Hungarian Vizsla

The history of the Hungarian Vizsla

The pointer of the Magyar nobility, drawn in Hungarian manuscripts from the fourteenth century and bred to work the plains and reed pools of the Carpathian basin, pointing and retrieving in one dog. The breed nearly vanished twice, after the First World War and again after the Second, and was rebuilt from a handful of dogs. The short russet coat, the amber eyes and the lean frame are all of a piece: a dog built for hot, open country and long days. Vizslas are famously clingy, following their owner from room to room, and are unhappy left alone; they want work, and a run is not the same thing. The artist drew the dog on point in a wheat field at the edge of reed pools, with a well-sweep on the plain behind, and kept the coat almost bare of hatching so the russet reads as smooth against the grass.