Why did I breed our Vizsla?

Bailey and Sophie doing the courtship dance.

I am not a professional dog person by any means.  I have never taken a husbandry class.  My thoughts on breeding are just from a guy who has fallen in love with the Hungarian Pointer and my desire to see the breed stay strong.

The Hungarian Pointer, Vizsla, with its rich 1,000-year history filled with glory and tragedy fascinates me.

At one of the earliest field trials that I ever attended, a judge called down from her horse.

"Handler, you have a good dog there.  I don't judge a Vizsla on how well it does against other Vizslas.  I judge a Vizsla against all pointing breeds.  That is the standard you should reach for.  To win against the best of the best." 

He placed second that day in the derby stake.

At 8 months old Bailey scored a perfect 112 at the Natural Abilities Test put on by the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association.

I think he is a great Vizsla.  I hoped, one day, to breed him to a very good female.  He is a strong athlete with a great temperament and has excellent hunting skills.

If we had chosen to give Bailey over to a professional handler to stay and train full time, he would be a field champion in short order.  This is according to knowledgeable friends.

Before breeding Bailey to Sophie, her owner and I talked as we walked the two dogs up in the hills together.  We were checking the dogs out and the dogs were doing the same.

We printed out the genealogy charts of both dogs going back five generations. We then asked some of the most knowledgeable people in the Northern California Vizsla world to look over the charts. 

I would never had known how all the parts of the breeding puzzle would have gone together without their input.   It was quite interesting to watch as they looked and made comments on Vizsla names on the two charts going back decades.  There were certain things they were looking for as they scanned the names.

They saw this breeding couple as a very good match.

We then proceeded to breed the dogs.  Here is the post from February 5, 2011:

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/02/natures-mating-dance.html


So, in three weeks Sophie is expecting to whelp the litter she and Bailey created.  I am excited.

The chances are excellent that they will be healthy.  We would expect them to also be physically and mentally ready to be good hunters. 

The genes and tests all point to some great pups.

I asked myself about who should get a Bailey pup?  I would hope for an owner who wants to get out everyday, rain or shine, and let the pup grow into their best friend and hopefully hunting partner.

 (I had never hunted before I got Bailey and now do it to watch this great creature do what comes naturally, but trained to be a team member with me.)

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but the moments that take our breath away."

It makes me proud to be a part of improving the Vizsla breed here on the West Coast.  That is quite a reward in itself.