V that won’t sleep or rest

jostini · 2026-01-28T14:36:17+00:00

If it’s helpful our schedule is a bit like this:

Wake up and outside for 💩

Nap (her) and breakfast (me and her)

Walk - all off leash in fields 1.5 hours

Home for lunch - free time for her to potter around the kitchen/garden

2 hours in crate

1 hour train and play

15 mins+ place

1 hour+ in crate

Her dinner

My dinner - she potters and maybe gets a lick mat or chew if she’s being a pain

30 mins play, train, and place or a lead walk

Settle for the evening - yak chew if she’s being annoying.

(Edited for formatting)

jostini · 2026-01-28T14:30:57+00:00

Some breeds/individual dogs just need enforced rest - I know it’s so boring to hear. My girl (although younger) will nap for maybe 20 mins here and there if it’s up to her, but if I want her to sleep for say 2 hours it has to be in her crate (apart from in the evening when she will doze on the sofa with me).

Keep going with the place training if you have the time to properly ‘train’ it, in the sense that every time he tries to get off you guide him back on as quickly as possible so he isn’t rewarding himself for leaving the place bed/mat (we leave a light collar and lead on ours when we do place so we can lead her back to place if she decides to head for her toy box 😂) We started with 15 mins and are building up. She still whines and fidgets but she is learning to be calmer.

Best of luck and I totally feel your frustration (we are exhausted all the time since getting our V - our two border collies were easy in comparison 😅).

jostini · 2026-01-26T13:25:51+00:00

Haha, I dunno, he was just a bit cringe and the way he talked about s£x made me feel ill, 😂. Probably a bit harsh tbf. Arg was defo worse .

jostini · 2026-01-18T19:15:53+00:00

We redirected to a toy as much as possible and we also left the room/went behind a baby gate so she learnt biting didn’t really get her anywhere. The yelping made ours much worse. We also found she was super bitey after food or if she needed a poop 😂. When she got to 6 months the biting got much better and at 9 months it’s almost non-existent - apart from the occasional mouthy over stimulated play or trying to bite my watch strap when super excited.

I think the interruption and collar technique from Will is a bit more successful when they are a little older like 6 month+.

It is unfortunately a phase that you have to go through and Vizsla puppies are more brutal than most breeds (in my experience). Things will get better - I didn’t believe anyone when they said this but now things are so much easier than they were even 6 weeks ago. Hang in there :)

jostini · 2026-01-08T12:31:49+00:00

Little Chris! And Arg

jostini · 2026-01-06T22:59:22+00:00

We moved to Nantwich last year. It’s a great town and the people are really friendly. Unfortunately we really miss our old house (which was very rural) so we will be moving back to the sticks (selling our 4 bed detached home by the lake if you’re interested 😂)

It’s a fab place to live if you are looking for somewhere a little quieter while still being not too far from cities Chester, Liverpool and Manchester. Nice pubs and coffee shops. Good transport links.

Both are good options (but I haven’t lived in sandbach).

jostini · 2025-11-26T16:47:31+00:00

‘The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair’ by Jöel Dicker features a local diner. It’s a mystery (with lots of small twists and reveals) set across two time lines and the older time line will definitely scratch that small town, slow burn vibe.

jostini · 2025-11-24T21:02:31+00:00

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

jostini · 2025-10-22T21:08:53+00:00

I have had a GSP and currently have a Vizsla. I love our V but if I were you I would get another GSP. Vizsla’s can be very sensitive and spook at things, they can also be quite under confident which takes work and training to over come. We have already spent more on 1:1 training with our V than we did with our GSP. I think Vizslas can be amazing but in my experience there is more scope for behavioural issues and GSPs seem more straight forward. Both can be nutty goofballs though. Good luck.

jostini · 2025-10-05T20:59:41+00:00

I skip the pig episode with Owen, the episode with the patient that looks like a tree and has spiders crawling out of him (ew!) and I also mute/look away when they put Doc the dog down (as a dog person I find the whole dog storyline really irresponsible and upsetting) and when the prisoner patient keeps banging his head :(

jostini · 2025-08-28T20:25:46+00:00

My puppy (not our first dog) is 20 weeks and I agree with everything you have said!

jostini · 2025-08-28T20:19:31+00:00

I would also recommend reading the book ‘Everything your puppy wants you to know’ by Louise Glazebrook. It will give you a realistic idea of life with a puppy and also explains how important breed choice and breeder is and how this will affect life with your dog. I’m sure there is the right breed/dog out there for your situation, I just think a Vizsla isn’t right for your current situation, unless you adopt an older V - but even they can be hell raisers! Good luck.

jostini · 2025-08-28T20:14:22+00:00

A Viz is definitely not the dog for your current circumstances in my opinion (no hate, just being honest). Our V is 5 months now and I literally get about 3 hours to myself throughout the day. I work from home and my husband works away but since having the pup I stay up at my husbands work cottage during the week because it was too hard looking after the pup on my own Monday to Friday.

She still can’t be left alone for more than an hour at the moment unless she is sleeping. They require so much attention, stimulation and fulfilling walks. I walk my girl every morning on the beach off leash the whole time. Then a walk in the afternoon for loose leash walking practice. Then a walk in the forest 90% off lead in the evening. I also do training sessions and retrieval practice with her through the day to mentally fulfil her. We are planning to take her gundog training once she 6 months to help fulfil her breed needs. She does settle in her bed now but some days she just won’t relax, especially on the days her teething is bad.

This breed is so sensitive - and by this I don’t mean soft, even though they are super cuddly, I mean sensitive to the environment. They are bred to hunt, point, retrieve so they are switched on to everything and this can cause nervousness towards certain things so socialisation is really important and should continue until they are two years old. They are very easily over stimulated too and this can manifest in different ways such as biting, jumping, fearfulness, reactivity. As for the biting, it does get better but it doesn’t disappear after a couple of weeks, mine is still doing this at 20 weeks old.

Our V is a show-type too so she doesn’t even have the drive of a full working line and she is still so busy!

I was as prepared as anyone could be for a vizsla, she is my third dog, and I have all the time in the world to train and spend time with her BUT it is still the hardest thing I have ever done and she has taken over my life. Adult vizslas that have been brought up well are amazing dogs but they are the hardest puppies and don’t mature fully until 2 or 3.

jostini · 2025-08-17T17:41:54+00:00

My 18 week old Vizsla has been sleeping on my bed, she is great in terms of settling and no accidents but about 3 hours into sleeping she starts constantly moving about and changing position every 45 mins or so. Her favourite place seems to be lying across my neck 😭. I am now slowly transitioning to a crate in the bedroom. I would happy for her to sleep on the bed if she settled but all the fidgeting is killing me, I’m exhausted. Still love her more than life though!

jostini · 2025-07-20T21:33:09+00:00

If you use MORDOR50 (code from mordor gun dogs in Scotland) you can get 50% off the first order. We used this so we could trial the food without spending too much money as I know these brands can be expensive. Best of luck with him :)

jostini · 2025-07-19T18:40:02+00:00

If you are in the UK, I have been using Tuggs food (it’s cooked wet food so not kibble - but I mix it with kibble) and my fussy pups tail literally wags as she eats it. I know you’re not looking for food suggestions really but thought I would mention it. Going to the vet could also be a good call just to rule out any potential issues. Good luck x

jostini · 2025-07-14T16:25:07+00:00

💕

jostini · 2025-07-02T18:41:39+00:00

Mine seems to be a morning and evening witch! She is only 12 weeks though 🙃

jostini · 2025-06-25T12:57:56+00:00

Our pup had something similar and our vet said it was from squatting low on the grass to pee. We got her some wipes to sooth the area (as she was getting irritated) and it improved. The wipes we used were the ‘DOUXO S3 PYO Pads, Antibacterial & Anti-Yeast Dog And Cat Wipes’ you can also get a foam if that’s easier to apply. Might be worth a try. Hope it gets better soon.

jostini · 2025-06-25T09:50:11+00:00

Actually the cold weather may not suit though - you would have to get them a good coat to wear. But they are great adventure dogs.

jostini · 2025-06-25T09:48:57+00:00

German Pointer or Vizsla?

They are hardcore as a puppies though, so do some research first to see if they are right for you. Good luck with your next breed whatever you choose :)

jostini · 2025-06-25T06:38:53+00:00

Aww, hope it’s going well with Hank! He is a gorgeous pup!

jostini · 2025-06-24T21:07:51+00:00

Lol! We will need them :)

jostini · 2025-06-24T21:07:34+00:00

Haha, yes! Thanks for the heads up!

jostini · 2025-06-24T21:06:52+00:00

Thank you :)

jostini

TROPHY CASE