My little girl is 1 year old. We’ve both been working overtime these days so we haven’t been able to have her a little party, though I we gifted her with a custom made dog monster-toy from etsy. Lets see if this one lasts! Here’s a little look back at our growing puppy:
We knew Vizslas were fast runners, amazing trail/obstacle racers, and we knew they could jump high, but we didn’t quite realize what an agile little bunny we had with Whiskey. Early on we encouraged her to climb up stumps, problem solve barriers, and navigate steep cliffs. We were thinking to ingrain her with a joy of climbing, yet a healthy regard about what was within her limits or unsafe. Now she loves to climb for fun!
a very little Whiskey learning to walk along logs
we encouraged her to climb
and so she was fearless!
balancing on strange shapes
All this made agility classes seem so attractive. We were lucky enough to find an agility class downtown that also mixed in intermediate obedience. In fact, there is a ton of obedience necessary to run an agility course well. A dog that is easily distracted, or doesn’t follow at heel would be really difficult to get through a course. And a super bonus and surprise was our class had 3 vizslas (out of 4 dogs!). Watch the experts here– I’m just super amazed at these dogs and trainers!
are we ready for class today?
practicing stay with distractions
Whiskey’s half-sister Millie was one of those Vizslas, and we would usually meet up for a romp at the park before heading to class so they were sufficiently tired enough to concentrate. Our first classes we started with some obedience training (heeling, staying with distractions) before trying out the course. We also switched to short leashes that didn’t trail when they went into tunnels.
I dunno about this!
our first classes had the ladder on the ground
gets raised as we go
flying Whiskey
The hardest obstacle was the weaving poles. It’s not a natural movement for these hunting dogs, and I would venture to say that herding dogs would have an easier time with the movement. Tunnels and jumps were super easy though, and we’ve had Whiskey balance on logs so often as a pup that the see-saw wasn’t a problem at all. The biggest challenges were when the tunnels got longer, or had a sharp bend in them. Also, Whiskey found the chute and sharp corners in the course (two jumps at 90 degrees) difficult not to veer off course. Our instructor changed the course several times a lesson so we never got bored.
weaving is hard!
you must tell them which way to go
see-saws can be hard for lots of dogs
waiting our turn
this chute business isn’t so easy either
One of the things worth considering was that our lessons were held indoors on a hard surface (the green was a thin layer) and a 10 month old is still developing so jolts and jumping and running shouldn’t be encouraged much. We thought once a week was ok (we only walk the course a couple times and our speed couldn’t be considered a ‘run’), especially since we do all our training and practicing in the forest. It was also great to get in the obedience training and realize our “stay” was pretty poor with distractions. In the end we were able to run the course mostly off leash (except for the weaving poles. Did I mention our class uses no treats? That’s not easy for Whiskey! We were also the youngest by far and we did pretty good, if I may say so myself.
So within the span of a couple months I decided to rescue my cat, Moo, and fly home a puppy- Whiskey. I went from never having pets to being surrounded by fur. We purposefully picked up a cat-like dog (Vizslas are supposed to be cat-like) and dog-like cat (Moo was advertised as very dog-like in personality). Here are my personal perspectives on owning a dog vs a cat
dog-Whiskey
cat-Moo
Training
-both are equally trainable to DO something. Moo is crazy for food, just as much as Whiskey is so training them both was pretty easy. Both have great recall, sit, lie down, paw, roll over, and go where I point (up, down, etc). I just spend more time training Whiskey because it’s more useful and she doesn’t make you bleed when she is frustrated.
-it seems impossible to train my cat NOT to do something. With a dog, it’s still difficult because you may not always be able to control the situation (ie, Whiskey barks when she is playing with other dogs) but Vizslas generally want to please you. On the other hand, my cat completely understands she’s not allowed to do something, but doesn’t really care about what you’d like. You need a strong enough incentive for her not to do something bad at ALL times, and we’ve so far not found that incentive yet (water spray, loud noises, scruffing, bitter taste, double sided tape, etc).
try to train a cat not to escape….
training recall on the long line
Ease of Toilet
-Cats are so much easier to potty train and you don’t need to walk them outside in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain when they need to do their business. In most cases, cats come trained and kittens learn by copying mom. Of course, you still need to buy and clean litter in most cases (we are trying to train Moo to use the human toilet so we are past the litter stage), but it’s generally easier than picking up dog poop and carrying it around until you see a garbage. -It took about 3 months to fully housebreak Whiskey and we’ve trained her now to ring a bell, but when she needs to go in new situations or if we leave her for long periods of time, it’s still sometimes tricky.
Moo using her toilet
Boarding
-Whiskey is actually easier to board, surprisingly. She’s really sweet and will listen to others, recalling without issues and doesn’t tend to rummage through and eat everything in sight
-Moo is only trained to me and people she knows (her recall is usually only to me) and she’s so sneaky she’s able to get everywhere she’s not supposed to go (eg: the windowsills 30 floors up). She’s also harder to deal with in terms of her getting into food on the counter and getting into drawers and shelves (so far the dog hasn’t learned to open drawers yet). Also moving her to another location is more of a problem since cats are generally territorial, and won’t immediately get along with other household pets like Whiskey does. Luckily we have amazing friends that will cat-sit Moo at our apartment and have learned to cat-proof any food.
She’s been so easy to board
Health Issues
-Because Moo is an indoor cat, there are much less vet visits or digestion problems from eating stuff on the ground. Dogs get into everything, everywhere, so more vet bills but both have been really healthy so far. -It is far easier to inspect and handle Whiskey.
An outdoor dog has more health problems
Claws/Nails
-We are getting better at trimming the nails of both animals as we do it weekly with really good snacks. Only Moo will draw blood and bite but we are making progress!
Food
-Both Whiskey and Moo love their food though Moo is less picky (she will happily eat anything from dog kibble, butter, raw anything, to slices of bread and chips). They will enthusiastically help clean pans and dishes and Moo regularly jumps into the fridge to approve of our groceries. Moo eats daintily while Whiskey inhales her food. Moo also steals Whiskey’s Kongs and enjoys them just as much.
We trained Moo to tolerate Whiskey with lots of treats around the puppy
Moo stealing Whiskey’s Kong
Cuddle factor
-Strangely my velcro dog doesn’t normally cuddle unless we’re in bed (prefers cave bed to couch) but if we force her to cuddle, she’ll tolerate us -Moo only cuddles on her time, when she wants, where she wants (even if you are sitting on the toilet, you may be informed it’s cuddle time) though she also has the softest fur ever and never smells bad.
both are great sleeping buddies
it can be slightly more uncomfortable with the dog on top
Grooming
-Whiskey is pretty clean for a dog but extremely smelly and dirty when compared to a cat -Both will groom themselves but Moo has never had a bath (god help us if we need to), Whiskey gets a bath once a month when she starts to smell or has rolled in something foul
Moo is twice as soft
Exercise factor
-Contrary to what you may think, cats need you to exercise them too! Moo needs about 15mins daily compared to 2+ hours Whiskey needs. On the plus side, we can hike with Whiskey but Moo refuses to wear a collar or a leash so we can’t take her outside. -You can exercise Whiskey whenever is convenient, though Moo has her own schedule and may decide that midnight is time for Kung Fu practice.
playing together (ie, Whiskey trying to avoid getting hit)
Toys
-Whiskey plays with both cat and dog toys and regularly destroys them -Moo will only play with feathers, string, boxes, and your newest package of food on the counter. She will also destroy them
Destruction level of home
-So far my socks and sheepskin slippers are now dog toys. Whereas all my wicker baskets, my cloth hampers, my bedframe, my blankets, my bathrug are all Moo’s. All the curtains (bath and windows) as well as the leather couch have little claw marks from climbing training. -Whiskey will relocate items around the home, while Moo just shreds them in displeasure -Knitting is difficult!
both love to chase yarn
our bed is now theirs and require lots of washing
Friendliness
-Both will meet me at the door, but whereas Moo sees it as a chance to escape, Whiskey will give me a welcome like she’s just won the lottery. There’s really nothing like coming home to a Vizsla -I think my cat just stays with me because I have the best treats. Whiskey actually likes me (and the treats).
Both rock our world!
Curiosity
-If a poor neighbour happens to have their door open at the moment we have our door open, both pets are likely to rush into their home and immediately start exploring. Both are quite fearless and love checking out what is going on in our bags but overall I would say Moo is more curious and thorough
And what is for dinner tonight?
Ultimately…
In conclusion, Whiskey is like my human daughter with floppy ears, a sweet personality, loves you to death, and totally dependent, while Moo is like a cranky elderly roomate who yells at you to feed her, has a taste of everything you eat, is totally up in your business, but is also really sweet once in awhile.
Since I’ve gotten Whiskey I’ve been happily daydreaming about having another Vizsla sister for Whiskey. Imagine my glee when we met up with Whiskey’s half-sister Millie (from the same father Ripley).
The two half-sisters (Whiskey with red)
They are both fearless climbers, though a little silly as they are “stuck” on the log
Millie is 2 years old and this is our second time meeting up. The first time was at night in a downpour so no pictures could be taken. They get along famously and I’ve never seen Whiskey run so much! It’s just great watching them play and get into trouble together (they found the same pile of poop to eat, and another pile of poop to roll in).
They ignored all the other dogs at the park
Whiskey learning to hold her own
Chaos getting two Vs to listen!
Whiskey is getting faster and is the same height as Millie but you can still recognize she’s a puppy with less developed muscles and a shallower chest. Her turns aren’t as sharp and her gangly legs make her tumble more. We watched as a blur of orange zoomed around and around and tried to photograph them. In the end I think we really need to invest in a faster camera with better auto-focus!
Today while we were at the park, Whiskey found a deflated ball and had a blast tossing it up and chasing it around. Puppies teach us to be happy with anything. They’re not afraid of being silly, of showing how much they love you, and will do anything for roast lamb. This is Whiskey with her found flattened ball.
It seems like we had a 1 week break between Whiskey getting all her baby teeth in, and then losing them for adult teeth. She’s been consistently chewing since we got her which isn’t a surprise since “they chew till two” is a Vizsla saying. She isn’t a fan of Nylabones but that could be because we’ve given her a choice of more natural chews.
Here are not chew toys, that are now chew toys:
-stuffed toys
-empty plastic bottles
-any and all sticks she finds, even logs and stumps
-offending bushes and leaves
-human arms/hair/clothes
We can’t wait until all her adult teeth are all in. We’ve been working on getting her bite “softer” but it’s been a painful process as her needle baby teeth draw blood.
Thankfully her sharkies only lasted for a month and after the baby teeth were in, she’s been much better with my hands. It’s been fun watching the adult teeth coming in now. We try to brush her teeth every other night and she’s been getting better about us always inspecting her mouth for wiggly ones. The other day I was playing with her and a molar fell out!
Her front teeth come in first. One of the doubled front ones is wiggly
My little Vizsla just got stung by a wasp at the park. I think it was karma for stealing someone’s last slice of salami just minutes ago. Missing the drama, I was working when she was out for a walk in the park and just got home to this:
She was stung on the right muzzle
Someone’s not feeling so well
Poor thing! Her swelling is going down and I’m just happy she got stung on her muzzle, not inside her mouth. Apparently she was off leash roaming the park as usual and came back with a swollen muzzle. Soon after she vomited, and needed to be carried home. We’ve been seeing several wasps in the area and I even got stung a week ago. My partner couldn’t find any stinger on her muzzle and just watched her carefully. After half an hour though her swelling went down and she didn’t have any other symptoms.
A little extra clingy tonight
By the time I came back home an hour later she was wagging her tail (though not rushing the door like normal). She ate a little wet food and I applied a mix of water and baking soda to her muzzle. Poor little thing! In the morning the swelling had gone down and she was back to normal. We just got back from the park and I had to pull her off from investigating more wasps in the grass. I guess puppies don’t learn!
We are famous!! On a hike to Deep Cove a couple weeks ago we met a nice man who took a couple shots of Whiskey as she was romping around. We finally made it on his website 🙂
It was sooooo hard to get through the day today. My partner flew in with Whiskey on a 4.5 hour flight from Montreal. The battery on his phone failed and the connection was too spotty for a phone call at the breeder’s so I was just staring at the one picture he could send before he caught the flight (she’s small enough to be taken as hand luggage). I left work early and headed to the airport where I awaited…the cutest, tiniest little Vizsla ever. I’ve never met a Vizsla puppy and didn’t realize she’d be so small. Apparently, she was a trooper on the plane, going to the bathroom (on a peepad) without an issue and charming all the air hostesses.
She popped her little head out of the bag to say hello and immediately wanted out (who could blame her after the flight?). We had a bit of an issue grabbing a dog friendly taxi (even if we kept her in the carrier) and then we were on the way home. As soon as we got home, I realized the cat had gotten into the drawers and ate half a bag of freeze dried chicken while shredding the rest all over the kitchen. Sigh, such is a life of family pets.
Already Whiskey was very attached to my partner and I was jealous! We introduced her to her playpen area (sectioned off with baby gates) and she was really quiet and super cute. Moo was very curious and observed the circus from her high view points and made a face when she smelled the dog. Dogs are very smelly compared to cats! Ewww.
We just spent the night cuddling Whiskey and playing with her new toys. She ate dinner without an issue but it took a bit of patience to get her to pee outside in the alley (she’s used to grass in the countryside). We live in an apartment on the 2nd floor, so for now we are carrying her outside by taking the stairs. There was a bit of whining when we put her in the crate, but otherwise success!
Oh man!!! We are so excited!!! You can tell by the amount of exclamation marks 🙂 So we’ve done a bunch of research over at least a year and have settled on a breed (Vizsla, obviously), breeder, and we await our first puppy together. My partner has had dogs his whole life with his family but this would be my first ever dog, and just a couple months ago we got our first cat.
Moo is a rescue that came to us from VOKRA. She’s been the perfect pre-puppy since she’s pretty much a dog in-disguise. We quickly discovered she’ll do anything for treats and we’ve already had her successfully trained to “come” “sit” “lie down” “roll over” “paw” and go to where we point. We choose a confident cat, and have made her a bunch of cat shelves she can escape to in case of stress, though we know that it would take awhile for any cat to get used to a crazy puppy.
So with the cat trained up, we’ve been reading a couple books and watching tv shows (Ian Dunbar, Ceasar Milan, Victoria Stilwell), talking to friends, stalking Vizslas and their owners in dog parks, and going on dog-supply shopping sprees. Who would have known it could cost so much before getting the puppy? Cats are practically free! Here is our puppy list:
