Gun Dog Forum

I have a 6 month old Lab and just got word that the Vizsla pup I put a deposit down on over a year ago was just born. Looks like I am going to have two pups soon! I am very excited, but am interested to hear others experiences with hunting with the two different breeds. My cousin actually has a 3 year old Vizsla and a 1 year old lab and they get along quite well. It will be very interesting to see how all the dogs interact in the field this year. My cousins lab is a duck dog so may be staying home during our Pheasant hunts, but my lab was bred for his pointing ability and I have been training him to be an upland dog. Any pointing lab owners also have Vizsla? What should I expect from the two?

Expect the Vizsla to have a stronger pointing instinct. I'm personally not too big on the pointing labs (or "pausing" labs as we jokingly call them) but being as you are training it to be an upland pointing dog they should work together fine. The V might range farther than the pointing lab I have seen some with serious wheels. It may even drag the lab out to its range potentially. If its the former you could have a big running dog and a shorter one and ideally the lab may sniff out birds that the V has potentially run past. Good luck with them both.

bustingcover wrote:Expect the Vizsla to have a stronger pointing instinct. I'm personally not too big on the pointing labs (or "pausing" labs as we jokingly call them) but being as you are training it to be an upland pointing dog they should work together fine. The V might range farther than the pointing lab I have seen some with serious wheels. It may even drag the lab out to its range potentially. If its the former you could have a big running dog and a shorter one and ideally the lab may sniff out birds that the V has potentially run past. Good luck with them both.

Thanks for the reply, I fully expect the Vizsla to be a better pointer and that is the reason I am getting him. That is a good point about catching things that the Vizsla may miss. I am also hoping the lab is a little more resistant to the wet and cold and will bust through the tall thick or wet stuff to retrieve the birds the V will not. My family has always had Vizslas and most wouldn't go after a bird fallen in water.

I have a 9 yo GSP and a 7 yo GWP X Lab. If I hunt the Lab cross alone he will range and point when he scents a bird, if I shoot it he will retrieve it. If I hunt the GSP alone she will do likewise but with a little more range. But if I hunt them together, the GSP will hunt at her normal range and point when she scents a bird, the Lab cross will hold way back, honor the point and then beat the GSP to the bird for the retrieve.