 Maggy Mae giving her impression of a Frog Dog. She is not finding it so easy to do this at 8 weeks pregnant!
Wellington Get-TogetherPam Keelty has kindly offered to help co-ordinate a get together for those in the Wellington area. So anyone that is interested please phone her (email us for information) to express interest (and maybe suggest a date & place - beach, river reserve, someone's home or suchlike).We would suggest that you do it like our get together up in this part of the country - arrive late morning and everyone bring a share picnic lunch and take HEAPS of photos to send in to the Newszletter!!! Phone Pam today before you forget.
New ServicesSince a major point of this newsletter is to help facilitate communication between all of us Vizsla owners we have included some new services to the newsletter.We want to include notices and advertising. Some of our members are wanna be Vizsla owners and do not have their first Vizsla yet. Others may want a 2nd (3rd etc) dog at some stage or have a friend or acquaintance looking for a dog. Free notices include things such as
Breeders ListingBARAT Kennels; Steve & Jenny Peacocke, R.D. 1, Puriri, Thames; Ph (07) 868-1007, Fax (07) 868-1047(well, being editors has to offer an occasional fringe benefit .. Like getting in here first. Contact us with your details if you want to be listed)
Club MembersAre you ready for this? We've grown AGAIN. Membership now stands at 58!! As promised last newsletter, the current membership list is as follows
Picture - Greff (Abody Keptar of Debrecan). Shirley writes - This is Greff. He closes doors. He is very useful on cold winter nights when the door is slightly open and you can feel a draft. "Close the door Greff". Do any other Vizslas out there do this trick? If not, it is very handy and highly recommended. In fact it's as good as the television remote. In other issues we will start a welcome new members section for any new subscribers.
The Deer Stalking VizslaBy Warwick GibbsPrior to purchasing my dog (Hydro), I researched quite extensively into what breed of hunting dog would be most useful to myself for deer stalking . After having considered several of the classical pointing breeds currently available in New Zealand, I eventually chose a Vizsla. The following expectations are a few that I have of my Vizsla, when we are deer stalking:
 Pfalcon of Szep-Allat (Hydro) Yes, I do have certain expectations of Hydro for my deer stalking. Most importantly he is not to chase. If anything outweighs all else, it is this. Secondly, I expect Hydro to be air scenting while we are hunting, not ground scenting. A third expectation is that he hunts within close proximity to myself (his role is to point deer for me, not to be hunting deer for himself). Fourthly I expect Hydro to move through the bush calmly and quietly. A fifth expectation is that he gets along with my hunting companions and their dogs. Fortunately I can honestly say, Hydro has met all of my expectations. To date, I have shot nine deer over him. For the time being I will continue to hunt him exclusively upon deer, as I want our deer stalking totally sorted before moving on to other game. Well. That s it from me. Whether you are hunting deer or not, enjoy your Vizsla(s) as we do. Cheers.
Clicker ArticlesCopyright © 1995 by Kathleen Weaver;Thanks to Kathleen and the clicker association for permission to reprint. Using a Clicker in Obedience Part II Now that your dog understands that when he hears the clicker, you are going to reward him, you can use that to teach him just about anything. I'm going to focus on obedience. First I teach the exercise, then I teach the command. There are several techniques, and you are only limited by your imagination. I'm going to start with shaping a behavior that the dog already knows. You simply watch for a natural behavior and shape it. I started Quest out with the stand, as she naturally would stand and stare at me when I had the food and clicker. I sat on the couch, and waited for her to stand. As soon as she did, I clicked and rewarded her. Note that I am NOT telling her to stand, but waiting on her to do it. In fact, speaking slows down the process at this point. What I am looking for, is for the dog to spontaneously offer me the stand. I want the dog to hold the stand until I reward it, and offer it constantly. This may take several sessions. Once she is doing the stand spontaneously for rewards, then I can add the cue word, or command.- Here, I'm going to change procedures a little bit. I'm going to say the word, "Stand", and if she does it immediately I'll reward it. Again, the dog must stand until I reward it. If the dog does not offer the behavior or does not meet my criteria, I say "wrong", and try again. Again this may take several sessions. You can teach more than one behavior, but keep the behaviors separated. Work on the stand, play with the dog or give it a break, than work the sit, for example. When you have several commands taught, you'll have to teach the dog the difference between the commands. Go through the same process as above. Give a command, if the dog doesn't do it, say "Wrong", and try again. Mix up the commands and give them randomly. In the next one, we'll talk about targeting.
ResultzsContinental Gundog Champ Show - Vizsla Results
New Zealand Nationals - Vizsla Results
And on an enjoyable evening over a glass or two of wine and after watching 9 Vizslak run in the trees I caught up with Aaron Hansen and some of his field trialing resultsz: Aaron and Kovac (Kovac of Szep-Allat Q.C.) 3rd in limit trial - pointer Setter club Aaron and Briar (Ch Hubertus Golden Grove) 2nd in Novice trial - Pointer Setter club And trophies to date that Aaron and his dogs have won:
Allergic Skin Diseasesby Marion CoffmanFor those of you who enjoyed last months article by Marion Coffman - we have a feast ahead. She has been kind enough to send us a large range of interesting articles on various issues that will appear in future newsletters - many thanks Marion. This issues article follows: Most breeds of dogs have allergies to certain substances, the 3 most common being food, inhaled substances, or injections such as vaccines insect bites or drugs. The most devastating allergic reactions come from injected allergens, most often insect bites. By the time the owner realises that his dog has been bit and is suffering distress it is often too late to save the animal. The reaction to a bite can be so immediate that there isn't enough response time available and the dog will go into shock and respiratory failure. Inhalant allergies and food allergies represent the most common reactions, not related to parasites, in dogs. Most of these allergy problems are not life threatening but interfere with the full enjoyment of life because of the annoyance of skin, gastrointestinal, and respiratory problems. Besides being a source of discomfort to the dog, they are also frustrating to the owner looking for a solution to the problem.
 Spud (CH Jovita of Szep-Allat) Spud hasn't got a skin allergy - it's just time for another photo Allergic inhalant dermatitis is one of the most common skin problems presented to the veterinarians. Affected dogs react to a variety of inhalants including house dust, feathers, grass, tree and weed pollen. Moulds often cause allergies and occur all year long. They produce a vast number of small spores that outnumber even the pollen in the air. This is especially hard on owners of hunting dogs as the allergy causes immediate reaction of wheezing, coughing, chewing at the feet and discharge in the eyes. More often though, inhalant allergies will show up as they affect the skin. Dogs develop itchiness, hair loss and hives in the groin, flanks and armpits. Many dogs rub their faces on the furniture to relieve the itching and inflammation on the face and ears. Secondary skin infections develop in the traumatised areas, resulting in hot-spots - red and moist lesions with hair loss in the center. Antibiotics are needed to combat the infections and testing can be done to determine which allergies affect your dog. Veterinary dermatologists usually rely on skin tests to confirm the diagnosis and to identify specific allergens to which the dog is allergic. Skin testing involves shaving the hair off the dog s side, then injecting minute amounts of allergy extracts of various compounds known to cause allergy. The skin is examined at 15 minutes and again at 30 minutes. Swelling and inflammation around one or more of the test substances helps identify the culprit and, once the cause is known, hyposensitisation can be attempted. Although individual responses vary, most dogs can be sufficiently desensitised to give them relief. Having your dog avoid inhalant allergens is rarely practical unless it is proven that the problem is a contact allergy. In that case environmental control can be aimed at by limiting the exposure to the allergens by removing substances such as wool, house plants and even plastic food dishes. Topical therapy using a variety of shampoos will often make the allergic dog more comfortable. Colloidal oatmeal can also be added to the bath water and has a soothing effect. Immunotherapy (allergy shots) is a slow process sometimes taking up to a year before improvement. Antihistamines are useful and the advantage in using them is that they are relatively safe compared to corticosteroids. Some dogs develop allergies to food, rawhide chews, medications or other ingested substances. These allergies most often show up as skin problems and not as digestive upsets. Although food allergies are relatively uncommon they are an important cause of severe itching in dogs. The clinical signs of food allergy are very much like those of many other allergic conditions except that clues that the diet is at fault may be that food allergy is not seasonal and that, unlike flea or inhalant allergy, it is not easily relieved br treatment with corticosteroids. Since food allergy is uncommon, other sources should be excluded before you blame it on the diet. Many affected animals have been fed the offending food 2 or more years before developing any clinical signs. Clinical signs may develop at any age, even appearing before the dog is 9 months of age or after the dog is old (more than 8 years). For most food hypersensitivities the symptoms are all year round, being typically abrupt in onset and only affecting one dog in the household though all are on the same diet. The symptoms may progress to loss of appetite, weight loss, itchy reddened skin and hair loss especially on the head, feet, armpits, groin and ears. Vomiting, diarrhea, sneezing, asthma like conditions and behavioral changes may occur. The only way to be certain that the diet is the problem is by dietary restrictions. Just changing from one commercial pet food to another is not the answer because many of these diets contain the same ingredients. The most common causes of food allergies are beef, pork, chicken, milk, corn, soy, whey, eggs, fish and preservatives. The easiest way to check for food allergies is to put the dog on an elimination diet. This diet usually consists of nothing except pure lamb (editors note: remember that all sheep products in New Zealand should be cooked or frozen to standards required for destruction of hydatids and sheep measles) and rice. Your veterinarian will work out with you to reintroduce particular foods until the offending ingredients are discovered. Hypoallergenic diets must contain ingredients not previously encountered by the patient and all other sources of potential or offending substances should be excluded including rawhide chews, table scraps and vitamin and mineral supplements. Response to the hypoallergenic diet rarely occurs within the first week. If the dogs skin condition improves by the twenty first day diet is probably at fault and the animal will be put back on the original diet. If the animals itchiness increases there is no doubt what the problem is. In this case you will need to find a diet that is both nutritionally sound and free of the offending substances. Many food allergic dogs can safely eat commercially prepared hypoallergenic diets. Introduction of individual dietary antigens can be based on a list of ingredients in the dogs original commercial meal. For the dog eating foods containing dried whey, powdered milk can be mixed into the daily ration. If there is no resumption of the itching within 7 days ground beef can be substituted for the lamb. If neither of those ingredients causes itching, wheat flour and then soy or corn meal can be added in a similar manner. If there still is no resumption of itching the dog can be placed on a commercial diet free of additives, preservatives and artificial flavours and colours. Avoidance of the offending foods is the only specific and practical treatment of food allergies.
Whole Wheat Cookies & Other Ideasby Melissa Thomas with help from Maria ZucconiI will share a recipe that was given to me several years ago. I make it often. It should be stored in the refrigerator and can be frozen. The dogs go "mad" when it is cooking and practically stand on their heads when the spatular hits the metal pan. Whole Wheat Dog Cookies (Single Batch: I usually double it)
Substitute ½ tsp. of salt and ½ tsp. of garlic powder with ½ tsp. of garlic salt. I always add more than 1 tsp. of brown...more like ¼+ cup I usually add ¼ cup of Grandma's molasses If changing/substituting with the above... cook at 300 degrees for 20 minutes and turn the cookies over and continue cooking for an additional 20 minutes.
 Let me in, Let me in says Kez No she hasn't suddenly acquired a white spot that's dirt (or dog slobber) on our ranch slider!
One friend suggested that you can purchase that candy that can be melted and placed in molds...( a "craft"do it yourself project) She melts a vanilla flavor and uses it "to ice" the cookies she bakes and put them in a box. She uses brown paper as a wrapping and "dog-stamp" for a design. Really neat idea! (Oh, what we do for these dogs!) Hotdogs for training treats Zapping (my son's word) hotdogs (I use turkey) is great! I place several paper towels down on a "base",cut (nickel size) 4 hotdogs and place a paper towel on top. Don't cook to a crispy critter; they'll just crumble. Sure works well to have them stored in small zip lock bags. Quick thing to grab from the freezer. I require my dog's to look up for most exercises and hotdogs are about the only thing I can put in my mouth "to spit".
A Triple ChampionCH OB CH & WT CH Berki Szelid Strauz CDX UDX WDX TDX (Imp Aust) - Hungarian Vizsla Based on article by Jan EdwardsIn 1987 O'Jay, at 9 years of age (owned and handled by Jan Edwards), became the 2nd triple champion in New Zealand. (Coincidentally he also became the second Vizsla triple champion worldwide, the first being Triple Champion Cariad s Kutya Kai Costa VD CDX UD owned by Robert & Marianne Costa from New York). Since this another NZ Vizsla, CH OB CH & WT CH Panache of Szep-Allat CDX WDX UDX TDX has also gained a triple championship. Obtaining the triple championship wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination but then it shouldn't be. Show O'Jay became a show champion in his first year and went on to gain approximately 37 challenges. He was also a group winner and did well in the ring including winning a best veteran against 42 other breeds under Mr M Farakashazi (Hungary). O'Jay sired three litters and produced several other champions. His progeny have also done well in hunting. Obedience When he was a year old, Jan and O'Jay started obedience with Wainuiomata All Breed Canine Obedience Club. O'Jay started to compete in championship obedience shows when he was 2 years old and certainly in the earlier stages thrived on the work obtaining the nickname "burglar". In obtaining his obedience championship title, O Jay won special beginners, novice, 4 test A's, 4 test B's, and all his test C challenges were won during 1984 the first being at Napier (this was the first challenge to be issued by that club in 8 years of Championship obedience shows). His final challenge was made even more memorable by achieving it at the club where he started - Wainuiomata All Breed Canine Obedience Club. Working Trials O'Jay qualified CDX on his first attempt on 14th September 1980. His (and Jan's) first introduction to tracking was at the OTA Easter seminar in Kawerau. O'Jay was approximately 4 years old.
 CH OB CH & WT CH Berki Szelid Strauz CDX UDX WDX TDX (Imp Aust) - O'Jay O'Jays first qualification was a UD at Palmerston North NDOA in 1983 under Dawn O'Dwyer who was also the judge who awarded his last TDX to make him a working trials champion on Saturday 4th April 1987. He then really capped it off by going out the next day and gaining another TDX under Marie Stewart. O'Jay was a top qualifier in UD WD and TD trials. Jan comments that seeing this in typed form it all looks very neat, tidy and straightforward, but she is right to comment that anyone having competed in any form of show, obedience, or tracking will know many a lesson is learnt and as O'Jay was the first dog she had worked, they were really guinea pigs for each other! O'Jay passed on in 1993 having done more than enough to promote the Vizsla breed - and letting the next generation carry on.
The Oops Section ....It wouldn't be a proper Newsletter without one of these. Apparently what I called the New South Wales Vizsla Mailing Club is in fact The Vizsla Club of NSW - not 'mailing. Sorry about that folks. But since then we have also started swapping newsletters with the Hungarian Vizsla Postal Club of Australia as well.
The Nose Knowsby Mike MurrayMike has sent us this article and a poem. Due to size constraints the poem will appear in the next issue A few years ago, I began looking at the hunt/ point/ retrieve group of dogs for a suitable replacement for my Labrador. After a lot of looking and reading, I have narrowed it down to three breeds: the German Shorthair, the German Wirehair and the Hungarian Vizsla. Out of the three I liked the Wirehair the most, as a lot of my hunting is for ducks. Then I met Jan Edwards of Szep-Allat kennels. I had rung her about her dogs to ask about their hunting abilities. I was then invited to watch them hunt.
 Mike Murray with Chance (Perchance of Szep-Allat) There were three dogs there that day; Tikka (owned by Brice Horner), and two of Jans dogs, Kez and Fame. Having owned a Labrador for five years, the style and speed of these Vizslas hunting came as a surprise. I liked them. Over the next three years I was to do a lot of hunting with Jan and her dogs. It was Nico who showed me that Labs were not the only dogs who loved water in Winter. He just has to be wet! The two things her loves most in life are to please and to hunt. I m not sure which of these two qualities make him the best dog of any breed I have ever shot over. He points and retrieves on land and water, will work any cover in quest of game - even thick blackberry. I could rave about him for pages, but the best thing I can say about him is that I now have one of his pups - Perchance of Szep-Allat . Chance (her pet name) came to me at nine months of age. I had booked in for a pup from the next of Nico s litters. Jan had kept three of the nineteen pups from the last two litters he had sired: Roze and Ripp, whose Dam is Fame (Ch Hubertus Claim to Fame), and Chance whose Dam is Briar (Ch Hubertus Golden Grove) - a very keen hunter. Seeing the hunting potential Chance had and knowing I liked her, Jan offered her to me. Taking her was a good decision. Her hunting style and keenness is that of her father's. By twelve months she had hunted rabbits, crows, pigeons, hares and been deer stalking on five day trips. On one of these trips we had hunted in heavy rain for five hours with no sign seen. Wet to the bone, I was not very interested when Chance started winding down a steep gully. Just a possum I thought. Well she has never seen one so I had better let her find it so she will know I don t want her to hunt them. Boy was I surprised when we flushed a hind only yards away. Needless to say no shot was fired and one dog was given bulk cuddles and pats! Duck shooting found me doing more Quail and Pheasant hunting than ever before. I have more of them in the freezer than in any other season. Chance just loves to hunt them. Now at sixteen months and summer on the way, I am sure she will find a deer for me. And this time I will believe her!
Heartwarming StoryBy Jenny PeacockeLast week I had Spud in our local shopping Mall with the SPCA raising money for the shelter. Spud happily wandered up to people (complete strangers) and sat beautifully and lifted her front paw for her stomach to be patted. She allowed babies and small children to pat, poke, prod etc. without turning a hair. She trotted around with a set of saddle bags getting people to put money in them and giving face licks as rewards. And the highlight for me was when a friend brought her 3 year old daughter in. This girl had been bitten on the face by one of their dogs - a Foxie. The Foxie had been put down but the daughter was left with a fear of their remaining dog and other dogs. At the mall Spud went up to her very quietly (all off lead), sat down beside her quietly until my friend's daughter eventually reached out and gave a cautious pat. After a little while she actually got brave enough to put an arm around Spud and after this had been there for about 30 seconds Spud very gently reached over and gave a sweet gentle little lick to her face. Apparently my friend's daughter gave their other dog it's first cuddle in about 5 months (since the attack by the Foxie) when they got home that day.
My DogBy Gareth Williams
Castlefield Flute. ©Rockrowan
CalendarsWhile perusing the Internet I discovered a place that sells Vizsla Calendars (as well as Vizsla Crossing signs, stamps, & Guarded by Vizsla Inc signs).The calendars cost $US10.95 each but they do charge $US20 postage & packing. If any of you are interested we may be able to get a bulk order together and cut the p&p cost that way (the $20 charge does not change whether you order 1 or 20 calendars). Alternatively one of the small dog product sellers in New Zealand asked me for details of how to get hold of these calendars. They will probably sell them at somewhere around $NZ20 - $NZ25. We may be able to discuss a bulk purchase price with them also. If you are interested let us know and we will see what can be done. Also we do already have a copy of the calendar if you want to see it before deciding whether you wish to get one.
Vizsla Words(with thanks to the Vizsla owners on the Internet) - watch for more over future issues!
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