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 rough. 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
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Completely black nose. |
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Solid white extending above the toes or white anywhere else on the
dog except the forechest. |
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White extending on the shoulders or neck. |
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Any male over 25-1/2 inches, or under 20-1/2 inches at the highest
point over the shoulder blades. |
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Any female over 24-1/2 inches or under 19-1/2 inches at the highest
point over the shoulder blades. |
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A distinctly long coat. |