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Breed guide · Dogs
He leans his whole weight on my legs while I cook. I stir with one hand now.
Last updated 12 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Leaning on your legs while you cook, sleeping against your back, following you to the bathroom.
What's going onThe Vizsla was bred to live and work beside one person, and they take it literally. It is why they are called the velcro dog.
At home
Howling, scratching at the door, or not eating until you are home.
What's going onThat is separation distress, not bad manners. Contact your vet before you try a fix you have read about, because the wrong fix makes it worse.
At home
An hour's walk, and they still want more.
What's going onThey were bred to run open plains for hours, and here the pavement is too hot for half the year. Early mornings, late nights and a job for their nose keep them settled between runs.
At home
Give them a blanket and they will burrow right into it, nose just showing.
What's going onTheir short coat has no undercoat. They heat up fast outside and feel the air conditioning inside, so a bed with a blanket, away from the vent, suits them.
At home
Locked on to a pigeon, perfectly still, sometimes with a front paw lifted.
What's going onThey find birds by scent and hold still to show you where. Then the bird moves, and the chase is on. Teach a stop whistle before you need it.
At home
Sleeping more, a little heavier, a duller coat. It looks as if they have finally settled.
What's going onAn underactive thyroid is common in Vizslas, and it can look exactly like that. If you notice the change, tell your vet.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their running
Built for: Open country, for hours.
In Dubai: Limited by heat for half the year.
Their person
Built for: Beside one person all day.
In Dubai: Their person goes out to work.
Their job
Built for: Find birds, point them and bring them back.
In Dubai: Pigeons and cats on most streets, often next to traffic.
The restlessness, the chewed door frame and the howling when you leave mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them the Hungarian plains, and you cannot stay home all day. You can plan their days around the hours you are out, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks Vizslas are known for at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
Searching tires them out in a way that a run on a hot day cannot.
Every age, with easy searches at floor level from 7 years
Why
Searching tires them out in a way that a run on a hot day cannot.
What to do
Scatter part of their breakfast on the grass or on a towel indoors. Hide a toy and send them to find it. On the hottest days, do ten minutes of search games instead of a run.
They were bred to cover ground in front of their person and check back.
Every age, short sessions for puppies
Why
They were bred to cover ground in front of their person and check back.
What to do
A harness, a five-to-ten-metre line and a quiet, open space before sunrise. Let them work, call them in every few minutes and reward them when they come. Keep puppy sessions short and on soft ground while the joints are forming.
They are fast. By the time you have called their name twice, they are a long way off.
Every age, starting at mealtimes as a puppy
Why
They are fast. By the time you have called their name twice, they are a long way off.
What to do
One sound for "come back", one for "stop". Start at home at mealtimes, pay them every time, and only use it outside once it works indoors. Add a hand signal as well if their hearing fades with age.
The point is bred in. Staying put when the bird flies has to be taught.
Every age, hardest from 6 months to 2 years
Why
The point is bred in. Staying put when the bird flies has to be taught.
What to do
When they lock on to a pigeon or a cat, stand still with them, ask for a stop and reward them before the bird goes. Over the weeks, practise a little closer to the birds each time. Keep the lead on near roads.
Vizslas retrieve on land and water, and they will carry something whether you choose it or not.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Vizslas retrieve on land and water, and they will carry something whether you choose it or not.
What to do
A soft toy that is theirs. Five to ten throws along the ground, then stop. Swap anything they take for a treat, and do not chase them for it.
Their teeth need the attention: retained puppy teeth early on, then gum disease from adolescence.
Every age, most of all as a puppy and through adolescence
Why
Their teeth need the attention: retained puppy teeth early on, then gum disease from adolescence.
What to do
Once a week, lift their ears and look inside so they are used to being handled. Then lift their lip. As a puppy, look for baby teeth still sitting beside the new ones. From then on, brush their teeth daily if they will let you. A dental evaluation (teeth and gum check) is in your plan at their puppy visits, and a professional dental clean every 6 to 12 months from age two.
A lean dog with no undercoat, bred to run for hours, heats up fast and will not stop by themselves.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
A lean dog with no undercoat, bred to run for hours, heats up fast and will not stop by themselves.
What to do
From May to September, run and walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot run on it. Carry water and keep hard running short.
They were bred to be with one person all day, and many Vizslas find being alone hard.
Every age, hardest from 6 months to 2 years and again from 7 years
Why
They were bred to be with one person all day, and many Vizslas find being alone hard.
What to do
If you are out more than a few hours, arrange a midday walk, a visit or daycare, and leave a stuffed chew. If they howl, scratch at the door or will not eat until you are back, contact your vet. That needs expert help, not a home fix.
Allergies are common in the breed from puppyhood into prime adulthood, and on a thin coat they show early.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 4 years
Why
Allergies are common in the breed from puppyhood into prime adulthood, and on a thin coat they show early.
What to do
A rubber mitt once a week. Look for red patches, bumps or hair loss, and notice if they keep licking their paws. If their skin keeps flaring, their plan looks for the cause rather than treating it again and again.
Hip problems and an underactive thyroid both run in the breed, and they hide discomfort well.
Every age, hips and thyroid from 2 years
Why
Hip problems and an underactive thyroid both run in the breed, and they hide discomfort well.
What to do
Feel their ribs, spine and hips once a week. Notice if they are slow to get up, sleeping more or gaining weight. Weigh them once a month and keep a note of it. Their hip evaluation is due by age two, with a yearly thyroid blood test from then on.
Three of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
One breed, several names
The Royal Kennel Club calls them the Hungarian Vizsla, and the FCI the Hungarian Short-haired Pointer. The Wirehaired Vizsla, with a dense, wiry coat, is a close cousin and a separate breed. This guide is about the smooth one.
Colours
Every Vizsla is golden rust, from a lighter gold to a deeper russet, and some have a little white on the chest or toes. Whatever their shade, a short coat like theirs shows every scratch and skin change early.
The first six months
Vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, with a baseline hip screening. Start short absences from the first weeks and build them up slowly, and keep walks short and on soft ground while their joints are forming.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Put their bed somewhere warm, with a blanket and away from the air-conditioning vent. Then find a harness, a five-to-ten-metre line and a gundog whistle. A snuffle mat earns its place on the hottest days.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Hip Dysplasia and Epilepsy can both show in Vizslas from puppyhood. Ask the breeder what is known about both parents' hips and any seizures in the family, and meet the mother if you can.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
He'll keep leaning on you at the hob. If he can't cope when you close the front door, contact your vet.
Before they were yours.
The 1500s to the 1800s
Landowners in Hungary kept a fast, golden-rust dog that found birds and hares on the open plains, pointed them, brought them back, and then lived in the house with the family.
What they still carryThe golden coat, the point and the closeness to their people.
1848 to 1849
The breed had come through the Ottoman occupation, but numbers fell badly after the Hungarian war of 1848 to 1849.
What they still carryA breed that has come close to being lost.
The 1920s
After numbers fell sharply around the First World War, Hungarian breeders formed a Vizsla club, chose a small number of dogs of the right type and drew up a standard.
What they still carryA breed rebuilt from few dogs.
1945 to 1960
The breed came close to disappearing again after the Second World War. Owners took dogs out of Hungary, the first reached America around 1950, and the American Kennel Club recognised the Vizsla in 1960.
What they still carryEvery Vizsla today goes back to the few dogs their owners refused to lose.
Today
In Dubai a Vizsla lives with you in a villa or a flat, and still wants to be touching you, whatever room you are in.
What they still carryA short-coated athlete built to run open plains beside one person, now in a city where the pavement is too hot for half the year and their person goes to work.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Vizsla suits you, so might these.
WeimaranerThe same kind of dog: a sleek hunting dog that wants to be with you, bigger, in silver-grey.
Springer SpanielAnother busy gundog, a little calmer, in a longer coat that needs more brushing.
Portuguese Water DogThe same high energy and devotion to their people, in a curly-coated water dog that sheds less.
Flat-Coated RetrieverA similar size and an easy coat, in a retriever who greets every stranger like a friend.
