HISTORY: Vizsla’s originate from Hungary with “Vizsla” meaning “pointer”. A breed with a long history, etchings carved in stone in the Carpathian regions dating back to the 10th century show a Vizsla with a Magyar hunter and his falcon. The Magyar used them to hunt anything from game to rabbits or boar. Successive generations continued to develop the breed and by the 13th century it was a much prized companion, able to hunt, point and retrieve. The breed almost became extinct after World War II when the Russians took control of Hungary. In an attempt to save the breed, native Hungarians smuggled some of the dogs to America and Austria. Although it’s believed two Vizsla were imported to the UK in 1939 the Kennel Clubs registration wasn’t until 1953. By the 60’s the breed had been firmly established and is one of only seven recognised breeds that can hunt, point and retrieve. Today the Vizsla continues to grow in popularity.
CLASS: Gundog
HEIGHT: Males 22 – 25 inches ( 56 – 64cms) / Females 21 – 24 inches ( 53 – 61cms)
WEIGHT: Males 45 – 66lbs ( 20 – 30kgs) / Females 45 – 55lbs ( 18 – 25kgs)
LIFESPAN: 9 – 15
COAT: Short and smooth with low shedding. Colour russet gold, some have a small amount of white on the chest and feet.
HEALTH: Generally an healthy dog, rarely some problems with Hip Dysplasia.
TEMPERAMENT AND EXERCISE: Vizsla’s are caring,loyal intelligent and highly affectionate. They quickly form close bonds with their owners, children and even strangers. Often they are referred to as “velcro” dogs because of their loyalty and affection. As puppies they need a lot of mental stimulation and if left alone for lengthy periods they can become bored and destructive.
They are natural hunters with the excellent ability to point and retrieve from land and water. They have sensitive temperaments and training must not be too harsh when correcting.
Vizsla’s love attention, interaction and are high energy dogs, needing a lot of exercise to remain healthy and happy. With socialisation and training these gentle dogs usually make a great addition to the family that loves outdoor life.
???? OWNER’S VIEWPOINT BY FAHYE MCCONIGLY ????
How to sum up a Vizsla (pronounced Veeshla) in a few paragraphs, quite a task!
After watching Crufts in 2010 when Yogi, The Hungarian Vizsla won Best In Show we decided there and then that a Vizsla was for us, Yogi was so elegant and handsome. So I set about doing my research starting with the Kennel Club. We then searched for Breeders and narrowed it down to two. After phone conversations with both we decided to go with the breeder who had ‘interviewed’ us about our lifestyle and expectations of this new ginger bundle of fun – we were scared we wouldn’t pass the test!
When we went to choose our pup, I was going by the book and going for a pup that was neither really quiet or very boisterous but my partner had other ideas! All the pups had little lumps on top of their heads apart from one, when we questioned the breeder, she pointed out the culprit – well that was it – I was told by my partner ‘we don’t want the ones with the scars we want the one who gave them the scars’ in true Magnificent 7 style!
So we set off home, me, Lee and a pup named Button (after Jenson Button the Racing driver) – all the way back to Yorkshire – it took me 2 years to convince Lee to get a dog and it took Button 2 minutes to convince him we’d done the right thing when he promptly fell asleep on his knee and stayed that way for two hours till we got home! The first week was hard – as, much like babies, no one tells you how your life will be turned upside down by the shark toothed, piddling, wrinkly fur baby! The days were spent tiring Button out with training, tricks, games and establishing a routine and the nights were spent hoping he would sleep through without crying!
He caught on very quickly though and within a couple of weeks he was in his routine, sleeping all night and banging the door with his paw when he wanted to go out for a wee! We spent the next two years taking him every week to Puppy training, gun dog training, agility – basically any kind of training to help tire him out and keep his puppy madness at bay (often called the Zoomies)!
He has the most amazing personality and makes me laugh every day. He is extremely intelligent and so loving, placid and friendly but they do not call them Velcro dogs for nothing – he wants to be with you all day, every day – preferably on your knee. They are extremely bouncy dogs and need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation or they can become destructive or depressed and are often referred to as Ginger Ninjas because of their unique style of play! I work from home so Button often comes into the office to encourage me not to work and give him kisses and cuddles, which of course I do and he accepts with such an air of right!
Button is now 6 years old and I walk him 4.5 miles in the morning and around 2 miles in the afternoon – he snoozes and sleeps his way around the house in between walks but his favourite place is sitting in the window of our dining room on his ‘perch’ (as we call it) watching the world go by and soaking up the sun!
Having a Vizsla is a lifestyle changer, don’t expect they will come into your family and just fit in, they demand your attention and your love but in return give you so much more – once you make the commitment you will wonder how you managed without them and what you did with your time before them!
If you are interested in knowing more about Vizsla’s I would recommend joining our Facebook page Hungarian Vizsla UK, which offers support, information and fun posts about our fabulous dogs. There are also Viz Whizz groups in all areas of Yorkshire, where the owners and the Viz’s get together and let them zoom around a local park or woodland en masse – this is a great way to get up close and personal with these fabulous, elegant and downright bonkers dogs.
