Appearance
General appearance
The Vizsla is a medium-sized hunting dog of distinguished appearance and bearing. Robust but rather lightly built, they are lean dogs, have defined muscles, and are similar to a Weimaraner but smaller in size. The breed standard calls for the tail to be docked to two-thirds of its original length in smooth Vizslas and to three-fourths in Wirehaired Vizslas.
Colour and coats
The coat of both breeds is a golden-rust color, and can be very red in some individuals. The coat could also be described as a copper/brown color, russet gold and dark sandy gold. Small areas of white on the fore-chest and on the toes are permissible but undesirable.
In the wirehaired vizsla breed the coat is wiry, close-lying, strong, and dense. ¾ of an inch to 1¼ inch (2-3 cm) in length with a dense, water-repellent undercoat. The outline of the body is not to be hidden by the longer coat. Pronounced eyebrows along with a strong, harsh beard, ¾ of an inch to 1¼ inch (2-3 cm) long on both sides of the muzzle reinforce the determined expression. The coat should never be long, soft, silky, shaggy, crinkle, wooly, thin, lacking undercoat or lacking brushes on the legs.
Size
The Vizsla is a medium-sized dog, and fanciers feel that large dogs are undesirable. Wirehaired Vizslas are normally slightly taller than smoothhaired Vizslas. The average height and weight:
- Males
- Height: 22 - 25 inches (56 - 63.5 centimetres)
- Weight: 45 - 65 pounds (20 - 29 kilograms)
- Females
- Height: 21 - 24 in. (53 - 61 cm)
- Weight: 40 - 55 lb (18 - 25 kg)
Temperament
Vizslas are lively, gentle-mannered, loyal, caring and highly affectionate. They quickly form close bonds with their owners, including children. Often they are referred to as "velcro" dogs because of their loyalty and affection. They are quiet dogs, only barking if necessary or provoked.
They are natural hunters with an excellent ability to take training (American Breed Standard, AKC). Not only are they great pointers, but they are excellent retrievers as well. They will retrieve on land and in the water, making the most of their natural instincts. However, they must be trained gently and without harsh commands or strong physical correction, as they have sensitive temperaments and can be easily damaged if trained too harshly (Gottlieb, 1992). Vizslas are excellent swimmers and often swim in pools if one is available. Like all gun dogs, Vizslas require a good deal of exercise to remain healthy and happy. Thirty minutes to an hour of exercise daily in a large off-leash area is optimal (Coffman 1992).
The Vizsla thrives on attention, exercise, and interaction. It is highly intelligent, and enjoys being challenged and stimulated, both mentally and physically. Vizslas that do not get enough attention and exercise can easily become destructive or hyperactive. Under-stimulated Vizslas may also become depressed or engage in obsessive-compulsive behaviours such as persistent licking (Coffman 1992). Vizslas are very gentle dogs that are great around children.
The Vizsla is totally unsuited to being kept outside, since unlike most other breeds, it does not have an undercoat. This lack of undercoat makes the Vizsla susceptible to the cold so it must not be kept in a kennel or left outside for extended periods of time. The Vizsla wants to be close to its owner as much of the time as possible. Many Vizslas will sleep in bed with their owners if allowed, burrowing under the covers. They are self-cleaning dogs and only need to be bathed five or six times a year, and are somewhat unique in that they have little noticeable "dog smell" detectable by humans. After several forays into lakes and streams they will develop an aroma that is a weaker version of the 'wet dog' smell. A quick bath and this odor will vanish. Lack of undercoat also means Vizslas are hypoallergenic [1].
History
Smooth-haired history
The origin of the Vizsla can be traced back to very early times in Hungarian history. Ancestors of today's Vizsla were the toy dogs used by the Magyar tribes living in the Carpathian Basin from the 9th century on. They were widely used for hunting rats.
The first written reference to Vizsla dog breed has been recorded in the Illustrated Vienna Chronicle prepared on order of King Lajos the Great (Louis the Great) by the Carmelite Friars in 1357 (Boggs, 2000:17).
Vizslas faced and survived several near-extinctions in their history, including being overrun by English Pointers and German Shorthair Pointers in the 1800s (Boggs, 2000:19) and again to near-extinction after World War II (Boggs, 2000:21).
The Vizsla was used in development of other breeds, most notably the Weimaraner and German Shorthair Pointer breeds (Boggs, 2000:18). There is much conjecture about those same breeds, along with other pointer breeds, being used to reestablish the Vizsla breed at the end of 19th century. (Boggs, 2000:19). In either case the striking resemblance between the three breeds is indisputable.
Wirehaired history
The rare Wirehaired Vizsla is a completely separate breed from its more commonly seen smooth-coated cousin. The Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla was developed in the 1930s by the interbreeding of the Vizsla and the German Wirehaired Pointer to get a dog with a heavier coat, suitable for working in the colder weather and more substantial frame. Anecdotal history suggests the added infusion of Pudelpointer, Griffon and a red setter in the early development of the breed. The Wirehaired Vizsla was recognized in Europe by the FCI under the Hungarian standard in 1966. It is also recognized by the KC (UK). Introduced to North America in the 1970's, the WHV was first recognized by North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association in 1983. The breed is currently recognized in N. America by CKC, NAVHDA, FDSB, UKC and ARBA. It was recognized by the Australian National Kennel Council in 2007. Currently there are between 300 - 400 Wirehaired Vizslas in North America (US and Canada).
Common Illnesses
Although the Vizsla is not generally considered as a sickly dog, breeding from a small number of dogs has led to heritable illnesses in some offspring, including:
- dysphagia-megaoesophagus (difficulty swallowing, drooling and muscle wasting)
- hip dysplasia
- hypothyroidism
- sebaceous adenitis
- digestive problems (including intolerance to certain foods or food allergies)
- eye conditions such as:
- ectropion (the upper or lower eyelid curls outward which gives the look of "droopy eyes")
- entropion (the upper or lower eyelid, but in most cases the lower lid, curls inward towards the eye, therefore irritating the cornea)
- idiopathic epilepsy is becoming more common in this breed (Gottlieb 2002)
Responsible breeders do not select dogs for breeding if they have such inherent problems.
Vizsla in the U.K.
Approximately 1,000 Vizsla puppies are registered with the Kennel Club of Great Britain (KC) each year, making the breed one of the top 50 most popular. The number is steadily rising year on year as more people recognise the breed.[2] At least two breed clubs for the Vizsla exist in Britain.
Vizsla in the U.S.
Frank J. Tallman and Emmett A. Scanlan imported Vizsla Sari as the first Vizsla in the United States of America.
Sari and her two pups (Tito and Shasta) were delivered by a TWA cargo plane to Kansas City via New York from Rome on October 7, 1950. (Boggs, 2000:23). Sari was later bred with Vizsla Rex. The male Vizsla Rex del Gelsimino, born 8/1/49, was purchased for $75 in food, clothing, medicine, and other supplies thanks to an Belgrade's US Embassy employee M.M. Yevdjovich who provided the direct connection to the owner in Stapar, Serbia to Tallman's representative Harry R. Stritman. Rex understood German and Hungarian commands and the claim has been made of history dating back to 1730 although never verified through a Serbian dog book in Yugoslavia.
Rex was delivered by a TWA cargo plane to Kansas City via New York via Brussels from Belgrade on June 12, 1951. (Boggs, 2000:26) There is a bit of controversy about Rex's official breeder, verbatim from (Boggs, 2000:26): "The Yugoslavia Kennel Club offered to give temporary registration to Vizslas at a local dog show so as to register future blood lines since many of the dogs in Yugoslavia and behind the Iron Curtain were pure bred, but without registration papers."
The American Kennel Club recognized Vizsla as the 115th breed on November 25, 1960.
The American children's cartoon character, Clifford the Big Red Dog, is a giant vizsla.
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