# On the hunt for the next puppy!



## rudolph (Dec 14, 2013)

Today is my V's (Barnaby) 1st birthday! 

Aaaand my SO and I have been talking about getting a second one basically since the day we brought him home. 

We're ready to start contacting breeders to get on a list for a mid-fall/winter litter. We already contacted the breeder of our first, since we would have loved to have a family connection to Barnaby, and unfortunately he's taking a break from breeding this year. 

So, I'm here to ask for recommendations. We're in Ann Arbor, MI and would like to stay within a ~300 mile radius if possible. I've been window shopping online and know there are several excellent breeders in this range -- but before I start writing to them, maybe you guys know already who is planning litters? What they typically ask for puppies? How they are to work with if you only want a pet and not a performance dog? 

As an aside question, when you look for non-performance V's, is it better to go to hunter, conformation, or dual-purpose breeders? Or something else?

We're also open to taking a rescue/rehoming dog, but of course it would have to be the right fit. For example, we're renting a house, and while the owner is very dog friendly and (we expect) highly forgiving about normal pet damage, we'd like to avoid massively destructive/behavioral problems right now.


----------



## MsRosie (Apr 4, 2014)

While it is a bit farther than you requested I just picked up my baby from Mira Vizslas in Fairchild WI and I could not be happier! I have only had my little guy for a day so I can't say much about him yet (other than he is the single sweetest puppy I have ever met), but I can say that Michel has been FANTASTIC to work with and breeds top of the line champions. However, her first priority is breeding for temperament, and my little guy will primarily be a companion (with maybe some hunting down the line). I know she is expecting another litter in fall or winter - you could check out her website (http://www.miravizslas.com) to find out. In my opinion it would 100% be worth the extra drive. 

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!


----------



## dextersmom (Oct 29, 2013)

Happy Birthday Barnaby! And GO BLUE ;D

We started looking for our V when we were living in MI too. I'm sure there are great breeders in MI, but I heard about a LOT of not so great ones. So eventually we looked out of state. So I'm afraid I can't help you with MI recommendations, but maybe others can.

If I were to go for a pup in the Midwest again, I think I'd look into Busch Vizslas or getting a pup from Canada (sounds like this is surprisingly simple). 

We have a V bred by a hunting breeder and I hear a lot that V's from field lines are even more energetic than others. If we were to do it again, I'd get a V from show lines that might have just a *tad* less energy (our guy can go for days). Although I like the look of field line V's more than the show V's. Also, the field line V's we know have better temperaments and are more outgoing, the (few) show V's we've met are not very sociable and more timid. I'm not sure if that's at all typical though. 

Good luck!


----------



## rudolph (Dec 14, 2013)

Thanks guys! I guess I should add that that radius isn't at all firm, so for the right puppy, we'd go wherever we had to!

Looks like Mira has dogs related to Barnaby and a connection to his breeder  

When we were looking for Barnaby, we were pretty worried that we wouldn't be able to handle the energy level, since a lot of breeders, forums, and other advice have *big flashing warning signs* about the insane amount of energy these dogs have. We went with a breeder who specifically said he bred for good temperment in the home (he breeds winning field dogs). 

So far, he seems like a normal dog, he just wants to play a lot. Maybe he'd be demanding for a 1st time dog owner, since he does take deliberate work and attention, but it's not nearly as much work as we expected. The breeder, though, thinks his activity level is quite high, so I actually have no idea if he's normal, high energy for a V, low energy for a V or what!


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

This is a harder question for me to answer because of my preference in dogs. I would have to say, you would probably want a mix of titles spread through the pups pedigree.
If I were not a hunter, I would stay away from breeding's that almost every dog in the 4-5 generations back are FT/AFT. Not because these are not biddable dogs, they are. It is just their over the top prey drive, and big running frustrates many pet owners. They don't want a pup that tears off 150 yards plus away from them. They want a dog that stays in a comfortable range.
A good mix of different types of titles would also suggest the pups should be biddable.


----------



## Steve Kipp (May 11, 2014)

TexasRed said:


> This is a harder question for me to answer because of my preference in dogs. I would have to say, you would probably want a mix of titles spread through the pups pedigree.
> If I were not a hunter, I would stay away from breeding's that almost every dog in the 4-5 generations back are FT/AFT. Not because these are not biddable dogs, they are. It is just their over the top prey drive, and big running frustrates many pet owners. They don't want a pup that tears off 150 yards plus away from them. They want a dog that stays in a comfortable range.
> A good mix of different types of titles would also suggest the pups should be biddable.


Yes and I'm one of them I'm currently fostering a 2 y/o GSP female (unspayed at the moment) and it's nearly impossible to get her worn down. It's 125% drive nearly all day..squirrels, bunnies, birds, butterflies...anything that moves. She can be 100 yards away if you just glance at your phone. Different breed but it's something to think about. I'm looking for a new V puppy but now I'm hesitant when I see too many "CH's"


----------

