Striving For

NATURAL ABILITY   *   SOUND STRUCTURE   *   EXCELLENT TEMPERAMENTS   *   WHOLE HEALTH

We take the breeding of our dogs and placing of our puppies very seriously.  It is our goal to first and foremost produce mentally and physically healthy puppies who will make wonderful family pets with hopes of some going on to a show/hunt/performance career and contribute to the betterment of our breed, through our breeding program.  We are happy to share with you the goals of our breeding program, why we chose the parents for a litter, speak with you about the titles the parents have earned or are in the process of earning and/or jobs they perform.  Our puppies are registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC).     

We will have questions.  Sometimes, breeders may seem "pushy" at first and you should only purchase a puppy from someone with whom you feel you can have a good rapport with, but because of the protective needs of our breed and because of breeding objectives, many breeders may seem hesitant to take a chance on a newcomer without additional information.  You need to be prepared to explain why you are a good home for a Wirehaired Vizsla puppy, why you're choosing this breed and what type of home you can provide. And, you need to keep an open mind about what you might do with the dog in the future with guidance and encouragement. You are buying more than a dog, you are buying a carefully planned breeding, and a lifetime relationship with your breeder.  We put a great deal of thought, time, effort and love into our puppies.  You should expect to pay $1800-$4000 for a Wirehaired Vizsla puppy in the US (pet, hunt, performance or conformation). We are in the $2800-$3000 range.  And, please plan on a contract of co-ownership on our conformation show puppies or "Limited Registration", restricting breeding on a non showing/breeding dog.   After so many years of doing rescue work, this allows us to better control breeding practices and ensure our puppies are not being misused for irresponsible breeding.    

WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT FROM US AS A RESPONSIBLE BREEDER 
We breed only with the intent of producing puppies of excellent quality and to improve upon the qualities of the sire and dam in temperament, structure, train-ability, and hunting ability. We know of no other valid reason to breed. We screen our breeding potential dogs for hereditary diseases, study pedigrees carefully in an effort to reduce the probability of moving forward or contributing to any genetic health or temperament problems. We never plan to breed any Wirehaired Vizsla before they are certified free of hip dysplasia from OFA, Orthopedic Foundation for Animals or Penn Hip. All certified dogs of breeding age will have their OFA certification numbers for your verification or a Penn Hip report.  You will likely be able to meet the dam if you come to our home, and we will be able to show you pictures of the sire and dam if he or she does not live in my home.  We screen puppy buyers carefully to make sure they understand what the Wirehaired Vizsla is like to live with, as they are not for everyone, having high physical and mental exercise needs. Please read the "Wirehaired Vizsla" page on this site to better understand the temperaments and personalities of the breed - they are not like smooth Vizslas in wire coats nor German Wirehaired Pointers in rust coats, even though both contributed greatly to the breed.  Expect to be interviewed and have questions asked of you. We want to ensure our puppies are only going to families who will care for them as much as we will.  When inquiring about a puppy, please let us know whether you are interested in a puppy for conformation show, hunt, performance event puppy, or if you are looking for that perfect active family pet. The more flexible you are with the puppy's gender, the better chance you have of there being a puppy for you, as we do not have the ability to pre-order the sexes we would like. We will want to know if you have other pets and whether they are altered, whether there are small children in the home, and if you have a fenced yard. We discuss spaying and neutering with you at the time of inquiry, and will prefer that all puppies, coming from us, are to be altered if not being shown and finished as an AKC Champion but NOT prior to maturity.  All puppies will carry the prefix of 'Compass' on their registered name. We normally take a word from one of the parent's names or come up with a theme and will expect its use in the registered name of the new puppy. Once a theme or litter word is determined (within a week of birth), I will ask for their registered name, along with their call name, to be able to register the puppies as a litter with the AKC.  All puppies leaving me are expected to be free of hip dysplasia and genetic eye diseases.  Of course, with the uncertainties of genetics, even with all of our knowledge, health history, screenings and diligence, there are no 100% guarantees. Please take the time to read this article by Dr. Carol Beuchat PhD on hip dysplasiato gain a better understanding of how YOU can help prevent it from occurring in a growing puppy, that's right, you can be a contributing factor to hip dysplasia results.   If your puppy is purchased for show/breeding and proves to have one of these genetic diseases, I will replace the puppy with one of a different breeding, but will require you to spay or neuter the original puppy once mature, if you choose to keep it as part of your family or you can return him/her to me.  If you do not want a puppy from a different breeding, a portion of your payment will be refunded.  I will refund a portion of the purchase price if your companion dog proves to have one of the genetic diseases mentioned.  We adopt the protocol of Dr. Laura J. Sanborn M.S. , Dr. Becker DVM, Dr. Chris Zink DVM, PhD, DACVP,  and Dr. Benjamin L Hart of UC Davis when it comes to neutering and spaying dogs who will not be exhibited. Please take the time to click on each name and read these articles so there are no misunderstandings. If a puppy coming from us is spayed or neutered before the agreed time frame, 18-24 months of age - I will no longer provide any form of "guarantee" against any health issues for that dog. Altering a dog impacts more than their ability to reproduce.  Exhibited puppies will be on a co-owned contract stating our agreement about showing and possible future breeding. Deposits placed are to hold a puppy for you until they are 8 weeks old, are ready to go to their new homes, but are not necessarily to establish an order of choosing. Please do not ask to choose your puppy or for us to choose your puppy before the designated release date at 8 weeks old. Please DO NOT promise young children that there will be a puppy, nor one of a certain gender for them until we know what Mother Nature has provided. Please also note that Mother Nature can throw us curves and that I will, to the best of my ability, provide you with what you are seeking but this is not always possible. If there happens to not be what you are interested in, in a particular litter, your deposit will be held over until the following litter provided the next planned breeding is within 12 months. If our next planned breeding is not within 12 months we will refund your deposit.  Based on the size of the litter, the sexes in it, and how many are going to competition homes, we will choose to assign puppies to the homes we feel will be the best match for based on your application, email correspondence and phone conversations. I spend a tremendous amount of time with our puppies, handling, socializing, providing enrichment activities and a stimulating environment.  I will know where these puppies are likely to be the most successful.  Deposits are $250. and are accepted upon adding a family to our puppy list. We reserve the right to cancel any reservation if a family is later found to be unsuitable for a Wirehaired Vizsla Puppy.  Cost of a puppy from Compass will be in the $2400-$2800 range, depending upon the litter. In addition to that cost, the State of Kentucky requires a 6% tax for any animal sold that does not fall within the description of "agriculture" so we must also add this to meet state law requirements.  This is becoming a more common requirement from states.  We provide a packet to include the AKC registration,  copies of the OFA certifications for both parents; information to help with training, feeding and learning about the breed; vaccine and de-worming records for the puppy and a three generation pedigree of the puppy you are purchasing. On occasion we may be making trips to various parts of the region for shows/competitions, and it may be possible for us to bring your puppy to a location nearer to you. Please feel free to ask if that is a possibility. If not, you will be expected to come to me in Northern Kentucky, Pendleton County, to pick up your new puppy.  We DO NOT SHIP puppies anywhere in North America, as this has proven to be a potentially traumatic experience for an 8 week old pup and unnecessary when it is within driving distance or a relatively short passenger flight so the pup can travel under the seat on an aircraft accompanying you.   We are often able to meet you at the Cincinnati or Lexington, KY airport to prevent the need for you to rent a car and travel the hour to our home.  We have discontinued docking tails and are no longer removing dew claws, in following suit with the practices in their country of origin, as well as most of the rest of Europe and some breeders here in the US.  We have not found there to be an issue in the field with full tails and dew claws intact thus far and do believe dew claws and tails serve a purpose.  Please review this article on tail docking by the American Veterinary Medical Association and for additional details on dew claws view the video here, "The Purpose of Dew Claws" from www.Retrieverman.net to see why it's important they keep them for the safety of your dogs.  Our puppies are weaned at approximately 4 to 6 weeks of age (depends upon the mother and individual litter), we spend a great deal of time on socializing the puppies well and allow them to go to their new homes at about 8-9 weeks of age. Our puppies will be microchipped, examined by a veterinarian, de-wormed, vaccinated for Distemper and Parvo only, as we do NOT recommend Hepatitis, Lepto, Parainfluenza and Corona at this young age with low exposures and sometimes, not at all, depending upon expected exposures in your region. We are strong supporters of not over vaccinating any dog. The puppies are weaned over to a raw diet initially then I begin incorporating Honest Kitchen and kibble prior to the puppies departing so they are on approximately a raw/dehydrated/kibble combo diet to allow them to transition easier to either diet in their new homes or to maintain the split. We provide a Puppy Information packet to help you with your first days and years with the puppy, and we are always here to answer questions and provide suggestions and support for the life of the dog.  Please see our Puppy page for more specifics on our puppy raising processes. 

Please understand that the Vizsla and the Wirehaired Vizsla are two completely separate breeds and therefore, if bred together, would be considered mixed breeds and cannot be registered in ANY quality registry. 

We make it clear in our contract that not only will we take any puppy/dog back at any time during its life, should your circumstances prevent you from keeping the dog but we insist upon it's return to us.

WIREHAIRED VIZSLAS

COMPASS