A Vizsla loving to swim in the American River

Just east of Sacramento the American River flows smoothly west out of the mountains.

We spent about two hours along this clear flowing river and let Chloe swim to her heart's content.

Rafters floated by as Chloe swam after her ball.

Below, if you look closely, you'll see Chloe out in the middle current.

 

Vizsla Kennel Names

Vizslas are a fairly rare breed. 

You hardly ever see them. 

So, there must not be many breeders or kennels, right?

Well Skip Wonnell made up a quick kennel name list earlier in the week.

These are just North American kennels.

Our little Chloe is almost three.

all I could think of...


anderson


annian


arsla


auburn


barben


bayview


barktalk


berry


bayview


behi


bitteroot


bk


boulder


blackwood


blazin


blossom


bravo


broadrun


burr oak


brylynn


cameo


camarily


carillon


cayenne


cazar


cedrus


charlotte


cherokee


chelcee


chimera


chip


cinnabar


cliffside


ck


comynara


copper creek


coppersage


crimson


csardas


csillag


d'nd

dawnacres


daybreak


derby


desert storm


diamond lake


dobrocrat

dodge city


dream weaver


dry creek


durite


egri


elgin


equinox


everedi


everwhen


faczan


fieldfire


fieldstone


fieldway


flowerstep


foxglove


gold run


golden empire


goldstar


grousebend


heartland


hannagold


highfield


highlander


hi-weyer


hillbillie


hodog


hilldale


homeagain


homerun


hunter


huntmore


islandtime


j&j


j&c


jager


jakra


jazzberry


jnek


kal-cam


keeton


keystone


kick em up


king o'the fields


kiralyi


kitchen


kivalo


kizmar


koppertone


krackerjack


lagniappe


lakeside


lakeview


lee


legacy


lightning


linden


lit'l red


linmar


longpoint


lorac


lundy


lyon


mag


mar-ed


masha


mehagian


miakoda


midan


midnight run


millstar


mira


miwok


morning sky


mtnpride


mudbone


new dawn


nitro


oakleaf


oakley


oakridge


october rust


onpoint


pajkos


paradigm


paradox


paramont


patapsco


penlee


penn-wood


pepper jack


pinnacle


piper


piroska


pirkos


pointblank


pointe blanc


poppyhill


poquito


quail point


quail quest


quillen


rajki


razn


rebel rouser


red demon


red devil


red ember


red oak


red river


reddog


redneck


redrock


redwing


regal point


remark


remek


reopoint


richie


ricochet


rimfire


rock point


rockwoods


ruby


rush creek


russet leather


saginaw


sansouci


sawmill


semper fi


shenipsit


shiloh


shotgun


sierra


sippican


sizzleville


skye hi


sleepy hollow


snow ridge


soco


starr point


stoneridge


stony lonesome


storyville


strider


sugarmint


sun up


sun rise


sunruled


sunstead


sweetwater


szikra


tailfeather


takablu


tanner


tarter


tascosa


texas red


thunder


tiber creek


tiszabec


tivoliz


tonka


triad


tinity


tru


tsavo


upfront


upwind


vadasz


valley hunter


vanguard


varazs


verity


vermillion


vetelytar


victory


viesoo


vizion


vizcaya


vitesse


voglund


voros vadasz


vue


wagworth


ward


wegler


widdershin


wildwood


willowynd


win-d


winddance


winddrift


windhill


windsong


winneshiek


winsong


woods


yahara


yubina

Field Trials and the role a horse plays

By Roxanne M. Coccia

What is a field trial?

"In a nutshell a field trial is competition to see who has the best bird dog on a given day. It's a way of showing off that dog.

 How does a horse fit into all of this? The horse is an integral part of field trials. It is traditional to use horses instead of mechanization.

 Horses and dogs frequently go together from Dalmatians that followed coaches to English Foxhounds running in front of hunter horses.

Two competitors ready to go. Both have Paso Fino. TWH in the background. The horse on the left carries a water bottle for the dog in addition to the check rope.

People who like dogs often like horses too.

 In field trials horses add something besides being a tool.

 They make you feel closer to the way things used to be and they don't make the constant noise like machines do.

And the American Kennel Club does not allow the use of mechanized vehicles for its trials.

 There is also a certain aesthetic value that they add to the field trial.

There is something very enjoyable about riding a gaited horse behind fast moving dogs out in the open.

It gives you a sense of freedom and you soon leave the office and other worldly worries behind.

Starting a Brace

You just about have to forget your worries because if you are running a dog all you attention will be needed on your dog. And especially if you want to win or place in the trial. And you need a good reliable field trail savvy horse for you to be able to get the best out of your dog."

full article found at:

http://www.gaitedhorses.net/Articles/FT/FieldTrial.shtml

The Personality of a Female Vizsla - Chloe

As "hard" as Bailey is, Chloe is "soft" in a good way.  She is not weak or timid, just soft.  This is a term often used for Vizslas and I have come to see it in our now three-year-old girl. 

In an earlier post about buying a Vizsla, the topic of the "temperament evaluation" was touched upon.

In each litter, there will be a wide range of personalities of each pup. Chloe was the "runt" of a liter of six pups.  We first saw all six pups at 4-days-old.  We had to wait until week 6 to find out that "black girl" was going to be coming home with us.  Each pup is named by it's colored collar and the breeder had to wait for the evaluation by Rita Martinez to see which pup should go to which potential new home.  This occurred at about 5 weeks old. 

Chloe's personality fit with us well.

BLACK GIRL

A busy, balanced and quick witted little girl.  Enjoy - she's going to make you laugh and pull your hair!

Attributes:

1. 
   
   Confidence:  This girl is able to self entertain and play alone as well as solicit interaction from humans.  She is not a bully, but also does not let another bully her.
2. 
   
   Agility:  She is agile and fast, watches her environment and notices motion.
3. 
   
   Activity:  This is a busy girl.  She will go until she is exhausted and then crash.
4. 
   
   Awareness: Nothing much goes unnoticed

Things to be aware of:

1. Social Skills:  She plays well within the group, but expects some respect from the others.
2. Senses: She is visually triggered.
3. Competition: She doesn't intend to be last or left out of anything.
4. Caution:  Not as cautious as I would expect the smallest and next to last whelped to be.

Recommendations:
Puppy socialization  is going to be wonderful for her.  She will gain a lot from being with other types of dogs of different sizes.  She will no doubt be shocked that others are clumsy, since she is anything but.
This is a fast little gal - able to be very good at any dog sport.  Always keep in mind that a dog is thinking as fast as it is moving.  She will keep her humans busy trying to keep up for quite awhile
Play physical and mental games with her.  She is very bright and needs to be stimulated mentally as well as physically.  She is much too aware of everything to let her be bored.  This is a girl that will self entertain and have a party of her own if left on her own.  The quickest way to calm her down will be to work with her on something that requires her to think.
Socialize her to many situations.  A dog that is this busy and aware needs to learn early to be comfortable in new places and hear new noises, etc.  To avoid that part of her training  could cause some fear sorts of opinions on her part.  Better to over-socialize than to try to explain that everything is ok later on.

Do not respond quickly to her every demand.  Let her be aware that she is not in charge of the world but you are and you are also her protector.  She won't like being dominated, but will respond nicely to being a partner.

This is a wonderful little girl with great potential.  She will definitely be inclined to ask you "why" on occasion.  Make sure you give her consistent guidelines.

Rita Martinez - August 2007

Dog Body, Dog Mind: Exploring Canine Consciousness and Total Well-Being

It's an Honor - one year later

Just a little over a year ago Bailey first worked on honoring another dog's point.  This was done in a cow field in Santa Rosa area with Joe Lanlois and his GSP Sandy.

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2009/06/its-honor.html

Now Bailey has been asked to honor another GSP during today's training.  

It is very easy to take a picture of Bailey on point these days.  He holds HARD on point.

His honors were too far away to have the GSP in the pictures.

I never get tired of seeing Bailey on point.

A Pro taking Bailey to that next level

Went out Saturday morning to Hastings Island and spent some time with Bailey and his trainer.  After a short visit in the kennel, we went out into his training field to work Bailey on some birds. 

 The weather was great.  A gentle breeze was blowing in from the west and temperatures in the mid 70's.

I am extremely pleased with my choice of trainer.

Randy, in five weeks, has taken my "derby dog" and turned him into a fledgling "field trial dog."

Bailey and Randy still have a lot of training to do.  I, in the meantime, have a tremendous amount of learning I've got to accomplish before I handle Bailey in the "big leagues."

 We now think Bailey can make it up to the caliber of competition  that he was bred for.  There is a potential champion under that strong golden russet coat, those good bright eyes and great bird scent catching nose.

These pictures do not show how steady Bailey has become to wing and shot. 

That would take a video. 

Bailey is responding very well to the training. 

It is quite the joy to watch. 

"Thursday I worked him with another dog. He honors as far away as he can see and didn't jump on any shots.

"

He continues to point birds at an ungodly distance and didn't jump on any of those shots either.

I killed a bird for him and sent him on the retrieve. He held until I sent him." - Randy.

Purchasing a Vizsla so it doesn't end up in rescue

We had the book Right Dog For You on our living room bookshelf for five years before we chose our Vizslas.

www.vizslaclub.com/Library_club/Misc/puppy mill.doc

The below article was taken from the above website (edited for clarity):

"If you are planning to purchase a Vizsla puppy for your family, there are a few things you should know and consider.

The first is words you should be aware of.

 These are Family, Loyalty, Energy, Tail, Intelligent, Patience, Persistence, Rewarding, Trying, Versatile, Love, Exercise, Creativity, Surfing, Nose, Vet Bills, Food, Toys, Bedding.

We get our fair share of Vizslas into rescue from people who had researched information on the internet, which I understand is good.

The Vizsla can be a wonderful pet.

 To clarify something, like people, all Vizsla are not created equal.

That is why a good Vizsla breeder will "temperament test" puppies and try to place them into a home that matches the test results.

Picking your own puppy from a litter is not always the best idea. Be honest when a breeder ask you questions. These questions are asked to protect you and the dog.


Taking a Vizsla into your home is a large responsibility, as their life span can be up to 15 years.

Living with one is like having a child.

 Vizslas are typically slow to mature. You could end up with a 2-year-old puppy.

They are family oriented.

Don’t stick them in the back yard and expect to have a happy life.

Don’t get one if everyone in the house is not excited about having it.

Expect the dog to be loyal and full of energy. To live peaceably with a Vizsla you must find some way to channel that energy.

The tail, while relative short, starts wagging around mid body and can unintentionally knock a small child down or deliver a series of sharp whacks to your hand or legs.

Intelligent is a common word used to describe a Vizsla. I am a firm believer there are people out there that are not smart enough to own one.

 Patience, persistence, and rewarding are words that could be used to describe the training of a Vizsla. They do not respond well to heavy-handed training, but can be quick learners. Some are very head strong.
 Watching them execute their training can be rewarding for both their master and others.

Versatile is another word used to describe a Vizsla. The breed can be used for hunting, retrieving, conformation, agility, fly ball, tracking, obedience, search and rescue, seeing eye dog, couch potato and last but not least lap dog.

While they could probably be taught to wave surf they are best suited for counter surfing.



We, as humans, sometimes have hereditary problems that are passed from generation to generation.
While many people know of their hereditary history, some choose not to pass their problems on to their descendants.
Some people only find out of hereditary problems too late and those problems are passed on to their children.

Many people, who breed animals, are in the second group of people I just described, except that they just don’t care. After they get your money any problems they have bred become your problems.




Over the years, pure-bred animals have evolved into many different lines.

 Each line depicting assets and traits admired by the breeder of that particular line.

 Although descendants from the many lines may look similar, believe me they are not.

There are thing in these lines of animals that may clash with or enhance the offspring of a breeding.

 It takes much investigation and ancestral research on a breeders part to satisfy themselves which individuals in the hereditary lines of animals are most likely to produce desired effects when bred.

Even with such research results are not always quite as desired.

What you want in a dog for your family is a loyal and loving animal that is
protective, smart and economical to care for.

While health and temperament problems are some of the problems we see in our rescue program that is not the biggest problem.

The biggest problem is the unscrupulous breeders that are the largest contributors of dogs to our rescue program.
 They will acquire several bitch puppies and in five short years will have had four litters with the bitches.
With little care and the lack of vitamin and calcium supplements for the mothers, by the end of 5 years the poor females are worn out and then they are dumped into the dog pound or worse yet dumped onto the street to fend for themselves.

This abuse of dogs will continue as long as puppy buyers continue to support this kind of activity.

 If you do your research, have patience in getting your puppy and assure yourself the breeder you pick has the welfare of the puppy at heart, you as a puppy buyer will have done the breed you pick a huge favor.

We can continue taking in and placing rescue dogs, but only you, as a puppy buyer, can stop this cruelty to animals.

Dog Blessed: Puppy Mill Survivor Stories

Some breeders, "puppy mills," are only into breeding animals for the quick and easy money to be had. They find a popular breed and systematically start to destroy that breed with complacency and lack of knowledge." 

Very interesting video from the author of the below book:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m2OE5QL4XWR58W

Saving Gracie: How One Dog Escaped the Shadowy World of American Puppy Mills