My friends brother has a vizla, it is 15 weeks old and already the vet will not treat it without a muzzle. They have spent £400 on a dog behaviourist already. When she first started telling me about it I thought they were overreacting as its only a puppy but it really does seem to have major problems. Her brother wants to give it back to the breeder but his wife will not hear of it apparently 3 have been returned. Does anyone know if these dogs are suitable for family pets or have they just been unlucky.

A 15 week old HV should not be showing the degree of aggression that needs a muzzle or behaviourist. What did the veterinarian say?  Have they actually contacted the breeder with regard to this puppies problem and if so, what did the breeder say and do? I would be very surprised if it is out and out aggression, but I have witnessed it in very rare cases within certain HPR breeds. If more puppies in the litter are exhibiting the same behaviour, then I would advise them to return the puppy PDQ. This is over all a very gentle breed and although I have seen a few stroppy ones, it is very rare indeed. Please keep us posted

Wwith 3 having been returned to teh breeder already makes one wonder about the amount of socialisation the litter had or whether the bitch had a decnet temperament.  I didn't think the breed was wel known enough to have breeders that woudl be that lacking in care about tempeament.  They do seem a fairly sensitive breed as Gundog go, but I have never seen an Aggressive one at a show or the ones I have met.

Has the vet needed to see this dog regularly?  I wouldn't say the breed is known for agression issues, but if, as other's say, three have already been returned to the breeder, what sort of socialisation has been done, both before they left the breeder and since?

I have met two hungarian vizlsas at my local kennel club good citizen training classes - both the smooth and wirehaired owned by the same lady - you really could not wish to meet a more laid back pair of dogs - in fact the wirehaired one at our bronze test was so laid back he practically fell asleep whilst doing the one minute stay :) 

They are suitable for both family situations and with other pets.  They are also very bright, active dogs and they do need plenty of exercise and mental stimulation to stop them getting bored which could lead to frustration and therefore destructive behaviour - but not aggressive.  Some 'NOT' all can have a tendency to be highly strung or shy but this can be dealt with by proper socialisation and training and by exposing them to as much stimulation as possible.

Obviously we can only go by the info given here but my guess would be that the whole family have been stressed by something the dog has done and are therefore tense whenever the dog is in 'situations' which only adds and even encourages the dogs negative behaviour. (we musn't forget though that to the dog his behaviour is not negative as it has been learnt from human reaction)

Contact the breed club near them for advice and help from other Vizsla breeders - they may even be able to meet up with your friends brother and help assess the situation and give advice on how best to deal with it, even to the point of training with them.

Vizslas can be a handful in terms of being very active dogs, very enthusiastic and high energy.  I've never seen an aggressive one, though.  And certainly a 15 wk old puppy should not be aggressive.

If 3 dogs have been returned to the breeder, I would want to know why - I would want to speak to these ex-owners and find out if it was due to aggression or some other reason that the other 3 were returned.

Something smells a bit fishy here, because even if the other 3 were not returned for aggression reasons, the breeder can't have placed her precious puppies very carefully with permanent loving homes if 3 have been returned by the age of 15 wks.  And that sounds like a bad breeder to me.

I would also want to know - is the dog behaviourist qualified?  Is s/he a member of the APBC and was s/he recommended by their vet?  There are lots of cowboys out there using dodgy methods and if you use harsh methods on a young puppy, yes you can do permanent damage and CREATE aggression problems.

Have PM'd you Ange, to save my writing a massive 'essay' on here! :)

Vizslak make great family pets, we have 3 and they are the most loyal, intelligent, affectionate dogs ever but also VERY sensitive. If socialisation is not started early by the breeder and then carried on by the new owner (into adult life) then they can become fearful, nervous and even, in some cases, aggressive, they simply becaome unable to cope with certain situations that other dogs would not be bothered by. This sounds like what could have happened to this little pup, have a read of my PM and let me know what you think :)