I have finally finished editing the Vizsla shoot! I am determined to keep The Breed Project chugging along with regular shoots and blog posts despite the annual November Christmas family photo rush. We’ll see!
This being one of my first posts of an A.K.C purebred that was shot specifically for the project, Im still sort of feeling my way on the best way to present each breed/shoot.
For this one, Im doing just a brief intro and links for those who want to read more. In general, since Im a photographer and this is a photography project, I’ll try to keep descriptions short and do most of my commentary as captions to images where I want to highlight something captured in an image that is specific to the breed.
Vizslas were bred and kept by the Magyar Hordes (no idea, go Wiki it) in what would later become Hungary. They are known from art (this seems to be the default method of determining the origins of the older breeds) as far back as the 10th Century and became popular among Hungarian Royalty for their qualities as hunting/field dogs. There is a little bit of uncertainty about what exactly went into the cocktail, but it is generally agreed that the ancestors of the Vizsla were crossed with Weimeraners and German Short-haired Pointers near the end of the Hungarian Empire (WW1), resulting in today’s Vizsla. The breed standard for the Vizsla is between 21 and 24 inches tall and from 40 to 60 lbs. They have short coats of a beautiful golden rust color. In short, they are regal dogs!
Vizslas on Animal Planets Dogs 101
Alright, onto Banjo, Reggae and Georgia the pup.
Vintage Vizsla
For every successful action shot I got I had 20 that were a blurry mess....they are crazy FAST!!
First and foremost Vizslas are pointing dogs. They use their nose like you use your index finger, only theirs is a highly tuned sniffing machine as well as a directional guide. Another difference is that where you might use your pointer to indicate that something is ‘…….over there, across that muddy ditch and through that thorny bramble patch so thick you start to ask questions about why there is evil in the world’ – Vizslas will follow their pointer with reckless abandon across that mud, bound through the godforsaken brush and do it all again in reverse to bring whatever was over there back to you, then give you this look like……..’cmon, throw it over there again.’ Which brings us to the next point…..Vizslas are exceptional in that they are pointers and retrievers, a rare distinction!
Due to their reckless abandon in heavy vegetation, Vizslas commonly bear battle scars. The A.K.C description of the breed makes a point to say that these scars are not to be held against them by judges when they are being shown….instead they are viewed as a sort of badge of honor!
At Play:
I Give!!!!
Making the transition from field to home, Vizslas short coats allow them to stay relatively ‘clean’ to begin with, and they are relentless self groomers so they are great in the home. Once in the home these dogs are as affectionate as they come and have earned themselves the title ‘Velcro Dog’ for their tendency to attach themselves to you, especially if you happen to be their owner. While a lot of breeds lay claim to the Velcro moniker, as far as I know Vizslas are the original and undisputed Velcro Dog.
Second only to their owner, their photographer!.....even photogs sometimes get a little Velcro Action!
In the studio:
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