Strika has a new little brother

[Six Addict]

who are you and what have you done to the real marty?!

i like oskar!! although as pete said it should be oszkar

[Strika]

Nope, ask some Hungarians, it is also spelt Oskar.

Marty's gone.........he's not coming back either.

Yeah pinchy, i think puppies can do that to you.

He just had a feed and a play and he has just hopped up on my lap for a snooze.

[Strika]

Oskar is now 4 months old. He just grew so quickly. He is an enrgetic little fella, but provided he gets his two walks each day he is happy. Tatyana takes him to the beach most mornings and I take him to the dog park each evening after work. He is still running around with his L plates on when it comes to playing with the other dogs. He just doesn't get it quite yet. The best play he has had was when we bumped into another Hungarian Viszla puppy. a female only two weeks older than Oskar which was perfect in terms of they were equal size and neither really new how to be nasty. They romped around and chased each other for over an hour. Yesterday at the dog park, a fiesty little Maltese terrier became his playmate for most of the visit. They got on well. Oskar doesn't like it when the bigger dogs come near him, he is really unsure still as to what to do. He is getting more and more confident, but he is still quite wary when they are around. Now people, that's a different story. He will spend just as much time soliciting pats of the other dog owners as he will seeking playmates.

His behaviour is still pretty damn good. Hasn't been destructive, is generally very obedient and does what is asked and the sandpit stops the garden digging for the most part. He helps in the garden too, without him even knowing it. If the grass around our patio starts edging over the concrete, he will pull it up and chew it. Awesome, saves me doingthe edges along that section of the lawn!!!

Here is a pic I took last week when he was playing in his sandpit. It's a crappy mobile phone pic, but it wouldn't really matter as he is hard to pin down still for a second when he is in the sandpit. he digs and plays constantly and too fast to get a focus on him.

[Stace]

He is growing up to be a strapping lad

[Glen]

He's getting tall mate. Bet he can't walk under your outdoor chairs now

[MickLC]

Looking at those paws, he's still got a bit of growing to do too

[Jonno]

He is growing quick, to big for a lap dog yet?

[Strika]

Glen, nope, hasn't been able to do that since a few days after you left.

Mick, that's exactly what everyone says when they see him. His dad was a larger Vizsla and his mum medium-large, as Vizslas go. So we are expecting him to be a bigger one. Not what we originally intended, we wanted a small-medium sized Vizsla, but his mum and dad had all the physical attributes we wanted, or the look as well as having very relaxed temperaments.

Jonno, I tried last night to put him on my lap, but it's like trying to hold a rhino on a postage stamp.......bits hanging over the sides everywhere. But he is still cute, even though he looks more dog than puppy now.

I am really very impressed with Hungarian Vizslas as a dog. They are smart, loving, loyal, inquisitive and playful. My sister said it well when she met him for the first time two weeks ago, he doesn't have a mean bone in his body.

His favourite thing to do with me at the moment is to make me Chase him with something in his mouth. A stick, a ball, a toy or even a bone, it doesn't matter. I don't try too hard and he dodges and weaves while looking cheekily over his shoulder at where I am. Eventually, he takes pity on me, let's me catch him, I throw it he goes picks it up and we start again. Did it for an hour last night before bed. He slept well last night, he had an hour on the beach in the am, and nearly two at the dog park and another hour playing chase. I slept well too, so well, I didn't feel him sneak into bed at 6am this morning....cheeky boy.

[Strika]

Just had the freakiest experience. I took Ozkar down to the dog park as usual. I was just about to leave when who I thought was Ozkar came up to me......but he had a blue collar not his red one. Then I saw Ozkar just behind me. Vizslas are rare, so I soon tracked down the owner. Long story short, we soon worked out they were brothers. His dog (Judd), was one of the pups we had a choice of. I'm glad we chose Ozkar, Judd was a nut case. Couldn't sit still. We chose wisely.

[Strika]

Oskar and his brother Judd are getting to see quite a bit of each other. Judd and his owners were at puppy school yesterday morning as well. So after puppy school, they got to play together again. He just loves playing with his brother. He seeks him out over all the other dogs and puppies in the park. He really only watns to play with him and him alone and gets a little upset and jealous if Judd starts playing with other puppies.

It must be a Vizsla thing, as he is the same with another Vizsla puppy at the beach. She is two weeks older than him, but a little smaller being a girl, so they play really well together. He just loves her and will bolt towards her as soon as he spots her on the beach. Same deal when we go to the puppy park, he runs around looking for Judd. He got a little upset the other day, as we went down there and Judd didn't come. He tried to have a play with some other puppies, then he just came over and started giving me the signal to take him home. He's funny, he can't wait to get into the park, but there also comes a point, where he can't wait to get back out either. He let's me know when he has had enough and wants to go home....!

Here is a crappy mobile phone pic of Oskar (On the left in the red collar) and his brother Judd.

[Strika]

poor little Oskar has got puppy flu! I got home last night to see a rather subdued little dog who managed a wag and a lift of the head. Then I heard him cough and thought straight away.....kennel cough. So off to the vet and she confirmed it. His symptoms are less severe as he had his vaccinations, but he is feeling pretty down. I let him sleep on the bed next to me last night,just to keep him warm. I think he appreciated it, as he didn't move all night.

I called his brother Judd's owners to warn them to keep an eye on him too, but it looks like he has it too. So both of them are going to be really pissy at not being taken to the park each night to play together. A week in isolation for Ozkar.

The vet said it's going around, so Melbournian's be warned, watch yr doggies for coughs.

[MickLC]

Bugger

Look after him mate (I know you will) that stuff's nasty

[Glen]

That's a pisser mate. Pretty cool finding his brother though.

You'll have to give him the talk about older women too

[Strika]

That's a pisser mate. Pretty cool finding his brother though.

You'll have to give him the talk about older women too

Isn't Ozzie younger than Oskar??????

[Strika]

Vizsla's being the Velcro dog, it has always been an intention to get a playmate for Ozkar at some point.

However, recent events, means I may initially have to deal with Ozkar living with Tatyana. However, I have a feeling, that over time, Ozkar will become more of a burden to her than she will derive enjoyment from. My prediction is that over time, Ozkar will spend more and more time at my place, until eventually one day, she just doesn't pick him back up.

As Ozkar is from a breeder, I had promised myself, that whatever playmate we got for him, it had to be a rescue dog. I kinda think it's my small part in ensuring an innocent animal recieves a long and happy life, rather than being put down. That gives me warm fuzzies.

Today while eating lunch, I was browsing on my phone for Vizslas, as that would be my first choice, should one come up. But Vizslas are not numerous in Oz and owners tend to give them back to the breeders for rehoming, rather than hand them into the RSPCA or such. But, while surfing, I came across a 10 month old, female German Short Haired Pointer. They, apart from colour are a very similar dog in both breeding, temperament, intelligence and energy levels. So, I gave them a call and she was still available.

So, I went around and picked Ozkar up to go and have a lok at her and if she was what I thought would be a good match for us, then introduce the two of them and see how they get along. Some dogs just don;t et along, so this was crucial for me, as even though I may not have Ozkar all the time, I know I will have him and getting along with the other animal in the house is paramount.

So, the end result was they just adored each other. It was almost an instant positivity when they me and they then just ran off together to play chasings and tug of war and wrestle!! They played as well as I have seen Ozkar play with any other dog apart from his brother, who he goes nuts for.

So, after spending a few hours with them, I made the decision the "Greta" was to come home with us!! Unfortunately, she has to be desexed prior to me bringing her home, but that will happen next week and next weekend "Greta" will be home with Ozkar and I.

I put "Greta" in inverted commas as I am not sure if that will remain her name?????? I will have to have a think about it. On one hand, it's easier for her to get her head around being trained if I stick with it, on the other hand, I am not that fond of the name and with some time could train a new name into her??? So not sure yet.

As for training, she is between 9 and 11 months old and has lived in kennels or outside all her life so far, so toilet training is going to be the first training on the agenda. Hopefully, she will be as easy as Ozkar was. (I had him toilet trained in 4 hours!!)

Here is a crappy mobile phone pic of the two of them. Interestingly enough, she is a small GSP. She is the same size as Ozkar is now and Ozkar is only 6 months old!!!