with the leave it command but he looks at me like I hear you but I'm not listining to you. For morning excersice he doesn't get any. He gets his 4mile walks ant night. Durning nap time for the kids we go outside and play fetch and thats when he can run around off leash. My hours will be changing next week and I will be able to take him for walks early in the morning hopefully it will help/ thanks


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## ironman_stittsville (Oct 12, 2011)

I found that using a shake can really helped Phoebe to keep her manners when guests enter the house. Maybe it will help you to calm Bodi down. When Phoebe was that age she knocked over a few kids also, they lose their mind with excitement and have to learn to control themselves.

Phoebe is almost 2 so is coming up on a bit more mature behaviours, at 7 months they are still pretty nutty


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

That's what I was thinking... Seven months is still pretty darn young to expect "grown-up" behaviours.  I think, at least for most dogs, as they get older, they get better at self-control.


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