It’s been raining puppies lately and I’m overjoyed at being able to set up some play dates for Whiskey. I was a bit worried about Whiskey being gentle enough around the little ones but with treats, recall, and lots of “lie down” she was great sharing the attention. I really can’t believe how fast her first year has gone and when I see these (10 and 16 week-old) puppies I honestly can’t remember how small she was. Puppies are just so floppy, awkward, and such a joy to watch romping around discovering the world.
Pana, the little sassy girl
Sophie is a mini Whiskey
First we met up with Sophie, Whiskey’s full sister from a different litter. They’re both from Stella and Ripley (click for links). Sophie is 16 weeks old and has Whiskey’s puppy confidence. It was her first time off leash and she did wonderfully! The only problem was she developed habit of sneaking off to drink seawater. Naughty puppy! I love Sophie and can’t wait to meet up with her again.
It’s so cool to see the sisters together
Whiskey looked just the same but their personalities are different
Sophie is fearless and will use her teeth
Whiskey’s got Sophie’s collar
These girls are so good together
A quieter moment
Checking out the genetics
They really are little mirrors
If only I could have two…
Teaming up against a sweet Bernese
Sophie’s learning to pose
And just last weekend we met up with Pana from Egerton Vizslas in Nova Scotia. We were also looking at Egerton when looking for a breeder but they didn’t have any litters coming up back then. A couple provinces in Canada including Nova Scotia have a law that prevents docking tails and dew claw removal so Pana is fully natural! That’s a whole other topic for another day but it’s great to see a full tail wagging on such a happy dog.
This is Pana
Because Pana is so young, Whiskey spent most of the time on the ground
The past long weekend we decided to take a cheap, dog-friendy vacation to Hope for some hiking. We managed to be lucky enough to have one dry day between the crazy rainfall and got in a couple hikes.
The view of the town of Hope
playing in the forest
posing in the forest
The town of Hope
Famous for the film location of the first Rambo, we did our research by watching First Blood with Whiskey in bed. We stayed in a beautiful AirBnB suite with a really comfortable bed and friendly family and had a blast. Hope is a pretty small town and we didn’t really meet any tourists out.
the roads around Hope are beautiful, even in the rain
The first day we set out early to conquer Mt. Hope, a 6+ hour hike. Unfortunately, Hope recently had a bad ice storm that damaged a ton of trees around the area. The logging road to the start of the hike was hopelessly blocked but we tried to get through anyway to see if it was just a small section (it wasn’t) and found the extent of damage was pretty incredible. This was the ultimate agility course for Whiskey and she was super quick to jump over, climb on top of, crawl under, and find her way though all the downed trees. She didn’t understand why the humans had so much trouble.
road is blocked!
yeah…not the easiest to get through
she gets through this mess like a wiggly snake -no problem
Next we made a random stop on the highway and found a small section of the Boston Bar Trail. Named after the Americans that had found gold on the Fraser, this is a really old trail that dates back to the 1850s. Now used by ATVs, there was no one out so we just strolled on through, throwing sticks and taking pictures.
not too shabby a stroll
weeee! happy dog
little waterfalls everywhere with melting snow and rainfall
Coming back to town, we next did the Hope Lookout trail, “the Grouse Grind of Hope”. It certainly was a grind and a good workout but with more variation in scenery than the Vancouver one, and much much less crowded. The finish wasn’t at the top of the mountain, but had a cute bench and a nice view of the city.
Another short-ish hike because, hey, it’s the long weekend and we wanted to sleep in a bit. We were the only ones on this hike which starts right off the highway. There’s no precursor- it’s just up up up and there are some scrambling parts as well with ropes to help out. The top has quite a bit of ice storm damage but the trail was really easy to follow. I would say that this might not be dog-friendly to small or old dogs because of the incline but any athletic dog would be fine (Whiskey was chasing sticks up and down like it was nothing). Also, since it was a rainy day, I would suggest to make sure you have good traction shoes for this hike. We had the most fun on this one, but be warned- we found ticks!!
the trail starts up right away
in lumpy moss land
we gain height quickly
taking a breather
she really doesn’t understand why we are always so slow
a quick peek
a couple ropes to help
Whiskey sits on my lap in the middle of a scramble
top top top!
waiting for me to finish the ropes
This is one gorgeous hike
she races up and down this mountain
until next time
Ticks
Oh gross oh gross oh gross. I’m not really good with bugs and was really happy to have someone else pull these buggers out. They can grow to enormous sizes and carry some serious diseases (rare) so make sure you check your dog if a hike is known to have ticks. We found 2 well hidden behind Whiskey’s ears and killed them in alcohol (flushing them down does not kill them).
We’ve been instructed by our breeder how important it is to trim Whiskey’s nails and keep the quick short. She suggested us to trim every week with a Dremel and although it’s been a 2 person task, we can finish it in 10 mins.
Moo watching on while Whiskey gets her nails done
The noise of the Dremel and being constrained is scary for a dog not used to it. The easiest position we’ve found is having her lying on her back on someone’s lap while the other person works around and does the manicure. Press down on the pad so the nails come all the way out and get as close to the quick as you feel comfortable, rounding out any sharp edges. We start with her back paws so the tool isn’t in her face straight off.
take your time and round out edges
Even though we’ve done it since she was a puppy, she doesn’t love it and still struggles and grunts.
Whiskey shows you her paw while her back nails are done
Taking photos while you hold on a struggling puppy getting a pedicure is a challenge
Here are some tips for Dremeling your dog’s nails:
-Whiskey always gets a special treat in the end. I put the treat in my pocket so she can smell it the whole time and she knows it’s coming. You can also give her a smaller treat with each nail, or each paw.
-Get more people if possible to help. I typically hold Whiskey while Thierry works the Dremel.
-Work the back paws first as they are further from their head not as scary as starting near the face.
-Talk to your dog and tell them how wonderful they are in a low voice during the whole time.
-Have some styptic powder on hand in case you trim too deep.
-Make sure you have lots of light!
-Do it often so they get use to it
-Don’t stop the session as soon as they struggle, otherwise they learn if they struggle, they get out. If you need to release your dog, do so after they are calm.
-Trim nails when they are calm, relaxed, after exercise
push on each toe so the nail comes out and trim close to the quick
Here are some tips if you’ve never done it before:
-Get our dog used to being flipped over on their back and held. Give treats and talk in a soothing voice only letting them up when they are calm.
-Turn on the dremel and give treats to get them used to the sound
-Touch and handle each paw until they don’t mind (we clean her paws all the time when we get back from a wet/muddy walk).
-Just trim one paw at a time, and work your way up.
-Keep a bag of treats next to you and give them a treat for each nail when they are calm (reduce treats over time). Be generous with the treats at first.
-If when you release the dog, they don’t run off, and are immediately interested in snacks, you’re doing great!
start young and it’ll be easier!
Finally…
Be calm yourself. Whiskey is easy to do since she’s still a puppy and we were able to train her. Moo (my cat with attitude) is another story. We need to be in a zen mood to trim Moo’s nails. Make movements, slow and deliberate. If you are scared or anxious, the animals pick up on that. If you are confident and calm, they will be more receptive.
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!
At the end of October we went off for a long diving vacation in Mexico. Suffice to say, the trip didn’t go to plan and we were both counting the days until we could come back and snuggle with Whiskey.
Mexico’s Great White Sharks (not dog friendly)
We picked her up at the boarder’s the day after we landed and were welcomed with a bundle of wiggles, nibbles (she still nibbles when she is too excited) and loads of licks. There’s nothing like coming home to a Vizsla! Best.Day.EVER
A Mexican blanket for Whiskey
Apparently she was perfectly behaved and got along famously with the house dog (standard poodle) and another GSP that was also being boarded. They went on at least one hike a day and she was so exhausted when we got home. So far she’s been right back to our schedule with few behavior changes we assume is just part of her maturing. The boarding experience was so great that we don’t even feel guilty about it.
an empty kibble bag keeps her entertained for quite awhile
paws everywhere!
She had no accidents at the home, was great on recall, and only missed one meal (Whiskey has about 1 meal a month she just decides she doesn’t want). She’s also changed quite a bit. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is, but she’s bigger and her muscles have filled in a bit. I can’t tell you how happy I am to have her back in my life! Excuse me while I go demand more cuddles…
can’t move…I’m stuck
And Moo. Still up to no good, we had a fabulous house sitter that watched over her.
We are off to Mexico in a couple days and we’ve had a bit of a trouble finding a place to keep Whiskey while we are gone, probably because I’m very picky and only want the best for her. Our main concerns were that she would have off leash walks at least once a day, that she would be closely monitored on the small chance that her first heat might start early (very tricky!), and that she would get lots of cuddles and human attention. Honestly I wouldn’t have booked the vacation had I known we were getting a puppy but the vacation was pre-paid, no refunds before we knew about Whiskey.
There are so many choices in Vancouver for boarding and we visited 4 locations before making our choice. We considered her staying with her walkers, daycare locations, some excellent “getaways for dogs” and kennels. In the end we were recommended a professional home boarder that doesn’t work and stays home with her child. I’ll update you when we come back on how it all works out! Here’s a compilation of choices we had:
family/friends positives: One of the best case scenarios is that you have family willing to take in your dog while you’re gone. It’s free (hopefully!) and they have more invested because they know you. Also they will know your dog, their issues, and wouldn’t be a stranger. negatives: If your dog needs lots of exercise, depending on whom takes care of them, they may not be able to let them out as much. Then again the opposite could happen where they have more free time to take your dog out. A well meaning family member could be “softer” on the rules then you and encourage bad behaviour.
kennels eg a Dogs Life positives: if your dog has dog aggression issues, this will ensure he has his own space. Some kennels are very clean and have runs attached to them. They are usually temperature controlled, have beds and you can easily separate sick dogs. Usually cheaper than a “dog getaway”.
negatives: They look like prisons and dogs don’t usually get natural grassy areas to run and socialize with other humans and dogs. The quality of kennels can range and you have ensure your dog will have enough human interaction. Walks may not always be included.
professional home boarding eg Deepcove dog, Mountain and Wave positives: More one on one human time. Sleeping in a homey environment. Less noise, less stress and faster feedback on issues. There will most likely be times your dog will be left alone (not a huge staff). Hopefully the boarder is not a stranger, and most likely you will meet up first and see how the dog is reacting and the space they will stay. Professionals should be insured, bonded and have first aid training. Most of the time a regular amount of walks are included.
negatives: hugely dependent on the person boarding the dog, make sure they have had Vizsla experience or are happy to learn about the breed ahead of time (no punishments or harsh “training” methods)
daycare boarding/ location getaways eg Outward Hound, Ruff Stuff, Bowen Island Ranch positives: Lots of playing time during the day with loads of other dogs. Exercise will most likely not be a problem. Usually cheaper than other options. These are professionals so they tend to upload pictures and have reviews that you can read with ratings.
negatives: not as much human attention and contact, more potential to get sick and pick up bad behaviour. Not as well monitored since there are usually lots of dogs to person ratio. The staff may be students or not trained specifically with dogs. They may rely on dog playing for exercise so the dogs may not necessarily be walked on trails.
petsitting/dogvacay positives: Usually cheaper with more personal time. The dog gets a home style environment and you’ll probably get a better idea of how they’re doing. You can give more one-on-one instructions and most likely it’s in a quieter environment than with lots of dogs. Usually a petsitter won’t take many dogs at once.
negatives: If you’re not going through a company like dogvacay, your petsitter could be uninsured and won’t be covering any accidents that occur during their stay. This person may not have the expertise to take care of tricky situations or dogs with issues. They may also not reinforce all the training you’ve worked so hard on. It’s so easy for a dog to learn bad behaviour that you may spend months having to retrain them. They could be a stranger and you would really need to trust them.
Over the last couple weeks we’ve been trying different options for when we’re both working during the day. We both work from 9-6 and bike to work so it’s actually 8:45-6:20 we are out of the house. At first I thought it was really expensive for dog services but over time I’m seeing how much it makes sense and how much happier Whiskey is if she gets the exercise. For all the options we still walk her in the morning for 30-45mins (with most of it off leash) and also another walk as soon as we come home. This is our experience so far:
Dog hiking (1.5 hours hiking, 3 hours out) $22
It’s actually difficult to find a very good company with openings because they’re usually scheduled with regulars so we’ve had to use two different companies so far. We give them the key and they come at around 12-12:30 and bring her back around 3-3:30. I found some “hikes” were actually to a beach and park so we prefer the one company that actually hikes. All hikes are off-leash and regulated to max 6 dogs. Both companies have reported that Whiskey has been great and has really good recall. She’s been “one of the easiest puppies” which is great to hear! The downside is she’s locked in her crate the rest of the day.
sample picture of usual hikes with company #1
of course she’s on a log!
At the park (not always a hike with company#2)
Daycare $22 +($25 in car rental)
We’ve only tried this twice and it was the most difficult because we need to grab a Car2go each time (we are working on buying a car soon). Driving in rush hour traffic to drop her off and pick her up is also frustrating. Mix that with potential carsickness, parking, and the daycare closes at 6:30- it became our last option. The daycare itself was great though and she was happy to lie down when she came home.
Whiskey with “Bruce Wayne”
someone is a tired puppy
rubber floors so they don’t slip and hurt joints
Petsitting $35
We found someone on Dogvacay (think AirBnB but for dogs) who lives pretty close so we’ve been dropping her off once a week there. It’s more expensive but it means no crate time, one on one attention, petting, and a home environment. She gets to sleep in the bed and go out for a long walk to the park.
Coming home at lunchtime $0
Cheapest option but much more work! We need to bike home at lunch and because the biking takes up half our lunch, we tag-team taking Whiskey to the park and getting her some outside time. It’s great to spend more time with her and she’s always so happy! It’s much harder on rainy days though, and we live in Vancouver (Raincouver)
Our current schedule is Monday: hike Tuesday: hike Wednesday: petsitting Thursday: hike Friday: come home
I think in the end I would like to leave Whiskey in the bedroom (we only have 2 rooms in our loft) and have her hike everyday.
So ever since we’ve had Moo and Whiskey, one or both of us has been off work. We’re lucky we both work as contractors and it’s easy to take time off. Last week marked the start of everyone going back to work full time and our poor pets have lost their 24/7 cuddle service. Aside from the tough choices of what to do with a puppy while we’re both working, we’ve really enjoyed the time off bonding with our furry babies.
While Moo-cat had been refining her insane treat-sniff-and-recover abilities (she opens zippers, kitchen drawers and zip locked bags of kibble), Whiskey had been getting in some crate practice for the inevitable time where we have to face reality and go back to work.
8 weeks
11 weeks
19 weeks
22 weeks
Crating
Whiskey hasn’t liked her crate since we’ve got her. I think it’s partially because she’s very confident and doesn’t need it as a “safe” place. She’s never slept it in by choice. She much prefers our bed, our couch, or her bowser bed, even the carpet or hardwood floor than her crate! We’ve lined it with blankets, soft foam bed, even our worn shirts. We’ve covered it with a blanket and played the radio. She prefers sleeping stretched out taking the entire couch. Since the first night, we’ve had her sleeping during the night in her crate and she gets to come to bed in the mornings for snuggles. We eagerly await the day she will be old enough to be left in our bedroom while we’re at work.
Daycares, hikes, boarding, petsitting
While we are at work we’ve been trying doggy daycare, dog hiking services, personal pet-sitting, and just leaving her in the crate with a lunchtime visit. We are quite spoiled for choice in Vancouver since there is a huge pet industry here. So far, she’s only peed in the crate once during the last week, but she’s never been in the crate for more than 4 hours. We’re now facing a difficult period because we’ve chosen to wait until she is older before we spay her. Many daycares don’t accept unfixed dogs over 6 months and we are also worried that her heat could happen while we are on vacation in a couple months. We are currently interviewing dog boarders for our upcoming vacation. Our bouncy baby’s going to be a teenager soon!
We play with Whiskey throughout the day, flipping her over and tumbling all around with her. The other day I saw some red spots around her arm and leg ‘pits’ and after a quick check, discovered she had picked up fleas from a dog at the park (most likely). She’s currently on Sentinel, although she was just overdue for her monthly pill so I wasn’t 100% sure if the pill was still active. Sentinel mainly kills heart and tummy worms but is also a flea preventative: it doesn’t kill adult fleas – it causes the adult fleas to become infertile, so as to avoid infestations.
Immediate treatment
As soon as I found the spots I rubbed her coat with a vinegar/lemon mix. I also boiled her collar (with some rosemary sprigs) and found a bunch of fleas in the water confirming my fears. I suppose because I had covered her in vinegar, that the fleas must have jumped on the collar. Those were the only fleas I ever found. I set out a flea trap at night (soapy water in a pan with a light) and caught none. Thankfully, cat also showed no signs of fleas. I don’t even want to think about attempting a bath with our very overconfident cat. It was very late when we noticed the bumps so we didn’t get to clean the house until the morning.
boiling her collar
This is what floated up from the water! gross!
day 2 photos
her armpits
poor girl!
Day after
The next day, we cleaned all dog and human bedding, vacuumed the house very well, and gave her a bath with her emu oil shampoo (it’s supposed to repel fleas). Also, after the first day we saw no signs of more bites so I think we caught them early, or the Senntinal was working. I also vacuumed the house that evening, and everyday for a week. Crossing fingers, we avoided an infestation. In two days we already saw improvement in her rashes and bites.
day 3 photos
no more new bites, but old ones are poofy
heeling already
you would have never known from her sweet temperament
Flea pills
I had been going back and forth about giving Whiskey a dewormer/flea preventative monthly as it’s basically like putting chemicals and poison in them. The problem is we live downtown, and the dog parks are not very clean. There are homeless dogs around, and we meet around 100 dogs a week. There is old poop every foot in the city. We are also going to start daycare soon, and many daycares require preventatives so I guess our decision is made. Sometimes the treatment to kill fleas and worms can be worse than the preventative. Especially flea infestations!
More bumps!
In hindsight I think it was just bad luck with bad timing, but while her flea bites were healing she got another kind of bumps all over her tummy. When it rains, it pours I guess! These were different bumps. They were evenly spotted over her tummy and upper legs and were not itchy or red. They were hard and raised and after some research I was pretty confident they were allergy bumps (actually I had seen them on forums before so I wasn’t panicked). I wasn’t as concerned because we seemed to have dealt with the fleas ok, so I figured I’d delay a trip to the vet until the bumps bothered her, or got worse. The bumps came and went over the next week and these were our very amateur guesses at what caused it:
-chicken (she normally does not get chicken and I had given her some the night before)
-bedding detergent (I had finished an old jug of non-environmentally friendly detergent I don’t normally use)
-water from the beach
allergy bumps on her tummy
Allergies
The bumps are now mostly gone after coming and going for a week and a half. I’ve ruled out bedding detergent, but the fact that they weren’t on her back makes us suspicious that something could have been in the water at the beach she frequents. She usually wades in to her tummy and doesn’t go fully in. Food allergies are super tough since symptoms can come several weeks after the dog has eaten the problem food, and symptoms can last several weeks after the dog has digested it. Also dogs can get allergic to something they seem to have been fine with, but they only show symptoms after their body has tolerated too much. The detective work needed is frustrating and Whiskey has been eating a huge variety of food. In general it’s tricky with puppies too since their immune system is still growing, so with luck she won’t keep this allergy (if that’s what it is). Since the bumps have been going away, I’ll just keep an eye out for them when we give her tummy rubs.
you can see bumps are just on her tummy but are getting fewer
This week I’m off work, and I’m really looking forward to relaxing at home with the pets. Since we don’t own a car, we decided to rent from a car share a couple times this week to get out of the city.
Today we tried out Jug Island in Coquitlam. It’s a short little hike with minimal incline and a great way to start the day. The highlight of the hike is a little beach that faces the Indian Arm and Jug Island. We caught (and released) some tiny crabs, talked to kayakers and just chilled. As a joke, Thierry tossed a stick in quite far into the water and Whiskey actually retrieved it! She swam out further than she’s ever been before, although it was a bit of a panicky swim back. We were so proud!
working on our agility (yes they made it to the top!)
our hiking group
Whiskey fetches and swims!
catching small crabs
we are going higher and higher with this little girl
On the way back we popped into a wild game butcher for pet and human meats (kangaroo, bison, venison, elk, ostrich, wild boar). I think we’re stocked for awhile now! At the moment I’m trying out various foods for Whiskey so we’ll let you know how our experimentation goes. We’ve got tons of kibble and even raw samples from Petapalooza.
a bison heart is enormous!
Continuing on our day, after we dropped the meat home, we took Whiskey off to the vet for her last set of shots (Rabies and Lepto). She was amazing and even got a little handkerchief. As long as she’s eating a snack, she doesn’t even feel the needles. So as far as Whiskey understands, the vet means lots of attention, pets, and snacks! I wonder if she’ll wise up eventually. The cat is under no such illusions.
Whiskey has no idea she’s getting a shot
After the vet, we drove to the off-leash dog area of Spanish banks where we met the cutest German Shepherd puppy. Whiskey was pretty tired but perked up for some glorious playtime, digging and sniffing. Then it was back home for a dinner of turkey hearts and gizzards, and we all fell asleep really early (except for Moo who then demanded attention).
