Vizsla owners- Does your dog get beat up in the field?

[GSPVIZ]

Hi All,

Does your Viz get beat up in the field?

Today after about 2.5 hrs of hunting, my Viz was physically beat up. Her snout was completely red, eyes puffy and red, tops of feet red and bare, and the inners of her front and rear legs beat and tender. Also the inside of her ears were all scratched up. I have a chest guard on her which helps but it rubs under her front arms.

This normally happens to her but today after the 2.5 hrs, she was very sluggish in the field. Normally she will go full force all day but something about today really slowed her down.

When this happens to her she will now sleep the remainder of the weekend. It is almost like she has taken a beating! It is almost sad to see her!

Does your Viz get beat up like this?

[Sharon]

Not to make it simple but maybe it is. You've got to do something about that chest guard. Cut it down or get another one. Rubbing in the arm pits is enough to slow any dog down.

What is she running through? I don't know much about New Jersey. Corn stubble does that to my dog but if you're going through crusted snow that would do it. Also remember that running through snow tires a dog out a lot faster then a dirt ground.

[jczv]

I agree with sharon on the chest guard. My male had one that didn't fit in the front legs that he wore during deer hunting season and it slowed him down tremendously.

As far as the face and legs partially you just have to live with it. Our female sounds pretty similar - some V's have very fine hair which will rub off if they are running through cover etc. It can also depend on how tall your dog is - there's a huge difference how much less our top of standard male gets beaten up (who also has much thicker hair) compared to our bottom of standard deep chested female.

The other thing to watch is how much heads down ground tracking you let her do. Some V's like to get into heads down tracking mode if there's any foot scent around. Some people like that some don't. If you let your dog do it (and don't try to send her on) just be aware the head etc will get a lot more beat up if they spend a lot of time in that mode.

I'd rub some vasoline on any areas that the fur gets rubbed off. It will help with the cold and to heal up alittle quicker.

Overall though a lot of it sounds pretty typical. They'll get beat up some and don't have a thick coat of hair to protect themselves. In general mine get pretty beat up during hunting season (but they have 6 months to recover). As far as sleeping the rest of the week that sounds like our female also - but if yours is like mine she'd hunt everyday if you'd let her. I didn't know how our female would do when I had vacation and we hunted 10 days straight but she did 3-5 hours a day without a problem (even though after our normal weekend hunts she acts exhausted around the house).

[56-26]

Ya, they pretty much sums it up.

[NE Vizsla]

Vizsla's hunt harder then other breeds so they are going to get beat up.

[ezzy333]

Vizsla's hunt harder then other breeds so they are going to get beat up.

Stirring the pot a little it seems. But they do a lot of running and do not have a lot of hair coat so they probably do get scratched up a little more.

Ezzy

[mudhunter]

I have no experience with V's but I don't consider my dogs to be hunting hard unless they come out beat up. My setter has sliced his ear in half this season, he was an absolute mess with blood. Even my labs will get all cut up while hunting. The snow takes a lot out of them as well.

[Bigsur009]

As others have stated, the super-fine hair probably doesn't help. My boy comes out of the woods all scratched up and puffy eyed every time he goes hunting, but it doesn't seem to slow him down any. I don't use a chest protector on him, but i'd definitely try to make the one you use fit better. good luck!

[NE Vizsla]

Vizsla's hunt harder then other breeds so they are going to get beat up.

Stirring the pot a little it seems. But they do a lot of running and do not have a lot of hair coat so they probably do get scratched up a little more.

Ezzy

Ahh having fun. My guys are always getting scratched up and rubbed raw..seems alot faster then some other breeds..its got to be the thin coat and short hair, never seems to bother them or slow them down however. I dont run any type of protection on mine either.

[bullseyebill]

Yes our V's get beat up. One year I had a chest protector on that was rubbing the arm pits so I took it off, he rubbed off a nipple.

Cindy

[OHIO VIZSLA]

I hunted mine hard for 5 days straight in South Dakota sloughs this past November & his only injury was to his nuggies. After 2 days they were completly hairless & looked like 2 overripe strawberrys. Yeow, I wish somebody sold a "ball bag" I could buy to protect them.