The
Official Standard of the Vizsla Breed has been developed and adopted
by the Vizsla Club of America and its members. This information should
be used as a guideline for understanding and appreciating the breed.
General
Appearance
That of a medium-sized short-coated hunting dog of distinguished appearance
and bearing. Robust but rather lightly built; the coat is an attractive
solid golden rust. This is a dog of power and drive in the field yet
a tractable and affectionate companion in the home. It is strongly
emphasized that field conditioned coats, as well as brawny or sinewy
muscular condition and honorable scars indicating a working and hunting
dog are never to be penalized in this dog. The qualities that make
a "dual dog" are always to be appreciated, not deprecated.
Head
Lean and muscular. Skull moderately wide between the ears with a median
line down the forehead. Stop between skull and foreface is moderate,
not deep. Foreface or muzzle is of equal length or slightly shorter
than skull when viewed in profile, should taper gradually from stop
to tip of nose. Muzzle square and deep. It must not turn up as in
a "dish" face nor should it turn down. Whiskers serve a
functional purpose; their removal is permitted but not preferred.
Nostrils slightly open. Nose brown. Any other color is faulty. A totally
black nose is a disqualification. Ears, thin, silky and proportionately
long, with rounded-leather ends, set fairly low and hanging close
to cheeks. Jaws are strong with well developed white teeth meeting
in a scissors bite. Eyes medium in size and depth of setting, their
surrounding tissue covering the whites. Color of the iris should blend
with the color of the coat. Yellow or any other color is faulty. Prominent
pop-eyes are faulty. Lower eyelids should neither turn in nor out
since both conditions allow seeds and dust to irritate the eye. Lips
cover the jaws completely but are neither loose nor pendulous.
Neck
and Body
Neck strong, smooth and muscular, moderately long, arched and devoid
of dewlap, broadening nicely into shoulders which are moderately laid
back. This is mandatory to maintain balance with the moderately angulated
hindquarters. Body is strong and well proportioned. Back short. Withers
high and the topline slightly rounded over the loin to the set on
of the tail. Chest moderately broad and deep reaching down to the
elbows. Ribs well-sprung; underline exhibiting a slight tuck-up beneath
the loin. Tail set just below the level of the croup, thicker at the
root and docked one-third off. Ideally, it should reach to the back
of the stifle joint and be carried at or near the horizontal. An undocked
tail is faulty.
Forequarters
Shoulder blades proportionately long and wide sloping moderately back
and fairly close at the top. Forelegs straight and muscular with elbows
close. Feet cat-like, round and compact with toes close. Nails brown
and short. Pads thick and tough. Dew claws, if any, to be removed
on front and rear feet. Hare feet are faulty.
Hindquarters
Hind legs have well developed thighs with moderately angulated stifles
and hocks in balance with the moderately laid back shoulders. They
must be straight as viewed from behind. Too much angulation at the
hocks is as faulty as too little. The hocks are let down and parallel
to each other.
Coat
Short, smooth, dense and close-lying, without woolly undercoat. A
distinctly long coat is a disqualification.
Color
Solid golden rust in different shadings. Solid dark mahogany red and
pale yellow are faulty. White on the forechest, preferably as small
as possible, and white on the toes are permissible. Solid white extending
above the toes or white anywhere else on the dog except the forechest
is a disqualification. When viewing the dog from the front, white
markings on the forechest must be confined to an area from the top
of the sternum to a point between the elbows when the dog is standing
naturally. White extending on the shoulders or neck is a disqualification.
White due to aging shall not be faulted. Any noticeable area of black
in the coat is a serious fault.
Gait
Far reaching, light footed, graceful and smooth. When moving at a
fast trot, a properly built dog single tracks.
Size
The ideal male is 22 to 24 inches at the highest point over the shoulder
blades. The ideal female is 21 to 23 inches. Because the Vizsla is
meant to be a medium-sized hunter, any dog measuring more than 1-1/2
inches over or under these limits must be disqualified.
Temperament
A natural hunter endowed with a good nose and above-average ability
to take training. Lively, gentle-mannered, demonstrably affectionate
and sensitive though fearless with a well developed protective instinct.
Shyness, timidity or nervousness should be penalized.
Disqualifications
• Completely black nose.
• Solid white extending above the toes or white anywhere else
on the dog except the forechest.
• White extending on the shoulders or neck.
• Any male over 25-1/2 inches, or under 20-1/2 inches at the
highest point over the shoulder blades.
• Any female over 24-1/2 inches or under 19-1/2 inches at the
highest point over the shoulder blades.
• A distinctly long coat.
