Breed of The Week: Vizsla

Whenever I hear this breed mentioned, I have one specific memory that comes up: a friend's dog on the roof of my car. Yes, you heard that correctly. 

About 10 years ago, I was driving a Ford Escort and went to see a technician friend I worked with at her home. She had several dogs that came out to greet me. I turned around and this dog was standing on top of my car! 


This is not surprising if you know the breed. By that, I mean that they are very energetic dogs. Sweet but high energy!

Vizslas are Hungarian in origin and have been used for hunting/sporting and as a companions.  They point AND retrieve and are mainly used for waterfowl. 


I don't have a lot to say about them from a medical standpoint. They are a healthy breed, overall, with few distinct breed problems. Like most "larger" dogs, they can have hip dysplasia but by no means is it as prevalent in this breed as it is in so many others. Some of that may be due to the fact that since this breed is not as popular as some others, there is not the same degree of overbreeding.  Their lifespan is 10-14 years.