If you haven't had a Vizsla before

When I called Crimson Sky to discuss their Vizslas, the first thing Mark Spurgeon told me was all the reasons I didn't want a Vizsla.   Make no mistake, Vizslas are not for everyone.  While I extol their virtues, the breed suits us very well.  This will not be true for everyone.  They are Not kennel dogs.  They Have to be in the home in with you.  They Have to have good socialization with their humans.  If given the chance they will sleep in your bed (we never went that far) and follow you into the bathroom.  They are very sensitive and can be ruined rather easily if you are too harsh with them.  They of course need a Lot of exercise.  Because our girl grew up in my lap (I was working full-time from home at a computer when she was a pup) and we never had to leave her alone at home for long periods (i.e. while away at a job outside the home) until she was over 1.5 years old, we never saw any of the destructive behaviors we have heard that Vizslas can exhibit.  I think that if they are happy and exercised then you won’t see any destructive behaviors.  (I also utilized a Kong with canned dog food pushed inside and frozen – a great occupier for a teething pup!).

I have included some Vizsla site links over on the right side of this blog. These should help you get started in the world of Vizslas, find out if they are right for you (if you haven’t owned one before), and give you more information about where our pups are coming from and what they will likely excel at.  These are working dogs, not show ring dogs (even though they are beautiful!).

Check out the link to the puppy buyer’s questionnaire that Boulder Vizslas use (over on the right).  I especially like this question “If you are gone all day how will you care for your 8 week old puppy every 2-3 hours?: “  I am still working on my questionnaire for prospective buyers, but expect to see something similar to this.

Our cat Bandit also took to mothering Red the minute she got home, and they played really well together those first few months.  It was amazing to watch. Eventually Red became too big to be a good wrestle-mate for Bandit, but they still get along and engage in a little bit of stalk and chase.  It will be interesting how Bandit responds to a litter of pups.

Bandit giving Red a bath the night she arrived home (Nov 14, 2008)

Bandit and Red at play (Dec 2008)