Pet Portraits - Vizsla Bitch Pet Portrait

 While the Vizsla is new to the Western World it is perhaps the oldest bred of the great European Vorstehund group of shorthaired pointing and retrieving dogs.

The Magyar Vizslas (Hungarian Pointers) honor their nomadic masters who roamed the Carpathian plains and valleys ten centuries ago. Herdsmen and hunters, these early Hungarians began the development of companion-hunting dogs to find, point, and retrieve native game, and to tract (sic) wounded large game. Successive generations continued the development of the breed and by the Thirteenth Century the beautiful golden Vizsla was a distinct breed, recognized and prized as a companion-field dog.

The Vizsla is a robust animal of considerate skill at its work, a shade taller and some pounds heavier than the English Pointer, and has a dominant natural instinct to point and retrieve. They are medium-sized, males generally weigh from 45 to 57 pounds; females about 10 pounds less. Height at the withers is generally from 19 ½ to 23 inches. The head is fine featured and aristocratic. The color of the iris of the eye should correspond to the lighter or darker hue of the coat. The ears are carried pendant, wide at the base and rather low set. Their tails are generally docked to about 6 inches giving the animal a unique appearance and at the same time avoiding the danger of having their flags whipped raw in heavy cover. Legs are straight, slender but well muscled. The feet are cat-like rather than hare footed. The carriage is deliberate. In action the Vizsla is extremely fast, yet its movement is so smooth and graceful as to appear effortless.