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Will a Vizsla Be Good With My Kids? Socialization & Training Explained

Nicole Cosgrove Profile Picture

By Nicole Cosgrove

vizsla running

If you have a family, it’s one of the most important questions you can ask. The Vizsla is a large dog breed, and the last thing you want to do is put your family in a potentially dangerous situation.

The good news is that while the Vizsla can be a little high-energy at times, they’re generally great family dogs. But like all dogs, they need a little training, and each dog will have its own personality and temperament regardless of the breed.

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Are Vizslas Good With Kids?

There are a ton of reasons why the Vizsla is a great family dog. While they have a ton of energy, they’re incredibly affectionate and loyal, actively looking out for their family members and accepting them as one of the pack.

They’re also highly affectionate and caring, but because of their high energy levels, you still should be careful with them around smaller children. They’re not going to hurt a smaller child on purpose, but it’s not uncommon for them to accidentally knock them down.

Adding to this dilemma is their size. At 45 to 65 pounds, they’re not the smallest dogs out there, but they’re not the largest either. They don’t always accurately judge how much weight your child can handle and can knock down kids as a result.

Still, even with this characteristic, the Vizsla is a great family dog, and with a bit of training, there’s no reason they can’t hang around kids of all ages and sizes.

Finally, keep in mind that each Vizsla will have their own personality and temperament, so you should always take the time to properly acclimate both the dog and your family instead of just assuming everything will be alright because of the breed.

vizsla dog in the beach
Image Credit: martine552, Pixabay

The 5 Tips for Training Your Vizsla With Kids

When you’re trying to get the best behavior out of any dog, you need to train them. Below, we’ve highlighted a few tips you should follow when training your pup. The more tips you follow, the more likely you are to avoid any potential problems between your dogs and your kids.

1. Stay Positive

Positive reinforcement is the key to training any type of dog, and the Vizsla is no exception. You need to avoid negative reinforcement, as it only encourages your dog to hide the negative behaviors. With positive reinforcement, you can get your pup to actively avoid exhibiting these behaviors both when you’re around and when you’re away.


2. Teach Your Kids

While you need to train your dog how to act around kids, you also need to train your kids how to act around dogs. Dogs can only handle so much, and kids can easily hurt them—even with larger breeds like the Vizsla.

You need to train your kids how to interact with dogs and what is and isn’t acceptable behavior. It’s just as important as training your dog, so ensure you sit down with your kids and set clear expectations for them.

Brown-labrador-vizsla-puppy-walks-through-bush_Jared-Cook_shutterstock
Image Credit: Jared Cook, Shutterstock

3. Socialize Them Early and Often

Giving your Vizsla the opportunity to interact with kids and other dogs is one of the easiest ways to mellow out their temperament and ensure they can handle all sorts of new situations. While this isn’t always an option if you’re bringing a Vizsla into an established home, if you’re adding a baby, it is something you can do beforehand.


4. Keep Your Dog From Jumping

When your Vizsla jumps up on you, they’re not trying to hurt you, they’re just trying to show you some affection and get your attention. The problem is they’re going to try the same thing with your kids. And while you can handle a 50-pound dog jumping up on you, it’s likely to knock the kid over. If you teach your pup that it’s not okay to jump on anyone, you avoid this dilemma entirely.

Vizsla
Image Credit: Anna, Pixabay

5. Establish Ground Rules

This is important for both your dog and your kids. Your kids need to know what they can and can’t do around the dog, and the dog needs to know how to behave around the kids.

Both groups should be able to expect the proper type of behavior from the other group. When both sides are doing the right thing, it’s far less likely for you to have any problems.

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Conclusion

If you had to highlight the best family dog breed out there, the Vizsla would be pretty high on the list. Still, you don’t want to take anything for granted, so teach your kids how to behave around dogs and always schedule a meet and greet before bringing them into your home.

From there, take the time to train them so you don’t have to worry about any accidents happening in the future!


Featured Image Credit: Ivanova N, Shutterstock

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