| Country of origin: | Hungary |
| Registries: | AKC, UKC, CKC |
| Breed Group: | AKC: Sporting Group, FCI: Group 7 Section 1 #57 |
| Occupation: | Hunter |
| Size: | 20–30kg (44–66lb), 57–64cm (22–25in) |
| Longevity: | 12 to 14 years |
| Exercise: | Vigorous daily exercise |
| Training: | Moderate |
| Grooming: | Easy |
| Colors: | Russet gold, sometimes with small white markings |
The Vizsla was first described in 1501 as a cross of two breeds that are now extinct, the Turkish Yellow Dog and the Pannonian Hound. It was called the Magyar Vizsla or Drotszoru Magyar Vizsla. Employed in hunting and falconry for centuries, these were aristocratic dogs, and this was nearly their undoing. When the Communists took control of Hungary after World War II it was feared that Vizslas would be killed, as happened in neighbouring Romania to the aristocrat’s Transylvanian Hound. Hungarian expatriates had taken their dogs with them in the 1930s to Canada, the US, and elsewhere; enthusiasts smuggled more out. Today the Vizsla has returned to Hungary and is often found as a calm and affectionate companion, but it is still a fine gundog and needs plenty of activity to stave off boredom. The smoothand wire-haired strains are treated as separate breeds in some registries.