Kids and Vizslas

Hungarian Pointers and young people can get comfortable together.  Not easy, but with a calm hand and the a relaxed manner, a Vizsla and a young person can be best of friends.

 

This relaxed attitude does not come about by accident but with a plan by adults to keep the relationship between the child and the dog positive and enjoyable.

Success is wonderful!

Vizslas Come Across Coyotes

About four miles into our hike this morning in the Castle Rock area south of Walnut Creek we came across these two coyotes howling away.  Across the canyon I could here another couple howls in response.  Both Bailey and Chloe have learned to leave coyotes alone over the years of our hikes.  Bailey by training collar and Chloe the hard way by having a coyote take a nip at her.

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/07/young-coyote-teaches-vizsla.html
I know I feel better walking with my Buck 110 on my belt.

Bailey and two of his boys in the hills

Left to Right: Fawkes,  Bo, Chloe, Bailey

In the meadows of Briones Regional Park:  Dad and Sons

Fawkes  (2-year-old male) and Bo ( 1-year-old male) are from Bailey's first two litters.  They both will be being shown at the Northern California Vizsla Club Specialty Show on June 8th. 

Aaron has Fawkes and Chloe waiting for a stick and Bailey having a sip

We took a two and a half hike in the hills and covered about eight and a half miles.  The dogs must have run twenty to thirty miles. 

A good swim during a great spring Sunday morning 8.5 mile hike

Four Vizslas running large

Bailey puppies 2013

 Went up and enjoyed the wonderful spring morning visiting Julie, Sophie and the six new pups.

Pups in a box

The one boy of the six pups.  Bailey Junior

Sophie relaxing in the sun.  Pups are weaned now.  Good thing; their shark teeth would hurt!

Two Quail in a Tree

Great morning in the hills.

As I came around a corner, an hour into our hike, Bailey and Chloe were up ahead as they always are.  When I looked up the rise and over to my right I saw Bailey with his front paws up on a tree trunk staring up into the branches.   

Look at the top left corner of the picture for the quail.

 In the next second, a quail flew out of the branches and Bailey gave chase for a hundred feet or so.
I looked up at the tree and there was the mate to the one that had flown away.  He was still there spying us from his perch.

 

Bailey is quite the bird dog.  I love this boy!

The Braques Francais (French Pointer)

On our walk this morning, in the Morgan Territory Regional Preserve, we came across one person and his unusual hunting dog.  I thought it was a small German Shorthair Pointer, but Steve, the dog's person, told me it was a Braques Francais.

Steve told me that he knew of only two breeders of this breed in the United States. Good looking girl who Steve said is quite the birddog and has done very well with the pheasants they hunt.

Chloe standing next to this beautiful pointer



The female French Pointer was between Bailey and Chloe's size


 

STANDARDS
The American Kennel Club (AKC) does not register Braque Francais. However, the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) recognizes the Braques Francais – Pyrenees. The Club du Braque Francais (CBF), in France, is the official club serving the breed. Working from the CKC and CBF standards, here are breed guidelines for the Braque Francais – Pyrenees:

Height: 18 1/2 to 22 inches (47 to 56 cm), with 19 1⁄2 to 21 3⁄4 inches ideal.

Weight: 38 to 55 pounds.

Hair and Color: Braques have short, straight, easy-care hair on relatively tight skin with little or no dewlap on the neck. Acceptable color combinations are brown, brown and white, heavily spotted brown and white, and mottled.

Appearance: Subjective terms applied to the Braque include noble, well muscled and robust. The tail can be docked, or short at birth. The muzzle isn’t square, but should not be “snipey” or pointy. The nose is brown, not split, with open nostrils. The length of the nose should be just less than that of the skull.

http://www.gundogmag.com/2011/09/09/gun-dog-breeds-the-braques-francais-french-pointer/

Morgan Territory and Vizslas

Video downloaded onto You Tube on Valley View Trail in the eastern part of the Morgan Territory Regional Preserve.

Our 6.4 mile hike this morning started at the base of Highland Ridge Trail at 7:30.  We started here because the parking area does not open it's gates until 8.

In the two and a half hours, we enjoyed the following trails:

Highland Ridge Trail

Volvon Loop Trail

Valley View Trail

Eagle Trail

and Bay Creek Trail.

All these trails are on the eastern side of Morgan Territory Road.

One of my newest Hidden Treasures.

Hidden Treasure: Morgan Territory

Thursday night at 5 p.m. we started a great walk in the Morgan Territory Regional Preserve.

Link to the park's website:

http://www.ebparks.org/parks/morgan

From park's website: Park Features

"Sandstone hills within the park's 4,708 acres are adorned in spring with more than 90 species of wildflowers, including the Diablo sunflower (Helianthella castanea), which grows only in the foothills of Mount Diablo. Deer, coyote and even the elusive mountain lion may be seen here, and a variety of raptors frequently soar overhead.
Expansive ridgetop views reveal Mount Diablo to the west, Mount St. Helena to the north and the snow-covered Sierra to the east. Lowland valleys cradle the headwaters of Marsh Creek."

The view from the trail shows huge amounts of the central valley of California.

Trails go for miles and miles.  We had the whole 4,708 acres of wonderful foothills for Bailey, Chloe and myself to explore and experience to ourselves. 

Mount Diablo in the distance seen from the south eastern direction.

Thick oak trees covered some of the hillsides along the hike

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Dozen of cows grazing in the meadows along the trails as Bailey and Chloe run past

The weather on this spring late afternoon was perfect.  Scattered clouds, 20 mile an hour breeze and temperature in the mid 60's.  It can get HOT out here in the summer.   I carry a three quart water backpack on walks like this for the dogs and myself.  The three of us drank two quarts in two hours.

A cool dip in the pond afterwards for the dogs.

If the weather is right this is a great park for hikes with Vizslas.  The 9-mile Morgan Territory Road, from Marsh Creek Road gets very narrow for the last 4 miles.  Basically a one car wide winding road from the Concord side.  The access from the Livermore side is MUCH better. 

Trails taken: Volvon trail, Blue Oak trail, Stone Corral trail, Coyote trail.



Trimming Bailey's Nails Video

Once the video starts, double click the video for full screen version.

When I hear the clacking of nails on hardwood, it is time to trim Bailey's and Chloe's nails.

We do it on the same rug in the same spot each time about every two months.

It gets easier each time.  Remember the treats and take it slow. 

Earlier post on nail trimming.

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/08/art-of-nail-trimming.html

Golden Meadows Products and Paperwork

May 4, 2013 Moorpark, California

 

At the dining room table, Tim and Barbara Hoke went over their breeding practices and what each new puppy owner gets with their dog.  Most Vizslas, they said, go to empty-nesters and this is their second or third Vizsla.  Most have the puppy "started" and leave the dog with the breeder a few weeks longer for crate training, potty training, bite inhibition, no- ark training, sit, stay, and other basic commands.

 

This is some of what was in the booklet for each dog purchased at Golden Meadows.

It is 28 pages long: both sire and dam pedigree, all OFA's performed, vaccination records and general puppy-raising information and articles all in a plastic-covered binder.  This one was given to me along with the items below.

 

Information on the food they send and how to "change" to another brand

 

 

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A 40-minute DVD where Barbara  Hoke (co-owner) goes over 11 training tips

DVD on "the truth about dog food"

The product line of food they send with the pup

Vitamin supplement given with each pup.  Wafers. 
  I toss one to Bailey and Chloe each day.  They like them.


 

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I am neither recommending or not recommending Golden Meadows Kennels.
That was not the intention of the 5-hour drive down to visit them last weekend.  It was to see for myself a "high-volume" breeding operation and how they function.  Not all operations are the same.

This was an interesting visit with Tim and Barbara Hoke (owners), their grown daughter, the trainer, groomer, office staff, and maintenance man. All work at it full time. They have been breeding 21 years with Goldens and 7 with Vizslas.

Everyone was friendly and open. Nothing I could tell was hidden from me. I arrived one hour early from my appointed time and they were fine with my coming then.

Make up your own mind on breeders. When visiting the breeder, look and see for yourself. Take NOTHING for granted.

Knowledge is power. Objectivity is mandatory to get the best Hungarian Pointer.

If after visiting the breeder you don't like what you SEE, don't  get your dog there, who will hopefully, eventually, be a heathy and happy true companion for 15 to 20 years.