Rheingold Vizslas

Our Breeding Philosophy

As AKC Breeders of Merit, we breed our dogs occasionally with the goal of preserving what we feel is the "perfect breed." In recent years, we have bred about a litter a year and produced excellent get by returning to the foundations we cherish. We happily place puppies in loving homes that cherish the temperament, intelligence, grace, natural instincts, and versatility of the breed. We require several visits to evaluate prospective families. In turn, we provide ongoing support and advice to new puppy owners and welcome them into our extended vizsla and human family. We encourage families to participate in AKC events and will help and support them in activities.

In addition to participating in the dog hobby we are very involved in Vizsla rescue and have lots of experience with breeders that are not responsible. Therefore, we urge you to take GREAT CAUTION in selecting a breeder. First, you will want to avoid any breeder who will ship you a pup sight unseen. Good breeders love their puppies and will want to meet you. Second, most of the internet sites that list puppies for sale (next day pets, etc.) are mostly listings for puppy mills, volume breeders, or backyard breeders that do not breed to maintain or improve our lovely breed’s conformation or temperament. If a breeder will sell you a dog over the internet without meeting you and then ship a puppy on an airplane as freight, is that really a breeder you want to buy from? Many of the dogs we see in rescue were purchased like this. A well bred Vizsla whose parents have had proper care and health testing (see offa comment below) will probably cost around $1800 or more. A bargain pup probably has no health testing behind it. Price is not a total indicator of quality either. Some volume breeders and pet stores charge as much as distinguished breeders. The articles linked below can help you learn about what to look for in a breeder. Please read them.

We follow the VCA code of ethics for breeding. Please read it and only work with breeders that adhere to it: http://vcaweb.org/about/code_of_ethics.shtml

If you need to check on a breeder’s health testing, the database of records is public and can be found at www.offa.org  You will need the registered name or AKC registration number to search. Check for both sire and dam.

PLEASE READ the information on the links below, as you are making in investment for the life of your dog and want a breeder who has invested their life in our lovely breed:

This is a great site for education on breeders, puppy mills, and rescue: http://www.pupquest.org/index.php

This is another quick checklist and very good:

http://speakingforspot.com/blog/2010/01/23/a-dozen-simple-ways-to-be-certain-you-are-working-with-a-reputable-breeder/

Here is a link to an article that discusses pet stores and volume breeders vs. good breeders. It is very informative: http://www.forbes.com/sites/allenstjohn/2012/02/22/where-not-to-buy-a-dog-the-pet-store-connection-to-the-business-of-puppy-mills/

You can look for breeder referrals through the regional clubs listed on the Vizsla Club of America Site: http://vcaweb.org/clubs/clubs.shtml

I highly recommend connecting with your local club if you are new to the breed and want to learn more.  The Keystone Vizsla club is our PA club and they are at www.keystonevizslaclub.org  Diane Shearer of Legacy Vizslas is the breeder referral contact for the Keystone club.  The Conestoga Vizsla Club handles DE/MD/VA and is at www.cvcweb.org

We are proud members of VCA, KVC, and CVC.



If you are interested in being placed on our waiting list as a potential puppy home for a future litter, please CLICK HERE to access our puppy questionnaire. This form should be completed and emailed to debraevalds@yahoo.com