Vizsla Fun Day
Yesterday was our annual Vizsla Fun Day, hosted by the Vizsla Club of Long Island. Every year they hold a picnic at a local park, so that all of the club members can gather to socialize, enjoy a nice lunch, and watch our dogs interact with one another. Most of them are off-leash, except for a few, (like Meadow), who are not reliable off-leash for one reason or another.
Each year there is a speaker, and this year, it was actually my Nose Work instructor, Susan Scelzi of Blue Ribbon Dog Training, who came to Vizsla Fun Day to speak about teaching basic obedience to our dogs. Unfortunately for Susan, it was a hot day, and her star dog, Rikki, a Rhodesian Ridgeback who has titles in Obedience, Rally, Agility, Lure Coursing, and Nose Works, did not want to cooperate by doing even the most simple commands, such as “Down.” Aren’t dogs lovely sometimes?
After Susan’s talk, the president of our club, Stephanie Fischer, announced that nearly fifty percent of the owners who showed up for the event had rescues. How awesome is that for a purebred dog club? It is actually one of the reasons Nick and I are in the club…
When we adopted Meadow from the Vizsla Club of Central New England, Stephanie Fischer assisted them by conducting our home visit for us, and then she offered us free membership in her club for the first year. We accepted, figuring we would stay for the year, and then probably bow out, only because Nick and I are not really club people. Firstly, we are not really “social” – meaning we prefer small intimate gatherings with close friends and family over huge events. And as for purebred dogs – we really don’t see the allure in conformation, (which we can never be part of with rescues anyway), we are not planning on hunting, (could you imagine Meadow in a field with guns going off?), we are not at all interested in politics (and with clubs come politics) and we are not even tied to a certain breed. Sure we love Vizslas…but we also love Labs, Shepherds, Dobes, Hounds, Huskies, Mixes and More…
But when we saw how heavily this club is involved in rescue, thanks mostly to the hard work of Stephanie herself, we decided to stick around – and I’m so glad we did. What a great group of people to be associated with! Everyone is so accepting of one another, overlooking differences and coming together for the love of our dogs. For example, my mom, sister, and niece showed up at yesterday’s event to surprise me since my sister was visiting from out of state, but they had thought there would be food vendors (there were none) and they would have ended up watching us all eat if Stephanie hadn’t been generous enough to allow them to join in our meal (paid for by the club). Plus my niece had a blast playing with Susan’s new Rhodesian Ridgeback pup, Racer, while the rest of us dined.
Besides Susan’s two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, the only other non-Vizsla was a sweet Labrador named Cody…and while the Ridgebacks blended in from a distance – the big boned chocolate lab with a perpetual tennis ball in his mouth did not. Maybe he wouldn’t have felt so alone in that sea of red had I brought Toby along, but this year I decided to leave him home.
While I love to have him along with me, I thought it was best for him. The past two years when I brought Toby to the fun day, many of the intact males thought it was great fun to hump him, and one dog in particular seemed to be obsessed with harassing him. (You do know Toby wears a “kick me” sign around other dogs right?) Because of this, I didn’t want to subject my dog to that treatment again this year and we left him behind. Instead, we only brought Meadow, and for the most part she did quite well – with only three negative experiences.
The first thing that freaked her out was watching the men set up a huge tent to shade the tables. When Meadow saw that monstrosity going up, she completely shut down. She stood panting, would not give me eye contact, and would not even take food. I thought we were going to have to leave after only being there a half hour, but I decided to try something first. I brought Meadow back to the Jeep and let her sit in her crate until she calmed. Ten minutes later, her reset button went off, and she was like a new dog. She pranced back to the picnic like nothing had happened, only balking a bit when we got near the tent again. But with a little help from some cubed roast beef, she was eventually lying under the tent and appreciating the shade.
The other scary event came in the form of a person. One of the club members, someone I’m not familiar with, kept coming over to us and asking questions about Meadow, saying how impressed he was with how calm she was behaving. I explained she was afraid of strangers, and gave him some beef to make friends. But he was a person with a loud voice, and unfortunately the steak did not help cancel out that attribute in Meadow’s eyes, because each time he tried to pet her, she shrunk in fear. Nick and I gently explained several times that she was afraid, and for some reason, this individual kept trying. I think sometimes people feel that all dog’s need to like them, and can’t accept it when a dog like Meadow doesn’t. But for whatever strange reason, this man suddenly came up behind Meadow, hugged her, and said “Gotcha.”
Yup. Someone did that to Meadow…
Poor Miss Meadow tucked her tail to her chin and raced to Nick for protection, and he went from politely asking the man to leave Meadow alone to raising his voice and asking the man to go away. Surprisingly, Meadow recovered from the event enough to relax again. She even joined us on a walk with my sister, my friend Mary, and her dog Dottie, during which Meadow trotted happily along, stopping to roll in the grass every few steps. I was relieved to see that the scary experience didn’t affect her much, and we returned to the picnic – just in time for a dog to get his leash wrapped under the dessert table and send the table, cake, and cookies flying…
While the other dogs dove for the goodies, poor Meadow nearly jumped out of her skin.
The good news is that, other than the tent, she recovered from the other two scary events all on her own. Additionally, Nick heard fireworks way off in the distance, and if Meadow heard them too, she did not react at all. I have seen such a difference in her turn around time since we started her on the low dose of Prozac last year, and it really is a joy to see our dog not being completely frozen from fear anymore. Will we wean her off of it eventually? Maybe. But I’m in no rush to test her and possibly watch her fall apart again. Right now my gut tells me to leave well enough alone.
Please enjoy the following photos from Vizsla Fun Day (Meadow is the one wearing the bandana). Click on any of them to start the slide show.
-
- Susan Scelzi discussing basic obedience
-
- Can’t beat a great game of chase
-
- Dog tired
-
- My niece, Sara, a dog trainer in the making
-
- Lets play!
-
- Running through the fields
-
- An ex puppy mill breeder has found a home – and some love
-
- Finally relaxed enough to lie under the tent
-
- The newest member of the pack
-
- This young rescue was also found on the Lam – in New Jersey
-
- Hanging around the watering hole
-
- Can’t beat a nice terry cloth cooling vest on a hot day
-
- A chuck it! A chuck it!
-
- Double take. That’s not a V!
-
- Sometimes a girl just needs a break
-
- Roast beef trumps fear any day
-
- Start ‘em young with a stuffed duck
-
- Leashes can’t stop puppies!
-
- The Vizsla – the original lap dog
-
- A kid, a dog, and a chuck it = fun times
-
- Zoom…I’m faster than that Lab!
-
- And where ELSE would you find the Lab?
-
- This place isn’t so bad after all
-
- The “Scary” tent
-
- Meadow and friends relaxing under the once scary tent
-
- I dunno why they left me here – I want to run till I drop!
-
- I can fetch ALL DAY
-
- Still zooming…
-
- Chilling with my new friend, Cliffy
-
- I have found….a TREAT POUCH!
————————————————————-
Want to adopt dog who would stand out in a sea of red? Have you heard about Simon? Check out THIS POST and THIS POST and THIS POST - and while you’re there, please give him a share.
————————————————————-
E-Mail15 Responses so far.
Leave a Reply
Search Donna and the Dogs:
Recent Ramblings:
- Just Posting to Let You All Know I’m Still Alive
- Wondering About My Whereabouts?
- Tuesday’s Tails – Meet Millie
- Follow-up To My Last Follow-up…
- Medi Being Silly
It’s too bad that even at a breed specific event not everyone was all that knowledgable about dogs. Meadow may be a rescue but we have a Viszla friend who was purchased from a breeder and has a lot of the same difficulties Meadow does. It makes me wonder if there is something in the breed that sways them to be a bit more sensitive. It’s something I’ve seen in a lot of high energy dogs, not just Viszlas.
Ah well. Judging by your photos you all had a great time regardless. It must have been so cool to see so many Viszlas running around with each other!
It does seem to be a breed trait, especially if they are not socialized enough to new people and experiences when they are young. All I know is that I am so thankful that she did not dwell on the negative experience. It happened near the end of what was turning out to be a great day, and that would have been devastating.
Yeah, it is pretty amazing to see all those dog running loose and getting along for the most part. You might hear a few skirmishes here and there, but nobody is out for blood, you know?
In certain circles I’m known as that grouchy neurotic Poodle lady because of a couple who kept trying to touch my dogs. The dogs are not especially sensitive, but I am. I was surprised at the behavior at Vizsla fun day.
LOL! If standing up for your dogs makes you grouchy and neurotic, then so be it. If we had suspected this guy would have done something like that, we would have already chased him off. It was just bizarre and seemed to come out of nowhere. I’d really like to know what was going on in his head…who does that to any dog – fearful or not?
Wow, I can’t believe what that guy did to Meadow. I posted about our experience training in the park, but yours takes the cake. So did he have a dog there too? I would definitely complain to tptb at your club and make sure he is not invited back. That behavior should not be tolerated because it sounds like he was trying to set her off. Glad she did not backslide.
I wish you lived closer, I would love to show you the importance of conformation for a dog. Any dog, but especially working dogs.
“So did he have a dog there too?” Yes, he had one as well. I’m trying to give the benefit of the doubt that he was just not good with dogs. A lot of people don’t understand what it is like to have a fearful dog…I would hope someone would not do that to a dog on purpose.
“I would love to show you the importance of conformation for a dog. Any dog, but especially working dogs.” I guess I should have worded that differently. I understand why you do it, and I do understand the importance of it – when it’s done right. I know that you and a lot of professional breeders are doing the right thing with your dogs – making sure they look like they are supposed to AND can work AND have the right temperament for the breed. Not everyone is. Since you’re involved in it, I’m sure you also see the difference between the field bred and show bred Labs whose legs are so short that they don’t look like they can swim, and I’m sure you’ve seen some of the German shepherds that look like they now have jack rabbit legs. But beyond that, personally, I’m more interested in what a dog can do, and with rescues, obviously, conformation is the last sport you’ll find me in. It’s not a bad thing, (when done for the right reasons), just not my thing.
Believe it or not but I have seen “show bred” labs able to function wonderfully in the field. They are actually “British” style labs. Yes I would like less weight on them in the show ring, but if you think that field labs are more correct structure-wise than their “dog-show” counterparts, you would be surprised. Yes, many of them can excel in field work, but they have a lot of injuries due to being structurally incorrect. It is sad really. A structurally incorrect dog will not function efficiently in the field. And most of the field dogs’ coats are all wrong.
Health clearances and temperament are not really judged in the ring. Not really. The judges are looking at structure. How are the shoulders set? Is the rear angualtion correct? How does the dog move? Is the dog’s head correct for the job it is going to do? With working dogs, often form follows function. This is often overlooked or dismissed by those who do not understand dog shows. That is the point I was trying (badly) to make. What good is what the dog can do, if it is built so poorly it is constantly injured or doesn’t move in an efficient manner?
As for the show GSD…I agree. That is a sad thing.
That’s good to know about the Labs. I’ve heard of “British Style” vs “American Style” but the ones I’ve seen in the ring in my area don’t look like they could swim well – maybe it’s the weight that is throwing me off. (They are cute though!).
I think a lot depends on the popularity of the breed too. Take the Vizsla for example. Most are still bred for hunting and temperament qualities, even when you seen them in the show ring. (Although they are gaining popularity and have been showing up in puppy mills, sadly). I’m guessing Chessies, who are much less common than Labs, are similar in that aspect too….?
Whenever a breed becomes popular, it becomes a detriment, as I’m sure you already know. It’s sad and frustrating. Like I said, I know you work your dogs, and do your due diligence with health clearances and what not – which is awesome. I just wish that was the case with all breeders.
I think I gasped outloud when I heard what that man did. It just goes to show that just because you have a dog does not mean you know how to behave around them. I feel sorry for his dog, because if it ever develops issues it won’t get what it needs.
I struggle with this at our Tuesday night class, even though I told the instructor that Delilah can get snarky around dogs, she has never told the class so I am constantly on alert, moving away from other people to avoid an incident.
All in all though it does sound like you had a great day and Miss Meadow did awesome!!
Have you thought about asking your trainer to implement a red bandana policy? I’ve read of a lot of trainers doing that, and then letting anyone new to class knowing that all dogs wearing red are reactive and to please keep their distance.
What a fun group. I can see why you are members. I’d love to find a local meet up with other dog lovers.
I think the man who “gotcha-ed” Meadow is an example of someone who loves dogs but doesn’t respect them. You probably know what I mean. But I bet he wouldn’t.
Glad Meadow is recovering more quickly from stressors. Good for you to give her a break at the car. Great idea!
Yeah, the members of the LI club are a great group, and I’m glad they invited us to join. It’s nice that they welcome non-Vizslas to their events too, like Cody the Lab. He has a V sister too, but she was in season, so they thought it was best she stay home. LOL!
Such great pictures!!
Sorry that Meadow had a bad experience with the Man
I’d love to have a Beardie day out, they have some National ones, but we’ve never managed to go to them, and around here we’re pretty rare, but luckily I can hang with my Beardie buddy Cosmo next door, so we have our own breed day
Big Wags to all
Your pal Snoopy
It’s so great that you have Cosmo next door to visit. Can’t beat a having a pal so close you can see him more than once a year.
[...] read a blog post at Donna and The Dogs that really stuck with me. She wrote about taking her shy dog, Meadow, to a Vizsla Fun Day. While [...]