I need some help!

Is there anyone out that that has had both these breeds and can give me some pro's and con's? Ive read lots about their traits and characteristics, which are pretty similar and fantastic, and I think its the slightly lager size of the Weimy that im leaning towards, but something keeps pulling me back to the HV........and then there's the debate about the wirehaired HV or smooth coated, is there any difference in their temperament?

All help from anyone would be massively appreciated!

Thanks

Personally i think there's a huge difference between a wiem & a viz.
It would have to be a wirey viz all the way ! Deffo NOT as "Germanic" as the german HPR breeds ( sorry dont mean to offend but lots of people love this about german breeds & some dont ) They also dont tend to range as far when working. Fantastic house dogs, running, walking, agility, kids. They also dont seem as highly strung as smooths either ( again i dont mean to offend )
HTH

Thanks for this Stanley

I have a Wirehaired Vizsla and I know this will be 'my breed' from here on in.  I'll possibly keep a mongrel in the mix from time to time as I like my whiskery terrier too BUT there is nothing about the WHV I don't love.  A fabulous gundog breed that has proven to be an excellent family dog and I know plenty that are working in the field one week and in the show ring the next.

I'd say quite different to a Weim, and surprisingly different to a 'smooth' Vizsla.  Have you thought about a trip to Crufts in March?  Gundog day is Sunday 14th.  You'll see plenty of each breed in the flesh and may get a chance to ask the owners a few questions once they've finished in the ring. 

I was talking to someone at a show recently who has both smooth and wirehaired Vizslas, and said the wires were more laid back and not as highly strung as the smooth, I must admit i am quite smitten by the wirehaired....maybe one day

Ohh it's so hard!

Good luck

Shelter Dog:)

> Is there anyone out that that has had both these breeds and can give me some pro's and con's?

I can give a whole bunch of reasons why I chose a Wirehaired Vizsla AND why I've never regretted it AND why I'll choose another.  However, although I've met your alternatives I've never lived with one so it restricts my answers a bit.  I also don't want to 'sell' you on a WHV if your circumstances or preferences dictate otherwise.

Perhaps you could give a bit a more detail about the traits and characteristics you are looking for in a dog and what you are hoping to do with it?  Showing, obedience, gundog training etc

In the meantime here's something I wrote last year:

I keep thinking that I'll write an alternative breed description for mine (gundog).  Might sometimes more useful than the dry breed standard and along the lines of:  Likes to sleep upside down showing his testicles to the world, the vicar, and anyone within 200 yards (binoculars not required!).  Can carry water through several rooms leaving ever decreasing drips til there is just enough to wipe on the curtains.  If left on the wrong side of the door will make authentic Darth Vader noises through the gap at the bottom.  Will endear himself to your vet ensuring he's regularly invited back for return visits (necessary or not).  Slinks round the edge of the cow field whilst simultaneously attracting their attention until finally hiding behind you at the last minute and just in time to ensure you are flattened by a herd of curious bullocks.  Waits for you to say "Mine never does that" before proving you wrong, again.  Can achieve the art of invisibility when you go to the dog medicine cupboard.  Can hear the ham packet being opened from a 1000 paces.  Can tell you, to the minute, when it's 5pm and 'dinner time'.  Sneaks into your heart and has you planning a small herd of the same breed before you can say 'I'll never have more than two'  !!

Hope this helps

Absolutely love it your breed guide.

> I keep thinking that I'll write an alternative breed description for mine (gundog).&nbsp; <

Please will you do this for all breeds?

>Might sometimes more useful than the dry breed standard and along the lines of:&nbsp;
I, for one, can never interpret them [or match them to what a breeds really like - I need an interpretor.

Right, well we have a (Smooth) Hungarian Vizsla....WE have found him a lot more high maintenance then our labs and hard work,  they need Lot's of mental stimulation, busy dogs...they tend to get bored/distracted easily, we train in him in 5 minute bursts...they are highly intelligent and will use that to their advantage if you are not consistent with training, they can also be very talkative.
They are very sensitive but very wilful, and can be needy,  but their antics never stop us smiling! they definitely have a sense of humour! and by the bucket load they like to be involved in everything that's going on with their family.
They aren't for the faint hearted, but you put the hard work in they will reward you ten fold with all that Vizzy affection! can't wait until timings right for another.

I don't have experience of owning them but I think the wires are so lovely and the ones I know certainly seem to be quieter.

A close freind of mine has had a couple of smooth and seems to have problems with their nerves. Over 20 years she has had 3 put to sleep from different breeders for one thing or another , they all seem to relate similarly, weight lose, nervousness.. I'll need to find out if there is a name for this condition. I just thought it strange it has happened a couple times.

Thanks for you reply, really helpful. Im out of the country in March, such a shame, could you recommend any other shows that I could go to?

Thanks everyone for all your interesting and very helpful hints and tips! Im going to see a few breeders around my way for both WHV and shorthaired and hopefully will get some more great info to help make the decision!

> could you recommend any other shows that I could go to?

WELKS is always very well supported.  It's the first outdoor Championship show of the year where good weather is generally likely!!

Schedule with address, breeds, classes, etc here - it's in Malvern and Gundog day is Friday 23rd April

Fab! Thanks for this x

Go with what you like best, I have friends with all 3 and all are endearing in their own way. My own personal leaning is to the Wires but as I have hairy dogs anyway this is probably why they attract me most.

There is also Bath champ show in may

Whereabouts are you chicnnik..................I'll find you some Wires.

Diane

A little late in joining this debate but maybe I can help as I have had both breeds (HWV and Weimaraner).  I would say that both breeds are wonderful to own and can turn their paws to pretty much everything, pet, show, work, agility etc etc so are very adaptable - I would say however that the breeds are very different in their dispositions (obviously this is all my own opinion on the dogs I have owned and may not necessarily apply to all HWV and Weimaraners!)

I would say the HWV is the more biddeable and easily trainable of the 2 breeds, the downside to this being they can be extremely sensitive and on rare occassions a bit wussy!  I certainly have never found this a problem though.  The HWV is extremely affectionate and being so biddeable within a household do not really try to assert their authority. Finding a HWV with a correct close fitting wire coat (and therefore easy to maintain) is very much hit and miss.  Some of the worse coats are so soft that they just become mud collectors and get very wet!

The Weimaraner are a little less biddeable than the HWV and I found slightly more difficult to train because they are less biddeable - they are less sensitive that the HWV - do not get me wrong though I actually sometimes liked the more stronger character of the Weimaraner!  Probably just a little bit more challenging than the HWV.

As for which one it is horses for courses really - if you are a first time dog owner then I would 100% say the HWV, if you are a little bit more experienced then either would prove suitable. 

Finally choose your breeder and your puppy well - in my very humble opinion HWV's pups are being churned out at the mo - registrations have increased far too quickly for me!  Giving the breed CC's (which they are not readly for IMHO) sadly will only continue this.  There are a number of the stalwarts of the HWV in this country they would be the best place to start.   On the Weimaraner breeding side there are many breeders always extremely willing to help a prospective new owner. 

Going to shows is a great way to see the breed - as many have previously mentioned.

Hope this proves useful.

Nobody has mentioned the Longhaired Weimaraners. Does anyone have any experience of them (just curious ). I have the impression that they are 'easier' than their more popular short-haired cousins.

Something else that I find curious is that the HV and HWV are regarded as two separate breeds but the LH Weimaraner is not a breed in its own right in the UK - although it is in Europe I believe.

The coat variety in the Weimaraner is a recessive gene & you can get a LH from a SH mating if they carry the LH gene. When LH puppies are registered the coat variety isn't even stated in the BRS.

But they are registered as a different breed under FCI rules.

Interestingly i bumped into a WHV at a carboot on sunday, he had no "pedigree name" and said that where they got him from told them (the dog owners) that they didnt get them registered as his little was an extra litter. To say it was hard work talking to them was an understatement, when asked do you work him or does he point they had no idea what so ever. My partner carried on talking to them as i had to do something & all they kept saying was, oh is yours really good with kids then, my partner took it that they were shocked by this. Their dog however was lovely temprement wise, as my youngest has no fear & is quite "squeeky" voice wise when she gets excited & when she see's anything furry & i always preempt this as it could have a reaction from dogs that aren't as laid back but this dog they had was bombproof with her, loved people & wasa very friendly. He was a young dog & needed some weight a bit pale in colour & had huge feet, quite tall but none the less lovely. I honestly think they didnt have a true idea of what they had ont the end of the lead as they were convinced that they are so completely rare, bless them.

Wow, some great info there and certainly some food for thought! Im definately going to go and see some shows and breeders and see where that takes me. Thanks for your help and its never to late to join a debate!

Nik

I have a bit of experience with the longhaired Weimaraner!

They are exactly the same as the shortcoated Weimaraner just with a different hairdo.

I have had 4 Weimaraners, two shorthairs and two long hairs, two males and two females.

I have worked them all successfully to one degree or another; worked one SH and one LH in "ticket" in Working Trials.  My current longhair bitch (retired) is the most titled dog of any breed in the UK ever.

Her full title is Fursdon Twylyte Tramontano K9MS2 AD BH FH1 FH2 CDex UDex WDex TDex. She has won a ticket in Working Trials, holds a Working Gundog Certificate, competed successfully in KC Agility, is a registered PAT dog, Gold Good Citizen's Test and today obtained an "excellent" in a character assessment (along with my "other" german, the GSD).

I have judged HV and HWV in Working Trials and I prefer the HWV in my limited experience I have found them to be "stronger" than the shorts.  One of the reasons I did not have a HV was that I thought I would be too "strong" for them.

Longhaired Weimaraners are not judged separately in the show ring as they are on the continent. One of the reasons for this is because they are numerically small; it would be a good year (depending upon your point of view) where LH births reached 30.  This is because many people do not like them, although IME when manning gundog tents, Discover Dogs etc it is the LH that attracts all the attention and many people prefer their look.

I beleive it is more likely for mixed litters to increase now with the advent of the anti docking laws as it is extremely difficult to tell the shorts from the longs in a litter in time for them to be docked.  Longhairs have never been docked (although the standard did say you could tip the tail).

The only country that does not recognise Longhairs is USA.

Unlike the GLP, GSP and GWP or HV and HWV they are not a separate breed, just a different coat variant.

Weimaraners can do anything you want them to do, it is not any lack in the breed that stops them, rather their owners IME!