Vizsla

This is an energetic working dog with enormous stamina. It needs to be taken on daily, long, brisk walks or jogs. It makes a great rollerblading or bike riding companion. In addition, it needs plenty of opportunity to run, preferably off the leash in a safe area. If these dogs are allowed to get bored, and are not walked or jogged daily, they can become destructive and start to display a wide array of behavioral problems.

Low Maintenance: A Vizsla’s grooming routine is about as easy as it gets. Brush the short, smooth coat weekly with a rubber curry brush or a firm bristle brush to distribute skin oils and keep the coat gleaming. Baths are rarely necessary; four to five times a year is plenty.

Moderately Easy Training: The Vizsla is not difficult to train because it is happy to learn and eager to please, though it can be stubborn. Consistency is important. Vizslas are sensitive and should be trained gently; harsh training methods are likely to backfire.

The Vizsla is lightly built but muscular, giving it speed and endurance in the field. Its gait is light, graceful, smooth and ground-covering. Its short smooth coat is dense, providing some protection from the elements. The golden rust color is a hallmark of the breed.

Bred to be a close-working gun dog, the vizsla has the energy to range all day. It is a true hunter at heart, a talented pointer and always on the lookout for bird scent. It can become frustrated and destructive if not given adequate exercise. Most can be stubborn, some can be timid and others can be overly excitable. It is gentle, affectionate and sensitive, and can be protective. The vizsla makes a good companion for an active owner who spends a lot of time outdoors.

The Vizsla (pronounced ‘veezhla’, ‘zh’ as in ‘vision’), also known as the ‘Hungarian Vizsla’, ‘Hungarian Pointer’, or ‘Magyar Vizsla’, is an ancient Hungarian breed. It was used by the Magyar tribe of the Carpathian Basin for rat hunting as far back as 800 A.D, and later adapted for pointing, retrieving, and tracking. The first written record of the Vizsla appears in the ‘Illustrated Vienna’ chronicle, prepared on order of King Louis the Great in 1357. Vizslas faced near extinction in the 1800’s, falling in popularity to the English pointer. The Vizsla is an ancestor of the Weimaraner and German Shorthaired Pointer, and these breeds may have been later crossed back into the Vizsla. The rare Wirehaired Vizsla (only a few hundred exist in North America) was developed by crossing the Vizsla with the German Wirehaired Pointer and Griffon in the 1930’s for a dog with heavier coat for hunting in cold weather. A Vizsla named Sari was the first Vizsla imported to the United States, in 1950. The Vizsla was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1960 and is today a popular show dog, hunter, and pet.