• The English Kennel Club Standard
• The American Kennel Club Standard
• The Australian National Kennel Council Standard

The English Kennel Club Standard

Last Update: January 2009

Origin: Hungary

General Appearance
Medium-sized, of distinguished appearance, robust and medium boned.

Characteristics
Lively, intelligent, obedient, sensitive, very affectionate and easily trained. Bred for hunting fur and feather, pointing and retrieving from land and water.

Temperament
Lively, gentle-mannered and demonstratively affectionate, fearless and with well developed protective instinct.

Head and Skull
Head lean and noble. Skull moderately wide between ears with median line down forehead and a moderate stop. Skull a little longer than muzzle. Muzzle, although tapering, well squared at the end. Nostrils well developed, broad and wide. Jaws strong and powerful. Lips covering jaws completely and neither loose nor pendulous. Nose brown.

Eyes
Neither deep nor prominent, of medium size, a shade darker in colour than coat. Slightly oval in shape, eyelids fitting tightly. Yellow or black eye undesirable.

Ears
Moderately low set, proportionately long with a thin skin and hanging down close to cheeks. Rounded ‘V’ shape; not fleshy.

Mouth
Sound and strong white teeth. Jaws strong with perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Full dentition desirable.

Neck
Strong, smooth and muscular; moderately long, arched and devoid of dewlap.

Forequarters
Shoulders well laid and muscular, elbows close to body and straight, forearm long, pasterns upright.

Body
Back level, short, well muscled, withers high. Chest moderately broad and deep with prominent breast bone. Distance from withers to lowest part of chest equal to distance from chest to ground. Ribs well sprung and belly with a slight tuck-up beneath loin. Croup well muscled.

Hindquarters
Straight when viewed from rear, thighs well developed with moderate angulation, hocks well let down.

Feet
Rounded with toes short, arched and tight. Cat-like foot is required, hare foot undesirable. Nails short, strong and a shade darker in colour than coat.

Tail
Previously customarily docked.
Docked: Customarily docked by one third of length. Moderately thick, rather low set. When moving carried horizontally.
Undocked: Rather low set. Moderately thick, slightly curved. Tapering towards the end, reaching to hocks. When moving carried horizontally.

Gait/Movement
Graceful, elegant with a lively trot and ground-covering gallop.

Coat
Short, straight, dense, smooth and shiny, feeling greasy to the touch.

Colour
Russet gold, small white marks on chest and feet, though acceptable, undesirable.

Size
Height at withers: dogs: 57-64 cms (221/2-25 ins); bitches: 53-60 cms (21-2311/2 ins). Weight: 20-30 kgs (44-66 lbs).

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog, and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

The American Kennel Club Standard

Last Update: July 2009

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 shaded golden rust. Originating in Hungary, the Vizsla was bred to work in field, forest and water. Agile and energetic, this is a versatile dog of power, drive and endurancein 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 requisite instincts and abilities to maintaina "dual dog" are always to be fosteredand appreciated, neverdeprecated.

Head
Lean and muscular. Skull moderately wide between the ears with a median line down the forehead. Stop between skull and foreface is moderate. 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 should 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 self-colored. Any other color is faulty. A partially or completely black nose is a disqualification. Freckles due to aging or sun exposure are not to be faulted.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. Withers high. While the Vizsla may appear square, when measured from point of breastbone to point of buttocks and from the highest point over the shoulder blades to the ground, the Vizsla is slightly longer than tall. A proper proportion of leg length to body length is essential to the desired overall balance of the Vizsla. The Vizsla should not appear long and low or tall and leggy. Backline firm with a slight rise over a short and well muscled loin. The croup is gently rounded to the set on of the tail and is not steep, sunken or flat. When moving at a trot, a properly built Vizsla maintains a steady, level backline. Chest moderately broad and deep reaching down to the elbows. Ribs well-sprung and carried well back; 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 when moving it should be carried at or near the horizontal, not vertically or curled over the back, nor between the legs. A docked tail is preferred.

Forequarters
Shoulder blades proportionately long and wide sloping moderately back and fairly close at the top. Upper arm is about equal in length to the shoulder blade in order to allow for good extension. Forelegs straight and muscular with elbows close. Feetcat-like, round and compact with toes close. Nails brown and short. Pads thick and tough. The removal ofdewclaws, if any, on front and rear feet, is strongly recommended, in order to avoid injury when running in the field.

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
Golden rust in varying shades. Lighter shadings over the sides of the neck and shoulders giving the appearance of a "saddle" are common.Solid dark mahogany 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 or scarring mustnot be faulted. The Vizsla is self-colored, with the color of the eyes, eye-rims, lips, nose, toenails and pads of feet blending with the color of the coat.

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 ½ 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.
The foregoing describes the ideal Vizsla. Any deviation from this ideal must be penalized to the extent of the deviation. Deviations that impact performance and function should be considered more serious than those that affect only appearance.

Disqualifications
Partially or 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.
A distinctly long coat.
Any male over 25 ½ inches, or under 20 ½ inches and any female over 24 ½ inches or under 19 ½ inches at the highest point over the shoulder blades

The Australian National Kennel Council Standard

General Appearance
He is a medium sized, elegant gun dog of noble appearance with a short russet gold coat. His rather light, dry, lean structure embodies the harmony of beauty and strength.

Characteristics
The Hungarian Vizsla is a versatile gun dog that must be able to work in field, forest and water and have the following typical qualities. He must have an excellent nose, firmness on the point , be excellent at retrieving and have the determination to remain on the scent even when swimming, which he manifestly enjoys. He copes with difficult terrain as well as extreme weather conditions. As he is intended to be an efficient hunting dog then gun and game shyness, unwillingness to point and retrieve, as well a dislike of water are undesirable. Because of his easy going nature and his adaptability, he can easily be kept as a companion dog in the house.

Temperament
Lively, friendly, evenly tempered and easily trained. His outstanding willingness to keep contact with his master while working is one of his essential qualities. He cannot bear rough treatment and must be neither aggressive or shy.

Head And Skull
The head should be dry, noble and well proportioned. The skull moderately wide and slightly domed. A slightly pronounced groove runs from the moderately developed occiput towards the stop. The supercilliary ridges are moderately developed. The stop is moderate.

His nose should be well developed and broad with nostrils as wide as possible. The colour of the nose harmonises in a dark shading with the coat colour. The muzzle is blunt, not pointed, with strong jaws that are strongly muscled. The bridge of the nose is straight. The lips are tight fitting with no pendulous flews. The jaws are powerful and the cheeks are strong and well muscled.

Eyes
The eyes are slightly oval and of medium size with well fitting eyelids. He has an intelligent and lively expression. The brown eyes harmonise with the coat colour, as dark as possible preferred.

Ears
The ears are set on at medium height, a little backwards. He has fine leathers, which hang closely to the cheeks and end in a rounded V shape. The length is about three-quarters of the length of the head.

Mouth
He has a regular and complete scissor bite with the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws with 42 healthy teeth according to dentition formula.

Neck
Of medium length, harmonising with the overall appearance. The nape very muscular and slightly arched. Tightly fitting skin (no dewlap) at the throat.

Forequarters
Viewed from the front they should be straight and parallel. Viewed from the side the legs are vertical and placed well under the body. Good bones and strongly muscled. The shoulders are long, sloping and flat with well attached shoulder blades. Flexible with strong dry muscles. Well angulated between the shoulder blade and upper arm. The upper arm is as long as possible and well muscled. The elbows fit close to the body, not tied in and turning neither in nor out and are well angulated between the upper arm and forearm. The forearm is long, straight and sufficiently muscled with strong but not coarse bone. The pastern joint is short and tight. The pastern is short and only very slightly sloping.

Body
The withers are pronounced and muscular. The back is solid, strong, well muscled, taut and straight. The muscles should hide the vertebral spines. The loin is short, broad, tight, muscular, straight or slightly arched. The portion from back to loin is well coupled. The croup is broad and of sufficient length, not to cut off short. It slopes slightly to the tail and is well muscled. The chest is deep and broad with a well developed, well muscled, moderately arched forechest. The sternum should extend as far back as possible. The sternum and the elbow should be at the same level. The ribs are moderately arched with the last ribs carried well back. The underline is elegant, tight, arching towards the rear and slightly tucked up.

Hindquarters
Viewed from behind they should be straight and parallel. Well angulated and with strong bone. The upper thigh is long and muscular with good angulation between the pelvis and upper thigh. The stifle is well angulated. The lower thigh is long, well muscled and sinewy. Its length is almost equal to that of the upper thigh. Good angulation between the lower thigh and the metatarsus. The hock joint is strong, dry and sinewy and rather well let down. The metatarsus is vertical, short and dry.

Feet
The forefeet are slightly oval, with well knit, sufficiently arched, strong toes. The nails are strong and brown in colour. He has tough, resistant, slate grey pads. The feet are parallel when standing or moving. The hind feet are similar to the forefeet.

Tail
Set on slightly low, strong at the base, then tapering. In countries where tail docking is not prohibited by law, the tail may be shortened by one quarter to avoid hunting hazards. If tail docking is prohibited, the tail reaches down to the hock joint and carried straight or slightly sabre like. On the move, it is raised up to the horizontal. It is well covered by dense coat.

Gait/Movement
The typical gait is an animated, light-footed trot, elegant and far-reaching, with much drive and corresponding reach. Not exhausting gallop when working in the field. The back is firm and the topline remains level. Good, upright carriage. Pacing undesirable.

Coat
Short and dense, should be coarse and hard at the touch. On the head and the ear leathers, it should be thinner, silkier and shorter. The hair underneath the tail should be slightly, but not noticeably longer. The coat should cover all if the body with the underside of the belly being a little lighter coated. No undercoat.

Colour
Various shades of russet gold and dark sandy gold. The ear leathers may be a little darker, otherwise uniform in colour. Red, brownish or lightened colour is undesirable. A little white patch on the chest or at the throat, not more than 5 cm in diameter, as well as white markings on the toes are not considered faulty. The colour of the lips and the eye rims corresponds to the colour of the nose. The skin is tightly fitting, without folds and well pigmented.

Sizes

• Height at withers
• Dogs: 58-64 cms
• Bitches: 54-60 cms


• IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS
• The body length slightly exceeds the height at withers.
• The depth of the brisket is slightly less than half the height at the withers.
• The muzzle is slightly shorter than half the length of head.

It is ineffective to increase the height at the withers. A medium size should be aimed at. Overall balance and symmetry are much more important than the mere measurable size.

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog, and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

DISQUALIFYING FAULTS


• Distinct deviations from the characteristics of the breed
• Strong deviation from the sexual characteristics
• Atypical head
• Spotted (butterfly) nose
• Pendulous or dribbling flews
• Under or overshot mouth. Wry mouth, including all intermediate forms
• One or more missing incisors and/or canine and or premolars 2-4 and /or molars 1-2. More than two missing PM1. The M3 are disregarded. Not visible teeth are assessed as missing ones. Supernumerary teeth not in line with the others.
• Cleft palate, harelip
• Light yellow eyes. Very loose eyelids. Ectropian. Entropion. Distichiasis (double row of eyelashes)
• Pronounced dewlap
• Dewclaws
• Very faulty movement
• Atypical coat
• Dark brown or pale yellow colour. Parti-coloured. Not uniformly coloured. White chest patch larger than 5 cm.
• White feet
• Lacking pigmentation either on the skin or on the lips and eye rims.
• Any type of weakness in temperament
• Deviation of more than 2 cm from the above mentioned heights at withers

Notes
Male animals must have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.