FAQ
Breed General Questions
What colours do Vizslas come in?
Basically, one colour termed as Russet Gold shades may vary from light to dark
What is a Hunt point and retrieve -HPR
HPR stands for Hunt, Point and Retrieve breeds like pointers, Vizslas, Brittanies and Weimeraners are all HPRs. When they are used as gundogs, they hunt the terrain and use their nose to find birds indicate them by pointing then retrieve them once shot.
While the basic instincts are natural training is required.
Can HPR s such as Vizslas make family pets?
Yes they can provided owners harness the energy , intelligence and hunting desires and put them into a constructive way of life, bored dogs can be vocal and destructive
Can you have a vizsla if you work?
Yes and No, the vizsla is not suitable to be left alone for more than a few hours a day so you should only consider tone if you can take them to work with you or arrange reliable day care.
Are Vizslas good with children?
Vizslas are notably bouncy, nippy and can be dominant in adolescence while they can make great pets with children a significant amount of training and socialisation is required from the owner.
Health Questions
What health tests should a vizsla have?
When looking for a puppy as a minimum you should ensure the mum and dad are both hip scored, and at least one parent is tested clear of Cerebellar Ataxia.
Other highly desirable tests are Elbow scoring, Eye testing. LH testing and HUU testing.
What is a good hip score?
Hip scores are done per hip with a range of 0 (perfect) to 53 (worst) the lower the score the better.
The current breed average (mean) is a combined total of 12 this is just an average it doesn’t dictate what is the correct score or max score.
Breeders should pay attention not only to individuals hip scores but to those of their parents, siblings and offspring to gain a better picture of the genetics of HD in a line.
Personally, if I am purchasing a puppy I would like to see no more than 10 on any parents individual hip i.e max score would be 10/10 total 20.
If a dog is close to the max the other parents should be low scoring from low scoring lineage
Please visit our Hip scoring information page
Puppy questions
Do I need a KC registered puppy?
Yes absolutely KC while no a guarantee over perfect breeding is a important box ticked by responsible breeders please refer to our dos and don’ts page for more information
How long does it take to get a puppy?
This can vary dramatically some of the better-known respected breeders can have waiting lists of a year plus
Generally, all responsible breeders plan ahead forming waiting lists before mating their female so expect to wait.
Concentrate on finding the right breeder rather than a puppy to fit a time scale
What age is a puppy ready for their new home?
Never 8 weeks and preferably before 10 weeks
What should I pay for a puppy ?
Prices are variable dependant on lineage, intended use and region as an estimate-
- Pet puppy between £2000-£3000
- Show / Breeding Puppy Between £3000- £3500
- Part trained dog between £3000- £4000
- Fully trained dog £4000 plus*
*A word of caution the Vizsla is a dog thats intelligent enough to weigh up the abilities of a handler and any given circumstance often fully trained dogs do not behave as such once taken to a new home.
You will rarely see a responsible breeder advertising fully trained dogs.
Gunfield specific questions.
What happens when I join the waiting list?
Once you join the waiting list you are waiting for us to have a suitable puppy available for you.
You would’ve been given an estimate of time prior to joining.
Please don’t ask what number you are on the waiting list as it doesn’t work like that puppies are allocated based not only on the date that you join the list but on suitability for your family.
For example somebody who has requested a female puppy for showing/breeding may need to wait longer than somebody who has stated no gender preference and is looking for a family companion.
Once you are in line for you will be notified normally by email or telephone this will happen when the mother to be is confirmed pregnant giving you approximately 14 weeks to prepare for your new arrival.
At that time you are unable to take a puppy you have two options available to you-
1. To leave the waiting list completely and forfeit your deposit
2. To defer to a later litter, When deferring to a later letter you will be expected to pay the current price of a puppy at that time and you will not automatically be at the top of the list often we have people who have requested a second puppy from a particular parent who have waited a lot longer than you.
Once allocated to a litter you’ll be kept up-to-date by use of a litter page Where photos, videos general information and updates will be posted minimum of weekly.
Will be invited to visit your puppy once he or she is old enough and to collect when your puppy is eight weeks of age.
What happens if I join the waiting list and I then change my mind or find somebody else quicker?
As previously stated we only want people on our waiting list that I committed to waiting for a puppy from ourselves should you join our waiting list and then leave without having a puppy you will forfeit your joining/reservation fee
Why do I have to pay more for a dog for potential breeding?
In any one litter they will only be one or two dogs that we deem good enough to be potentially bred only the best are considered, even then there is no guarantee these dogs are mature to fill the promise seen in them as Puppy’s.
We are selective who we sell dogs for breeding purposes to it has taken us years of hard work and dedication to produce the bloodline that we have and our good reputation.
We will only consider people as future breeder owners if we believe they are willing to work alongside us to produce high-quality dogs in a conscientious way.
We prefer not to sell dogs purely for the purpose of breeding or showing we expect anybody owning these dogs to also have them as pets with a possible option of these things happening if the dog matures as suitable.
The difference In price reflects the fact that you require a breeding standard of puppy and significantly more support and input from ourselves than a pet only owner.
What will I expect to receive as part of my Puppy purchase package?
When purchasing a puppy from Gunfield you will receive the following-
- Kennel club registration on the kennel club breeder register.
- Microchip implantation, registration on the database and transfer to your ownership.
- A five generation family tree
- Four weeks insurance with pet plan or five weeks insurance with the kennel club which ever you prefer.
- A voucher to obtain a weeks worth of raw food.
- A collar and lead
- A blanket scented of litter mates
- A 35 page copy care booklet specific to your puppy detailing socialisation, temperament testing, worming and advice on caring for your puppy.
- Future support with your puppy in the form of email, telephone or social media.
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