Vizsla
| Hungarian Vizsla | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A Young Vizsla | |||||||||
| Other names | Vizsla Hungarian Pointer Magyar Vizsla | ||||||||
| Origin | Hungary | ||||||||
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| Dog (domestic dog) | |||||||||
The Hungarian Vizsla, pronounced VEEZH-la (zh as in vision), is a dog breed originating in Hungary. Vizslas are known as excellent hunting dogs, and also have a level personality making them suited for families.
Appearance
The Vizsla, as described in the AKC standard, is a medium-sized short-coated hunting dog of distinguished appearance and bearing. Robust but rather lightly built; the coat is an attractive solid golden rust.
The breed comes in either of two coat types: smooth or wire-haired. The FCI, CKC, and the KC(UK) consider the smooth-haired and wire-haired as separate breeds. Male Vizslas typically weigh between 55 and 65 lb (25 to 29 kg) and are 22 to 24 in. tall at the withers, females 45 to 55 lb (20 to 25 kg) and are 21 to 23 in. tall.
Temperament
Vizslas are lively, gentle mannered, loyal and highly affectionate. They quickly form close bonds with their owners. They are natural hunters with an excellent ability to take training. Not only are they great pointers, but they are excellent retrievers as well.
Like all sporting breeds, Vizslas require a good deal of exercise to remain healthy and happy. A bored Vizsla is a destructive and anxious Vizsla who is likely to engage in unwanted behavior, including chewing anything and everything in your home. Thirty minutes to an hour of exercise daily in a large off-leash area is optimal. Vizslas are excellent swimmers and often swim in pools if one is available.
The Vizsla is a very intelligent breed, and unless intellectually stimulated may tend towards deviant behavior in order to amuse himself. This deviant behavior often revolves around food, and large quantities food should never be left unattended. Vizlas have been known to devour hams, chickens, pot roasts, muffins, buns and cookies that were nicked from kitchen countertops, leaving nary a trace by the time their owners returned. Such feasts may require a trip to a veterinarian if bones were ingested or excessive bloating of the stomach is observed.
The Vizsla loves attention and prefers to be close to its owner whenever possible. This includes burrowing under the covers of your bed at night, and stealing your spot in the bed when you get up to get a drink of water. A Vizsla seeks to maximize warmth, and may sometimes adopt a spooning position beside you in order to achieve that. On the couch, a Vizsla will tend to climb up beside and/or on your lap. If ordered off the furniture, the Vizsla might lie on the floor, across your toes.
History
There are two prevailing theories pertaining to the Vizsla's history. The first, and most prevalent theory traces the Vizsla back to very early times in Hungarian history. Ancestors of today's Vizsla were the hunting dogs used by the Magyar tribes living in the Carpathian Basin in the Eighth Century. Primitive stone etchings seem to validate this theory. Vizslas faced and survived near extinction by the end of WWII.
The other theory holds that the Vizsla is a product of the nineteenth century, having been the product of other pointer breeds.