Vizsla
The breed
An Adopted dog's story
Vizsla
What breed is this?
Also known as Magyar Vizslas, Hungarian Vizsla, Magyar Pointer, or Hungarian Pointer, these athletic, elegant, packed with energy, golden-rust coloured, medium size dog are gorgeous and extremely affectionate.
about this Breed
And more...
They also go by the nickname of velcro dogs, as they prefer to be literally in contact with humans. Seriously, some hunters even complain because they like to be so close to people, they stick themselves to their human companion’s legs to always feel they’re near. For some hunters this is an issue.
Vizslas were developed initially for hunting purposes, so they can endure very long hours of non-stopping exercise, but one of the most special traits of this amazing breed is that they are amazing companions and loving dogs to their masters. If you have gotten yourself a Vizsla, you’re in for one of the best experiences ever.
They are gorgeous dogs, so good-natured and so affectionate they’ll steal your heart forever. I mean forever. They do need very much of your attention, though, as Vizslas are highly emotionally dependent on their owners.
One of the particular characteristics of Vizslas is that they have pretty much the same color along their entire body; Nose, eyes, coat, tail, neck, even nails are copper-like, golden rust brown.
Another very distinctive trait Vizslas have is their particular smell. Vizslas don’t have the characteristic dog smell we are used to. They do smell a bit, but it’s not a very strong odour and it’s not like most of dogs. Actually they smell a bit like a bird. If wet, they do have a faint dog smell but disappears as soon as they get dry. So your home is not going to announce as soon as a guest opens the door that there’s a little furry tenant there. These gorgeous dogs are almost odour-free. Isn’t that great?
As they don’t have hair but a coat, they don’t require any complicated grooming. They do shed a lot of hair, as every dog does, in Spring time. So be prepare for your vacuum cleaner to have heaps of adorable copper-like color little hairs to clean up!
As they are very easy to clean, almost odor free dogs, most people give them a bath every 3-6 months. When my Cooper gets wet due to the rain or a but dirty for going on a walk, I use my totally home made and natural eco-cleaning towels and problem solved.
Some individuals can have small white spots in their chest. Some people would say this is not desirable, but this doesn’t mean an actually handicap of defect. Our sweet Cooper Alexander has a small white beauty mark on his chest, which we adore.
As you can see in this closer picture, Vizsla’s coat is not exactly very dense; they don’t have the woolly undercoat most breeds do, so low temperatures give them a really bad time. For this breed (always check with your vet if any doubt), if it’s too cold, you may want to take advantage of a scarf to protect their delicate, slim neck. An if you are going to take to Vizsla to the snow, pay particular attention in dressing her or him properly and apply this natural moisturiser to protect their delicate paws against cold and water.
Vizslas go crazy about running, and rumor has it (I’ve never been able to confirm as I definitely cannot do it myself) they’re able to run for more than 2 hours each day without asking even for water. They even endure more hours at work than other pointers. What I have confirmed though, is that if you want a partner for what we call here in Barcelona “Canicross”, there’s no better breed than this one, as they will go (running) everywhere you go without complaining, not a bit. My Cooper doesn’t even open so often his mouth showing his tongue, as other dogs do, when he’s playing or running. Only a few times we have seen he needing to do this for extra air, and it’s been after an hour or high-energy tasks, like when running madly at the beach fetching things for us or simply playing at coming at us when called in the open sand (by the way, watch out with this! If you want to take your dog to the beach, bear in mind there are specific ones you can take them to. Only in winter time you’re allowed to take your puppy to normal beaches, but be especially careful with other people, children and dogs about this. Not-so-fond-of-dogs people can complain about your dog with the police, and you don’t want that. Remember to always have with you a copy of the dog’s documents also). But yes, a simple walk or few “fetch-it” calls won’t make him tired or open his mouth, no siree. You have to try harder with a Vizsla.
And this is pretty much the aspect I find a bit difficult to deal with this for this breed, at least in cities. They do need to run, daily (experts say they can endure 40km per day, yes, 40 km and that’s running my friend, not a slow and dull walk around the block!), or they will get so cranky and anxious they can get destructive and behave in unwanted ways. Let alone disobey you in anything they can. My Cooper goes out twice a day, runs 5 km in the morning with his Dad and has a pretty “energetic walk of another 5km” in the afternoons, along with playtime for up to 5 times a day with his brother (fetching ball, biting and pulling his toys, and with what we call “run-run-run” – zoomies – (“Correlona”) attacks, this latter clear sign he would gladly run for another 10 km per day.
Also when left alone (he definitely has gotten better now, but at the beginning it was a big challenge for us), he can get a bit anxious. Here’s a small video of our Coopy sniffing the camera we use to spy on him when he’s alone (he’s including a very Vizsla-characteristic howl for us). He’s OK now, but, as you will see, he’s experiencing a bit of separation anxiety, which is very common for dogs as they are a very social species. No dog wants to be left alone. But some of them experience more stress. Fortunately for us, he overcame this and now he only sleeps when he’s left alone.
Vizslas are very trainable dogs. Starting with treats, as I explain in this other section of this site, and finally getting rid of food prizes, they are so eager to please you that they will learn many tricks and every time it will be easier and easier for them to learn more things. This will increase the respect and discipline they’ll have for you, and you’ll enjoy these guys every time more and more.
Just watch out with small children around. Vizslas are very kind and affectionate but are at the end of the day, they are big dogs and don’t care too much for anyone when it’s time to run, play fetch or play in any way, so don’t expect them to be too gentle with babies and small children. Vizslas I know don’t seem to have a special regard for little kids also, as I have seen for instance with German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers or Labradors. These more popular breeds seem to enjoy more children’s company, even than grown-up’s. But the few Vizslas I’ve been in contact with don’t like especially small children; they actually ignore them if they can and go for the adults. I’m not saying they don’t like children, I’m just saying be careful, as you need to care about your family safety.
Happy reading, love your dog and take care!
Our elves have prepared this for you all to enjoy 🙂