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I am doing this post so that you can learn about health testing for the Hungarian Vizsla. Health tests are usually set out as a recommendation by the Royal Kennel club. But it does not mean you have to do them to have a registered puppy. Their are 4 health tests that the Royal kennel club set out as a recommendation to do before you breed from your dog and they are:
So to the first question. If we do these exams will it totally guarantee your puppy will not get those health issues in life? The answer is a big NO. Sorry I wish it was not the case, but it's true. So why is this? Because genetics do not work in the way we would like them too.
Most elbow or hip dysplasia is evident around 5 months of age. For some it is later. But you would not know this on an 8 week old puppy. Remember over exercise of your baby puppy can really damage joints so be very careful what you do. What causes it? Several factors.
So why hip and elbow score? Because the thoughts are that if you continue to breed through dogs which have excellent scores, then the offspring should follow suit. The more dogs scored in the gene pool would suggest the elimination of hip and elbow dysplasia. However we have been doing this for 30 years. We hip scored our Weimaraner's when others were not doing it. Same with Vizsla. The hope is that with hundreds of good scores in the pedigree you will continue to get good scores in the offspring. So this is why it's done. But it's no guarantee. The Kennel club set out a breed average score and this means they take all the dogs done at the UK BVA scoring and take the average best score. But it's probably very incorrect at the moment as most dogs are done in Australia. So why are dogs being done in Australia? During Covid the UK BVA slipped up, and stopped scoring dogs. Then when they came back to it the back log was so long, that breeders like ourselves could not wait for months at a time for a result. The Australian scheme was identical, and did a turn around of 2 days, plus was less money. So we went there, as did most of the UK. Gradually however breeders are going back to the bva scoring system, but we have not. We decided to stick with Australia because they are still quicker and little cheaper. Not a lot but little and every little helps. But it does not end at those tests. Because we have available now private companies offering breeders health tests by DNA testing dogs to check for genetic diseases. Breeders who truly want to get on board and eliminate those health issues will do the testing. The majority however are not doing the testing. We've always based our pricing of puppies on the amount of tests we do on the parents, because it can save a small fortune in the end at vets with some of these horrible diseases. But not all breeders can afford the testing. Most puppies that come from parents of little testing may not be priced as much as those that have. But its a drop in the ocean because you truly do get what your paying for. But check the breeder as we see some pricing puppies at £2600 and hardly any health testing has been done. So it's up to you to find value for money. Value is lots of health testing done for your money paid. How to DNA tests work ? Well sadly I wish we had DNA markers for lots more health issues, but there are NO DNA MARKERS in may other Vizsla health issues! SO WE CAN NOT DO THEM AS THEY DO NOT EXISIT. You would hope that dna markers would have become more available for Vip, Epilepsy above any other health test. But because if we take Epilepsy as an example, we are unsure if it's as simple as one gene from each parent is the cause, or its multiple genes, making it polygenic. Or if it's not hereditary at all. But good news is there is some research going on now. But it may not be to gain a genetic DNA marker, it maybe just to understand whats going on with the dogs. So going back to the tests that are available what do we do? We do a variety of health tests, and I base it on when people call me looking for dogs and may of lost a dog to a health issue its usually means its in the UK breed. I get a number of people ringing me up saying Ive lost a dog to ECLE do you test for it as our breeder did not. I can say yes we do.
Some of our bitches have not been tested and the reason is both of their parents we owned and we have the test results for those parents as they are hereditary CLEAR of those genetic diseases. Which is great. So I have kept back the paperwork from those parents in a file so I can show you. I take no offence when someone asks to see all the paperwork on a visit. I welcome it! So how do you avoid having health issues if theirs no health testing. Well it's blooming hard I can tell you. We breed by avoidance. So for example if we put two parents together and ended up with a health problem we would not mate them together again. But we would not exclude them from the gene pool as we would use a different bloodline on the mum. Or dad depending how it worked. So it's called breeding by avoidance. If it happened again to the same mum, or dad, then we would retire her/him out. Because a dog maybe a carrier and not effected, and all you have to do is find a different bloodline. Of course there is no guarantee that dog also would not carry it. Because thats life. In raw 1970'a DNA TEST FOR A BREED CAME OUT. The breed clubs said do not use any carrier, or affected dog. Only breed clears. They eliminated practically the whole genetic gene pool, ending up with a few bloodlines left. Then suddenly they had Epilepsy, suddenly they had Addisons, and so on. The breed ended up far more unhealthy. They had to reverse what they said. So carriers can be mated to clears because none of the puppies will be affected. But it's down to the breeder then to health test their puppy they kept, and do the same thing again. You do not breed CARRIER to CARRIER. or EFFECTED TO EFFECTED. Also remember these DNA tests are what we call TOOLS for breeding. Tools for us not you. Because we use them to avoid inherited diseases. What better way really to help our lovely breed. I can promise you I am trying my best as a human placed on this earth to help our lovely breed. I take each breeding mindfully and do the best with what I have. I import dogs to help genetic diversity. I import semen to help. I use compete outcrosses where I can. Everything we do is to help our dogs future gene pools. If we produce something we are very sorry and we do endeavour to work around issues. I remember stopping a Weimaraner line years ago due to producing two litters of entropion. I stopped another line where I saw aggression. I am mindful and I change things where I can. We have to recognise that we are only human, we do our best. It does not always work, but at least we have tried. Where our dogs are concerned we do far more health tests than anyone else I know. Well I know one other breeder and she's my dearest friend. I love her because we are on the same page. xx
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Team Silvestre have been having quite the week at dog shows. Congratulations everyone and in particular to Nicki Winkworth with Silvestre Fit as a Fiddle winning her second CC. 1 more and she is an English show champion which is very difficult to achieve so I am so proud.
So here are the results from shows this week. Boston open show Silvestre Pop Soda Pop - First puppy class, Best puppy, Best of Breed, short listed in adult group, Puppy group 2. Wow, Congratulations to Ian Sladden, Linda Forbes and handled by Gemma. Boston Championship show. Bracco Silvestre Pop Soda pop - First minor puppy dog. First puppy dog, and best puppy dog. Silvestre stolen kiss - first post grad dog, First special beginners. Group 4. Silvestre Golden Dragon - 5th Open dog. Vizsla Silvestre Fit as a fiddle - 1st limit bitch, BITCH CC WINNER (Her second) I would like to thank judges, for Boston open show Lara Coghlan. Boston champ show, Marion sergeant, and Betty smith for your placing of our team today. xx We had booked our Bracco girls but we could not make it. Sadly Darryl had to work and there was no-one here for the dogs, so I had to stay home. I always arrange cover when Im not here and this week I just had to accept it was a no go. I would have booked the Vizsla but when I booked their is always a high chance summer time that I cant go when work clashes with dog shows. Darryl is self employed and sometimes you just have to work through. Hopefully I will make the next show as it a local open show up the road, and then another champ show during July. Then it will be a little break again until we can find time. In the mean while we enjoy our teams wins more than our own. I’ve never really understood why the word “breeder” has become such a dirty word in both the show community and the rescue world. The reality is: breeding isn’t inherently bad—and calling someone a “puppy farmer” based purely on whether they have one litter or two is unfair. Also with out puppies you would not own your dog. So be grateful breeders exist.
Yes, people say “only one litter a year is acceptable”—but the moment someone has more, they’re suddenly labelled a puppy farmer. And then the term “career breeder” gets treated like it’s the worst thing you can be. But that approach needs to be challenged. There’s nothing wrong with being a career breeder if you do it properly. My experience: why I ended up choosing a different kind of breeder This year I found myself in exactly that struggle. I wanted a Cocker Spaniel—we had them back in 2000, but it didn’t work out with our Weimaraner (he genuinely detested spaniels). I ended up giving the spaniel to my mother-in-law, and she then bred one and I helped her. When I decided to try again, I contacted lots of small breeders to buy a cocker. Many of them: • hadn’t done health testing (or had only done one or two tests), • wouldn’t reply properly, • or acted “silly” about the idea of selling to another breeder. So I then chose a breeder who is more established. She did full health testing, the dogs were raised to a high standard, everything was clean, and the paperwork was ready and proper. I also met the entire breeding team—everything felt immaculate and organised. I’d heard nasty rumours about her from spiteful people, but when I visited her home it didn’t match what I’d been told. It was just… well run. Nothing was too much trouble. She even had a WhatsApp group to check in with puppy owners. That—right there—is what a good breeder looks like. And I’ve also known the opposite: a breeder who claimed she only had “one litter in five years” like it made her some kind of miracle. Her home looked like hoarding, it smelled, there was little aftercare, and the whole setup was completely different from what I experienced with the breeder I trusted. So yes--breeding as a career is fine. The issue isn’t the number of litters. The issue is the standard. Let’s stop calling good breeders “greeders” or “puppy farmers” just because they make money People love to say, “Oh they’re making money from dogs.” But the truth is: If you breed properly—health test, provide excellent welfare, raise puppies in clean environments, give them support and enrichment, exercise the dogs multiple times a day, and provide proper updates and aftercare—then the money doesn’t just vanish. It goes back into: • the dogs’ welfare, • equipment and living conditions, • vet care and testing, • and the ongoing support owners need. That’s a very different “package” than someone doing a one-off litter with minimal effort and no proper systems. What puppy farming actually looks like Let’s talk about real puppy farming—not the kind where someone has two litters instead of one. Have you seen recent stories and photos—like the a breeder in Wales who was fined? Reports said: • the conditions were filthy, • there were poop piles and extreme neglect, • the environment was so dirty it was hard to even see the furnishings. Some people tried to defend it with mental health arguments—but anyone can surrender animals to rescue if they’re not coping. There’s no justification for producing litters in that level of filth. And we’ve all seen the stereotypical “puppy farmer” photos: dozens of dogs crammed in waste-filled spaces, with no proper care, no cleanliness, no real welfare. So the problem isn’t “breeders” making money.The problem is neglect. Bottom line Stop branding everyone who breeds with financial purpose as a villain. The real question should be: Were the dogs health tested and cared for properly?Were the puppies raised clean, enriched, and supported?Did the breeder provide genuine aftercare? If yes—then they’re not the enemy. They’re simply doing breeding the right way. One last point to remember which a lot of breeders just ignore. Breeding licenses. If you breed and "SELL" your puppies to the value of over £1000 which is set out by HMRC. Then you are required to be licensed. If you breed and take under £1000 it is not a business. So they use the term business test which means if your taking in over the £1000 you are a business. Not you point me out a breeder who has not sold their puppies for that kind of money. They dont exist. Even if puppies are just under £1000 each and someone has ten it's still 10k. If a breeder has 2, and C section and stud fee then they have made nothing. This is when councils come in to check for licenses and they look at the whole picture. You may own a breed which has 1-2 pups you will NOT need a license. But it's up to the council to decide if you need one. We can pretend we do not need one as it's easier, no paper work, no health checks, no welfare checks, and not submitting tax returns. But do you want the new online spot fine of 5k if your found out? Or if you keep. breeding the 20k fine which they can issue through court? NOOOOOOooooooo.... So if you're a breeder reading this, do check with your council as I would not want to go through courts just for the sake of doing it right. For pet owners reading this did you know 80% of breeders are NOT licensed, and they are doing it on the quiet. It is left to you to find breeders who are doing it lawfully. So why post this? Because reading online such hateful comments about a breeder which were totally unjustified. No it was not me. But I can not see the point in being so horrible about this breeder when they are actually doing a good job. Absolutely they are home reared. From the moment they are born into our home until the day they leave they are in the home with us. So why is this important? First thoughts are thieves. It's harder to get into a home than it would be kennels. Just this morning some dogs have been stolen from kennels up the road. How awful for the breeder and I hope the dogs can be found soon. Makes me feel sick the thought of it. Our adult dogs are also in the home and they alone would make it very hard for anyone to steal puppies. Because I leave some loose in the house over night. No-one would get past my Bracco Geralt. He is an excellent guard dog who can walk where ever he likes. Second thoughts are when puppies are raised in the home they find it normal living. So all the experiences of sounds and sights is so important. Because thats what the puppies will be going into at 8 weeks of age. To hear the TV, Music, vacuum, dishwasher, washing machine. It just makes sense doesn't it. That house dogs are far more adjusted than a kennel dog. As a breeder I want to be the very best that I can and I have learnt so much about animals over 30 years and the important of the home life. We can pick one up and have a cuddle when ever we want. We watch them so we would know if any wasn't well. We truly dedicate our whole lives to our dogs. In fact our whole house is designed for dogs in mind. We have a large dog room where all the adults live except cough cough 6 who live in the lounge and dining room and hallway. We have to pass inspections to get a 5 star license, and our home meets the highest standards in cleanliness. You can see from photos. We have no soft carpets except the stairs, and everywhere is tiled, laminate flooring. This means it's easier to keep clean. But we recognise puppies can slip on surfaces, so we actually lay down large puppy pads which you can see from one of the photos in a pen. We had loads, and we also put down Vet bed rubber backed which sticks to laminate. So when puppies start to run they do not slip. Why? To stop joint issues. We have a Utility room where we can feed all the dogs from, it's separate to our own feeding areas. So we are ultra hygienic. With a utility all designed to store dog food, dog treats, dog medicines, and cleaning products. We have a grooming parlour outside all for our own dogs. IN it we have a grooming table, chair. Bath with shower, Plus cupboards to store towels and shampoos in. In this we also have a dog fridge so we can store defrosted meat and keep flies away. So we are hygienic again. A fridge just for dog meat. We also have lots of freezers in store sheds. We also have a bedding shed. where we can store all the vet bed, and treats and foods. All locked and under CCTV.. CCTV Our whole home has CCTV inside and out. You cant fart with out it being on video ha ha. The times Ive fallen over and the whole family have watched the footage back and laughed. Being part of a 5 star license someone with qualifications has to be on site at all times, and thats me. If I go out, I arrange cover. Someone has to be at our home 24/7. This is the one reason my best friend refuses a 5v star license. Because she does not want to be tied to the house. But it suits me because I would rather be at home. Then if we do have to go out we arrange dog cover. I used to think it was a tie but I can see its benefits. The dogs have company all the time.    One day not so long ago a puppy owner asked me do our puppies go outside? I got massively offended because of course our puppies go outside. Why wouldn't they! But then I realised the question was in fact sensible because there are so many breeders who keep puppies in a kennel, or keep them in the house/garage and they do not go outside. But in my mind I was like you've seen all my photos online surely you know our puppies go outside. But why is it important. There is a good reason. Puppies need room to move and stretch. Space to run to develop muscle. Vitamin D from the sun. To feel grass under foot. To learn the environment. To help choose a working prospect which you can not do if it's sitting in a pen all its life. To me being a country girl, having puppies in the garden is a no brainer and I just did not think about it. It's like second nature to take dogs outside into the field and walk around. But of course for the city breeders, the breeders who just have kennels they do not let their puppies run on grass. The truth is once you have let them out in the world and let them run on grass they then scream for it. They love it so much thats what they want to do and they then hate the pen. So you as a breeder make your life harder as they demand more attention. But the other side of coin is their whole being needs it. So in answer to your questions. YES YES YES YES our puppies are allowed outside. They learn to walk on Grass, soil, shingle, wood chips, porcelain, concrete and wood. Our puppies go away. bomb proof because of all the experiences they have had. I am a country girl, not city girl and I would die if you placed me in the middle of London and told to live. Give me trees, give me the oceans, give me the British countryside any day of the week. This is where I am happiest. My soul is happy.    2026 Puppy Update: The Joy—and the Real Work in Those First Weeks
During 2026 so far, we’ve had two litters of puppies—one from Birdie and one from Geri. All of those puppies are now in their homes, settled in, and enjoying life. I’m truly proud to have found such lovely families—homes that will nurture these puppies and bring them on to be the very best versions of themselves. But as we always say, it’s hard work. The first three weeks after a puppy goes to their new home can be the most difficult to navigate. You can do “all the right things”, and still suddenly feel like everything has flipped the wrong way. This is completely normal—because puppies are learning everything at once: routines, boundaries, people, smells, sounds, sleeping patterns, toilet habits, and what is expected of them. It’s all about that balance of love, understanding, and firmness when needed—especially when teaching puppies that mouthing is unacceptable when it’s you. The First Hurdles New Puppy Owners Often Face Here are the most common early struggles, and why they happen: 1) Mouthing Many puppies mouth because it’s how they explore the world. It’s also a form of play and teething. The key is consistency—puppies don’t understand “don’t do that” in the way we do, so we must teach them what to do instead. What helps: • Replace biting/mouthing with an appropriate chew toy • Use calm redirection (avoid games that turn into wrestling) • Teach “leave it” and “give” (even at a very early stage) • Encourage gentle play with toys rather than hands If you only punish mouthing, you’ll often get conflict or fear. The goal is to teach a better habit, not just remove the unwanted one. But if all the kinder methods just do not seem to work then you have to step up your game and be firmer with the puppy. This is the biggest reason of returns to breeders when people can not firm up and tell the dog off. Years ago behaviourists were not a thing. Then suddenly as society changed where you cannot tell children off, and you should not tell a dog off, then dogs suddenly got out of hand. Sometimes we just have to be tougher than we would like to stop mouthing. But only with mouthing, as most things in a dog training life ahead you are using rewards and positives training. But dog biting is not acceptable and if we do not stop it now, it just gets worse and worse. 2) Screaming at Night This can be heartbreaking. Puppies are leaving everything familiar and going into a new environment. Separation anxiety and overwhelm are very common—especially in the first nights. What helps: • Keep bedtime routines calm and predictable • Create a warm, secure sleeping area (many do well with a cosy bed or crate setup) • Consider night-time reassurance strategies (without accidentally building a “must be awake all night” expectation) • Avoid making night-time settling a high-excitement activity Screaming often isn’t “bad behaviour”—it’s communication that they’re scared, unsure, or overtired. 3) Not Wanting to Be in a Crate at Night A crate can be a lifesaver for sleep and training—but only if it becomes a safe, positive place. What helps: • Start crate training before bedtime (short, positive sessions) • Use treats and enrichment to build positive associations • Never use the crate as punishment • Make sure the crate is sized correctly (too big can contribute to accidents) If your puppy is refusing the crate at night, step back and rebuild the foundation—crate training is not “one day” learning. 4) House Training House training can feel like it’s taking forever, but it usually improves rapidly once you understand puppy timing. Puppies have small bladders, low control, and still don’t fully understand signals. Accidents happen—especially when puppies are excited, overstimulated, or overtired. What helps: • Use a consistent schedule (take them out after naps, meals, play, and waking) • Reward quickly when they eliminate outside • Don’t punish accidents—clean up and reset • Manage the environment: puppy-proofing, supervision, and using a crate appropriately It Can Feel Like You’re Doing Everything Wrong (But You’re Not) New puppy owners can be too eager for everything to “fall into place” immediately. But instead, it often works best to take a step back and focus on one area at a time. Small steps are large steps in a puppy’s life. You wouldn’t expect a child to master schoolwork in a single day—you support progress through repetition, routine, and consistency. A Quick Reminder: Repetition + Rest = Progress It takes around 2,000 repetitions for any dog to truly understand a command in a reliable way. And puppies require a huge amount of rest--18–20 hours sleep each day. With a Vizsla it can be a little less, as they tend to fight sleep at times, but sleep is still essential. When puppies are overtired, behaviour often worsens: • mouthing increases • night settling becomes harder • accidents become more frequent • confidence can drop So if things feel like they’ve suddenly gone backwards—check the sleep. What I Want Puppy Owners to Remember Most If you’re in the middle of those early struggles, please don’t assume you’ve done something wrong. Most “problems” in puppy life are simply part of learning and adjustment. Your job isn’t to make life perfect—your job is to guide them consistently: • teach the right behaviour • manage the environment • keep routines calm • repeat calmly and kindly And with time, the balance clicks into place. Puppy buyers beware, What a heading! So whats this about you may ask. Well reading some adverts online is a real eye opener. We have puppies priced high from parents with no health tests done, or very few health tests.
We have adverts that sound too good to be true, so they probably are. Fancy wording making you think you are buying something unique and select which is rubbish. But breeder is inexperienced, and just clever at marketing. Another litter champion sired. It's not a UK champion or European Champions. It won a junior title. To win this it varies from country to country, but sometimes the dog is the only one in the class so has not beaten anything. It's given a point. After 3 it gets a title behind its name of JCH. But in fact it's not really a champion. I realise lots do not know how champions are made. Im just amazed how fancy people make their adverts making you believe your buying something so select when in fact its a bog standard crap Vizsla. Some of these so called fabulous select dogs are creating puppies for the pet market which should be in working homes only as they are quite mad. Having seen a few from some of these prolific sires you need to look at the dams. So what do you need to do to find a good puppy? Well everyone has an opinion dont they. So here is mine!!! For the legal side of things find a licensed breeder. Unfortunately only a small percentage of people are licensed. It's your job to research. If they are selling puppies for a fee, then they should have one. But then look at the most important things like home raised. The parents having a minimum of 4 health tests each. Not just one dog or none. How are they raised? Can you meet the mum? Do the owners of the mum show the dogs? Showing dogs brings some kind of responsibility to the breed, and keeping the dogs to the breed standard. With understanding of construction of the dog, and spending years developing good dogs to go in the ring. Will the breeder give after care? How long has the breeder been established? You really want experience so someone whose been doing it for many years, not a couple of years. Do not fall for the adverts which say, we deliver. Because the puppy does not arrive. Do not choose puppy's from photographs. The breeder should choose for you as they know the puppies characters best. But if you choose from photos you have no idea what you are taking on. Making sure the parent's characters are calm, biddable, kind and gentle. All Vizsla are up for anything you do, but you want one thats a lovely temperament, not one thats quite mad. Read the honest adverts, which sounds pretty normal with out having to use fancy terms to win you. I’m very pleased to say that we are now licensed to sell puppies for a further three years. We hold the highest possible rating for animal welfare—5 stars. To meet these standards, breeders must show responsibility for their breeding dogs, maintain excellent cleanliness, and demonstrate a strong knowledge of dogs, supported by the qualifications I have. Unfortunately, it was reported at a government meeting that around 80% of breeders selling puppies may not hold a licence, and measures are being considered to address this in the future. Dogs need proper regulation, and sadly this is an industry where poor practices can occur. At Silvestre, we are committed to doing things to the best of our ability. You breed dogs and enjoy preserving their heritage, and part of this is importing new bloodlines. We have coming in June an exciting girl to our home. A young girl that will bring some old bloodlines back to our breeding. It's very exciting and I will share more to come once she is here. Just waiting on dates for arrival.
Because we had puppies we had to give Southern counties a miss this year due to not being away from the babies for long.
But I am so pleased to tell you that our breeding had a fab day with their owners/breeders. Well done Diane Priestly with her 3 girls. The Judge Tamas Jackal from Hungary and the president of FCI and you did so fabulous. Diane bred the two girls from our Maverick and the other girl we bred. Then Roughshoot tiffin (Indi) a Maverick Daughter won limit class giving her stud book number. Again a fabulous win. Although I did not breed her I am so pleased for her. Good wins to nice people and it always means more when its that way. No Braccos were entered from our team today as busy elsewhere. Well done to all the winners. . |
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July 2026
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