SZIZLIN VIZSLAS, REG.

Proposed 2007 Breed Standard Clarifications

            The Official Standard for a breed is a document which describes the ideal conformation and appearance of that breed. AKC official breed standards are written by the parent breed clubs as guides for breeders to select outstanding specimens of their particular breed in order to improve breeding stock and/or performance. New owners can also benefit from knowledge of the breed standard in evaluating their selection of a dog. AKC judges rely on breed standards in the judging process and seek to find specimens that most closely conform to the standard. The standards are published by the AKC and are the basis for breed education at all levels, novice to expert.

             Standards, generally, are based on the principle that form follows function. That is, breeding and selecting for those specific traits that will best suit the function for which a particular breed was designed, be it hunting, herding, guarding or just as a lap dog. They also should address breed type. That is, what are the characteristics, both physical and of temperament, which make this breed unique. When a standard does not address a particular characteristic of the breed, breeders can follow their personal preferences and judges often fall back on generic judging. The standard should describe the differences between their breed and the generic dog in a clear, concise and helpful manner.

             The AKC permits parent clubs to alter or update their breed standards no more frequently than once every five years. The original AKC breed standard for the Vizsla was published in 1960. Revised versions were issued in 1983 and 1996. The process for modifying the Breed Standard  follows VCA and AKC By-Laws. It requires:

• 1) A motion by the Board of Directors to consider amendments to the Breed Standard.
• 2) Approval of any proposed changes by the VCA Board of Directors.
•  3) Approval by the Board of Directors of AKC. AKC requires pre-approval in order to avoid conflicts later.
• 4) Publishing the proposed changes for the membership to review.
• 5) A mail ballot of the general membership is the final step in the process.

 In the November/December 2001 issue of the VCA News the announcement was made that the Board of Directors was forming a new ad hoc  Breed Standard Committee, and a call for volunteers wishing to serve on the committee was published. The Breed Standard Committee appointed by the BOD included Sylvia Kerr as Chair, Julia Bonar, Patricia Folz, Nancy Keiser, Rita Mather, Carol Phelps, and Kathy Rust.

 The Committee began its deliberations in Jan. 2003. The first business concerned items regarding proportion. These were submitted to the BOD at the 2003 BOD meeting and were approved by the BOD with no dissenting votes. At that time the BOD charged the Committee with reviewing the remainder of the Breed Standard. This information was published in the March/April 2004 issue of the VCA News and a request for input from the membership was made. Requests for input were also posted to the Vizsla Talk list. The Committee received surprisingly few comments, but considered and discussed every suggestion that was received.

 The Committee continued its work and made reports to the BOD in 2004 and 2005 at which time it had completed its review. All the committee’s recommendations were approved with no negative votes, either by Committee members or BOD members. There were some individual abstentions on a few items. The final revised version of the Breed Standard was submitted to AKC for approval in 2006.  AKC approval was granted and we are now at step 4 of the process. Below you will find the proposed revisions to the Breed Standard  in tabular form  in comparison to the current Breed Standard. This information is for your consideration and reflection before a mail ballot is sent out.

  

Current Vizsla Standard   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. Dewclaws, 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 noticable 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 1½ 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. A distinctly long coat. Any male over 25½ inches, or under 20½ inches and any female over 24½ inches or under 19½ inches at the highest point over the shoulder blades. Approved December 11, 1995 Effective January 31, 1996

Proposed Vizsla Standard  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 endurance 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 requisite instincts and abilities to maintain a "dual dog" are always to be fostered and appreciated, never 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. 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 level with the outside corner of the eye when relaxed, and hanging close to cheeks. Jaws are strong with well developed white teeth meeting in a scissors bite. Eyes, slightly oval in shape, medium in size and depth of setting, their surrounding tissue covering the whites. They are very expressive, radiating energy, intelligence and curiosity. Color of the iris should blend with the color of the coat. A light yellow eye detracts from the desired expression. The eyes should not protrude and the lower eyelids should neither turn in nor out, as these 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. Feet cat-like, round and compact with toes close. Nails brown and short. Pads thick and tough. The removal of dewclaws, 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. Solid or roaned white, as minimal as possible, is permissible on the forechest and on the toes. Solid or roaned white extending above the toes or anywhere else on the dog except the forechest is a disqualification. White due to aging or scarring must not 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 1-1/2 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 must 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 or roaned white extending above the toes or anywhere else on the dog except the forechest. A distinctly long coat. Any male over 25-1/2 inches, or under 20-1/2 inches and any female over 24-1/2 inches or under 19-1/2 inches at the highest point over the shoulder blades  2007 Proposed Clarifications

  

Discussion: The Committee reviewed the Standard in a section by section manner. Suggestions from the membership were considered under the appropriate section. The Committee’s approach tried to emphasize what is correct in the Vizsla rather than to dwell on faults. When a Standard emphasizes faults, it tends to promote "fault judging", where the judge picks apart what is wrong with a dog rather than looking for the strengths of the dog. A general statement regarding faults has been included at the end of the Standard.

 

1. General Appearance Section

The committee reworded the general appearance section to identify the Vizsla’s country of origin (Hungary) and to emphasize its versatility.

 

2. Head Section

The committee  removed “not deep” in the description of the stop as they felt “moderate” is an adequate description. They  changed nose color from brown to self-colored, which they felt to be  a more accurate description, added a partially black nose as a disqualification but included an exemption for freckles ; defined the ear set more accurately; and described the shape and expression of the eye and reworded eye faults in an explanatory manner.

 

3. Neck and Body Section

The current Breed Standard is vague in its description of proportion and outline. These are important elements of  “breed type”. The committee wanted to encompass balance, athleticism and moderation in the formal description.  A description of height to length as measured from defined points was added and, in the interest of balance, no absolute ratio of leg length  to body was defined. Rather those elements should be in proportion. The relationship of backline, loin and croup was described.

The committee moved the term “withers high” to a more logical position at the beginning of the body description and changed the point of measurement of height from “withers” to “highest point over the shoulder blades” which is anatomically more exact. They reworded the tail carriage description to emphasize the correct carriage and describe incorrect carriage. They deleted the statement “An undocked tail is faulty.” and substituted “A docked tail is preferred.”  This will allow undocked imports to be exhibited without undue penalty.

 

4.  Forequarters Section

The committee defined the ratio of upper arm to shoulder blade and changed the wording regarding the removal of dewclaws from mandatory to recommended with a rationale. “Hare feet are faulty” was deleted in keeping with the committee’s desire to avoid emphasis on faults. The correct foot is described. Any deviation, including a hare foot, Is to be considered incorrect.

 

5. Color Section

The committee felt that the description “Solid golden rust in different shadings” is confusing. The word “Solid” was deleted and “different” changed to “varying” . The shadings forming a “saddle” are also described.  They clarified the definition of white to include both solid or roaned. Changed  “small” to “minimal”, as it is the amount of white that is of concern rather than the shape. They deleted “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.” The committee felt it was redundant and confusing.   They added an exception for white due to scarring and changed “shall not be faulted” to “ must not be faulted” in order to emphasize the point. A description of the Vizsla as a self-colored dog was added which incorporates the consistency of color for the entire dog. “Black in the coat is a serious fault” was deleted. The color of the Vizsla is emphasized to be golden rust, so black would automatically be incorrect.

 

 

 

6. Final Statement

The committee added a general statement at the conclusion of the Standard regarding deviation from the ideal, rather than listing numerous faults. 

 

Questions and comments may be directed to the VCA Board of Directors or Breed Standard Committee members.

 

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