The following information was provided by the following organisations, Vizsla Health UK; * Vizsla Health UK – Immune Mediated Illness, Vizsla Sibling Finder Facebook Groups. *VHUK – IMI (Supporting life critical dogs and their families only). published on the 20th of January 2021. through the Facebook platform. This information is a must read for anyone who is considering adopting a Vizsla into their home.
This supports the process and experiences (Please see ………… Blog) when placing our puppies into loving homes
I wanted to reach as many people as possible and have kept the layout and format that was used on Facebook to promote what we think is a very informative with great links to additional information on the breed.
10 Vizsla Puppy buying process steps to help safeguard the future Health and Welfare of the breed
- Research the breed. Kennel Club, HVC, HVS, books, websites, facebook groups.
- Research health issues of the breed @ www.vizslahealth.net http://
- Look at insurance for your puppy – get the best you can as one vet visit with a suspected IM
disease can be in well in excess of £5000! - Meet with vizsla owners through HVC or HVS and local Viz whizz groups. BEFORE you meet
puppies!! - Speak to breeders (not just the one recommended someone has recommended) ask questions,
consider the questions you have been asked. Make sure your puppy will be KC registered. - Decide which breeders you would like to meet and those who are happy for you to meet with
them. Avoid if possible volume breeders and use great caution with sites like Champdogs,
Pets 4 Homes, E-Pupz, Gumtree etc - Meet, ask health questions with reference to immune mediated illness, hips, elbows, eyes, age
of parents. See both parents if possible to assess temperaments. Ask when their next litter is
due? The parents should be exceptional and not just acceptable, ask about achievements in
the ring and field. - Decide which breeder and ask to be put on a waiting list and WAIT!! Ask what deposit they will
require and ask what price they will be selling the puppies for. An ethical breeder will ask a fair
and equitable price reflective of quality, pedigree and health testing. The 2020/21 price to pay
should be between £1000-£1600. - Visit your breeder again if possible before the puppies are born and when the puppies are old
enough to have visitors. You should NEVER pay a deposit until you have seen the puppies and
are happy with the health and welfare of both mother and puppies.
a. Your breeder should be trimming the puppies nails for the welfare of the bitch and you
should continue this practice to help with biomechanics as your puppy grows into
adulthood and old age. If you don’t know how – learn or find someone who can.
b. Check to see that there are puppy packs and a supply of food, details of worming (when
and what with). Make sure you can get the same food as your breeder to keep
continuity until your puppy has settled.
c. Tell your vet that you have a new arrival and arrange a visit within the terms of your
puppy contract, usually within 2-3 days after arrival home. Check vaccinations are
compatible if your breeders vet has given the first vaccination to make sure your vet can
continue.
d. Your puppy should have breeder insurance cover for 3-6 weeks; ensure your chosen
insurance is in place before your breeder cover ends.
e. Bring your puppy home! Remember your puppy should be at least 8 weeks old!
What you need to know About the The Hungarian Vizsla
Thinking of owning a Vizsla? We can offer you advice and support to help you decide if the Vizsla is
for you. Remember they are a working gundog and need plenty of mental and physical exercise.
Learn about the history of the Vizsla, the UK breed standard, and things to consider when acquiring
your Vizsla. Both the Hungarian Vizsla Club (HVC) and Hungarian Vizsla Society (HVS) have
puppy/breeder lists and can put you in touch with experienced breeders throughout the UK. You can
also ask to meet adult dogs before you get smitten by the charms of a cute puppy. They don’t stay
like that for long and it is important that you realise what you are taking on as this is long term
commitment.
Its History
Read the History of the breed here
Breed Standards
Click on the following link to read the KC UK breed standard.
Internet/Database Searches
There are comprehensive databases available for pedigree information for the Hungarian Vizsla. The
Vizsla Health website is a must visit and save for any vizsla owner. Here you can learn about health
issues for which the breed sadly has a disposition too as well as a search for VIP affected dogs
pedigrees. Click the Health Test/Result tab to find Hip and Elbow scores and PLA results.. These
can also be verified on the KC Health Test Finder. The Vizsladatabase allows extensive searches for
individual dogs, siblings and offspring, some health test results are also included
Buying
Important considerations for buying (or not buying) a vizsla
KC registered litter
A KC registered litter allows you to check and verify that the sire (father) and dam (mother) have had
the required health testing carried out and to verify the results you have been given are correct. To
further ensure the health and welfare of both the puppies, their sire and dam the breeder you choose
should ideally be a KC Assured Breeder and/or a member of one or both of the UK breed clubs.
Unregistered Litters
All too often you see unregistered puppies for sale, we strongly advise against buying an
unregistered puppy! An unregistered litter usually means that the owner has been unable to register
their litter with the Kennel Club or to increase their profit by saving the registration fees/health tests.
There are a number of reasons why this may be the case, most of which relate to the health and
welfare of the mother, father and puppies. Examples include:
- The “breeder” is only interested in making a huge profit – an unregistered litter should be sold
for a lot less than the current breed average price for a registered puppy (£1,000-£1,600 for a
Registered Health Tested puppy). - Close mating’s which are no longer allowed by the KC.(COi – Coefficient of inbreeding)
- The mother is too young or too old to have puppies. A female Vizsla should not be mated until
they are at least 2 years old as they are slow to mature and not physically ready for a litter.
Supported by: Vizsla Health UK; * Vizsla Health UK – Immune Mediated Illness
Vizsla Sibling Finder Facebook Groups. Please join to find supporting documents and links.
*VHUK – IMI is for supporting life critical dogs and their families only - The mother has had a previous litter of puppies within the last 12 months.
- This could be the mother’s 5th (or 6th, 7th, 8th, etc) litter.
- The breeder doesn’t know the name of the father or one/both parents are unregistered
themselves. - The original breeder of the mother or father has placed a breeding restriction, called an
endorsement, on the dog and has chosen not to remove it. The minimum health tests have not
been carried out (Hip and Elbow Scoring and PLA Gonioscopy testing)
We strongly advise against purchasing an unregistered puppy as it is unregistered for a
reason! Avoid if possible, volume breeders and use great caution with sites Pets 4 Homes,
E-Pupz, Gumtree etc
Vizsla Cross Breeds
Sadly we are seeing more vizsla crossed with other breeds. They are often marketed very skilfully so
do your research carefully. If you do happen to come across them and are tempted, please learn
about both breeds before making up your mind.
Is there any good reason to cross our wonderful breed, the Hungarian Vizsla? The answer must be a
resounding NO.
An ancient HPR with so much history, highly valued in its country of Origin reduced to the latest
fashion accessory by crossing it with whatever breed you have to hand, then adding to the insult by
thinking up a ridiculous name and selling these unregistered pups for rather a lot of money!
Crossing most breeds seems to be on the increase with unscrupulous breeders jumping on the
‘designer’ bandwagon.
The Vizsla, like other purebred HPR, has unique characteristics and traits, you know what to expect
when you arrive home with your puppy, but what of the cross? Will he take the good or bad points of
the two breeds used to create him, we just don’t know.
The cross will usually be with another large breed and most of these could potentially suffer with Hip
Dysplasia. Crosses do suffer genetic diseases, that is fact! There are no health tests for breeding
crossbreeds..
The Hungarian Vizsla Clubs have a duty to the pedigree Vizsla and surely, however harsh it may
sound, they must come first.
So where does the Vizsla cross fit in? Who picks up the pieces if the dog has to be rehomed? They
further stretch Hungarian vizsla welfare and vizsla rescue and organisations, who are inundated with
dogs.
With pedigree Vizsla rehomes on the increase we have to be careful our breed does not start on a
slippery slope.
If you want to buy a Vizsla buy a KC Registered one. If you want a cross, visit or apply to a registered
charity where thousands of wonderful crossbreeds are waiting for loving homes for a nominal fee.
The Hungarian Vizsla Puppy Buyers Charter
1. Is a vizsla for you and your family? The Vizsla is an HPR Breed of Gundog. Read, learn and research the
breed on HVC and HVS websites. Read About the Breed!
2. Meet with vizsla families before you visit a litter and commit to a cute puppy.
3. The litter MUST be KC registered. Check the KC names in both Vizsladatabase and KC Health Test
Finder – check age, health testing and how many litters the bitch and dog have produced.
4. Do not buy unregistered puppies – how can you check health testing, age, litters?
5. Avoid if possible volume breeders and use great caution with sites Champdogs, Pets 4 Homes, E-Pupz,
Gumtree etc
6. Use the UK Hungarain Vizsla Clubs breeder and puppy lists as well as the KC Assured Breeder Scheme
breeders to ensure that the health and welfare of the puppies, dam and sire are considered.
7. DO NOT pay a deposit prior to the litter being born or before your first puppy visit.
8. Use the KC Health Test Finder to verify the parents hip and elbow scores and BVA breed average. The
vizsla is now Schedule A for BVA/KC/ISDS PLA
(gonioscopy) eye testing and requires a gonioscopy test every 3 years.
9. Ideally you breeder should have bred no more than 2 vizsla litters (different bitches) in any one
calendar year.
10. Use the KC Health Test Finder to verify that the dam is at least 2 years old AT the time of mating.
11. Use the KC Health Test Finder to check when the bitches last litter was, bitches should be allowed at
least 12 months between litters
12. Popular sires are one of the biggest contributors to a reduction in genetic diversity, an increase in
inbreeding and elevated levels of genetic diseases within a breed. Use the KC Health Test Finder to
verify this
13. Your breeders ( both dog and bitch) have a responsibility to check the VIP affected dog open registry
and must not breed from any first degree relative of a VIP affected dog. Check well in advance of
visiting the litter.
14. Your breeders should adhere to KC guidelines where dogs have or have previously produced an
Immune Mediated Disease affected offspring.
15. It is important to see the bitch with her puppies to check she is of sound temperament, your breeder
should strive to produce Vizsla conforming to the breed standard as published by the Kennel Club.
16. UK KC Hungarian Vizsla Breed Standard. Your breeders should not, when advertising, misrepresent
themselves or their stock. Dogs for breeding should be considered exceptional and not merely
acceptable.
17. Your breeder should be asking a fair and equitable price reflective of pedigree and quality (2020/21
Guidelines £1000 – £1600)
18. Please feel free to share the Vizsla Puppy Buyer Charter.