# Looking to get a Vizsla puppy



## tuohimas (Sep 20, 2017)

My fiance and I are both huge dog lovers and are interested in getting a Vizsla. We have done a lot of research on the breed and think it would fit with our active lifestyle, but I want to make sure that it is a good fit before we move ahead. Neither of us has ever owned a V but I have own a jack russell terrier which is also somewhat high-maintenance so I feel somewhat prepared.

I will be starting a new job next week with my hours being 8-4 Monday to Friday. My fiance will be working about a 5 minute drive from our house and will likely be able to visit the puppy 2 times a day briefly, or perhaps longer at lunch (1-2 hours). He may also have alternating schedules (working some evenings and some days) so he will be able to spend some time with the dog during a few days during the week. We will have time to exercise the dog in the morning and evening. Right now we are looking at getting our puppy at the end of November which would give me two months to settle into the new job.

We know the breed requires a lot of mental and physical stimulation, as well as a lot of time with their owners. We are both very active and enjoy walking, swimming, running and hiking. We're definitely going to attend obedience classes with our dog, and there is a doggie day-care 10 minutes from our place that we would like to bring our dog as well. We live close by to two large parks where we could let our dog run off-leash, and we live on an acre of property as well. Almost all of our friends own dogs as well, and we would like to be able to bring our dog with us wherever we go (friend's place, camp, road trips). 

My only concern is ensuring that I have enough time to spend with the puppy when we bring him/her home to get them settled into a potty training routine and start the crate training. Hopefully I can get a few days off work to make that transition easier, but the puppy may have to spend a few hours each day in the crate as I go back to work. We were hoping to pick the puppy up at 9 or 10 weeks so he/she will be able to hold their bladder a bit longer and hopefully have some experience with crate training from the breeder.

I have had a lot of people telling me to hold off and wait for a year until we settle into our new house and my job, but we have both been wanting a dog for over two years now! If I am able to commit my evenings and weekends to our dog with help from my fiance for the days, do you think that we would make a good match for a V?

Any information would be greatly appreciated! 

Thanks


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

I'm sure you will get some great insight here. I have 2 Vs, one who is is 4 years old and the other just turned 11 months. When we got our dogs I was working 5 minutes from home and my morning would start at 5:30 am to play with the pup, feed, the pup, etc before I left for work at 7:45 am. I would also come home between 10-10:30 am for a quick bathroom break, again at 12:30pm for a bathroom/play break, and again around 2:30pm for a quick bathroom break. I (or my husband) would be home shortly after 4 pm for the night. This routine continued until the pup's bladder grew enough so that I come home for an hour over the lunch how to walk/train/play with the pup. Daycare was also amazing once they were old enough to attend, and we sent them for 2-3 days a week depending on my work schedule. 

Now that the dogs are older I'm still up at 5:30 to take them for an hour walk before work. At lunch they get an hour playtime in the yard, and when we get home from work, we take them for an off leash hike and playtime. We also do plenty of training and mind challenges (agility, scentwork, obedience). Vs are a big time commitment in comparison to other breeds, but we love it. It sounds like you have put a lot of thought into the timing needed, but I thought I would lay out our schedule for some insight. Some folks think we are nuts for the amount of time we put into our dogs, but it is a reality of the breed and the needs of our dogs in particular. 

Before you make the decision I would nail down IF your fiancee can make the time commitment to come home a couple of times a day and over the lunch how to let the puppy out and interact with it. The benefits for house training and crate training will be huge. I have also recently moved AND started a new job, and even being an experienced dog owner, I would not have added a puppy to my home until we were settled in. These are not easy puppies to handle, and many new owners have felt like they have been pushed to the breaking point of sanity by their puppy antics. They are also incredibly in tune to our feelings, so if your not in the right mind space, neither will the pup. I would suggest keep doing your research, talk with responsible owners and breeders, and make your decision. It is not a decision you want to take lightly.


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## MikoMN (Nov 29, 2016)

We got our puppy a little over a year ago. I would not have believed how hard it would be, even if someone had told me. I do believe our puppy is on the far end of the spectum as far as some issues go (bladder control, resource guarding), but there are many things we do love about him too. He is starting to become a little more loving and a little easier to control.


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## pez999 (Apr 22, 2017)

We got our puppy this past April and in similar situation as far as work goes. I think as long as you both can commit to spending time before and after work and come home for potty breaks and some play during the day (would definitely be necessary) then it should be manageable. What helped us a lot and I would consider is taking more than just a few days off if possible. We happened to get ours around a holiday so all in all I had about 2 weeks home with the pup before everyone went back to work. They're very very needy and want to be around you at all times...as much as I've read about that, it's almost impossible to prepare for that haha (though I love their velcro nature). So I think if you or your fiancee could take a little more time off to cover the span of a week or two, it'd help a lot in not creating any separation anxiety early on.


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