Health
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About the Hungarian Vizsla
The Breed / a little history first
It is generally thought that the modern Hungarian Vizsla descends from dogs owned by the Magyar tribes who migrated from the Steppes of Asia, eventually settling in the Carpathian basin (now known as Hungary) and the 'yellow dog' brought in by the invading Turks in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. By the end of the 16th century the name Vizsla had become widely accepted replacing the name 'yellow pointer'.
During the 18th and 19th centuries other breeds such as the English and Irish setters and other pointing dogs were bred in to improve the breeds hunting qualities, strengthening the native Vizsla, (interestingly there is no evidence of the Weimaraner being used during this time in the breeds history).The First World War nearly put an end to the Hungarian Vizsla line with numbers dwindling and an identity crisis due to too much outcrossing. A dedicated few searched out a hand full of 'bird dogs' resembling the old Vizsla. This group of dogs became the foundation of all registered Vizslas in Hungary.
Skip forward to the 1950's and the first pair of Hungarian Vizsla, Angus and Ernest, were registered with the Kennel Club by Mrs J Wyndham offically bringing the Hungarian Vizsla to the UK (although there were reports of a unregistered pair in 1939).
If you are interested in reading more about the history of the Hungarian Vizsla or any other aspect on the breed I strong recommend getting a copy of The Hungarian Viszla by Gay Gottlieb
Owning a Vizsla
When I'm asked what's it like owning a Hungarian Vizsla my normal reply is 'easier than a Weimaraner', but joking aside they match in with our lifestyle. They are (like all gundogs) energetic and inquisitive animals who like human contact. They require regular daily exercise both physically and mentally and this should be something that you should want to do, not have to do. If you've never owned a dog before ask yourself why you are looking at this particular breed, can you give them the time that they require? Do you enjoy being outside? Will you be able to exercise your dog both on and off the lead? Will someone be around them most of the day? A healthy Vizsla can live up to 14 years of age so you do need to be honest with yourself about the long term commitment.
It is good to have a routine with your dogs that they get to know, below is a typical day for our dogs.
"We get up at 6.30am and our dad takes us for a 30 minute walk on the lead, where we can stretch our legs and have a wee and a poo. We then stay down stairs while our dad has his breakfast to keep him company, dad then goes in the shower and mum is still in bed so we go back on our beds for a while for a short nap, then mum gets up and we get really excited as this means its breakfast time, so after our breakfast we get to spend some time in the garden whilst mum is cleaning and hoovering, mum may go out or work on the computer so we settle in our crate with a kong with treats inside, time for another nap. The time soon passes and mum has her lunch which means we get to go out in the garden again to lay in the sun and play with our toys, our dad is home by 4pm so we then go out again for a longer walk and a run off the lead to burn some energy, if mums home early she will come too as she loves to walk with us, but sometimes she does not finish work till later. On Monday nights we go to Ring Craft where we train for the show ring and meet other dogs for socialisation, and Saturday morning is agility where we run and jump and go through tunnels it's so much fun, and we meet lots of other dogs to. But the best time is the weekends where in the summer we often go on a camping trip or a long walk along the river where we can swim, or over the fields and far away. We really enjoy our day and never mind if something different happens sometimes, as we are quite flexible."
Oban, Lorn Islay and Jura.