German Shepherd is originated from Germany but Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla is originated from Hungary. Both German Shepherd and Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla are having almost same height. German Shepherd may weigh 6 kg / 13 pounds lesser than Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla. Both German Shepherd and Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla has almost same life span. German Shepherd may have more litter size than Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla. Both German Shepherd and Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla requires Low Maintenance.
In the 1930’s some breeders noticed that the Hungarian Vizsla produced some dogs with more water, cold weather and ground cover protection because they had a much thicker coat than most of the breed. One breeder decided to cross one of these females with a German Wirehaired Pointer, thus producing the first Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla. There were now three types of Vizsla – the smooth coated, the longhaired, and the wirehaired. The longhaired is very rare and can be either smooth or wirehaired. It is also believed based on anecdotal evidence that the original Wirehaired Vizsla was also mixed with the Bloodhound, Pudelpointer, and Irish Setter during World War II. Many kennels started breeding the Wirehaired Vizsla at this time.
This rare longhaired is not recognized by any official club or organization while the smooth and the wired are recognized as two separate breeds. There are only a few longhaired Vizsla and they are only found in Europe. The Wirehaired Vizsla was recognized in 1986 by the FCI in Europe and in 2014 by the AKC (American Kennel Club).
Like their cousins the smooth Hungarian Vizsla, the wirehaired version is a natural hunter and easily trained. They are great retrievers as well as pointers in the water or on the land. Their wirehair coats offer them more protection than their smooth coated cousins. They love to swim and are very good at it and will even use your back yard pool if it is available to them.
The wirehaired Vizsla came to North America in the 1970’s and was recognized by the CKC (Canadian Kennel Club) in 1977, The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) by 1986 and in 2006 by the United Kennel Club (UKC). The Australian Nation Kennel Council offered recognition in 2007 prior to their entrance into the AKC Foundation Stock Service. They began showing the breed at AKC events in Performance and Companionship, prior to their full AKC recognition in 2014.
These gentle hunting dogs became great family dogs as they love children and just want to be with their people. Falconers have recently taken up the breed because their temperament is suited to this work as well. There are only about 400 to 450 Wirehaired Vizslas left in the United States and few thousand across the globe.
The GSD is very good for being a watchdog and hence it do not welcome guests to home. But when trained from a puppy it will suit itself for making new friends. GSD like to be always with somebody and they can be its master or his family members or else its partner. The GSD is very intelligent and active hence they should be always kept busy, exercised and playing. Nowadays many of them are trained well and made as four legged stars.
When we see all around the world many of them are involved in helping the physically challenged people. Also they are very important personnels in working with police and military for finding the criminals. Their excellent sniffing power works very good when given proper training for finding illegal smuggling. But basically the breed was set in to herd the sheep and protect them from predators.
Based on the popularity they are ranked 2nd in US and 4th in UK.
Very much like his cousins, the Wirehaired Vizsla is a noble looking breed. He is lean and muscular with a noble head and moderate skull line. Their muzzle is just a little shorter than the skull and the end is squared. They have powerful jaws and a broad, wide nostrils. The nose is brown, and the eyes are slightly darker than the dog’s coat color.
Low set ears are long and hang near the cheeks. With a strong, long neck and muscular shoulders, the Wirehaired Vizsla certainly looks the part of a hunting dog. Her chest is a little deep and the breastbone is prominent. She has round paws with short nails. Of course, her coat is wiry and dense. The undercoat is water repellent. He has an intelligent and lively facial expression.
Their ears are long but proportionate to the head and body. Their upper teeth overlap the lower teeth. Finally, the tail is thick and usually 1/3 docked. The tail is mostly carried in a horizontal position while walking or running.
The GSD is a very good child friendly dog, they love to play with kids.
They adopts both hot and cold climates, but they like cold weather very much and also their body is suitable for cold than hot.
The GSD has high ability to learn tricks and also they are interested in learning. As they have very high intelligence they learn very easily and quickly.
Very good with children as long as he gets enough exercise.
Very athletic
A puppy could live in an apartment in the city, but the adult dog needs a yard and is better off on a farm.
Very smart, very responsive, high learning ability.
The GSD has the chances for getting orthopaedic diseases such as hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia. Other common orthopaedic problems which affects GSD are Panosteitis, Osteochondritis and cruciate ligament rupture.They also get some skin problems such as allergies and pyoderma. Digestive problems such as chronic diarrhea and colitis are also seen in GSD.
GSD is a continuous shedder. They are having a two layer coat. They should be brushed daily as it will remove the dead fur and thus prevents shedding.
Mostly healthy but the Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla does have some inherited dispositions to:
The GSD should be given an cool environment which they will enjoy a lot.
The GSD puppy should be fed small quantities of food but several times per day as it needs to gain 2 gms weight per day. The preferred food for them is dry food along with raw liver pieces which would provide them excellent energy. The protein food given to puppy should contain 25 to 30% calories. Puppies consume more food when compared with adults.
The GSD needs a food which has a considerable amount of protein. They are carnivores in the nature. The protein can be given from cooked meat. The artificial food products will not be suitable for them. When are provided with protein food they will gain fat from itself. The recommended fat content for GSD is 5% to 8%.
The GSD should be provided with a nutritional food for their good health.
Physical exercises are very much needed for GSD since they are very energetic and power packed. It is highly recommended to make them play and run daily as they don't need to get bored. They can be made to climb in hilly areas as they want to explore their surroundings. They can be made to swim or play hide and seek and find the missing objects. Regular morning walk will be very good for them.
Feed high quality food for medium to large breed puppies. Feed 3-4 time a day 1-2 cups.
Feed high quality food for adult medium to large dogs. Feed 2x a day 2-3 cups.
Great stamina and very athletic breed.
The Wirehaired Vizsla is a working dog and needs serious daily exercise. He will be full of energy and excitement if he doesn’t get enough mental and physical stimulation. He needs a family that can walk a mole or two every day or jog with him. He easily becomes neurotic and high-strung if his energy is not dissipated. Excels at Field Trials, Competitive Obedience, tracking and Barn Hunt.