Do Vizslas Get Along With Other Dogs?

If you have ever had two dogs that did not get along, then you know the tension that it causes in your home. A persistently tense environment is tiring and stressful for you and the dogs, and the resulting stress makes it worse. Vizslas are high-maintenance dogs because of their high energy levels, exercise requirements, and neediness. If you are going to be getting another dog, you need to make sure that they will get along with your Vizsla. Or, if you already have another dog, you need to make sure a Vizsla is a good match for them.

Vizslas get along best with dogs that match or complement their breed characteristics and personality. Vizslas can get along with almost any other dog when both dogs are well-socialized, properly introduced, and owned by a competent and committed person.

As a breed, Vizslas are not known for being difficult with other dogs. In fact, they are usually very good with canine companions. However, certain factors influence how well a Vizsla will get on with another dog. These factors are:

  • Socialization.
  • Introduction.
  • Breed characteristics (of the Vizsla and the other dog).
  • Personality and temperament (of the Vizsla and the other dog).
  • Age of the other dog.
  • Ownership.

Socialization Influences How Well Vizslas Get Along With Other Dogs

The socialization period for a puppy can start as early as three weeks old and continues until the puppy is about 12 weeks old. The socialization period marks the time when a puppy is exploring its environment and is most receptive to new experiences. These experiences need to be as extensive and as positive as possible.

The socialization period is when your Vizsla is going to learn proper dog manners from its mother. During this time, they should also be exposed to other dogs, other people, children, non-canine pets, car rides, bathing, grooming, noises, new places, etc. They should also start receiving basic training.

You need to take care of how and when you expose your Vizsla puppy to new dogs, people and environments because they are vulnerable to diseases such as Parvo until they have received their vaccinations. Keep your Vizsla up to date on these vaccinations and speak to the veterinarian about when you can start taking your puppy to dog parks, friends’ houses, or anywhere else where they can receive the appropriate social exposure to other dogs, people, and environments.

From about eight weeks to eleven weeks old, a Vizsla, just like all other puppies, will go through a fearful stage in their socialization. You need to help them through this fear with positive reinforcement and encouragement to prevent the fearful behavior from persisting.

If your Vizsla has a bad experience with other dogs during the fearful stage of the socialization period, and this experience was not counteracted or worked through with the help of their breeder or owner, they may be less likely to enjoy the company of another dog. Your Vizsla may be averse to a specific breed or size of dog based on this experience, or they may generalize to all dogs. Good ownership can help a Vizsla to overcome this aversion, even when they are no longer puppies in their socialization stage.

Remember that the other dog also needs to be properly socialized. If they are unhappy with your Vizsla, disharmony can arise from their side.


A Good Introduction Influences How Well Vizslas Get Along With Other Dogs

First impressions are just as important for dogs as they are for humans. When you are introducing two dogs, you need to make sure that the introduction is as calm and positive as possible.

Puppies are the easiest to introduce, even if you have had one of them for a few weeks longer than the other. Both are still figuring out what the world looks, smells, sounds, feels, and tastes like. Only then will they move on to figuring out how they fit into that world. Puppies are also usually too small, weak, or uncoordinated to do damage to each other, and their hormones are not active yet. You still need to watch for adverse responses to each other, however, as puppies already have personalities that may clash if not mediated.

If you are going to be introducing a new puppy or older dog to your juvenile or adult resident dog, the introduction should be done outside and in as neutral territory as possible, without high-value items like toys and food nearby. At least two people should be present, and both people should be able to handle whatever may happen in a calm manner.

Vizslas are not naturally aggressive dogs, but they are boisterous. If they are permitted to overwhelm a new dog without correction, that dog may develop an aversion to them, and disharmony will arise. If your resident dog scares or injures your new Vizsla puppy and you do not counteract this, they may develop an aversion to the older dog, which can manifest as fear or aggression as they get older.

If you have more than one older resident dog and you are introducing a Vizsla puppy into the household, introduce them to one dog at a time.

Some people recommend introducing dogs in a quiet park or a friend’s yard instead of your own yard, but this is not always possible. It would also only be necessary if one dog was already an established resident of the home; if you get two puppies together, any environment will be neutral.


Breed Characteristics Influence How Well Vizslas Get Along With Other Dogs

Vizslas are not a breed known to have problems living with another dog. However, Vizslas are high-energy dogs that develop deep bonds with their owners (they are even known as Velcro dogs because of their level of attachment), and they also have sensitive natures, responding poorly to harsh or negative correction and treatment. Such qualities make the Vizsla is a high-maintenance dog.

If you pair a Vizsla with another high-energy dog, they can get along really well, exercising each other to ease your burden and engaging in lots of shared playtime interests. However, they may excite each other to the point where tempers flare if they are not supervised carefully. Pairing a Vizsla with a low-energy dog can help to steady them.

If you pair a Vizsla with another affection-needy dog, you may have problems of jealousy and anxiety if you do not manage them properly. However, these two affectionate dogs can also develop strong bonds with each other, and then they can provide companionship and comfort to each other when you are away. If you pair a Vizsla with a less attached dog, they will not have to fight for your affection.

If you pair a Vizsla with a small dog, they can become too boisterous for the smaller dog, who can react defensively and subsequently avoid your Vizsla. It’s not impossible for a Vizsla to live with a little dog, but a higher energy small dog may be a better choice, and you will need to watch them more closely to make sure the smaller dog does not get hurt.


Personality And Temperament Influence How Well Vizslas Get Along With Other Dogs

Every individual dog has a unique personality and a specific temperament that also affects its behavior. A dog’s personality can even be utterly contrary to the typical breed characteristics. For example, you may get a Vizsla who is more aloof than attached, which changes the best companion dog for them.

You can’t really test personality in dogs, but you can test the closely linked temperament. The best people test the temperament of your Vizsla, and the other dog is a canine behavioral specialist. Some breeders have their puppies’ temperaments tested, and others are experienced enough to do the tests themselves. Rescue shelters sometimes employ specialists to perform temperament checks on the dogs that come in to ensure the best home placements.

The people who perform these temperament tests should also be able to tell you if two dogs are going to get on well together or in what situations they will get on well together.

A canine temperament test is non-invasive, and it assesses how each dog reacts to strangers; auditory, visual, and tactile stimuli; and neutral, aggressive, and threatening situations.

The dogs are scored on their level of aggression, confidence, friendliness, prey-drive, protectiveness, stability, and ability to distinguish between threats and non-threats. The way in which these traits combine and interact determines temperament in each dog, and different temperament traits can be complementary or well-matched.

For example, a confident dog may help your shy Vizsla to cope with challenging situations, and a calm dog may help your highly-strung Vizsla to be more even-tempered.


The Other Dog’s Age Influences How Well Vizslas Get Along With Them

Senior dogs need to be looked after carefully. A Vizslas’ high-energy can lead to them hurting a senior dog. Additionally, the senior dog will probably have a low tolerance for the energy of a puppy and can snap at them. If this happens during the fearful stage of socialization and nothing is done to correct it, it can influence how your Vizsla will get along with other dogs in the future.

Your senior dog may also resent your new Vizsla puppy, who is small and needy and will take up much of your time. Your sensitive Vizsla can pick up on this and may avoid your senior dog altogether.

Another concern with a sensitive and needy Vizsla is if they are your resident dog and you get a new puppy. Obviously, the puppy will be occupying a lot of your time with their needs, and you need to ensure that your Vizsla does not feel neglected or like they are in competition with the new puppy.


Good Ownership Influences How Well Vizslas Get Along With Other Dogs

Good ownership is probably the most important factor when it comes to how well your Vizsla gets along with other dogs.

Owners need to ensure that they get dogs whose temperaments are compatible. They also need to provide extensive socialization, correct handling of both dogs during the fearful stage, and a good introduction.

All good dog owners need to be the alpha of their home pack. Vizsla owners need to be strong-willed because needy dogs can steam-roller a less decisive owner. They also need to be active and willing to devote their time and attention to their Vizsla.

However, you cannot devote all of your time and attention to your Vizsla. If you are making the decision to get another dog, you have to have enough room in your heart and life for both. If you get another needy dog or a territorial dog, you need to make sure that you do not create a competitive environment in the home.

If a Vizsla feels neglected, it can cause tension between them and another dog. A Vizsla who is not receiving enough attention from its owner will become more possessive and will not like to share the limited time that they have with their person with the other dog.

If Vizslas are bored or under-exercised, their excess energy can lead them to become irritating to the other dog, who may lash out or become distressed. Your Vizsla can also become fractious, more likely to initiate or engage in conflict with another dog.


Best Companion Dogs For Vizslas

As we have discussed, most dogs can be good companion dogs for your Vizsla. Smaller dogs are probably the most difficult to pair with a Vizsla simply because they are less likely to cope with the high-energy and potential boisterousness of a Vizsla. However, there are a few breeds that seem to stand out from the rest as good companion dogs for your Vizsla.

Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers: Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers make excellent companions for Vizslas. They are both medium-sized and high-energy bird dogs, so they can match your Vizsla in terms of size and activity. You can also take them with your Vizsla on your exercise adventures without fear of your Golden Retriever or Labrador Retriever tiring long before your Vizsla does.

Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers are both amiable and even-tempered breeds, making them a great complement to the more neurotic Vizsla. Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers are also happy with the attention from any member of the family, so they won’t always be competing with you Vizsla for your sole attention. However, Golden Retrievers and Labradors are not shrinking violets, so they will not let you forget about them as they hide in a corner and succumb to loneliness.

Irish setters and Vizslas: You could consider getting an Irish Setter or another Vizsla to be your Vizsla’s canine companion. Vizslas and Irish setters are both high-energy and attached dogs, so there might be more competition for your affection if you do not put boundaries in place. Both breeds, however, are known to be good with other dogs, and a good owner should be able to handle this pair. As with Labradors and Retrievers, you won’t have to worry about an Irish Setter or another Vizsla not being able to keep up with your Vizsla.


Conclusion

Vizslas are not known to be difficult with other dogs. In fact, another dog may take some of the pressure off of you when it comes to companionship and exercise. Your Vizla and your other dog can keep each other company while you are away, and they can exercise each other in the yard. There are multiple factors that influence how well a Vizsla gets along with another dog. Good ownership is the most important of these factors as it affects all the others.

Vizslas are high-maintenance, and adding another dog to the mix means that you have to be prepared to handle any natural conflict that might arise from your Vizsla having to share your attention. You also have to be strong-willed enough to ensure that your Vizsla does not monopolize your attention. You have to foster not only tolerance between your two dogs but also affection so that they can be good companions to each other.

Extensive socialization, a good introduction, complementary or matching breed characteristics, complementary or matching temperament, and personality, and similar ages are other factors that increase how well a Vizsla will get along with another dog.


References

https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/vizsla/

https://www.orvis.com/vizsla

https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/vizsla#/slide/1

https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/literature-reviews/welfare-implications-socialization-puppies-and-kittens

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/puppy-socialization/

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/puppy-information/creativity-and-timing-key-to-puppy-socialization/

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/how-to-introduce-dogs/

https://www.rover.com/blog/aggressive-stable-confident-test-dogs-temperament/

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/puppy-information/introducing-puppies-to-senior-dogs/

https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/golden-retriever/

https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/labrador-retriever/

https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/irish-setter/

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