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SZIZLIN VIZSLAS
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR VIZSLA
TIPS ON RAISING YOUR PUPPY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part Description
I Vizsla Personality: Living With and
Training Your Vizsla
II Grooming Your Vizsla
III Exercising Your Vizsla
IV Housetraining Your Vizsla
V Feeding Your Vizsla
VI Medications and Veterinary Trips
VII Crate Training
VIII Lead Breaking
IX Useful Web Sites
ALWAYS USE COMMON SENSE. IF IT WOULD NOT BE A GOOD IDEA FOR YOU OR YOUR
CHILDREN, IT IS PROBABLY NOT A GOOD IDEA FOR YOUR PUPPY. TRUST YOUR JUDGMENT -
YOU KNOW YOUR PUPPY BETTER THAN ANYONE!!!!
I. The Vizsla Personality: Living with and Training Your Vizsla
A. TEMPERAMENT
Vizslas are extremely loving and demonstrably affectionate family dogs
who thrive in the hub of family activity. Vizslas are very active, curious,
intelligent and devoted family members. Consequently, they do not thrive
when ousted to the back yard or kenneled or separated from their family for
prolonged periods. For your vizsla to reach his or her full intellectual and
emotional potential, (s)he must be treated as a respected and valued member
of your family and included in family activities.
B. GREETING GUESTS
When someone arrives at your home, you can expect your vizsla to put
you on notice! Vizslas are quite good watch dogs. If you are anxious about
the person at the door, your vizsla may sense your anxiety and hang back in
a protective manner. Otherwise, (s)he will probably become very excited, and
start jumping around or at the guest, all the time "talking". Many vizslas
will grab a toy in their mouths, or perhaps the guest's arm. Vizslas are
incredibly sociable.
As soon as the greetings have been made, your vizsla should settle
back into his or her normal self. However, this exuberant greeting may be
overwhelming to some guests, particularly those who do not favor dogs. This
greeting can be controlled by training your vizsla to follow basic obedience
commands, such as sit and stay.
C. PREVENT FORMATION OF BAD HABITS
Vizslas are very intelligent and possess very good memories. If there is
some conduct in which your puppy engages that is unacceptable, or that will
be unacceptable when the puppy is an adult (no matter how cute the behavior
may seem now), IMMEDIATELY DISCOURAGE THE BEHAVIOR from day one, each and
every time the behavior occurs. For example, no matter how cute it may be
for a 12 pound puppy to jump on the kitchen table and watch/point birds at
the feeder, such conduct most likely will not be acceptable for a 55 pound
dog. Therefore, forbid the behavior. Firm and consistent discipline, whether
positive or negative, is the key. IT IS MUCH EASIER TO PREVENT FORMATION OF
A BAD HABIT THAN IT IS TO BREAK A BAD HABIT THAT ALREADY HAS BEEN FORMED.
D. DISCIPLINE: TYPE AND METHODS
Because vizslas are so sensitive to their owners, and so intuitively
aware of what is expected, I have found that a minimal amount of "negative"
verbal discipline is generally all that is required to train. Vizslas react
much more favorably to positive reinforcement for good behavior than to
negative reinforcement for bad behavior. Physical discipline is rarely, if
ever, required.
There is a lot you can do to construct a safe environment for your
puppy, thereby eliminating many problems for which discipline otherwise
would be required. Putting up baby gates to confine the puppy to a space
where (s)he can be supervised, using a crate when the puppy is left alone,
putting away fragile items and houseplants until the pup is older, keeping
children's toys out of the puppy's reach, and putting a lid on the garbage
can are all examples of measures that you can take to help your puppy stay
out of trouble.
If your puppy is doing something that (s)he should not be doing,
verbal discipline (a few sharp "No's") is usually enough to stop the
unacceptable behavior, because your puppy will so want to please you. After
the puppy responds to your verbal command, immediately praise the puppy and
then distract the puppy into a permissible activity. For example, when the
puppy stops chewing your antique chair in response to your verbal command,
give the puppy a dog bone or chew.
I am generally opposed to physical discipline of the vizsla, because
I don't think it is necessary. In fact, physical discipline does more harm
than good, damaging the relationship and trust between the vizsla and people
and creating problems that otherwise would not exist. I limit physical
discipline (a "take down" and muzzle grab for complete attention) to extreme
and rare cases where I believe the verbal command needs to be emphasized
because of risk of injury, such as when a puppy runs into a street or
refuses to come, or challenges a human member of the family to move up in
the pack (there sometimes is a challenge from a puppy between 12 and 20 weeks, which if
properly handled will be the one and last issue).
THE FOLLOWING ARE ESSENTIAL TO EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE:
1. Make sure that you have your vizsla's FULL ATTENTION when your are
meting out discipline. Get eye-to-eye contact with your vizsla, which often
will necessitate your holding his or her muzzle (a naughty puppy may not
want to look you in the eye because (s)he is ashamed for not pleasing you).
2. Make sure you and your vizsla know that you and the other people
(particularly children) in your home are TOP DOG in the household pack. Do
not ever let your vizsla think that (s)he is or has a shot at being top dog
over the people in your household. Many vizsla puppies will test the limits,
establishing where they fall in the pack. The test might be a grumble when
you push him or her off the sofa, or a growl when a 3 year old child pounces
on him or her while asleep. When tested, I would do the following: a. scold
the dog; b. make him or her follow your command; and c. put the dog down on
its back until (s)he submits (relaxes).
3. Viewing the goal of discipline as preventing recurrence of an
unacceptable behavior that your vizsla has viewed as acceptable, rather than
as a punishment, DISCIPLINE SHOULD BE METED AT THE TIME OF OCCURRENCE OF THE
UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR or immediately thereafter. Discipline meted even 10
minutes after the unacceptable behavior is likely to be ineffective in
preventing recurrence, because your vizsla may not even understand the
reason for the discipline. (I must say, however, that my vizslas have had
guilty looks on their faces for misconduct engaged in hours before I find
out!)
4. Use FIRM, CLEAR, CONSISTENT DISCIPLINE. Firmness is achieved by
changing your tone of voice to a lower tone when meting discipline, so that
the puppy knows you mean business when (s)he hears that tone. Clearness is
achieved by everyone using the same terminology. To avoid confusing the
puppy, everyone in your family should try and use the same words to achieve
a desired behavior (e. g., the puppy will take longer to learn that (s)he
shouldn't jump on the counter if confronted with different commands -
no/off/stop/down). Consistency is achieved by applying the same rule all of
the time. You can not let you puppy sit on the couch one day, discipline the
puppy another day for sitting on the couch, and expect the puppy to
understand that the couch is off limits. Everyone in your family must send
the same message all of the time.
E. FORMAL TRAINING: SHOW, OBEDIENCE, FIELD, AGILITY, TRACKING
In approaching any formal training situation, whether it be
obedience, show, agility, tracking or field training, remember that you
know your vizsla better than any "expert". Be extremely cautious of any
trainer who applies a single training techniques across the board, without
taking into account the attributes of the breed and the unique personality
of the individual dog.
Vizslas are extremely biddable and willing to please. If they
understand what you want them to do, they will try and do it, if only to
please you. However, they are very sensitive and very intelligent. It
would take only a small amount of mishandling/mistraining to create
problems that might be impossible to overcome. Do not ever be intimidated
by an "expert". When it comes to your vizsla and his or her training
needs, you are the expert!
In selecting a trainer, look for a trainer whose approach is gentle and
positive, rather than rough and negative. Generally, vizslas respond well
to positive encouragement (e. g., praise for a job well done). Vizslas do
not respond to negative or coercive approaches (e. g., shock collars;
physical restraint or forcing). Ask the trainer what training methods they
use. Be wary of any trainer who does not individually tailor the method to
the dog. Also, try and determine if the trainer has any preconceived
notions or prejudices against the vizsla breed, and make sure that the
trainer is aware of the sensitive, tractable nature of the vizsla breed.
Formal training has many advantages. At a good formal obedience class,
you not only have the benefit of training under a knowledgeable
instructor, but your vizsla will have the advantage of learning by
watching other dogs. In a basic obedience course, your vizsla will learn
his or her name and the basic commands: Sit; Down; Stand; Stay; Come; Heel; Off; Drop. Also, most
obedience classes now enroll quite young puppies in "puppy kindergarten,"
with basic training mixed with continued socialization with other dogs.
Competition training classes prepare your vizsla for the rigors of formal
competition, and familiarize you with handling techniques that will help
you achieve whatever goals you set.
A good formal field trainer will help you prepare your vizsla for
hunting or for field competitions. Positive exposure to birds, teaching of
the whoa command, and careful exposure to the sound of the blank pistol
will prepare your young vizsla for later training for steadiness to wing
and shot. My vizslas have always been very birdy naturally; exposure to
birds has been sufficient "training" for obtaining junior hunting test
titles (we have not yet tried to train a vizsla steady to wing and shot in
preparation for a senior hunting test title).
Improper training, abusive training techniques, pushing your puppy too
early, or careless accidents (such as falling off a piece of agility
equipment) or careless exposure to the noise of guns in the field could
impair your vizsla's ability to fulfill his or her potential (as a hunting
dog, agility dog, obedience dog, show dog) for life. All of the puppies in
these litters come from strong field background and should possess a
strong desire to hunt. If you use a trainer, make sure you know exactly
what techniques will be used and toward what goal. Our goal is to produce
well-rounded vizslas who can be successful in all aspects of
performance...companionship, conformation, hunting, agility,
obedience...so our breeding emphasis is on health and temperament first,
then conformation and natural ability.
A good conformation trainer realizes that a show dog is one that is
happy showing. Rough, prolonged or coercive training methods do not result
in a good show dog.
The bottom line is that you know your vizsla better than any expert and
you must advocate in his or her best interests. An additional word of
caution: Because puppies are so impressionable, you must be extremely
diligent to avoid bad experiences. This is often difficult to balance with
socialization, which necessitates that your vizsla be exposed to a variety
of dogs, peoples and settings. Just be on the alert: make sure that your
puppy does not socialize with or get attacked by mean dogs; be aware of
situations that are frightening or overwhelming to your puppy. Avoidance
is key.
If your puppy does have a bad experience (such as being jumped on by a
big dog) or if your puppy reacts with fear to a stimulus that you do not
want him or her to be frightened of (such as thunder or gunfire): DO NOT
CODDLE AND SOOTHE THE PUPPY, because you only teach the puppy that the
stimulus is something to be feared and (s)he was correct to be frightened.
Instead, reassure the puppy in a cheerful voice and engage the puppy into
some new and enjoyable game or activity, preferably while the stimulus is
still around. The puppy will learn that you are not afraid; therefore, (s)he
should not be afraid. And even more, fun things happen when the stimulus
is around. You may have to act like a goofball, but your puppy will
benefit.
II. GROOMING YOUR VIZSLA
Coat: Vizslas have short, easy-to-care for coats that require very
little grooming. Your vizsla would probably enjoy a weekly brushing with
a soft brush or grooming glove. This will also reduce your vizsla's
minimal shedding. We recommend the Zoom Groom.
Bathing: Bathe your vizsla with a shampoo especially formulated for
dogs. Because vizslas do a lot of self-grooming, they do not require
frequent bathing. In fact, overbathing your vizsla can dry his or her
skin and cause flaking. My vizslas often "bathe" by swimming in a lake
or river.
Teeth: Optimally, you should brush your vizsla's teeth daily to keep the
gums and teeth healthy, and healthy teeth and gums are vital to your
vizsla's overall good health. Older dogs sometimes have to be
anesthetized to have their teeth scraped, usually because their owners
have failed to brush them. Realistically, brush the teeth as often as
you are able. My vizslas keep their teeth relatively clean by chewing on
pressed rawhide.
Toe Nails: This is a touchy area to most vizslas! Failure to keep toe
nails short can lead to deformities of the foot which ultimately could
affect the dogs gait and movement. Toe nails should be clipped every
week or two with dog nail clippers or sanded down wtih a dremel tool or
both A proper nail is short and straight and does not click on the
floor. The cut is made at the point of the downward curve of the nail.
Always have Kwic Stop or styptic on hand in case you cut too short and
hit a quick, because it will bleed (in an emergency, powder or flour
could be used). Vizslas really dislike having toe nail trimmings, and it
may take two people to get the job done (one to hold and one to clip).
If you start a trimming session, do not stop because your vizsla happens
to be struggling because if your vizsla learns that misbehavior will
stop a session, (s)he will misbehave every time.
Ears: Clean your vizslas ears periodically with a cotton ball or tissue.
For very dirty ears, OtiClens is a great ear cleaner. If your vizsla is
shaking its head or pawing at his or her ears, (s)he may have an ear
infection/irritation and need medication from the vet.
Anal Sacs: If your vizsla is scooting its butt along the ground, it may
need to have its anal sacs expressed. I have only seen this done once,
but full anal sacs are not uncommon. Ask your vet to express the sacs or
to teach you how to express the sacs.
III. EXERCISING YOUR VIZSLA
Vizslas are sporting dogs and require a great deal of exercise. The
actual amount of exercise depends upon the individual dog: some require
more than others. Vizslas are also quite adaptable and should adjust to
your routine.
Exercise should be specifically tailored to the individual needs of your
vizsla, taking into account:
1. His or her age and overall age and physical condition;
2. The type and degree of exercise to which (s)he is accustomed; and
3. The weather. Introduce changes as gradually as possible, and be alert
for signs of over exertion.
NEVER PUSH A PUPPY BEYOND WHAT (S)HE FEELS IS COMFORTABLE.
If the extent of your vizsla's activity has been daily on-lead
walks, you can not expect him or her to hunt tirelessly on an all day
jaunt. Similarly, to drastically reduce your vizsla's amount of exercise
tends to result in a frustrated vizsla with no outlet for his or her
energy - and that can be less than fun to live with! If you are changing
your vizsla's activity level, do so gradually.
Because puppies are still growing, and their bones are developing,
they must not be pushed. Do not expect your puppy to walk miles with you
at your pace. Never jog or run with a puppy. Let your puppy determine
the amount and pace of activity. You can do permanent damage to a puppy
by pushing him or her beyond his or her physical limits (and being so
willing to please, the puppy will try its best to keep up). Be alert to
signs of fatigue. If the puppy cries, lies down, jumps on you or shows
other signs of being tired, pick the puppy up and carry him or her.
Ideally, adult vizslas should have an opportunity to run off lead in a
safe place at least three or four times a week. Sometimes the weather
(extreme heat or icy conditions) and life interfere!
IV. HOUSETRAINING YOUR VIZSLA
From as young as three weeks of age, vizsla puppies leave their
blanket and try and potty on newspaper - vizslas are very clean and do
not like to potty their nest. Your vizsla has already been started on a
potty learning regiment. Once your puppy goes home, though, NO PAPER
TRAINING! no newspaper in your home or in the crate!
TAKE YOUR PUPPY OUTSIDE TO POTTY:
1. Upon waking from a nap;
2. After each meal; and
3. At his or her request or indication.
Otherwise, to start, take your vizsla outside every half hour,
gradually increasing the amount of time in between visits.
Verbally encourage the puppy to go potty, consistently using
whatever terminology you prefer. Immediately after your puppy goes potty
outside, give lots and lots of praise. If you want your puppy to potty
in a specific place in your yard, take the puppy to that spot each and
every time you go outside to potty. If you catch your vizsla going potty
in the house, firmly say "No" in your discipline voice, pick the puppy
up (preferably in mid-potty), and take the puppy outside. If the puppy
finishes outside, give lots and lots of praise.
To large extent, the number of accidents and quickness of potty
training depends upon how attuned you are to the puppy's signals.
However, each puppy develops physiological bladder control at a
different age, before which the puppy can not prevent accidents. I have
found that males potty train more easily than females.
V. FEEDING YOUR VIZSLA
Select a dog food that is labeled "Nutritionally Complete".
I
would strongly recommend keeping your puppy on Innova Puppy for the
first year because I think it
is an excellent quality food. If you change brands, make sure you select
a premium food formulated for puppies. I recommend avoiding any food
with protein in excess of 30%, because of the theory that too high a
level of protein may cause growth too rapidly, causing an adolescent
affliction that causes lameness due to too rapid growth. You can find
places to buy Innova at www.naturapet.com.
When your puppy reaches a year of age, I would recommend switching
over to Innova EVO. This is a "no grain" formulation that has many of
the benefits of feeding raw. I fed Innova from 1997 until 2004 when I
switched to Evo - and I am very happy with Evo. However, Evo is not
recommended for puppies, again because of the higher protein levels.
This information comes from Natura Pet: " We define a "large breed" to
be any dog with an adult weight in excess of 50 pounds. You can switch
your large breed dogs to the Innova EVO when they reach their full
growth potential. This will be different time frames depending on the
breed. As the breeder, I am sure that you could give the approximate
time to switch to the Innova EVO to the new guardians of the pets. The
Innova EVO dog food will tend to maximize growth. This could be harmful
to the long term health and well being of a large breed puppy."
If you want, you can mix in a small amount of moist meat (Innova also makes an excellent moist formula, as does Neura). The amount of food to feed is determined in part by the product (digestibility) and in part by your vizsla's calorie needs, a function of metabolism and amount of exercise. The best way to determine whether your vizsla is eating the right amount is by evaluating how (s)he looks: If your vizsla looks fat (you can see no trace of a rib), cut back on the food and/or increase the amount of exercise.
If your vizsla looks too thin (you can see more than a trace of ribs, or
the backbone or hip bones are protruding), increase the food intake.
Feeding Your Puppy
Puppies should be on a premium food formulated for the needs of
growing puppies at least for the first year. I recommend keeping your
puppy on Innova Puppy kibble, with a small amount of meat mixed in for
taste if you so desire. Puppies are on three meals daily until 14 week,
at which time they can receive the same amount of food in two meals
(around 14 weeks, you will notice that your puppy is not that interested
in a lunchtime meal).
From eight weeks, start with one and a half to two cups daily, divided
into three meals of 1/2 to 3/4 cup each. Soak the food in warm water for
10 seconds, drain and if you want, add a tablespoon of meat (optional -
they are used to not having meat added) and serve. If your puppy appears
to be hungry after finishing the meal, increase the portion size.
Gradually continue to increase the portion size as the puppy grows. You
can stop soaking the food as the puppy gets older; just add a little
water immediately before serving (around three months)…if your puppy
gets hiccups after eating, start soaking the food again and try to stop
soaking again in a couple weeks.
When the puppy is an adult, you may want to cut back to one meal
daily, or you may wish to keep your vizsla on two meals. There are
differing opinions as to which method is better, and you should choose
the method with which you are comfortable.
Common Sense Feeding Tips
1. Avoid strenuous exercise immediately before or after a meal.
2. Leave at least one hour after a meal before taking your vizsla in the
car.
3. Do not feed your vizsla at the table. Once a beggar, always a beggar.
4. Use common sense in giving "extras" to your vizsla, and aim for a
nutritionally balanced diet. Most premium dog foods (like Innova)
recommend against table scraps, though I permit reasonable amounts.
Avoid sugary products. Never give chocolate to your vizsla because
chocolate is toxic to dogs and in sufficient quantity can cause death.
Likewise, onions are toxic to dogs. Raisins and grapes can also be
toxic. Never give cooked bones because they can splinter.
Extremely acidic or spicy foods and most milk products can cause
diarrhea. For safety be sure that the garbage is out of your vizslas
reach. Also, antifreeze is very appealing to dogs and even a small
amount can be very deadly - keep antifreeze stored away from your vizsla
and be careful not to spill. Many plants are poisonous to dogs. Note
that intense ear scratching or paw licking could be the sign of a food
allergy.
5. Watch your vizslas weight and attitude. If you can see all his or
her ribs, backbone or hip bones, or if (s)he seems hungry, increase the
food intake. If you can't see a trace of ribs, (s)he may be too fat. If
in doubt, consult me or your vet for advice.
VI. MEDICATIONS AND VETERINARY TRIPS
Always use common sense. Consult your veterinarian for exact
details as to all of your vizsla's preventive medical needs/schedules
or any time you believe something is not right. Of course, it would
also be wise to touch base with me, because perhaps I will have
experienced whatever you are going through. You know your vizsla
better than anyone else, and your veterinarian must rely upon you to
provide information as to symptoms, changes, etc. In addition to your
annual preventive trips to the vet, consult your vet if you notice
unusual behavior. Watch for signs of reaction to routine shots and
vaccines. Sudden housebreaking violations may be indicative of a
urinary tract infection (not uncommon in young puppies); ear pawing
may indicate an ear infection. Follow your instincts. If you think
there is a problem, there probably is!
1. Health Exam and Puppy Shots: Your puppy was examined by a licensed veterinarian and found to be in good health. Your puppy also received the first set of shots that same day. A certificate of innoculations and examination indicating the date and type of shot administered to your puppy is included in each puppy kit. Bring the health record to your veterinarian on your first visit so that (s)he will know the date and type of vaccine your puppy has received. Your vet will provide you with the inoculation schedule you should follow. Under Connecticut law, your puppy will need a rabies shot at three months of age (this shot should NOT be done in conjunction with any other shots). In addition to the balance of the DHLPP series, I would ask your vet about the Lyme disease vaccine series and the bordatella vaccine. After the puppy series has been completed, the next DHLPP shot will be administered about one year later. After the DHLPP puppy shots and the 1 year booster, I titre rather than give these shots annually. Bring a fecal sample to every vet visit. Opinions on the appropriate vaccination protocol vary widely - however, recently the trend has been away from overvaccination because of the harm done to the animals' immune systems by overvaccination. A typical schedule might look something like this (please discuss your vaccination routine with your vet - if something doesn't sound right, please call me to discuss):
Around 8 weeks: DHPP
shot #1 (Given by my vet during the puppy exam)
Around 12 weeks: DHPP shot #2 and
get Heartworm Preventative
Around 14 weeks: Start Heartworm
Preventative
Around 16 weeks: DHLPP shot #3
Around 18 weeks: Rabies shot
Around 20 weeks: Bordatella (and
some may opt for a "safety net" parvo shot)
One month before the next big tick season: Lyme series (2 innoculations)
Frontline - try to wait until your
puppy is at least 6 months
Around one year later: Booster the
DHLPP. Thereafter, ask your vet to do annual titres to ensure
protection (no more shots ever unless titre is insufficient).
Rabies Every Three Years (or as required by state law). Annually have
a snap test done (checks for heartworm, lyme & canine ehrlichiosis)
I administer three weeks of
doxicycline each December because my dogs have such high tick
exposure. If your dog has very high tick exposure, you might consider
asking your veterinarian about doing prophylactic doxicycline. Be on
the alert for signs of tick borne illness (sometimes the main symptom
is that your dog is just "off" - also check for red lines in the gums,
which is a big red flag for parasitic illness).
2. Heartworm Preventative: Your puppy should be started on
heartworm medication immediately. Discuss the various heartworm
protection options available when you take your puppy to the vet. I
use the once-a-month heartworm, Interceptor. Because no heartworm
medication is 100% effective, you should have your vizsla tested for
heartworm. DO NOT USE PRO HEART 6. Until recently, I was
opposed to using any tick preventative. However, after so many
problems with equine ehrlichiosis, I am now using regular (not plus) FRONTLINE on my dogs
in heavy tick months. This goes against my intuition, but having
first-hand experienced that tick-borne illness, I now believe leaving
the dogs totally unprotected is a greater risk than the Frontline
(most vets with whom I have consulted have said this is the safest of
similar products on the market, and the only one some would use).
3. Worming Medication: As a routine precaution, worming medication
was dispensed; the type and date of administration is shown on the
back of the health certificate.
4. Menses/Puberty: The time of first onset of menses in the female,
and the time of subsequent cycles, varies from bitch to bitch, but
generally falls between 11 and 24 months. My girls have first cycled
from 11 to 15 months and then every 6 to 10 months thereafter. "Normal" encompasses a broad
spectrum. Each bitch is different, and each cycle for a bitch may be
different, or not. Males generally reach puberty between 8 and 12 months (e.
g., lifting their legs to urinate). Deviations from these ages may be
perfectly normal.
5. Over-the-Counter Products: BE CAREFUL! Read the labels, follow
directions, and watch for reactions. Consult your vet if you have any
questions. Many products that are safe for an adult vizsla are not
safe for a puppy. I have had two puppies react to overdoses of flea
products - use these products sparingly. If a product sounds too good
to be true, maybe it is.
VII. CRATE TRAINING
Crate training is highly recommended. Not only does this give your
puppy a safe haven when (s)he wants to be alone (probably not too
often), but it gives you a safe place to keep the puppy when you can
not watch what the puppy is doing. Crate training can also assist in
housetraining. A few tips:
Do not use the crate for punishment.
Do not use the crate for more than a few hours at a time (exception:
if the puppy sleeps in the crate overnight).
Keep children out of the crate - this is the place to which the puppy
can escape if (s)he needs some quiet time.
VIII. LEAD BREAKING
The first few times you place your puppy on a leash, let the puppy
lead you around. Then, gradually begin verbally coaxing the puppy to
come with you. If the puppy is pulling, try walking the other way and
coaxing the puppy along - treats may prove helpful. Don't forget to
bring lots of treats to "encourage" your puppy! :-)
IX. USEFUL WEB SITES
www.szizlin.com
My Web Site
www.vizsladogs.com General information on vizslas
www.infodog.com List of dog shows and dog show results
www.k9info.com Pedigree information; Superb site!
www.offa.org Hip x-ray information
www.akc.org Web site of the American Kennel Club
There are also volumes of books on vizslas…a few of popular ones are
The Vizsla, by B.C. Boggs, The Versatile Vizsla, by Marion Coffman;
and The Complete Vizsla, by Gay Gottlieb.
In my opinion, every dog owner should subscribe to the AKC Gazette.
Not only does it include a monthly schedule of events, but it has
wonderful articles on dog training and dog care. I HIGHLY recommend
subscribing. To subscribe, call 919-233-9767 24-hours a day. The cost
of a yearly subscription is about $30.
There is a national club (Vizsla Club of America, Inc.) and there are
also regional vizsla clubs. If you are interested in becoming a member
of any vizsla clubs, let me know and I will get you the paperwork.
Some web sites for on-line shopping:
R. C. Steele 1-800-872-3773 www.rcsteele.com
CAREALOT 1-800-343-7680 www.carealotpets.com
NE Serum 1-800-637-3786 www.NESerum.com
JB Wholesale 1-800-788-5005 www.jbpet.com
Cherrybrook 1-800-524-0820 www.cherrybrook.com
Fosters&Smith 1-800-826-7206 www.drsfostersmith.com
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