Vizsla breed guide

As a hunter expected to work closely with humans, Vizslas form a tight bond with their owners and hate to be left alone. AKC says they are highly intelligent, curious and sometimes manipulative, so owners need solid communication.

Untrained Vizslas are hard to live with and find many creative ways to get into trouble.

Vizslas live 12 to 14 years. AKC says cancers are a concern, as in all breeds and breeders screen for seasonal allergies, eye disorders including melanosis and entropion, hip dysplasia, epilepsy and ear infections.

Vizslas have a short, sleek coat with no undercoat, so grooming is not complicated. They do shed and occasional brushing with a rubber grooming brush helps and a really dirty or smelly one needs a bath with lukewarm water and a good dog soap.

Bred to be active hunting dogs, Vizslas need both physical and mental exercise, a minimum of 30 minutes of active exercise daily and for some dogs more. Besides leash walks and fetch, most need chances to run.

The Magyar people left the Russian steppes in the mid-800s and for 50 years ravaged Western Europe on horseback, reaching as far as Paris and the toe of Italy before settling in what is now Hungary.

Magyar cavalry supremacy rested on speed, agility and toughness and the warriors carefully bred those qualities into their horses and their dogs.