Talk to me about Wirehaired Vizsla

[pendle]

I have had one loved him to bits. He stepped up when my lab got to old.
Kite did have health issues which was HUU crystals in his urine. Causing him to pee in his bed . He could go out for a pee and stand there for a good 10 minutes trickling out other times full flow.
I put him to sleep last year riddled with cancer.
He was 9 yrs old .
Just make sure if you get one it is Health Tested .
They like to have the last word and called the Velcro dog

 

[Scotty99]

Pictures are worth more than words.

 

[Scotty99]

Sorry, forgot to say, be very careful where you get one from. When I got Bear 11 years ago there were not many about, still mostly workers and I was still very careful.

Since then the breed has become a bit more of a fashion accessory in some circles and much more popular in show circles.

Do your homework. There are very established working breeders like Roy Bebbington at Gongos and I would not Vere away from one of those.

This^^^^^^ look at the pedigree lines and get one from good working lines. Look for low hip and elbow scores and HUU clear.

Plus one for Roy Bebbington at Gonegos and Tracy Hariss at Travizda.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Pictures are worth more than words.

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Lovely photos. Yours has the type of coat I prefer.

Do they tend to take after the parents/litter mates in coat type or do you get variation in the litter?

 

[sh1kar]

I would echo everything above. I have a Gonogos dog who is now 5. I initially trained to track and very quickly he acquired that. Did the UKDTR level 1 test when he was 10 months old

Very soft and biddable but coupled with strong prey drive

Was very puppyish till he was about 3 and still needy. Mad. And suffers badly from FOMO. Still dances round on his hind legs when excited BTW if going to get castrated then leave till v late or you trap the puppy in him

I have a lab I use for bird shooting so started taking the WHV rough shooting when he was about 3. Taught himself hunting retrieving etc. works game cover well. Will go into thick bramble but only to flush a racing certainty or retrieve

I have had a couple of health issues with him. He is a known HUU carrier. Hips and confirmation all good. He has had a couple of bouts of auto immune type thing. Bit hair loss on muzzle etc. steroids sorted. In summer he gets a sunburnt nose as so blonde but some zinc cream fixes that

He lives outside and no issues but he has company with the other dog

 

[Fosbery Holster]

My bitch is Gonegos (10 + years old) and my previous bitch was Gonegos (12 months old).
See #16

 

[Scotty99]

Lovely photos. Yours has the type of coat I prefer.

Do they tend to take after the parents/litter mates in coat type or do you get variation in the litter?

Great question. There can be huge coat variations within the same litter and difficult to tell when they are very young pups when it’s time to chose yours. If they have a smooth looking russet brown coat they’re probably going to turn out like mine. If they have a more sandy coloured coat with several longer curly hairs running through it they are probably going to have a really curly coat, often referred to as “teddies” for obvious reasons. As I said there are so many variations in coat it’s difficult to predict as their adult coat is not fully developed until they are about 2 years old. Your breeder may be able to advise based on their previous litters.

If you want to know more about the breed get hold of a copy of A Dog For All Reasons by Roy Bebbington, it has a wealth of info on the breed and is a great read anyway. It’s unavailable on Amazon at the moment, but Roy Bebbington at Gonegos kennels may have them. I got a signed copy from Roy directly.

Good luck.

 

[Scotty99]

Will go into thick bramble but only to flush a racing certainty or retrieve

Absolutely. As you know they are very intelligent and with great air scenting noses. They’ll only get into the thick stuff when their nose tells them there‘s a bird to flush or one to retrieve. They leave the “crash through every bit of cover” routine for the spaniels.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Absolutely. As you know they are very intelligent and with great air scenting noses. They’ll only get into the thick stuff when their nose tells them there‘s a bird to flush or one to retrieve. They leave the “crash through every bit of cover” routine for the spaniels.

Ah, very much like my lab/GWP bitch. For a while when she was young I feared she had no interest in hunting. It turned out she just has no interest in hunting when she knows there's nothing to be found!

 

[Selous]

My HWV is now about 20 months of age and he has an excellent nose for deer and readily ground and air scents. I don’t use him on birds but I know he would do so if I so desired. I think as a breed that they tend to mature more slowly than Labs but compared to my other dogs he has much greater prey drive but not as extreme as some of the GWPs I have come across. They tend to work closer to the handlers which for me is great as I don’t like dogs to clear off on their own agenda. Most of the time they live up to the Velcro Vizsla title! We have found ours is fussy with his food and therefore struggles to put weight on and he does feel the cold. I got mine from @rhys9tt and he does take health testing very seriously.

 

[308tikka]

My HWV is now about 20 months of age and he has an excellent nose for deer and readily ground and air scents. I don’t use him on birds but I know he would do so if I so desired. I think as a breed that they tend to mature more slowly than Labs but compared to my other dogs he has much greater prey drive but not as extreme as some of the GWPs I have come across. They tend to work closer to the handlers which for me is great as I don’t like dogs to clear off on their own agenda. Most of the time they live up to the Velcro Vizsla title! We have found ours is fussy with his food and therefore struggles to put weight on and he does feel the cold. I got mine from @rhys9tt and he does take health testing very seriously.

Out of interest is it breed or individual specific with food fussiness?

My terrier kills anything with glee when allowed, but will not and has never eaten any raw food.Must be cooked, kibble is untouched unless mixed with egg and/or gravy. She is stubborn enough to starve as well. When I retire from current hob was considering a HWV.

 

[Selous]

Out of interest is it breed or individual specific with food fussiness?

My terrier kills anything with glee when allowed, but will not and has never eaten any raw food.Must be cooked, kibble is untouched unless mixed with egg and/or gravy. She is stubborn enough to starve as well. When I retire from current hob was considering a HWV.

I suspect it is just an individual thing, if he were to be given raw food he will eat but kibble he will sometimes turn his nose up at it sometimes

 

[sh1kar]

I suspect it is just an individual thing, if he were to be given raw food he will eat but kibble he will sometimes turn his nose up at it sometimes

Mine has had his fussy moments too

 

[Bowland blades]

Folks, I'd be keen to hear of your experiences with the Wirehaired Vizsla breed - I'm sure we must how've one or two enthusiasts on here although for whatever reason they don't seem to be a common sight at all.

My current dogs are 11 and 9, and I feel its time to have a serious think about what's next. Any comments on their temperament, trainability, etc. would be welcome, as would advice on where to source a decent pup, bloodlines and the like.

tend to work closer than many HPR , tend to be more interested in bird work than deer ( but you could get one the other way around) better temperament than other well known HPRs , indeed i have yet to meet a nasty one . seen more than one that would hunt and point but not interested with retrieving ( something to include early on and often i guess).
Bitches especially aint very big . dogs at 11 and 9 you need to get into another dog. Good luck and be choosy , its hard to find good pups now with prices being way over the top for most breeds imho. too many bred for no more reason than the cash , heck i took nearly a year to find the right Lab

 

[Scotty99]

Out of interest is it breed or individual specific with food fussiness?

My terrier kills anything with glee when allowed, but will not and has never eaten any raw food.Must be cooked, kibble is untouched unless mixed with egg and/or gravy. She is stubborn enough to starve as well. When I retire from current hob was considering a HWV.

I think it’s an individual trait. I have two, one is a fussy eater and one eats anything and everything and we have to monitor her weight closely.

 

[Scotty99]

I thought I’d add this. One of mine on a hard point on a rabbit in cover this morning, while we were out for our morning constitutional. They never switch off.

 

[sh1kar]

The lion
It’s in here dad
Who’s this useless git next to me

 

[mudman]

allrounders

 

[308tikka]

This is such a pleasant thread.

What are they like with other dogs-especially what I would call badly trained dicks, both owners and dog?

 

[Feugh]

This is such a pleasant thread.

What are they like with other dogs-especially what I would call badly trained dicks, both owners and dog?

When we picked up our pup we were specifically told to watch her with other dogs because vizslas seem to think that they are all friendly. Our one puts up with a lot before even growling. She was attacked by a couple of terriers recently, losing a wee chunk of ear as a result, and just hid behind my wife. Don’t know if it’s just mine who is such a wimp but suspect not. So, we keep her away from dogs that look aggressive for her own good.
Just to expand on vizslas and their food- they are very different to a lab. We will fill her bowl after her walk but she may not get around to eating it for several hours. When she does she will pick up a mouthful at a time and wander away from her bowl to eat it. Vizslas are just a bit different!