Talk to me about Wirehaired Vizsla

[SimpleSimon]

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.

 

[mudman]

Cuddly, daft, all rounders.

easily trained, want to please, biddable.

do not like thorns or bramble, but will go in if they have to, ie for a retrieve or a track, but not for fun like a spaniel.

 

[Andyquadra]

Think @sh1kar has one

 

[SimpleSimon]

Cuddly, daft, all rounders.

easily trained, want to please, biddable.

do not like thorns or bramble, but will go in if they have to, ie for a retrieve or a track, but not for fun like a spaniel.

Sounds good so far... An easy to train all-rounder is what I'm after really.

 

[sh1kar]

I will respond. As does @NigelM

 

[unicorn71]

I have 2 , 1 is used purely for deer as she believes birds are beneath her, the other is a all rounder, both are very biddable soft and love everyone. They have both been very easy dogs to live with and train .There does some to be a size difference in some of the lines , my first bitch is around 18kg while the second from french lines is around 35 kg but still thinks she is a lap dog.

 

[Malxwal]

@Feugh

 

[NigelM]

I will respond. As does @NigelM

I lost mine in October ‘21.

He was bloody brilliant, the dog of a lifetime. I taught him nothing other than to walk to heel and stop & stay. The rest was all instinct, pointing fur & feather, tracking, he just got on with it as if he knew what he was doing. Brilliant in the home, a bit needy but that was fine.

When I had to replace him I thought hard about what I didn’t like. There wasn’t a lot, but he was a bit soft, hated rain and didn’t cope well with the cold. He was also very nervous around strange people and dogs which came out as mild aggression that never resulted in a problem but he did scare the **** out of people on a regular basis.

I didn’t want another HWV as I didn’t want to compare another dog to Bear, so I looked for something that was essentially very similar but would be more hardy and more confident. I got a GWP.

He’s 17 months now. Jury still out. I definitely got all I asked for, he’s very hardy and very confident, I just hadn’t banked on the incredible prey drive that comes with it. He’s been stalking at heel since about 9 months. We’ve shot 30 odd deer together. He is indicating deer well and tracking very well. We are up to the moors this spring for counting and pointer training and if that goes to plan we will be shooting grouse over him this season. But he is bloody turbo charged and you have to be on him the whole time. If I can tame the beast he will be a better dog than the HWV, but it will have been a lot tougher getting there.

So to my mind, whilst the GWP can potentially be a better dog the HWV will get to 90% with a lot less stress and training. I’m young enough (just) to be very happy with my choice and the challenge, but if I was 10 years older or didn’t have the hours to put in I would go for another HWV without hesitation.

Hope that helps.

 

[Discopete]

I have a 10 month old Bryantscroft bitch. She is the softest most submissive dog I have ever seen. She will be used solely for deer, she is already interested in dead deer but doesn’t seem to interested in the live version at the minute.
She has a bit of a stubborn streak which I think I am getting through.

 

[Discopete]

I lost mine in October ‘21.

He was bloody brilliant, the dog of a lifetime. I taught him nothing other than to walk to heel and stop & stay. The rest was all instinct, pointing fur & feather, tracking, he just got on with it as if he knew what he was doing. Brilliant in the home, a bit needy but that was fine.

When I had to replace him I thought hard about what I didn’t like. There wasn’t a lot, but he was a bit soft, hated rain and didn’t cope well with the cold. He was also very nervous around strange people and dogs which came out as mild aggression that never resulted in a problem but he did scare the **** out of people on a regular basis.

I didn’t want another HWV as I didn’t want to compare another dog to Bear, so I looked for something that was essentially very similar but would be more hardy and more confident. I got a GWP.

He’s 17 months now. Jury still out. I definitely got all I asked for, he’s very hardy and very confident, I just hadn’t banked on the incredible prey drive that comes with it. He’s been stalking at heel since about 9 months. We’ve shot 30 odd deer together. He is indicating deer well and tracking very well. We are up to the moors this spring for counting and pointer training and if that goes to plan we will be shooting grouse over him this season. But he is bloody turbo charged and you have to be on him the whole time. If I can tame the beast he will be a better dog than the HWV, but it will have been a lot tougher getting there.

So to my mind, whilst the GWP can potentially be a better dog the HWV will get to 90% with a lot less stress and training. I’m young enough (just) to be very happy with my choice and the challenge, but if I was 10 years older or didn’t have the hours to put in I would go for another HWV without hesitation.

Hope that helps.

I have the done the complete opposite to you. I lost my 9 year old GWP Jan 22, now got a young HWV.
I reckon I have got an easier ride than you at the minute, although I will have another GWP one day as a trained one on deer take some beating.

 

[NigelM]

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.

 

[stalker 79]

This is my wire haired Vizsla x pointer, great on deer…just turned 2 this month, I also have a smooth haired Viszla thats just a general all round game shooting dog..

 

[SimpleSimon]

I have 2 , 1 is used purely for deer as she believes birds are beneath her, the other is a all rounder, both are very biddable soft and love everyone. They have both been very easy dogs to live with and train .There does some to be a size difference in some of the lines , my first bitch is around 18kg while the second from french lines is around 35 kg but still thinks she is a lap dog.

I think I met one of your bitches a few years ago?
You very kindly invited me out to look for a munty and do a bit of rough shooting. Although if I remember rightly neither of us managed to shoot anything that particular day... Which is my usual luck!

Interesting to note the size difference... 35kg is a lot of dog! I bet she's got some power with it though.

 

[SimpleSimon]

I lost mine in October ‘21.

He was bloody brilliant, the dog of a lifetime. I taught him nothing other than to walk to heel and stop & stay. The rest was all instinct, pointing fur & feather, tracking, he just got on with it as if he knew what he was doing. Brilliant in the home, a bit needy but that was fine.

When I had to replace him I thought hard about what I didn’t like. There wasn’t a lot, but he was a bit soft, hated rain and didn’t cope well with the cold. He was also very nervous around strange people and dogs which came out as mild aggression that never resulted in a problem but he did scare the **** out of people on a regular basis.

I didn’t want another HWV as I didn’t want to compare another dog to Bear, so I looked for something that was essentially very similar but would be more hardy and more confident. I got a GWP.

He’s 17 months now. Jury still out. I definitely got all I asked for, he’s very hardy and very confident, I just hadn’t banked on the incredible prey drive that comes with it. He’s been stalking at heel since about 9 months. We’ve shot 30 odd deer together. He is indicating deer well and tracking very well. We are up to the moors this spring for counting and pointer training and if that goes to plan we will be shooting grouse over him this season. But he is bloody turbo charged and you have to be on him the whole time. If I can tame the beast he will be a better dog than the HWV, but it will have been a lot tougher getting there.

So to my mind, whilst the GWP can potentially be a better dog the HWV will get to 90% with a lot less stress and training. I’m young enough (just) to be very happy with my choice and the challenge, but if I was 10 years older or didn’t have the hours to put in I would go for another HWV without hesitation.

Hope that helps.

Thanks Nigel for the info. I'm surprised to hear he was soft in the cold and the rain, I imagined the Wires would be that bit hardier than the smooth type (smooths never look to me as if they have nearly enough fur on them!). I notice there's a lot of variation in cost type as well, some are really wooly looking whereas others have a coarser sort of look. I wouldn't want a very hairy one...

To be honest the idea of a slightly less confident, "softer" dog is appealing if that's a breed trait rather than just the individual dog. I'd most likely look for some help with the more HPR orientated parts of the training...

 

[SimpleSimon]

I have a 10 month old Bryantscroft bitch. She is the softest most submissive dog I have ever seen. She will be used solely for deer, she is already interested in dead deer but doesn’t seem to interested in the live version at the minute.
She has a bit of a stubborn streak which I think I am getting through.

Still a baby at 10 months I suppose. Do you happen to know if the rest of the litter or other Bryantscroft dogs are as soft? I don't want a complete wimp, but to be honest a lot of the time a dog that's a bit less confident would probably suit me and be better for my blood pressure

 

[Fosbery Holster]

My advice to the OP if you definitely decide on a HWV insist on a money back guarantee that the chosen blood line has no major health problems, l didn’t get a guarantee and mine has problems.

 

[Bigron321]

I have one, and wouldn’t be without him. He’s 40kg and takes in ground on the moor or hill with ease and power.
He’s also incredibly soft!
But, I’d never doubt his nose he’s never let me down. He’s proven my 4 spaniels wrong on multiple occasions.
He’s my best mate and as happy trotting next to me as he is working a grouse moor.
I also like others have a GWP, which is just a different kettle of fish altogether. She is an out an out destroyer/murderer/devil incarnate. But again, would not be without her.

 

[Feugh]

I have a bitch from Roy Bebbington at Gonegos in Yorkshire and if I were to get another I would go there or Culdrein up near Gairloch. Both breeders work their dogs extensively.
Our one is 5 years old now and is one of the fluffier ones. She’s soft! Always wants physical contact whilst inside, if possible. She’s also soft with other dogs and thinks that everything and everyone wants to be her friend.
Most of the time she’s a family dog and fulfills that role perfectly. However, when she sees the rifle come out she’s all business. Generally whilst stalking carefully with me she stays about 1m ahead unless she smells a deer, and then she stops, points and looks around to me to see if I have noted what she is saying. It cracks me up!
When the rifle is taken off my shoulder she goes a few metres behind me because she doesn’t really like the bang. After the shot she can hardly wait to be allowed to find the carcass. She has found several that I would never have found myself.
Is she the perfect dog? No, but she’s perfect for our family. She was pretty easy to train and is keen to please. The pointing, on deer and pheasant/grouse/woodcock was just natural but I have encouraged her reactions.
Would I have another? Yes, without hesitation. Ours is fine in rain and snow. 23kg of fluff.

 

[Monty3006]

Is there much difference between good working lines of the wire and smooth vizslas? Or is it just the coat?

 

[NigelM]

Is there much difference between good working lines of the wire and smooth vizslas? Or is it just the coat?

The wire is roughly 60% Vizsla, 30% GWP and 10% Bloodhound. Quite different, bigger bodied, tend to be a bit less sensitive in general. Vizsla is a pure bird dog, HWV created when they wanted something to hunt fur as well.