The Vizsla is a hardworking and lovable breed, having been bred for both outdoor labor and companionship. It is descended from the ancient hunting dogs that accompanied the Huns on their many nomadic journeys.
Due to their rough origins, these dogs maintain an energetic and gregarious nature that makes them favorites in their home region.
Thankfully, the Vizsla is a short-haired breed, so their brushing requirements are nowhere near as rough as their origins. With that in mind, let’s look at a few brushes that are well-suited for this breed.
1. Clumsy Pets Bamboo Palm-Held Pet Brush
This is a palm-held brush, which means you can mimic the normal motion of petting your dog. It’s a very simple design, consisting of a bamboo block embedded with boar bristles. The brush is held in place by an elastic strap on the back, and there are many things to like.
First of all, bamboo is a durable and water-resistant material, and it’s also very light and porous. As such, you’ve got a brush with almost no discernible weight and a smooth, ergonomic shape.
Even if the brush were to be broken, it couldn’t be too hard to fix something this simple. It works as a dry brush, or it can be used in the bath if you prefer.
Our only complaint comes from the hand strap. It is non-adjustable, and the stretchy nature of the fabric doesn’t compensate for that.
Thankfully, it isn’t hard to pull out those big tacks that hold the strap in place. Thus, re-sizing is also fairly quick and easy.
Pros
- Durable material, easy to fix if broken
- no need to grip when using
- Works as a dry or wet brush
- Made of natural boar bristles
- Very portable
Cons
- Strap is non-adjustable
- Bristles don’t need to be that long
2. Pets & Goods Bath Brush
This is a waterproof brush, and it’s perfectly suited for bath time. Based on the marketing, it is obvious that it was intended for that.
It’s a lot like the palm-held bristle brush, except that its bristles are made of rubber. If you look closely, those bristles are just knobby protrusions, meaning that there is no place for hair to get caught and pulled.
This one is made of natural rubber (as opposed to synthetic rubber), and that makes it a lot softer. That also makes it more flexible, allowing it to cup and curve around your dog’s body.
The way that it hugs them as it goes will probably remind them of being petted, and that should help to keep them calm.
The only problem with this product is just the fact that it is a special-purpose brush: Good for bathing, but not much else.
Pros
- Totally waterproof
- No places for hair to be caught
- Can bend to fit your dog’s contours
- Made of soft rubber
- Provides a soothing action
Cons
- Doesn’t work very well as a dry brush
3. Furminator Undercoat Deshedding Tool for Dogs
This is a well-known product with a good reputation and is preferred by many breeders. It is a rake-type brush, which is used for pulling loose hair.
The idea is to stop the shedding before it starts by removing those hairs which were ready to go anyway.
You wouldn’t normally use a rake-type brush on a short-haired dog, but this one has very small teeth that should do fine for your Vizsla.
This one is kind of expensive for a product of this type, but most would say it is worth the money. Still, a Vizsla doesn’t really have a serious shedding problem in the first place, so this is very much an optional tool.
Pros
- Very effective at removing loose hair
- Small teeth are well suited for this breed
- Self-cleaning feature
- Very good reputation
Cons
- Somewhat expensive
- Not really necessary for a Vizsla
4. Delomo Pet Grooming Glove
This is a variation on the common rubber brush, which is meant only to remove loose hair from the surface of your dog’s coat. Like the Furminator, its primary purpose is to control shedding before it becomes a problem.
Using gloves instead of a brush is very convenient and comfortable, and the dog might not even realize that they are being brushed. Using this glove lets you pet your dog and groom them at the same time.
These things are very gentle and can be used either dry or wet. At the same time, they are a little bit more expensive than hand-held rubber dog brushes, which do the same thing. Still, the added quickness and convenience should justify that cost.
Pros
- Extremely easy to use
- Gloves are fully waterproof
- Quite effective at removing loose hair
- No danger of hurting the dog
Cons
- More expensive than most rubber brushes
5. Solid Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush
This is one of those self-cleaning slicker brushes that makes hair removal easier. Anyone who has ever had to clean a slicker brush (spoiler alert: it sucks) can appreciate this feature.
You just press the button and the pins retract, allowing the hair clump to fall away.
We also like the non-slip rubber handle, which provides a great grip. That 12-month warranty is also pretty nice, as it is good for up to a year with no questions asked.
However, a complicated mechanism like this will always be more likely to fail, so don’t expect this one to last for many years.
Pros
- Extremely easy to clean
- Non-slip rubber handle
- 12-month warranty
- pins are padded at the ends
Cons
- Might be too complex
Best Brush For A Vizsla Buyer Guide
The five products listed above are nothing more than helpful examples. Each of them will give you a better idea of what is out there, but this list is by no means complete.
As such, there are still a few things you should know before purchasing a brush for your Vizsla.
What Types Of Brush Should You Use?
As you may have already noticed, there are not that many types of dog brushes on the market. Although there are too many products to count, most of them can be neatly classified into one of five categories:
- Bristle brushes
- Slicker brushes
- Rake brushes
- Rubber brushes
- Pin brushes
That information is good to have, but how can it help us to find the right brush for a Vizsla, you ask? To answer that question, let’s consider which of these brush types is best-suited to the short, wiry coat of the Vizsla.
Starting with bristle brushes, we can see that this is one of the best choices for a short-haired dog. Bristle brushes are traditionally made from the bristles on the back of a wild boar.
Believe it or not, many modern brushes still use this material, although they have switched to the use of semi-domesticated hogs. Any brush that says “natural” is probably made this way, but the synthetic ones are almost as good.
Bristle brushes are great for surface-level cleaning, which is all the Vizsla really needs. You don’t really have to worry about their fur becoming tangled and matted because it just isn’t long enough for that.
Thus, the bristle brush is a great choice for this breed. Rake brushes, on the other hand, are usually not such a good choice.
We did include one rake-type brush on our list, but only because its teeth are quite small. A large-toothed rake brush would be completely pointless for a dog of this kind.
A small one, like the one above, can make a good de-shedding tool, but that’s about all. As for the rubber brushes, they are only good for a light de-shedding and won’t make a whole lot of difference.
Slicker and pin brushes are very similar, but their teeth are a little different. The pin brushes have long teeth that are capped with soft beads. Like a de-matting rake, this kind is pointless for a Vizsla.
However, slicker brushes have shorter teeth and are not meant to go as deep. In fact, they are probably the best brush for cleaning debris and dirt from the hide of a short-haired dog. Thus, we would recommend that you use a combination of slicker and bristle brushes.
Why Do Dogs Require Brushing?
Brushing your dog is not just a cosmetic matter. Sure, you want them to look nice, but there’s more to it than that.
Brushing helps to promote good cleanliness of skin and fur, and a clean dog is always going to be happier and healthier.
Throughout the day, your dog’s fur tends to build up dirt, debris, loose hair, and dandruff. Without a bath and/or a good brushing, that buildup will continue getting worse. This is especially true when your Viszla is shedding.
Not only that, but brushing is a good time to bond with your dog and check them for any problems. From a young age, you need to get your dog used to this sort of thing so that they understand that you are acting in their best interests. Finally, there is the important question of skin oils.
You see, dogs secrete certain oils from their skin and hair just as humans do. Oils and fats in their diet are used to create more of these beneficial and protective oils. When you brush your dog, you are spreading these oils out.
By doing this, you help to promote good protection of the hair and skin, and you’ll give your dog’s fur a nice shiny look in the process.
How To Properly Brush A Vizsla
Finally, we come to the question of technique. Even though brushing a dog is not rocket science, we should still go over a few basic tips. This will allow you to get better results from those weekly brushing sessions.
When using a de-shedding tool like the rake brush shown above, you should go slow and use straight, even strokes.
You don’t want to scrape your dog as if they were a stain on the kitchen counter, as they don’t have much hair between the steel and their skin.
For a good example of how to do this properly, examine the brushing technique used by this top-level groomer.
When using a rubber brush like the gloves shown above, use light, circular motions to give the whole thing a massaging effect.
Not only does this calm the dog, but it does a better job of removing all those loose hairs. Naturally, you want to use this outside so that the hair is kept out of your house. The same technique can be used for a bath brush.
When using a bristle brush, you should have an easier time because you’ve probably used this kind of brush on your hair.
You can use a similar technique for your dog, angling the brush at about 45 degrees (roughly diagonal orientation) and using soft but rapid circular strokes.
This same technique works well with a slicker brush, but you should go a little slower when using one of those. As for pin brushes, they are a poor choice for Vizslas and thus require no discussion here.
Conclusion
Not a lot of people outside of Eastern Europe own a Vizsla, but that may very well change in the future. The dual nature of this dog is considered to be its most distinctive trait, and breeders work to preserve that.
As such, a dog like this can be a good pet for just about anyone, whether you want a worker, a good friend, or both.
We hope that this article has given you plenty of useful information, and we also hope that you will come back to learn more.
