Some say that unique among pointing breeds are Smooth-coated Vizslak who have what can best be described as skin tags, or “horns” on the front edge of their ear flaps. Known as a ‘szary’ in Hungarian, these tiny little “horns” are thought to traceable to the Futaki line of Vizslak bred early in the breed’s presence in the US by Count and Countess Bela Hadik; for that reason, these things are known as ‘Futaki horns.’ They can show up on one ear, or both, in singles, or multiples, and are usually covered with hair. They show up in sizes that range from tiny to “Whoa, what’s that?” They occur seemingly at random so that these days, it’s impossible to say that one line over another produces the trait. Back in the day, an old wives’ tale held that dogs with these “horns” were superior hunters.
But are they really unique to the breed?
As it happens, a similar feature shows up in Weimaraners. The dogs born with these small lobes were thought to be Weims coming out of Harrasburg line of Weimaraners and came to be called, “Harrasburg Horns.”
But wait, there’s said to be a similar thing in German Shorthaired Pointers, and it that breed, they’re called Grabenbruch horns.
These aspects are what we call “cool things that exist in tall weeds,” which is to say that it may be “insider information’ for breed fanciers, but is unlikely to be found in books.
If you have any of the aforementioned breeds and have a dog with these “horns,” we’d love for you to share their picture! Our thanks to Ruth Ann Freer-Godfrey for sharing a photo of her Reggie Weimaraner Godfrey, an AKC Ch & Dock Senior.
Image: “Weimaraner” by Alice Leggett is available for purchase as wall art, tote bags, mugs and greeting cards here.
My Vizsla pup, as well as others in his litter, have multiple Futaki horns. We now tend to think that they relate to the “naughtiness” of the pup. I totally agree with that! My boy is an imp. To verify, when I got his DNA number, the middle numbers were “666!” Heaven help me!
Oh goodness, Andi, 666??????
My weim bentley has these horns dont know anything about his background as he is a rescue dog and such a beautiful dog he is calm,affectionate so loving.
Great show-and-tell, Dawn, thank you for sharing Bentley’s photo and his “horns!”
My GSP Oscar has one! I had no idea until I was chatting to a very knowledgable lady today and she told me what it was. I thought he had damaged his ear at some point.
Isn’t nature mysterious, Amy?
My vizsla has horns on both ears, one on his left and two on his right!
That’s awesome, Jodie!
We just heard what these were the other day. This is Shay. She has a long one on her left ear and a tiny one on her right
That’s amazing, Shay!
My Alapaha blue blood bull dog has them on both ears. You can see one of her horns behind me
Oh wow, Barbara, that’s a great shot of one!
One of my twin litter sisters vizslas has massive ones 3 in 1 ear 2 in the other her sister has smaller ones and is no where near as keen in hunting
My 7-yr-old Biewer Yorkshire Terrier has developed a horn on each ear. So, what do we do about these, anything? Are more of them likely to appear? Do they cause the dogs any discomfort? Are horns symptomatic of something more troublesome?
Our sense, Gene, is that horns are just a “thing,” but nothing over which to be alarmed. We always say that when in doubt, have a veterinarian take a look, but again, we’ve not read anything to suggest they’re painful, annoying, or a symptom of something more serious.
Thank you!
We’ve been waiting for an appointment with our vet. Hopefully soon.
My puppy weimeriner has a horn in each ear. Have never heard of this. Kinda cool and my last weimeriner did not have these.
Great picture, Amy, thanks for sharing it!
A sign of excellence
Agreed, Maree!
My Weimaraner has one on each of her ears, she’s an amazing hunter but also completely crazy Lol
Our Hungarian vizsla has 4. This is why we need her Tazzie – tassmanian devil 😈
What a cutie. Vizlas are adorable!
My English Bull Terrier has these but they’re much bigger. I’ve always wondered what they were as none of my other bullies have had them.
This is Peanut. He is a 1 1/2 year old pit bull. When I first found them, it scared me. I didn’t know if he had some kind of medical problem or if they were painful. After some research, (here), I found not only that they were not painful but also that he was more special and I already thought he was. ❤️❤️
I meant to mention his horns he has two on the right and one on the left.
This is peanut a one and a half year old pit bull. He has two horns on his right, one on his left. When I first found this it scared me I thought maybe something was wrong, they’ve been through research I found that he was only more special than I thought. ❤️❤️
My baby has several on his ears. 4 year old weim with many many Harrasburg horns! Used to think they were skin tags or warts!
We never stop learning!!
My staffie bulldog mix has them he can be a little develous sometimes
I love these little horns, one on each ear.