Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Breed specific discussion of your favorite breed.

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tomato
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2012 2:03 pm

Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by tomato »

Hi everyone,

My husband and I are thinking of getting a Hungarian Viszla or Beagle. We both had dogs but they grew up outside so we basically have no experience with dogs. We don't have children but we are planning to have kids, we live in an spacy apartment near parks & fields. We work near from home so one of us can walk the dog in the morning before going to work, and my husband can come home during lunch time to walk the dog, and in the evening we can walk the dog as well. We would like to find the right dog for our family, since I'm little OCD with cleaning (I know.. I shouldn't get a dog... but I would love to and I thought of this for a long time! :-)) we are looking for a dog with short hair, quiet and calm personality.

We are thinking of getting a Viszla or Beagle, could you please give us an advice and tips to choose the right dog for our family?
And that would be great if anyone knows about Hungarian Viszla. I have looked up google to get more infos about this breed, but I don't find any detailed ones. Are they suit for a family dog and kid friendly?

Thank you for your time and would love to read feedbacks!
Have a great day!! :-)
Suzette
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Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2011 6:45 am

Re: Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by Suzette »

I have never personally had either of those breeds, so can't speak specifically to their qualities. But you are so wise to do research before you bring a dog into your home. Kudo's to you!! The internet can be a great research tool, and I'm sure some folks with experience with these breeds will chime in, but you can also call reputable breeders in your area to lean more about the breeds you're interested in.

When you contact a solid, reputable breeder,they will be painfully honest with you about the pros and cons of their breed, and that's a good thing. You should always go into this with your eyes wide open. Puppies are some of the cutest things on the planet, but tons of work and a good 15 year commitment, give or take. So knowing all you can before you fall in love will benefit you greatly. Good luck and let us know how it goes. :D :D
My avatar is Piper, my sweet Pembroke Corgi. b. 5/11/11
Labsrule
Posts: 250
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 5:01 pm

Re: Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by Labsrule »

Hi, both the breeds you are considering are hunting dogs. Viszlas, while being beautiful dogs are pretty high energy 'bird dogs' and have a bit of a reputation for being quite difficult to train, they can be quite demanding as they are very intelligent. So if you are both working, you may find it hard to cope with such a breed as you would need to devote a lot of time to training (getting a reliable recall may be a problem) and exercise, obviously you can't leave a puppy alone when it is very young.

Beagles I think (I'm no expert) may be less of a challenge and while it wouldn't need as much exercise as a Viszla, they still require a lot of mental stimulation as they live off their nose being a hound type bred to track scents.

Good luck with your research.
tomato
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2012 2:03 pm

Re: Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by tomato »

Hi Suzette,
Thank you for your feedback!

Yes, having a dog as a family member requires at least 10 to 15 years of commitment, maybe more years. Therefore I would like to research to find out which dog suits best for my family. That's a great idea to contact some reputable breeders to hear their opinions too. At the moment, I'm googling and am reading about these two breeds. Thank you again for your comment and I wish you a great weekend!! :-)
tomato
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2012 2:03 pm

Re: Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by tomato »

Hi Labsrule,

Thank you for the feedback. One of my acquaintance used to have a Hungarian Viszla, and his family spent quiet some time at park walking / running the dog. The appearance of viszla was beautiful, it has short hair as well and is medium sized dog so I thought it might be a good match for my family. Honestly we can't spend a lot of time during the week, of course during the weekend, we can be committed to spend more time with the dog. It's not a easy decision to find the right breed. Yes, leaving a puppy alone isn't a good idea neither, there are a lot of things to consider. Thanks to your feedback, I'm slowing gathering right pieces of infos to make the right decision.
Ari_RR
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Location: USA
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Re: Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by Ari_RR »

My 2 cents...
All dogs shed hair. All dogs need exercise. All dogs require a huge amount of time from their humans.
If you are a little OCD with cleaning, and let's say enjoy a good night sleep and staying in bed in the mornings, or spending evenings by TV or reading in a nice comfortable living room, the change will be huge whichever dog you pick. Slightly easier perhaps with a short hair cleaning-wise.. But shocking none the less. Just imagine taking the puppy out to pee several times during the night (each night!) for the first month or more, taking him out for walks in the evening in the rain and cold, having to play with him on your worst days, when you are tired, frustrated and don't feel well.. And so on.

The difference between no dog and the laziest dog with no hair is much greater than between that laziest baldie and a hyperactive saint-bernanrd.

So, the investment (mandatory, not optional, and ongoing) is huge. The payback is huge too, if you appreciate the total unconditional love and devotion.

My point really is - do all the research that you can, on personality and physical characteristics.. Yes, some breeds will fit into your lifestyle a bit easier than others, but no matter what kind you choose - it's A LOT of work, and A LOT of love, and A LOT of frustration at times, and A LOT of happiness at other times.

Good luck!! Viszlas are great dogs. But for you I would perhaps consider something more "easy going". By the way, short hair doesn't necessarily mean less shedding. Perhaps you could take a look at a labradoodle? I know one girl.. She is just a tad larger than an average viszla, energetic, a lot of fun and affection, but much more in tune with humans than your typical hound type.
Last edited by Ari_RR on Sun Aug 26, 2012 4:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
JudyN
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Re: Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by JudyN »

Do you definitely want one of these two breeds? I can't advise on them myself, but when I read 'short hair, quiet and calm personality' I immediately thought 'greyhound'.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Labsrule
Posts: 250
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 5:01 pm

Re: Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by Labsrule »

Yes totally agree with JudyN, Greyhounds are very chilled out normally, just need a comfy bed, a lot of love and nowhere near as much exercise as a Viszla or Beagle. Although they can and do chase being sight hounds, they are quite happy with a lead walk and the ocassional free run in a safe place and happily accept the couch potato lifestyle.

Loads of lovely ones in rescues and you may be better suited getting an older dog as your work commitments keep you away from home during the day, short fur and not much shedding either. Ideal!
Labsrule
Posts: 250
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 5:01 pm

Re: Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by Labsrule »

Below is a link to the UK Vizsla Club which you may find helpful

http://www.hungarianvizslaclub.org.uk/Owning.html
doggiedad
Posts: 152
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 5:25 pm

Re: Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by doggiedad »

i was attacked by a Neopolitan Mastiff. 2 Viszlas came to my aid. these Vislas
were calm dogs. they ran around the farm and never bothered any of the
farm animals. when we went riding they went with us. they were comfortable
on the farm or in the city. i think if you give the dogs lots of training, socializing
and exercise you could pull off having a Beagle or a Viszla in an apartment. i
also think if you could get either one of the dogs out and let them do what they were
bred to do it would be very healthy for them.
bendog
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Re: Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by bendog »

Beagles can be stubborn to train. They are scent driven dogs so have a tendancy to ignore you on walks and have their nose glued to the ground. however if you were prepared to play lots of scent games in the house and on walks you may find them rewarding.

All dogs have good and bad points. Someone else's ideal dog would be my worst nightmare. Someone else looking after my dogs may well find they couldn't cope with the amount of walking they need. It all depends what you are looking for.

I second judys greyhound suggestion for a very easy going, coach potato dog. Or even a whippet if you wanted something smaller. But even these will want to chase on walks so aren't safe with small furry animals like rabbits.

Oh, and forget about being clean. Especially if getting a puppy. They WILL have accidents in the house however careful you are. They will chew. Even short haired dogs shed. Even adult dogs will get covered in mud and trek it through the house, or go out in the rain and then dry themselves on your sofa (and you will have to walk them in the rain and get wet and muddy yourself) or roll in fox/sheep/horse/cow poo and then get it all over their collar and lead and usually your jeans too!
tomato
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2012 2:03 pm

Re: Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by tomato »

Hi Ari_RR,

Your comment is really really realistic. I have thought of this for a long... long... time and am still hesitating whether I should get a dog or not after reading your comment. When I get a dog or puppy, I would like the dog to be happy with us and I want to accept the dog as a family member. Sigh... it's not an easy decision to make. What you wrote are true!! :-) No matter which breed I choose will still shed hair :-) Yeah, owning a dog requires A LOT of work and love. Thank you so much for your realistic comment!
tomato
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2012 2:03 pm

Re: Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by tomato »

Hi JudyN,

No, we are looking for a dog with big ears :-) that's why Beagle and Hungarian Viszla came into my mind. I will check out Greyhound's characteristics! Thank you for your comment.
tomato
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2012 2:03 pm

Re: Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by tomato »

Hi Labsrule,

Last weekend, actually we went to two different dog shelters to check out dogs. We are also considering rescuing a dog instead of buying if we find the dog that he/she likes us and we like too. I will also read more about greyhounds too. And I thank you for the link of Hungarian Viszla in the UK. I actually found the link while I was researching about the Viszlas. These website is very handy especially for a beginner like me. Unfortunately we live in Germany, but I would call them to learn more about the breed :-)
tomato
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2012 2:03 pm

Re: Hungarian Viszla or Beagle?

Post by tomato »

Hi doggiedad,

To me Viszlas seem to be big (in my opinion), but they also seem to be friendly. I only saw Viszla once in my life.
We live in a spacy apartment without garden but we have huge fields and park near by. Since we are beginners of owning a pet,
I have already looked up some Dog training school. I know a friend who takes their Labrador to the dog school once a week and their dog behaves. Thank you for sharing the story :-)
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