When I was asked to do an article on this topic, my first thought was where to begin.
So, let me tell you about Max.
Max was a beautiful little puppy and everyone was so excited about him when he was 8 weeks old. A year later, he was out the door and labeled as a bad dog. Had he meant to terrorize the household or scare the kids' friends? Was it his fault? Was it the bloodline? Was he so aggressive that he needed to be euthanized? Vizslas are coming into rescue at an alarming rate. A high number of them (48% in my area so far this year) are for reasons involving children. We need to think about why this is happening.
Most of these dogs were simply in the wrong homes from the beginning. I have to shake my head at the common sentence that describes numerous dogs in any breed book – "Wonderful family dog." What in the world does that sentence really mean? A family can be many things! If it means small children, then our breed may be better off eliminating that sentence.
Common exclamations that rescue coordinators hear are: "We had no idea!" or "If only we'd known." This is indicative that there is a problem with how our breed is marketed to the general public. Vizslas are a high-drive hunting dog. That does not translate to an automatic family pet. With a good deal of work, they can be nice family pets--- but only with plenty of concentrated work.
Today's population is busy. Families with small children are very busy. Adding a Vizsla to that situation can be disastrous because good intentions alone don't raise good dogs. We must find a way to screen and then properly prepare potential owners with the honest truth about living with Vizslas.
Let's look at what went wrong with Max. First, there is little directed training except for worrying about soiling in the house. Then along comes the game of stealing items left around by the children. After a few weeks, the kids don't think Max is as cute anymore-- he makes a lot of trouble for them. Naturally, Max enjoys picking up all the food morsels they leave within reach, and now he is getting bigger and can grab things more easily.
Banishing him to the kennel while they eat supper creates a terrible commotion with lots of noise. Mom is getting weary, and Dad is losing patience with the whole thing. Both just want some peace and quiet after a day of work!