Looking for a good Vizsla breeder [Archive] - The Michigan Sportsman Forums

rmw

06-01-2007, 11:14 PM

I just had to put my Vizsla down a couple of days ago . IMO he was the best dog I ever had "temperament/companionship" so I am now looking for another one . I am interested in a HEALTHY male pup to be a pet and grouse dog in the fall . I have no interest in show or field trials or breeding . So I am primarily looking at health and temperament a couple white patches are not a big concern . I have been told that on point in Canada is good . I have also heard there are breeders in Linwood and Freeland "close to home for me" . I will not go back to the breeder I used before because my dog had thyroid problems and allergy problems so he was on thyroid pills his whole life and allot and antibiotics when he would break out bad . I feel this contributed to his dying earlier than would have been necessary at 11yrs . If you do not want to post please PM me with your good and bad experiences . I have contacted the VCA to see what they have to say but am trying to make the most informed decision I can to get a healthy well mannered pup

festeraeb

06-02-2007, 11:10 AM

sorry to hear about your V. Onpoint has some nice dogs. i will send you a pm with some local breeders. However I am sure there are people on here that can tell you more than I about certain breedings

lowavenger96

06-02-2007, 11:33 AM

Mike will take over from here!!!:lol:

NEMichsportsman

06-02-2007, 01:47 PM

Sorry to hear about the loss of your dog.

BarryPatch

06-02-2007, 03:58 PM

That really sucks. I lost my boy a few months ago. I bought my newest V pup from Michel Berner. She's a bit of a twerp (the puppy) at almost 5 mo. but otherwise outstanding. Michel is thorough about health testing. I've bought dogs from three different breeders and she was the most through. VCOI is a good place to start.

http://www.vizslaclubofillinois.org/BreederDirectory.htm

Good luck

FSHHNTR

06-02-2007, 06:42 PM

rmw

06-02-2007, 08:03 PM

Thanks for the offer but I like the version with the crew cut

jimmyjette14

06-02-2007, 09:41 PM

Thanks for the offer but I like the version with the crew cut

good one.
sorry to here about and early retirement

redvdog

06-02-2007, 10:47 PM

might you be interested in wirehaired viszla? If you are I know a competent breeder in Midland who lives and breathes these dogs. great lines! I have hunted with them and am very impressed with their water work, tracking , and bird work. I know he has a litter coming in a couple weeks although I am sure the pups are already spoken for. pm me if you would like his info. Hope it helps I know what losing a good dog feels like. Sorry to hear about yours.

I will second the wire-haired Vizslas if you do not mind a slower working, softer dog. My first HWV is 16 weeks old and I will say although I have had smooths for over 11 years I will never have another after owning this girl. You should check them out..

There is a litter due this summer (yes from Midland) listed here on Vidor Vizslas site. She also has a Feb. 2008 litter planned. http://www.wirehairedvizslas.com/

rmw

06-02-2007, 11:09 PM

So is the big difference just the coat ? Or are they intentionally bred to be a softer dog

redvdog

06-02-2007, 11:29 PM

So is the big difference just the coat ? Or are they intentionally bred to be a softer dog

Differences:
Coat (correct coat is seen on that site), calmer, more natural guard ability.

They were bred to be able to handle hunting in the colder weather and water better then their smooth cousins.

I should have clarified what I meant by softer...
This is not a breed for force training or e-collar training.
No, they were not bred to be a softer dog but being that they are still new to America they are far more like the smooths in Europe are. Calmer, softer, and a close hunting dog.

WHViz

06-02-2007, 11:38 PM

So is the big difference just the coat ? Or are they intentionally bred to be a softer dog

And I might add, they have more "bone and substance", and are larger than their smooth cousins. Just look like "more dog" when you see one in person.

FSHHNTR

06-03-2007, 09:05 PM

And I might add, they have more "bone and substance", and are larger than their smooth cousins. Just look like "more dog" when you see one in person.'

Like you said they are more dog and can handle a more diverse set of hunting situations than the smooth coat. Much easier temperment to deal with as they don't seem to be so wound up all the time. If I didn't just get a drahthaar I would be into a whviszla. In fact I may get one in a couple of years when my new pup gets a little older.

BarryPatch

06-04-2007, 07:49 AM

Just look like "more dog" when you see one in person.

Sort of like how an afro makes you look taller. :D

FSHHNTR

06-04-2007, 07:47 PM

Sort of like how an afro makes you look taller. :D

I sense a little "sibling rivalry" between owners of smoothcoat and wirehaired viszlas.....maybe?

redvdog

06-04-2007, 10:42 PM

Here's some examples of the difference in "bone and substance" ..

Left: 5yo Field Trial bred Smooth Vizsla
Right: HWV at 15 weeks old
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/Redv/a5-22-07014.jpg

Left:11yo Dual bred Smooth Vizsla
Right: Same WHV as above at only 13 weeks.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/Redv/a5-5-07017-1.jpg

As you can see even at 13 wo Breeze (HWV) has more bone and mass then her 2 sister dogs.

As far as rivalry goes...none here. I have owned & rescued smooths for a long time. Love the breed, but after 2 with health issues and not liking were I see the breed going I felt it was time for a change. Not to mention I was out voted 3 to 1 by the family...they wanted a calmer breed this time around.

WHViz

06-05-2007, 12:39 AM

, but after 2 with health issues and not liking were I see the breed going I felt it was time for a change. Not to mention I was out voted 3 to 1 by the family...they wanted a calmer breed this time around.

Amen to that!! Having owned both smooth and wire...ain't no turning back for me!

SteelSearchin

06-05-2007, 07:28 AM

...Love the breed, but after 2 with health issues and not liking were I see the breed going I felt it was time for a change. Not to mention I was out voted 3 to 1 by the family...they wanted a calmer breed this time around.

Huh?

Calm dog, even temperament, good bone structure, stumbles on the occasional grouse/phez/mallard . . . mine must be a fluke of nature (or he's got a really good barber)! ;)

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/544/Birthday_Grouse.JPG

As many here have mentioned over and over again, there’s often more variation within a breed than from breed to breed. Find healthy parents that you like the looks of and fit your needs in the field and in the house. Do all you can to stack the deck in your favor. There are lots of field proven Vs in the US and Canada that don’t look like a four-legged Paris Hilton. Are there a bunch of pocket-rocket 35#ers running field trials? Sure, they’re out there! But if that’s not what you want, why buy a pup from them? Like I mentioned in my PM, it’s possible to find a great vizsla will fit your needs without too much effort. Just put in a little leg work on the phone and have a little patience.

I’ve watched both wired and smooth Vs in both hunting and social settings, and I can’t say that curly hair did anything but give the owners something to talk about. Are there good ones out there? Sure, same as any other dog. Are there hyper, lazy, ugly, short, fat, tall, bla bla bla… smooth coats out there? Sure, but the same can be said for pointers, setters, brits, griffs, labs, GSPs, GWPs, Weims, etc etc etc…

Best of luck in your search for a new puppy, regardless of the paint job or afro tendencies, and post up some pics when you finally get one!

-tom

redvdog

06-05-2007, 08:57 AM

Curly hair? Shouldn't be curly...lol

As far as health goes..Yes, by all means buy from health tested parents no matter what breed you purchase and do your research far beyond asking a few people on this list. With research you can atleast feel you did all you could to get a dog who may be free of the problems we can test for (as I did with mine). As for the problems we can not test for (auto-immune, cancer, epi, etc...) ask around, email people who own dogs from the same line you may find some who will pass any information to you.

Are there nice smooths out there? Yes, Tec has a very nice bitch from a wonderful honest breeder. Just have to look, listen to many people from all sides of the breed, and drive to get one.

Tom in case the below was to me~
Are there a bunch of pocket-rocket 35#ers running field trials? Sure, they’re out there! But if that’s not what you want, why buy a pup from them?

I didn't buy her but felt she had served enough years in her wood box that she deserved a chance to live "the good life". I will say in hindsight I am glad she failed OFA since sending a return pup back would have killed me.

vizslaboy

06-05-2007, 10:45 AM

If you have any doubt, I would invite you to come and watch my dogs work. Afro or not you will be impressed. If you like a dog that can handle cold, has great temperment, bigger bone (not hair) structure, and the hunt drive of a maniac you will like the wire over the smooth. When I got my Wired V I was looking for a smooth, you could not talk me into going with a smooth after owning a wire. If interested come on out to the field, I will put my money where my mouth is.

Double Gun

06-05-2007, 10:57 AM

BarryPatch

06-05-2007, 11:09 AM

This thread is getting dumb. :help:

My dog is better than your dog - you all should have accepted that by now.

SteelSearchin

06-05-2007, 11:54 AM

...
Tom in case the below was to me~
Are there a bunch of pocket-rocket 35#ers running field trials? Sure, they’re out there! But if that’s not what you want, why buy a pup from them?

I didn't buy her but felt she had served enough years in her wood box that she deserved a chance to live "the good life". I will say in hindsight I am glad she failed OFA since sending a return pup back would have killed me.

Nope- I'm just saying that Vs are like any other breed out there- there's good ones, bad ones, pretty ones and ugly ones. I don't know you or your dogs, but to say a whole breed is headed in the wrong direction based on individual dogs/breeders/regions/etc can be said about just about any breed. IMHO those things can be quickly overcome by doing a little research and finding exactly what you want.

When's Pat-hunter going to chime in and admit he's still looking for a V pup too!?!?! :yikes:

BarryPatch

06-05-2007, 12:37 PM

http://rmlucas.com/BONESUBSTANCE.jpg

It looks like Izzo's got it all. ;)

vizslaboy

06-05-2007, 03:36 PM

No as a matter fact I have not owned a smooth V, however I started hunting behind gundogs when I was first able to walk. About ten years ago I started to train them myself. I have both hunted and trained many smooths. I want to be clear, I am not cutting down the smooths at all. If you look at my previous post, I said I had set out to buy one when I ended up getting a wired V. My point is, this is a breed that many have not hunted behind or trained and my door is open to take one for a test drive for any responsible hunter who wants to learn about a new breed that is really growing in popularity. As the owner of several wired v's I have and will continue to promote this breed and be willing to share any information about it. The facts I mentioned are not at all derogatory to the smooth breed. They are simply facts.

Steelheadfred

06-05-2007, 04:23 PM

http://rmlucas.com/BONESUBSTANCE.jpg

It looks like Izzo's got it all. ;)

Dont kid yourself he tree sluiced those birds.:lol:

TOMMY OMG your alive? Whats up brother?

BarryPatch

06-05-2007, 04:33 PM

The facts I mentioned are not at all derogatory to the smooth breed. They are simply facts.

No, they are your opinions - except perhaps the "bigger boned" part which might be objectively measured. Not that "bigger boned" is necessarily positive or means much of anything.

You should fill out your profile so eveyone knows where your comming from.

Tecumseh

06-05-2007, 06:50 PM

I agree with BP that this thread has made me even more stupid than I was five minutes ago when I started reading it. It doesn't matter what dog you have as long as you get the one you want. To say breedx has this, that, and whatever and breedz doesn't is kind of short sighted. Smooths have just as much variation as any other pointing breed so it is impossible to throw out broad generalizations with any accuracy.

Tom, great picture of Izzo. I really like his head. Here are a few pictures of my bitch who also has a considerable bone structure. I figure I'll use this thread as a chance to post pics.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l92/uplandvizslas/vcmspringtrial001.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l92/uplandvizslas/PiquaFairgroundsShow1.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l92/uplandvizslas/4-13.jpg

WHViz

06-06-2007, 10:23 PM

I’ve watched both wired and smooth Vs in both hunting and social settings, and I can’t say that curly hair did anything but give the owners something to talk about.

Best of luck in your search for a new puppy, regardless of the paint job or afro tendencies
-tom

Huh? Curly Hair? Afro tendencies? What kind of Vizsla was that? Just for those who have not seen a Wirehaired Vizsla, I'll post a pic of one of mine to clarify your description of them. (Besides, it gives me a good excuse to post one too, just like Tec);)

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z23/CarolynD_2007/DSCN6179.jpg

pporonto

06-07-2007, 09:01 PM

Mike will take over from here!!!:lol:

yeah, good point... Mike what about those onpointe breeders?

ScottSki

06-12-2007, 09:09 PM

Stonepoint or Stonebrook kennels ? her name is Sue, she's with NAVDA

rmw

06-13-2007, 03:51 PM

I just want to say thanks to everyone for there help/suggestions . I have talked with allot of people on this forum and others . Plus people I have met thu having a vizsla . I ended up going with owners opinions of what breeder to go with as not many breeders had much good to say about each other . I have the new pup home right now we have already seen the vet and everything has checked out well . Gotta go he is trying to tear the house apart right now

Tecumseh

06-13-2007, 05:04 PM

Congrats. Hopefully you will post a few pictures.:)

rmw

09-07-2007, 08:46 PM

I just figured out how to post pics
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/DSC00761.JPG

His name is Max . great dog so far
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/DSC00792.JPG

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/DSC00882.JPG

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/DSC00738.JPG

rmw

09-07-2007, 09:00 PM

A few more
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/DSC00895.JPG

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/DSC008641.JPG

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/DSC00869.JPG

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/DSC00888.JPG

Tecumseh

09-07-2007, 11:11 PM

Looks like he's on his way to becoming a fine hunting dog.

OHIO VIZSLA

09-10-2007, 11:25 AM

Sorry to hear of your loss, it's always tough to lose a good dog.

You've already picked out the right breed for you, now it's breeding, breeding, & breeding. I looked all around when I replaced my last Vizsla. Everything from show people, who said they were natural hunters @ $400 but no field titles, to AKC top field lines @ $1500. You get what you pay for.

Try Jim Busch (815-335-7673) in Winnebago Ill. for your next Vizsla. I picked one up from him in May of 06. Jim's been breeding & AKC trialing for over 40 years. He always has 2 or 3 of the top 10 Vizslas every year. I talked to On Point kennels as well when I was looking. They are also very good (#1 Vizslas in N America).

It was a toss-up for me who to go to. I'm from Cleveland & both were an 8 hr drive from me. Jim had more access to pups. He does alot of match-making with dogs he doesn't own, but has an interest in.

The dog I got last year was pointing woodcock at 5 months old, retrieving ducks, from water, at 6 months, and pointing & retrieving pheasants at 7 months. I ran him in 3 NSTRA trials @ 11 months. That was a first for both of us. At the last trial, we ran against the #1 dog in Ohio (#6 in US) & split 2 & 2. He's the real deal!

Good luck on your search,
John