Thread: Time for another dog

Hi all,

Been yarning with the Mrs for awhile about getting another pup. (Had a 3/4 vizsla 1/4 lab with the ex great dog just for ever had medical issues - ended up passing away from stomach problems at 6 yrs old )

Question I have is- is it worth going purebred with all the papers tests hip scores etc ? I’ve been looking at a few gsp’s but just wanting to do some home work on what I should really be looking at. Maybe my last one was just a bit of a dud, forever had skin issues and would react to grass . Or maybe it’s more of a breed thing ? Just looking for general advice I guess on a good hunting/family breed

No guarantee that the mega dollar papered pooch won't also have health issues. Really depends on the breeder and why they are breeding. A lot are just in it for the money from what I can see.
I personally reckon just have a look at a few litters and have a good look at the breeders and see if any particular pup jumps out at you as being your new best mate.
Sometimes you just have bad luck.as well.

Been thru a similar dilemma a year ago,

Yes, some breeds are more prone to disease than others
even then, there is no guarantee.
Give them the best life you could and just hope for the best.

Can't really comment on GSP as I didn't do much research on them
but google or people in the forum will tell you the plus and minus.

When we did our homework a good family/guard/maybe a farm dog
my top 3 list was Doberman (1st), Huntaway (2nd) and last option was Cocker Spaniel

However, when I saw my dog (mixed Malamute x Huntaway puppy) about ± 8 months ago
all my criteria, requirements, etc all went out of the window.

He is the fastest learner dog I have ever owned,
Dog are only as smart as we can teach them as I still got a lot more to learn.
And,,, it's like having a kid (toddler) again.

All you have to do is ask the "breeder" for a hip score on the dam and sire. If they cant provide something as simple as that my guess is they wont be able to provide you with any other health checks and that means you have the potential to have problems that you had with your other dog.

Brains trumps looks I reckon. Anything with a bit of Heading dog should tick the box.

Our Sacha is 3/4 lab, 1/4 vizsla and has had no gut issues, in spite eating anything & everything she can get at... does get a bit rashy with some grasses though. In my experience it's a fantastic mix for family / hunting. GSPs are pretty full-on and I know of some that have been prone to health issues as well. It probably comes down to the individual, both in terms of health and temperament.

misty was 1/2 lab 1/2 GSP...no issues
Buttons was half huntaway half GSP no health issues but cancer got her in end.....amazing bitch she was.
Meg is beardie /gsp...hard case and so far no health issues
Poppy is lab/collie/GWP so far so good
Nugget was pure cocker..from backyard puppy farm......was legally blind by 9 years old,put him down after siezures at 11...awesome loyal lovable shadow..shit I miss that wee brown bundle of love

get what you want to but be aware you will have them for close to a decade so chose wisely.

Thanks for the replies so far guys , the other thing I forgot to ask is dog or bitch, pros and cons ?

bitches MIGHT be smaller and better behaved...but if it comes to a scap..dogs sort out whos boss and thats it..bitch fights are epic.
Ive had mainly bitches but wouldnt mind a dog at all...the cocking leg on things or humping things are both trainable...and no red weeks every 6 mths.

If you wanted a GSP there are some pups in Rotorua at the SPCA.
I wouldn't personally go GSP as most I've come across have been a lot of hard work. They're cool if you have the patience and time.
Met a 6month old huntaway cross heading last week at the pub, was super chill. Was pretty jealous. My 18m viszla x heading is cool but intense.

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There is no guarantee any dog you get wont have health problems, so getting a pure bred dog doesn't really make a difference. Certain breeds are "known" as having certain problems, but of course that doesn't mean that another breed wont have the same or different problems so you really just have to roll the dice. Hybrid vigour is sometime used to describe the benefits of having a mixed breed which does better than the pure bred parents, but as mentioned this does not mean the mixed breed pup wont get whatever afflicts the parents.
As for a dog or bitch, as Micky mentioned a non desexed bitch will drop a bit of blood around the place every now and again and sometimes her milkshake can bring the boys to the yard so there is that to consider. I've had both sexes and as long as they are trained properly then handling them is pretty similar really.
As BlackFern says, there are a heap of breeders around who are only into it for the money and couldn't give a crap about how healthy any pups are as long as they make lots of money. Smallish puppy farms are all over the place where someone has a few bitches and just keep breeding to make money ( one of the reasons I turned down an offer of a lab pup from a similar place).
Visit the pups parents if you can so you can see what sort of condition they are living in and to make sure any pups have been socialized from an early age otherwise you will have an uphill battle trying to train them if they don't know how to act like a dog.

Originally Posted by rugerman

There is no guarantee any dog you get wont have health problems, so getting a pure bred dog doesn't really make a difference. Certain breeds are "known" as having certain problems, but of course that doesn't mean that another breed wont have the same or different problems so you really just have to roll the dice. Hybrid vigour is sometime used to describe the benefits of having a mixed breed which does better than the pure bred parents, but as mentioned this does not mean the mixed breed pup wont get whatever afflicts the parents.
As for a dog or bitch, as Micky mentioned a non desexed bitch will drop a bit of blood around the place every now and again and sometimes her milkshake can bring the boys to the yard so there is that to consider. I've had both sexes and as long as they are trained properly then handling them is pretty similar really.
As BlackFern says, there are a heap of breeders around who are only into it for the money and couldn't give a crap about how healthy any pups are as long as they make lots of money. Smallish puppy farms are all over the place where someone has a few bitches and just keep breeding to make money ( one of the reasons I turned down an offer of a lab pup from a similar place).
Visit the pups parents if you can so you can see what sort of condition they are living in and to make sure any pups have been socialized from an early age otherwise you will have an uphill battle trying to train them if they don't know how to act like a dog.

I'd go further. Any NZ Dogs registered breeder should be testing their dogs for genetic conditions. You are allowed to ask for tests on the bitch and sire. There's been a big push lately to get members to do this. If they demur then walk away because they just want your money and don't care about preventing suffering in their dogs. Most breeders I know love their dogs like family and do their best to weed out issues. They'll also take dogs back if you can't keep them for some reason.
Some people above suggested looking at the dog. That won't tell you much about their genetics. The tests are a safety net.

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

2 of the big diseases are eyes and hips.. A quick google search tells us that "dogs suffer from the same hereditary eye diseases as human"... Hips, google tells me that bad hips "tend to run in families..

Rugerman is correct there are no absolute guarantees... However registered purebred dogs are dam and sire recorded and IF you are dealing with a responsible breeder they will have background knowledge, that is they will have vet certified scores for each of the dam and sire and probably the dams and sires of those animals and that certainly goes one hell of a long way in making sure that things like hips and eyes are not going to be a problem for the dog you are going to put a truck load of time into, just so it can fail when it gets to 5 or 6yrs of age. Been there and done that with 2 dogs. My current bitch is 10 and that is the combined age of the 2 that broke down. I know my bitches eye score and hip score, I know her parents eye and hip scores ..