The Hungarian Vizsla nearly vanished twice before winning Crufts in 2010
After the Second World War, a search across Hungary turned up only about a dozen purebred Vizslas. From that tiny remnant the copper-coated pointer bounced back, reaching American Kennel Club recognition in 1960 and taking Best in Show at Crufts in 2010 with a dog called Hungargunn Bear It'n Mind.
The breed's paper trail is old. Carmelite friars mentioned it in the Illustrated Vienna Chronicle, compiled in 1357 for King Louis I of Hungary. It then outlasted Ottoman occupation from 1526 to 1696, the revolution of 1848 and two world wars, but came close to disappearing in the 1800s when English Pointers and German Shorthaired Pointers flooded the field, and again after 1945, when a poll of Hungarian hunters found roughly twelve genuine dogs left. The Vizsla also helped create other breeds, notably the Weimaraner and the German Shorthaired Pointer.
Vizslas started reaching the United States as the Second World War closed. Enthusiasts formed a national club to win official status, and on 25 November 1960 it became the 115th breed the American Kennel Club recognised. Around 2,500 are now registered in the United States every year, and about 4,520 puppies annually with Britain's Kennel Club, placing it among the country's 50 most popular breeds.
It is a lean, medium-sized hunter bred to track, point and retrieve game on land and in water. The short coat ranges from russet gold to copper-brown, with nose, eyes and nails that blend into it; a black or pink nose signals another breed. With no undercoat it is poorly suited to living outdoors, carries little doggy smell and sheds all year round. People often confuse it with the Weimaraner, the Rhodesian Ridgeback or the Redbone Coonhound, though Vizslas are usually slimmer and more muscular.
Temperament matters as much as looks. Vizslas are affectionate and sensitive, can be upset by harsh training, and grow bored and destructive if left alone for long stretches. Many owners report that their dogs insist on sleeping under the bedcovers. A 2024 UK study put the breed's life expectancy at 13.5 years, longer than the averages for purebreds and crossbreeds.
Source: Vizsla
