[BGF]

These puppies are already born and they were a complete mistake. Some low life dropped an in heat vizsla near my friends farm and bis parents found it. They imediatly saw she was in heat and her in stall to keep her away from the boys. However a few months later they discovered their Italian Mastiff found her first. Now they have seven Mastiff- Vizsla pups. They said three of them have retained a more vizsla look. I am a hunter and a vizsla is my dream dog but as I am about to grad. college I can't afford one. However I am considering adopting one of these if they are worth it.

Has any one heard of this type of cross before and what is it like? Do you think they will be natural retreivers still? I have not seen pics yet so I dont know what their head is l ike but do you think they will still have a soft mouth/bite or could I atleast train them to because I don't want them to destroy the birds?

Any help here would be great. Again this was not on purpose so don't go off on me telling me crossing is bad. I know and would love a pedigree but these are free and need a home.

Matt

 

[Mischa]

I think when it comes to cross breeds you have a 50/50 chance of what ever temperaments are characteristic to the breed. Although, I'm sure by identifying the breed's characteristics and enough patience and training you could make any dog the ideal dog. Just my opinion though, I'm certainly not an expert.

 

[gunnr]

BGF

All you can do is give it a whirl. Whether the Vizsla is purebred, or crossed, there is no guarantee that they will hunt.
I've seen purebred Vizlsas from champion show lines that could barely hunt out their own foodbowl, and wouldn't have a clue what to do with an actual live bird.

 

[bounce]

While cross breeding adds variability into temperament and the strength of natural instincts, it does not preclude the dog from being a good hunting dog. Historically Itallian Mastiffs were big game dogs, so their gene pool is probably not devoid of hunting characteristics either, but they were also breed for livestock protection and general security. I would recommend checking out the litter and bringing a wing to see who is interested, see who likes to carry things around... Depending on their age some of these pups may already be demonstrating some positive indicators, but as Gunnr mentioned, even with champion lines you can get a dud.

Regarding the bite pressure, I would assume the physics of the jaw geometry would play a role, but that is just an educated guess...

Best of luck,

T