Video Painting a Hungarian Pointer

Who would ever think I would sit and watch a video for 8 minutes of someone painting a dog?

What has happened to me over the last five years of owning these dogs?  
I am brainwashed I tell you.

 Double click on the video to make it full screen once it starts

 From You Tube:  Uploaded by robertarobybaer on Dec 10, 2010

"This is a commissioned painting of the beautiful, energetic Vizsla. These dogs are known for their high energy, defined muscles and trainability. I want to give credit to the owner of this dog who supplied me with a great reference photo to create this painting. I really enjoyed capturing the subtle, orange reflection in the snow just under the dog along with the beauty and grace of this breed."

What a Wonderful World - Ultimate Vizsla Video

Ok. So this may be the nicest Hungarian Pointer video I have seen.
 Hats off to Planet Vizsla for a quality presentation that I feel honored to share.

double click on the screen image to make it "full screen" once the video starts

  From You Tube:  Uploaded by PlanetVizsla on Oct 28, 2009

Sit, Stay, Relax....see what Satchmo was singing about

Hidden Treasure - Sunol Wilderness Area

My first time into Sunol - Ohlone Wilderness Area.

  Absolutely a Hidden Treasure.

About Sunol Wilderness Information

 A true dog wonderland with great walks and vistas.

 For two hours three Hungarian Pointers ran, hunted and swam in this Hidden Treasure in the East Bay Hills.

The park ranger, who mans the kiosk at the park entrance, told me that on a nice summer weekend over 200 dogs visit this park for off-leash enjoyment.  

The park opens at 8:00 am. Sunday morning there was a line of 10 cars and trucks waiting when it opened.

  An early start in the summer makes for a great hike. 

 Looking forward to exploring this hidden gem!

For other REDBIRDDOG hidden treasures use the search tab and enter: hidden treasure.

Introverts and Vizslas

Walking in the hills with Bailey and Chloe is my introvert heaven.  Maybe this is one of the reasons I am drawn to a Upland bird gun dog.  The quiet of a hunt with my dog, or the joy of a walk in the hills with dogs that do not "need" me.   I am an introvert that can function in a extrovert's world.  I appreciate the time alone in the hills more as society becomes louder and louder.

click here to watch video talk by Susan Cain:
Great talk about introverts

Quiet - A book about Introverts in Society

The power of introverts  By Susan Cain:

"At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled "quiet," it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society--from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.

Passionately argued, impressively researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. Taking the reader on a journey from Dale Carnegie’s birthplace to Harvard Business School, from a Tony Robbins seminar to an evangelical megachurch, Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects.

 She talks to Asian-American students who feel alienated from the brash, backslapping atmosphere of American schools. She questions the dominant values of American business culture, where forced collaboration can stand in the way of innovation, and where the leadership potential of introverts is often overlooked. And she draws on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to reveal the surprising differences between extroverts and introverts."

Where There Are Sheep, Wolves Will Always Thrive

American Thinker Article:

Where There Are Sheep, Wolves Will Always Thrive   

Soapbox warning: 

 This is a strongly written statement about gun control after the tragedy in Colorado.

I am against gun control.  Yes, there are evil people in the world.  Law abiding citizens should have the tools for defense.  Otherwise we are sheep in wolf territory.

This only relates to my blog because I own "Gun Dogs."  

Reality is reality.

HSUS bounty on breeders

I hold no reservation on my disdane for the H$U$ and their relentless desire to turn us into vegans and pet less human subjects.  I, for one, won't buy into the idea that they are superior to our way of life.  Let them eat their tofu cakes and create their socialist utopia.  One day we will have to make a choice and split our society into two.   They just won't let people have freedom to make their own choices. -  RBD 

"The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is now offering a $5,000 reward/bounty for tips resulting in the arrest and conviction of dog breeders.

 They have a 1-800 number on their website for anyone to call in a tip. To read more about this go to
http://www.examiner.com/article/hsus-puts-a-bounty-on-breeders

Apparently people have started posing as puppy buyers

IF someone shows up without and appointment - do not let them on your property for any reason. If they are posing as a puppy buyer ask to see their driver's license and write down the name found on the license. Ask how they got the information that you have puppies for sale. If they do not have a prior appointment with you to see puppies, ask them to leave immediately.

If you have a camera or a cell phone that takes pictures take her (or his) picture and a picture of the vehicle they are driving, if at all possible.

REMINDER - Wayne Pacelle CEO of HSUS is on record saying ALL PUPPY MILLS claim to be HOBBY breeders and all factory farms claim to be family farms...." - Author withheld to protect from H$U$ jackboots

"This is outrageous, and those of us who are reputable, responsible, caring breeders who put our hearts and souls into every QUALITY litter that we breed are being targeted just like "puppy mills". Do not be fooled by the H$U$ - their agenda is NO ANIMAL INDUSTRY OF ANY KIND. NONE. No pets. No seeing eye or hearing ear dogs. No service dogs. No riding horses. No military or law enforcement dogs. No eating meat. NOTHING. Think about the trickle down effect on the millions of related jobs.... This is AMERICA, people! NOT Stalinist Russia. All of our freedoms are at risk, including our right to own pets! "
Name withheld

Dumb Handler Error!

Handler error!  Dumb, dumb, dumb.  

Ken working with Bailey and me in April

Senior Hunt test today at Hastings Island.

Great run.  Two great points, steady to wing and shot, perfect retrieve to hand.  Only thing left for a VERY good run and pass was the honor.  

The honor is Bailey's strong talent.  He will honor from a long way off.  

Critical error: It was a 90 degree hot day in the field.  It is 10 to 20 degrees hotter at the dogs level than at my face level.  I KNOW that but forgot.  DUMB.  I had a water backpack sitting in the Jeep full of water!

Bailey's bracemate was pulled because it chased a bird so the honor had to be set up.  The judges had me hold my dog until they set up the situation with a different dog.

Bailey was hot and panting.  I had drained the small water bottle with him a bit earlier in the run.  

So after 15 minutes they got another dog and worked the
 Vizsla into the bird.  Once it went on point I released Bailey

 from about 50 yards away and directed him toward the other dog on point.  I waited for him to lock up into a honor.  I waited as he got closer and closer.  He kept going in.  Now I know he sees the dog.  WHAT!

He ran within feet of the other dog at full tilt and headed through the bird field. RIGHT TO THE WATER TUB. He jumped in and relaxed lapping at the water.  Cooling off as I came up to him. 

We were disqualified as Bailey had not honored the other dog.

I had plenty of time to take him to the water tub, that was on the edge of the bird field, before the set up was done.


In retrospect, Bailey was showing all the signs of HEAT STRESS. http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/07/dont-let-your-dog-overheat.html

 In my excitement I didn't see it.  Very good lesson Bailey taught me.  Sorry buddy.

Pro handler in Oregon cooling down his dog before brace in tub

I just laughed when I came up to him relaxing in the tub.


Bailey is smarter than I am.  Of course, I think I have known that for the last couple years.


We will try again.  The journey continues.


Footnote:  Bailey's scores from the judges:
Hunting: 8.5 Bird Finding: 9 Pointing: 9 Trainability: 8 Retrieving: 8 Honoring: 0 

A Win Finally in Senior Hunter and Bonus

On a fine Saturday July morning,in the eighth attempt at a AKC Senior Hunt test, Bailey did very well.   

I had not passed the six Master Hunt tests before I backed up a step to Senior Hunt.  I tried four times with no success.  My friend and current trainer, Ken Kuivenhoven, took Bailey for a bit this spring and got two legs of the five we need for Bailey to achieve the AKC Senior Hunt Certificate. 
 Today, it was my turn. We got through today with two great points and both times Bailey was steady to the flush and the shot.  His retrieves were fine.  We finished with a back course find of a bird.  In the "backfield" you use your blank gun as the bird flies away. 

8.8 out of a possible 10.  Very happy.

  I really enjoyed this morning.  This is a great game.  Hard as heck at times.  We try for another pass tomorrow afternoon.  It will take five passes.  

The bonus was when Bailey's off spring "Belle", who is 14-months-old, passed her first leg of "Junior Hunter."  Julie owns Belle and handled her to a pass.  Julie owns Placergold Vizslas and Bailey has sired the two last litters. 

 Belle is a great looking Hungarian Pointer and a very young good hunter.

It was a last minute choice for Julie to handle Belle.  She did wonderfully.  Here was her e-mail me tonight.

"Enjoyed today so much I am now shopping for my own pistol, and boots, and a whistle like yours, and the collar that reverses[top dog, bottom dog].What else????? I'm hooked and owe it to you. I'm not sure if you had all of it planned[me the handler] but it looks like genius to me.I truly did not have time to doubt myself, which is very good. How easy I can convince myself I can't do something is amazing. I am sorry not to have signed up for tomorrow, but did get a calendar for the future.

Good Luck tomorrow, and thank you for the vote of confidence. I KNOW Belle has it in her, she just needs to teach me. Hasn't gone but two feet away from me since our adventure." -  Julie

Julie at the start line of her and Belle's first ever Junior Hunt Test

A very good day!

Vizsla Devotion

"He (She) is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.

 You are his (her) life, love, leader.

 He (She) will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his (her) heart. 

You owe it to him (her) to be worthy of such devotion."

-Author Unknown (altered for both male and female dogs)
Quote found and used as tag line by Pippa31. Hungarian Vizsla Forum member.

Skunk 1 - Chloe 0

In a rematch between my two Red Bird Dogs and the local skunk tonight,  RBD is 0 for 2!

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/08/skunk-1-bailey-0.html

We admit that the skunk that lives in the open space above our house is superior to the two Hungarian Pointers and can bring them to tears on his terms.  

Last year it was Bailey's turn to learn to leave Pepe alone.

  Tonight was Chloe's time to test whether or not a skunk can be messed with.

I guess you can tell by the pictures below how that turned out.

Skunk Juice from Brian's place website:

http://briansplace.ynt1.com/skunk.php

1 Qt 3% hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 tsp. liquid soap

"All you need to do is wet down the dog with a hose, mix the ingredients together in a container, and then slowly pour the mixture over the dog while rubbing it into the fur. After the dog has been bathed in this solution rinse it down with the hose and the dog will be odor free. My dog weighed 90 lbs so I doubled the amounts shown above, but if you have a small to medium size animal, the recipe listed should do just fine.

Although the ingredients are not dangerous, care should obviously be taken to keep the solution out of your dog's eyes, ears and mouth. Also remember that hydrogen peroxide can bleach clothing and hair, however, my dog's fur never changed color or even faded.

Credit for this remedy goes to chemist, Paul Krebaum, of Molex Inc. in Lisle, Illinois. The above listed ingredients were published in the August 1995 issue ofPopluar Science." 

Young HSPs (Vizslas) in the Field

There are Vizslas as pets and then there are Vizslas (HSPs) as hunters. 

Bailey and his daughter Belle in the fields

 I enjoyed the company of three Vizsla owner's that wanted to get more "out in the field" and see what their gun dogs could do.

Ashley and Reuben brought out Riley ( Living the Life of Riley Blog ) and Julie brought out Belle.  Belle is one of Bailey's pups from his first litter.  Lynn came out with her senior citizen Vizsla (show champion) for the first part of the training.  She had come out to meet with Ashley and Reuben.

We started the day at eight a.m. by going to the Hastings Island club house and signing in.  I bought three birds and we went out to train in a field about a half mile away.

There were other HSP trainers and owners working their dogs in the field next to us.  At one point we had eight Hungarian Smoothcoat Pointers (Vizslas) in the fields.  Good sign for the breed.

I worked Bailey on the first bird after we parked the trucks and got the gear out.  Bailey and I are preparing for next weekend's Senior Hunt test.  Ashley, Reuben and Lynn followed along at a safe distance back.  Bailey worked the bird flawlessly and even though he had trouble finding the downed bird, did and retrieved straight back to my hand.

The rest of the two hours we worked with the two pups on a bird each and then just let them play.  At one point I had dropped my blank gun in a very large field.  We searched for it using the dogs to help. 

 Riley found it and pointed it out to Reuben who returned it to me.  Good Girl Riley!!!

I am not a trainer but did enjoy working with these pups.  It takes birds to make a bird dog.  Lots of birds.  It takes time to put all the pieces together to bring out the best in a gun dog that loves upland birds.

Four years into this Gun Dog lifestyle and I can't think of much better.

Ashley working with Riley as Belle watches

We had a bit of time at the end so I went and got one more bird for Bailey to work.  He sat in the Jeep as I walked two hundred yards to plant the bird.  My plan was to circle around a bit with Bailey and come into it after about ten minutes.  No luck.  He had watched me and made a beeline for the bird.  He had to stay on point for a few minutes as I walked over to him.  Upon the flush and the bird flew away, I thought I had missed the bird.  It flew about a quarter mile and then dropped to the ground suddenly.  I sent Bailey for the retrieve.  A couple minutes later he arrived back to me with the bird and handed it to me.  Good Boy Bailey.

Belle watches as Riley retrieves a small bird shaped "bumper"

And so goes another Sunday morning out in the fields working with dogs.  The Oakland A's are playing today in Oakland.  In days past I might have made the drive out to the game. Being a baseball and football spectator was part of many weekend activities. 
   Now after Sunday morning in the field it is a good Sunday afternoon nap.

Life's good.

Independence Day 2012

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." Ronald Reagan

40th president of US (1911 - 2004)

First they came…" is a famous statement attributed to pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group. 

"First they came for the Communists,

 and I didn’t speak up,

 because I wasn’t a Communist.

 Then they came for the Jews,

 and I didn’t speak up,

 because I wasn’t a Jew.

 Then they came for the Catholics,

 and I didn’t speak up,

 because I was a Protestant.

 Then they came for me,

 and by that time there was no one

 left to speak up for me."

On my right breast is one tattoo.  The only one I have and I got it three years ago ( Man did it hurt!).  It is a artistic attempt at a ragged green triangle (point down) with the number 2417 above it.

The green triangle represented "A Nazi Party criminal" and the number 2417 was assigned to my grandfather which he wore on his striped concentration camp clothing.  He died of "heart failure" in Dachau 1938.  He was 36 years old.

Freedom has to be defended. 

 The Hungarian Pointer represents how brave people can overcome insufferable hardships to save the dogs that they so truly love.  The history of the Vizsla during the 20th century is incredible.  A story well worth researching as I did.

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2010/04/history-of-vizsla.html

Many in society will easily trade security for freedom.  Freedom is not for the faint of heart.  Freedom is not food or water or anything you can touch or feel.  It will not pay your bills or make you smarter or better looking.  What good is it?

Independence Day in the United States of America should be about understanding how freedom can be saved for our children and our grandchildren.  

Rod aka RBD

The Hungarian Pointer in the Minority

The Hungarian Vizsla is a great "family dog" according to some recent articles.  Good with kids and smart.  The ability to learn many things well.

The Hungarian Pointer (same name with different effect) is loosing the battle as a strong ancient hunting dog in my part of the world. 

Here in California, there are hundreds of Vizslas that live out their lives without ever seeing a upland bird or tapping into the talents nature and excellent selective breeding had created over 1,000 years ago.

Those of us that use our dogs as hunters are in the smallest minority.

A small band of misfits (Hungarian Pointer Owners) mingle amongst the more dedicated German Shorthair, German Wirehair, English Pointer, and Britney owners.  The ratio of hunting owners to "pet" owners in those breeds, in relationship to the Hungarian Pointer, seems to be overwhelming in favor of hunters.  Breeders focus on the hunting talent in the lines and not on what would be considered more trivial attributes.

The Vizsla is an amazing hunter.  My wish is for those who come across this post and have ever even considered getting out into the field with your dog, that you make the effort.

  Join your local Vizsla club. Take a Hunter safety course.  Attend some field trials.  Find a trainer.

The breed needs you.  Don't we have enough lap dogs in the world?   HSUS is focusing on California.

Freedom to hunt could be gone along with freedom to carry guns.  Being in a minority is tough but I'm alright with that. 

 Freedom to _________ is much more important

 than Freedom from _______.

"We are going to use the ballot box and the democratic process to stop all hunting in the United States ... We will take it species by species until all hunting is stopped in California. Then we will take it state by state."

Wayne Pacelle, Senior VP Humane Society of the US (HSUS)