The Vizsla Breed As a Retriever and Pointer

The Magyars were the first people to documentcultivate the Vizsla breed. It is simply a theory,
the Vizsla breed being used in pointing andthere is no concrete evidence to confirm or deny
retrieving efforts during hunting. The Magyarsthe hypothesis. The Vizsla and Pointer breed
were a culture who had to defend themselvesshare a definite resemblance from the sharp,
against predators and ensured their existence bypointy nose to the thin and erectly pointed tail.
using animals in defense. The Vizsla breed isThe game flushing skills of the Vizsla are only
named for the Hungarian word meaning "pointer,"rivaled by the Pointer.
the dogs are very intelligent and their ability toWhen Communists overtook Hungary, they
point and retrieve made them valuable.wanted to eliminate everything from the
The Magyars were threatened by invading forcesHungarian culture. The Vizsla breed all but nearly
from Turkey and were under constant attack.vanished to the point of extinction, though the
They selected the mountains of present-dayhunting skills of the Vizsla is what resulted in the
Hungary, because they were protected anddog begin saved. High ranking officials of the
shielded through the entire region. With the Vizsla'sCommunist party loved hunting for deer and
great sense of smell, the Magyars continued torabbit; a few Vizsla remained, but were denser in
thrive and survive off of the food they caught inbody structure.
the rough terrain. Many years later, the VizslaWhile in Hungary the dog become popular for use
breed became well-known in present day Hungary.in hunting rats. During the 1950's, the United
The dog had been common in areas likeStates became aware of the dogs search and
Transylvania where they were able to remain afinding abilities and the Vizsla was imported. The
pure breed. It was during the World Wars thatdog became used for game hunting soon after
the dog became mixed with other breeds andarriving in America; it was used to retrieve fowl,
some different variations came about.rabbits and deer. The dog eventually became as
In the 1800's the Viszla was almost ran out of itspopular in Australia as it was in America. Today,
own breed class, due to an influx of English andthere are competitions held around the world to
German Shorthair Pointers. There are theoriescelebrate the Vizsla dog breed and its many
about these breeds, along with the Weimaraner,talents.
that were used in the 1900's to resurrect and