River kids - 2022
Lava
&
Ernie
Spring 2024 Breeding
COMPASS
Our "Beatles" litter from 2019
Our "Tree" litter from Pivot & Beacon, at 4 weeks old. This was their first big exploring adventure.
Spring of 2018
Our "Red" litter of puppies from Vintage & Tibbs, at 7 weeks old. Enjoying a fun day playing and exploring.
Spring of 2018
4 weeks old
Mountain kids - 2023
Striving For
NATURAL ABILITY * SOUND STRUCTURE * EXCELLENT TEMPERAMENTS * WHOLE HEALTH
Our puppy raising process. Whew... it's a long one and it's only an overview!!
Puppy raising begins long before the puppies actually arrive. We feel the care and quality of life of the dam is just as important as that of the puppies. All of our dogs are provided great nutrition with protein rotation in raw, high quality kibble and dehydrated food. Our dams are given Nature's Farmacy Gestemate supplementation ( think of it like prenatal vitamins) to meet her changing needs during pregnancy. They are given a lot of fresh air, daily exercise running through our 13 mostly wooded acres, trips to the local WMAs, hunting if opportunity allows, walks, hiking and trips out and about to provide appropriate mental and physical stimulation. Our dogs are part of the family so they are treated as such, with the majority of their time spent in the house with us or outside "supervising" us on various DIY home projects. All of this helps support a mentally and physically fit dam who is better prepared to whelp and care for her puppies.
Our puppies are whelped in our home in a room just off of our den area. This allows us to give Mum some much deserved privacy but have her and her family very close by to provide any necessary support. We watch our girls carefully as time approaches, taking temperatures, logging physical changes to ensure we are present for whelp to assist as much or as little as she may need. There is always the possibility of complications during whelp, some can be catastrophic so we would never want to leave her without support. Puppies are cleaned, weighed and color collared for identification. This allows us to ID each so we can monitor the puppies' weight and log any noteworthy observations as they grow and develop. As our heat source we use a device called a Lovett heated whelping nest recessed into the floor of the whelping box. The nest provides a steady heat source to reduce the probability of temperature related stress, often a contributing factor towards early development complications or failure to thrive. We have tried multiple other heat devices but have found heat lamps to cause inconsistent heat and dehydration as well as fire risk and heating pads were not reliable enough for us but this has been a wonderful peace of mind tool we've been using for several years and puppies have thrived having it. We always keep material under the puppies that will provide appropriate traction for the puppies so they can move about easier and giving more joint support.
We follow a combination of programs in raising our puppies. Having had dogs most of our lives; training, competing, doing years of rescue & shelter work and helping families live a healthy, peaceful life with their dogs, we recognize the strong impact we as breeders can have on our puppies during their first 8 weeks of life. What is or is not done with a puppy during this critical time period can have lifelong impact on that puppy's development of who they will become and how they will handle the world around them. We've combined our own years of experience in dogs, using a large portion of Puppy Culture and the Enriched Puppy to provide our puppies with an enriched, stimulating environment to support good growth, mental and physical. Puppies are handled and cuddled every day to promote bonding, comfort and familiarity with humans. We begin doing daily Early Neurological Stimulation and Early Scenting Introduction exercises from days 3-16. As soon as ears open we begin providing sound desensitization by using a wide variety of music from classical to rock, jazz, blues, ocean waves, church bells, honking horns, beeping, thunderstorms and gunshot. Puppies are given appropriate toys and a new object is introduced daily to promote curiosity/exploring and decrease fear. As puppies grow, so does their space and stimulation. They move from the whelping box to one of our weaning areas, season depending. There they are introduced to new floor surfaces, obstacles, room setups, puppy activity boxes, tunnels, rocker disk, ball pit and so much more. When age appropriate we begin building a Conditioned Emotional Response (CER) by working with each individual puppy on simple marker based training, rewarding eye contact and specific actions. This teaches puppies to work with us and think about what they are doing. At 4 weeks old we begin giving them a targeted potty area to begin working on bathroom hygiene and find that is so helpful in transitioning them to housebreaking with their family. We begin short field trips around our property as weather and age permits. This allows the puppies to learn to adapt to new environments and promotes resilience. The puppies get to run and play outside on varying surfaces to help build coordination and body awareness. Our puppies with us during warm weather are exposed to small water pools to get them comfortable getting in and out of the water. For our winter puppies we have always taken them to a Canine Hydrotherapist in Cincinnati, Oh and had each puppy introduced to the water in a calm and comforting manner. Our puppies are taken for off-property field trips as well, visiting multiple family friends who love to participate in this puppy-raising adventure with me. If quail are available, we expose puppies to live game in addition to wings and cold game. Throughout this whole process I am making observations of how each puppy handles their environment and interactions. Not every puppy is a match for every family.
After puppies arrive, we send out weekly "Pupdates" to the families to keep them involved in the growth process. We include information on the development of the litter, crate training, puppy training, nail clipping, pick up dates, naming theme, food, vaccinations and more.
Our puppies are examined by our veterinarian, microchipped, dewormed, and vaccinated for distemper/parvo only. We evaluate puppies at approximately 8 weeks old and make final decisions on who will be best suited for each family on our puppy list based on the conversations and communication we've had. Puppies are picked up between 8-9 weeks of age, depending upon each litter.
You will receive a lifetime of support for you and your puppy.
Our puppies range in cost between $2700-$2900 + the required KY 6% tax, depending upon our upfront costs to do a particular breeding.
Feel free to thoroughly review the "Our Breeding Practices" page and "About Us" to get an understanding of what we're about, expected cost, etc. I know it's a lot to read but trust me, it's worth it. WE DO NOT SHIP PUPPIES, I insist on meeting every new owner. If you're interested in a Wirehaired Vizsla puppy from us or in general, drop us an email. We're always happy to talk about Wires and we may be able to refer you to another breeder who is also expecting puppies. There are times we are out of town for shows, trials, gatherings, seminars and the very rare leisure weekend away. Please allow a few some time for a response, puppy and dog needs must come first.
Getting on "The List"
To be added to our list for a future litter you must first thoroughly review our site to gain an understanding of what we're about as breeders; our practices, including natural dogs, our altering policy, that we do not ship puppies, the cost, etc. These are not up for negotiation. We recognize that not all breeders and families are a good match to work together and we're comfortable with that but please do not submit an application along with a request to dock the tail or to be able to alter the dog at 6 months of age so he/she can attend daycare. Once you've reviewed the site and decided if you are comfortable working with us, please complete a Puppy Application on the Contact Us page. We'll follow up with families within a few days if we do not have a litter of puppies at that time. If we do have puppies, it often takes a bit longer as we stay very busy with our pups. Once we follow up on your application and exchange emails, if we decide we feel it's a good possibility we can work together we'll set up a time to chat on the phone before adding someone to the list.
Please feel free to enjoy a few puppy photos from previous litters below.
Our Bird Pups litter 2023!
"Luck" & "Citrus" litters
5-7 weeks old
Outside playtime and a field trip to visit a friend for some garage adventures with various obstacles to explore. :-)
Our "Miles" litter from Vintage & Miles.
Spring of 2016
WIREHAIRED VIZSLAS