History of Hungarian Vizsla

Attila the Hun entered Europe bringing with him devastation upon European societies of the time. The Huns were also known for their falconry, and required a dog that could flush out bird game from scrub for the falcons. These dogs are thought to be the ancestors of the Hungarian Vizsla as dogs settled in the Carpathian basic with the nomadic Hungarian tribes. As the name suggest, Vizsla dogs were bred over time in Hungary. They both pointing and retrieve still today where their genetic ancestry means they were still capable of working in tandem with falcon birds as part of the hunt by pointing, then flushing out bird prey for which the falcon would dive, bring to earth, kill for its master.

As time progressed and we entered the industrial era, Hungarian Vizslas role changed where by World War I, they served as messenger dogs but the scarcity of resources of the time meant that people could not afford to continue to breed them. The situation of the Hungarian Vizsla worsened during World War II. The breed nearly became extinct until Americans began to take interest in the breed in the 1950s, and by the 1960’s, the American Kennel Club officially recognised the Vizsla. In the modern day, Vizslas retained their instinct and still make for great hunting dogs, but also keen family pets. Hungarian Vizslas can be used for guide dogs, and their amazing nose makes them perfect candidates for drug detection as well as search and rescue dogs.