The Hungarian Pointer: Vizsla

This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, March 2017 issue.

The Hungarian Pointer: Vizsla

Historically, this breed came from the Carpathian basin in what is now Hungary. The basin is a huge, grassy plain, requiring a dog to cover large amounts of ground in search of game. The Vizsla is only a moderate-sized dog, the smallest of the smooth-haired pointers. So how does a dog that is of moderate size and moderate angulation cover lots of ground? The answer is with energy and a robust, but rather light build combined with a unique topline that allows the Vizsla to be far-reaching.

The flexible topline allows the dog to gallop, gathering and then extending to cover the maximum amount of ground while leaping above the grasses, ears flying with an expression of pure joy. Despite the fact that the Vizsla is the most moderate of the smooth-haired pointers, there is nothing moderate about the consternation caused by trying to understand the Vizsla topline. It is by far the topic that comes up most often among students of the breed, “Now explain the topline for me.” So let’s try. Imagine the line running from the base of the skull to the tail. It is made of gentle curves with no abrupt changes of direction.

The line comes down the arched neck, passes smoothly over the high withers with their prominent muscling, and blends smoothly into the level area over the thoracic vertebrae. Moving past the last rib, there is a definite muscular fullness over the loin, creating a slight rise, which ends at the pelvic crest. The croup is ever so gently rounded to the set-on of the tail, which is carried at or near the horizontal. Remember, nothing should break the flow of the line from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail. Let’s be clear about what is not a good topline. A flat topline lacks the characteristic rise over the loin and often has a high tail set. Conversely, another problem is a rigid, roached topline with a steep croup and a low tail set.

Both these toplines, in their own way, contribute to inefficient movement. Remember to evaluate the tail set rather than just the tail carriage. High tail carriage or excessively curved tails spoil the continuous curve of the Vizsla topline. In the field, when the Vizsla is on point, follow the line from the tip of the tail out the nose, and you should be able to locate the bird. Now that we’ve described the perfect topline, the dog should maintain that same picture while trotting, having neither a sloping topline nor one that runs downhill. The movement should be light, far-reaching, and effortless. There should be no excess motion, which would be a waste of energy.

A Vizsla that is both moderate and well-balanced will be light on its feet and cover ground with amazing efficiency while maintaining a level topline with a rise over the loin and a gentle rounding to the croup. “What about tails?” That is another question that is frequently asked. Our standard says a docked tail is preferred. Tail length is a decision made by the breeder when a puppy is three days old. Docking is part art and part science, the desired result being a tail that reaches to the bend in the stifle. Much more important is correct croup angle and tail set because they affect movement and function. Let’s put the perfect topline into the ideal outline. Why is there such a size range? Historically, this differentiation in size is attributed to the variety of terrains among regions of the Hungarian Empire, not only the plains but also the mountainous area of what was Czechoslovakia.

The ideal male is 22 to 24 inches and 21 to 23 inches for the bitches. The allowance outside the ideal range is anything but moderate with a one-and-a-half inch allowance on either end for both dogs and bitches. The Vizsla should appear square. However, when measured from point of breastbone to point of buttocks and from the highest point over the shoulder blades to the ground, the Vizsla is slightly longer than tall. It should never be leggy and shallow-chested, nor long and low. The withers are high, the ribcage carried well back, and the tuck-up slight. There should be perfect balance between the moderately angulated front and the moderately angulated rear. This is important because with a short-backed breed, there is no room underneath the dog to compensate for mismatched angles. The angles must be moderate and perfectly balanced to obtain a far-reaching gait.

While this is an area where Vizslas are having difficulty—exaggerated rears paired with short, straight upper arms—the answer is not to match the straight front with a straight rear but rather to strive for a dog that is moderate on both ends. This breed should be moderate, not mediocre. Finally, the Vizsla is set apart from other breeds by its golden-rust color, which is thought to have been chosen by the original Hungarian breeders to blend with the grassy plains in the Carpathian basin

The Vizsla is self-colored with the color of the eyes, the pigment of the eye rims, lips and nose, and the toenails all blending with the color of the coat ranging from russet gold to dark sandy gold. And for a last bit of history: those lighter shadings over the sides of the neck and the shoulders that give the appearance of a saddle are named for Count Esterhazy, one of the people responsible for preserving the breed in Hungary. There is nothing moderate about the amount of joy and boundless energy a Vizsla brings to life. Thank you to all the preservation breeders who care about the health of the Vizsla and who have maintained the characteristics of the breed so that the Vizsla today is recognizable as a descendant of the dogs pictured in the 650-year-old Illustrated Vienna Chronicle.