Do you have a Hungarian Vizsla?

[MabelBee]

We are still in the research stage, working out which breed will be best suited to our family, but a Hungarian Vizsla is one of the breeds at the top of our list. Obviously, we have read that they need lots of vigorous daily exercise and have separation anxiety, but we are not sure how that looks in practice.

If you have a Vizsla, how often and for how long do you walk your dog? Is that a walk or a run? And for how long can you leave the dog before it starts destroying your house?

We would be able to do two, hour long walks a day, longer at weekends and our dog would need to be able to be left for two or sometimes three hours a day, but would otherwise have constant company.

What has thrown us is that people always recommend we get a Labrador but on Pets4Homes, the Lab and the Vizsla get comparable scores and are both listed as having extremely high exercise needs. Lab owners we’ve spoken to seem to think they don’t need much exercise though! We just don’t know any Vizsla owners to ask.

I think it also might be worth seeing which dogs your dd is drawn to - you need a very gentle, calm dog who isn't needy and looking for attention. Any puppy could be very difficult for your dd to cope with (theres been a couple of threads on here about people getting puppies and having massive regrets as a child with autism couldn't cope).
My ddog1 is a magnet for anxious children and those on the spectrum - he's large enough to cuddle, leans comfortingly on your leg as you stand, and likes nothing more to just lie against you on the sofa/bed with gentle weight. He came to us at 6 months as a rescue and apart from being a bit dim, really is a joy. DS says his brain is just too full of love space to be bright!

Our house is big so can take a big dog. We have a back end to the house where the dog can have it's own space too. And we can't have drinks or anything around anyway. But we don't have a whole farm for it!

Your point CMOTDibbler is what we keep coming back around to, that we need calm, devoted, loyal, gentle. We have enough disruption with autism without adding to the mix.

Have you considered a rescue greyhound? They're the very definition of chilled out, calm and gentle. There are literally endless greys in rescues and it's very likely you'd be bale to find one to suit your family. The Retired Greyhound Trust has some good information on greyhounds as pets here. If you specifically want a very active dog they might disappoint on that front (some will be happy to take as much exercise as you can offer, at least in decent weather, but others aren't interested in much more than a gentle potter) but they could suit you very well in other respects.

Lurchers would also be worth a look, especially if you want a more active dog. They vary a lot depending on their breed make up but, again, there are loads in rescues and I bet you could find

Whippets are really super little dogs, a bit livelier than greyhounds on the whole but also pretty trainable as far as sighthounds go. They're very sweet, loving and calm for the most part with the odd bout of playful giddiness here and there. They're very flexible when it comes to exercise, they'll go for hours given the opportunity but equally will settle very happily for a quick off lead blast.

No puppy is calm and gentle!!!!
Greyhounds are great. An older dog could be better.

I mean calm and gentle in terms of breed characteristics, not puppy behaviour!

I'd be worried about inheriting behavioural problems with an older or rescue dog and definitely want to be able to train from a puppy.

Golden retrievers are lovely dogs, but they do moult continually, need a lot of grooming and are large.

I knew someone who has a Visla, it’s sent to doggy daycare during the week, says quite a lot!

You don't want a puppy unless you can dedicate 100% to training and toilet training. And can cope with sleepless nights and puppy mouthing. And keeping children away from the dog. And never leaving the puppy.
Some rescues foster. They can be honest about what issues a dog does or doesn't have. Just because a dog is in rescue doesn't mean you would be inheriting a load of issues.

I spend a bit of time on the various Vizsla Facebook groups and I’m surprised at how many people here seem to know nightmare Vizslas! They aren’t a dog for everyone (mainly because the require a lot of exercise which), but I haven’t heard of many people having Vizslas with the characteristics outlined above.

I wouldn’t discount them OP, I know I’m biased because I have one, but she is brilliant. A good breeder will be able to help you with your concerns and make sure you get the most suitable pup in the litter for your child. Maybe speak to some breeders and see what they think, they’ll be able to tell you if they think their pups will be ok.

We actually chatted with a breeder over the phone today and her description also didn't match the above. She said they didn't jump up at visitors but went and fetched a toy to bring to them, didn't bark, needed two hour long walks a day, fine being left for short periods, not at all stressed or anxious, really friendly and lovely dogs. They are still in the mix!

OP have you considered a beagle at all? In certain respects they fit what you're looking for - our beagle at 4 years old is calm, cuddly, devoted to the family and absolutely brilliant with kids. They are equivalent to Vizlas in terms of exercise needs (about 90 mins over 2 walks per day) and are less high strung - as adults they will sleep much of the day if well walked. They also have similar appeal to vizlas looks wise.

Downsides - they are rule breakers by nature, mostly because they are opportunistic food thieves. I don't know how compatible that would be with autism (apologies if I'm falling into ASD stereotypes here, I just wonder if disobedience in a dog would be difficult for your DS to cope with). And the puppy years are extremely hard work as they need lots of training games and mental stimulation, and like many young dogs can be destructive of toys and other prized possessions.

In short, training a beagle is not for the faint hearted, but the finished product is a pretty perfect family dog.

OK, I'm going to say it and wait for the flaming.

If you will consider but find a lab boring, what about a labradoodle.

BEFORE everyone jumps on me, it would need to be properly health checked and you can be unsure whether you will get poodle or lab traits, but they are trained as guide dogs along side labs. You also need to be sure you aren't buying from a puppy farm and they are harder to research because they aren't a 'breed'. I know a few people with them and they are lovely dogs.

*if you will consider a poodle but find a lab boring ...

We have a vizzie! Well, he's my husband's dog, I had a collie!
He's the nicest natured big goofball u could ever meet, everyone is his friend! Even our pet rabbits! He plays with them! He's good with kids but not with wee ones as he knocks them flying! He's pretty obedient and we'll trained.
Had him neutered, that's a must! So he's lovely but he takes a lot of walking and time to train. He's also a Velcro vizzie, he follows you everywhere, which is tiring when he's under your feet.
Unlike my collie, who obeyed, he pushes you to see if he can get away with as much as possible! Give him an inch, he'll take a mile! Mostly on the sofa!
He's not our first dog, I wouldn't recommend a viz as a first dog, just because they can be hard work. And much tho we love him, I'm not sure we'd have another if I'm honest! And Dh did a lot of research before getting him!
He's sitting beside me now, snoring and farting in turn! I do love our ginger ninja!
Oh, and they get big!

Forgot to say, we crate trained him, and he is left alone 2 days a week. He barks/howls to start with, then sleeps!
He gets an hour or two excercise a day, longer at weekends and loves galloping after his ball!

If you choose a female vizsla or the runt of a litter they tend to be more calm in nature. Runts are still very cute.

We have two Vizslas. They're amazing family dogs, so affectionate and full of personality.

In terms of walks, Dh walks them for 30-40 mins every morning, they get let out into our (large) garden numerous times a day, and most days I walk them for 25 mins.

Although they're an active breed I think websites often overstate how much exercise they need. I think what they need more is lots of company and attention.

We leave them alone for 4 hours max (not daily, as I work from home) and they've never damaged anything. I think they just sleep.

Our younger one is silly about running off with cushions, shoes etc but has never chewed them, even as a puppy. I don't think they're a particularly destructive breed generally.

We got both of ours from the rescue charity Vizslamentes - I very much recommend them.

Sorry last post, honest! They don't mature! My collie, mature at 2, the viz still gets mistaken for a pup!! 😁

Definitely last post, I've met vizzies from vizslamente on viz whizzs and they're fab dogs! Recommend a rescue too! I'll shut up now!

Wheaten terriers don't moult - they look a bit like labradoodles.

Coming back again having read the full thread. I'm astounded at how many posters have talked about neurotic vizslas they know!

I'm a member of the rescue charity's Vizslamentes' Facebook group which is set up specifically to support owners after they've taken on a Vizslas. I so rarely see anyone post anything about their Vizsla being a nightmare!

They are exceptionally demanding of attention tho- imagine a toddler in a dog form! They'll follow you to the loo, want to sleep with you, get jealous if you cuddle your dh etc but if you want that kind of dog then it's lovely most of the time.

Maybe the nightmare ones just aren't getting the attention they need?

Or maybe people have lives . That does sound a nightmare to me Mak.

Yes, parsnips, it's definitely not for everyone.

I guess the moral of the story is to only get a Vizsla if that's the kind of life you want!

I met a young girl with autism in a hotel with a lovely little sausage dog who was working. She couldn't praise him enough - he'd been trained to take her socks off for her :-)

My lab is not low energy (mix of show mum so thick set and working stock dad both are worked )
Mine would need at least 1 hoour twice a day often do 3/4easily 12-16miles

Visla are tye one breed fab dogwalker/boarder wont have stay normally due to barking and seperation anxiety