I’ve had dogs in my life for as long as I can remember. Dogs big and small, from Dachshunds to German Shorthaired Pointers, and quite a few dogs of no discernible breed at all. All of those experiences with dogs were very similar.
Then we got Odin the Vizsla.
…and we promptly learned why Vizsla owners had coined them the Velcro dog.
Odin thinks that his sole purpose in life is to be around his people, and he wants, no… NEEDS, to be touching his family whenever possible. You think I’m over exaggerating, don’t you?
Odin will follow you everywhere, including the bathroom. Oh, that closed door won’t stop him. If he really wants to get into a room, he has figured out that if he runs and jumps at the door, and hits it by the handle, he can pop it open. So needless to say, all doors are left open a crack in our house (when there’s no company over). If you escape for a few moments to have a shower, you will find a pink nose peeking around the shower curtains a few times to check on you. If you’re in the bath, he uses the opportunity to try to lick your face while he has you captive.
The moment you sit down on the sofa, he’s right there beside you, and If your feet pad up the stairs to bed at night, he’s racing you up them.
For example, I came into bed last night about an hour after El Granto and Odin went to bed (El Granto is battling a cold and a rough work week). I crept in, as to not wake them, only to find Odin stretched out on my side of the bed, with his head on my pillow, his nose curled up beside El Granto’s head.
It’s cute, when it’s someone else’s side of the bed. Not so cute when there is dog hair on your pillow and 65lbs of dog in your mattress divot.
I pulled the pillow out from under his head, fluffed it, and flipped it. I slipped under the duvet and tried to shimmy the dead weight of the passed out dog to the middle of the bed. I finally managed to heave him over, and grab some of the blankets. I got settled in, and am about to close my eyes when the dog suddenly stands up with a start. He proceeds to do three turns on the spot, then drops from standing height to laying down in one fell body collapse. Right onto my stomach. His eyes closed the moment his head collided with my gut. He was fast asleep…with his skull pressing into my rib cage and an errant sharp bone (elbow maybe?) hitting me right in the side. I tried to move and shift him to find a comfortable position for me to lay, and before I realized it, he was once again stretched out on the bed, with his head on my pillow. This time his arms were over my chest, and his nose buried against my neck. Giving up, I decided to enjoy the velvety soft Vizsla snuggles and fell fast asleep with the dog’s arms around me, and his velvet ears brushing against my cheek.
The moral of this story is:
If you are thinking if getting a Vizsla, also add to your list of purchases a king size bed and a nice feather pillow for the pooch.
(Oh and be prepared to have golden eyes staring at you while you pee.)
Oh yes, very accurate the body flop from standing onto you while you are lying down. Whiskey isn’t so velcro though, I think because she’s our only dog and we’ve been too velcro as humans (yeesh, give me a little space she says!) but she does love our bed and red hair is everywhere!
Good story, my wife and I laughed at all the similarities with our Vizsla, Peyto!
I’ve never heard of Vizula’s being called the ‘Velcro’ dog before but it is so fitting! The article was a great read and couldn’t agree more with it! Neko my 3 year old Vizula is the best decition we’ve ever done 🙂 I love knowing he is always there or barging into the bathroom to make sure I’m still there! Lol and the bed note, I feel like he needs his own king sized bed, with all the room he takes and yet its always me falling of the bed not him, not my boyfriend, me! Lol
I wouldn’t change a thing!
This is so our Vizsla, Sasha. She stands directly behind me when I’m doing dishes and just leans into my legs…move over to the stove and she follows, commencing to lean. The dog is constantly on my side of the bed with dead weight and what I call stiff legs (legs that refuse to bend when someone tries to move her), and always there to ensure I don’t fall into the toilet. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this post. It was an enjoyable read.
No you’re not exaggerating. We are on our 2nd Vizsla and they were/are both just exactly like this.
I LOVE this post. My pup is very similar, though he’s a Blue-tick Coonhound & German Pointer mix. I even showed this post to my husband who laughed so hard at how this felt like you were describing our dog! Odin sounds so lovely, and like the perfect partner 🙂
You didn’t find the GSPs to be the same way? I have two and both of them are attached at my hip also.
My GSP was a rescue with a hard past, so he wasn’t typical. He had clearly not been allowed to give affection, so he was weary of giving it to you. We loved him, and he us, but its like he didn’t allow himself to trust us completely, and let his guard down. However, if there was a thunderstorm, he was under the covers!!
He sounds very charming! And handy during cold winter nights. I’m head over heels in love with my own crazy pooch. Ours is very cuddly too. And he always sleeps on my side.
Oh such good advice.
We now have two V’s, could really use that King bed soon.