Hungarian Shorthaired Pointer

Of Hungarian origin, the Hungarian Vizsla is originally a dog of Hungarian nobility that would have followed the establishment of the Hungarian people. Its origins can be traced back to the first millennium BCE: it would be the result of a cross with Hungarian hunting hounds, perhaps the Pannonian hunting hound or the short-legged Transylvanian, and a yellow Turkish dog. The Sloughi was used as a contribution to this breed. Documents describing dogs resembling the Hungarian Vizsla have existed since the 14th century. Subjects of similar conformation are noted from the 17th century. At the end of the 19th century, pointer competitions were organized in Hungary in which the Hungarian Vizsla participated and it is likely that foreign hunting dog breeds played a role in its development. Pure breed breeding began in 1920. The Hungarian Vizsla was recognized by the International Canine Federation (FCI) in 1936 or 1954. The Hungarian Vizsla is well established in Hungary, Germany and the United States. The Hungarian Wire-haired Vizsla, which appeared more recently, is less well represented. In 2011, under the government of Viktor Orbán, a dog tax was adopted in Hungary from which the Hungarian Vizsla was exempt on the grounds of being "of Hungarian breed", in the sense of Greater Hungary.

The FCI standard describes the Hungarian Vizsla as lively in temperament, friendly, balanced and easy to train. It has an exceptional ability to maintain contact with its master. It does not tolerate being treated with brutality and must be neither aggressive nor timid. It nevertheless needs education. It adores children and knows how to be the friend of the whole family. Although an excellent companion dog, the Hungarian Vizsla is a hunting dog that needs plenty of exercise: apartment living requires several daily outings.

The Hungarian Vizsla is a pointer of medium size (approximately 60 cm for about thirty kilos), of rather light build, dry and without superfluous weight. The body length exceeds the height at the withers only slightly and the chest height is somewhat less than half the height at the withers. Attached a little low, the tail is strong at its base and then tapers gradually. When tail docking is not prohibited by law, the tail can be shortened by a quarter. In movement it is raised to horizontal. The head is dry, noble, well-proportioned with a moderately wide skull and slightly domed. The muzzle is a little shorter than half the length of the head. The eyes are somewhat oval in shape and medium in size. The eyelids fit the shape of the eyeball well. The brown color of the eyes matches the coat color, but darker eyes are preferred. The ears are positioned slightly back and attached at medium height. They are drooping and the tip of the ear forms a rounded V. The length of the ear measures approximately three-quarters of the length of the head. The hair is short and dense, it is rough and hard to the touch. The Hungarian Vizsla has no undercoat. On the head and ears it is finer, more silky and shorter. The tail is well covered with dense hair; on the underside of the tail it is very slightly longer. The hair covers the entire body and only the belly has somewhat sparser hair. The coat is solid fawn color, described as wheat-golden (semmelgelb). The ears can be of a darker shade. A small white mark on the chest or throat area, with a diameter not exceeding 5 cm, and white marks on the toes are not penalized.