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 Standard - AUSTRALIA

FCI STANDARD - AUSTRALIA

FCI Standard (Australia) Source: http://www.ankc.aust.com/hungviz.html



F.C.I. Standard No 57 dated June 1996

Adopted in Australia from 1st January 1998

Revised May 2001

Country of Origin: Hungary

Translated by Mrs H Gross-Richardson, Mrs Ann Mitchell and Mrs Elke Peper

 

BRIEF HISTORICAL REVIEW- The ancestors of the Hungarian Vizsla came into the Carpathian Basin with the nomadic Hungarian tribes. Written descriptions and graphic illustrations are found in documents of the 14th century. From the 18th century, his importance as a hunting dog has been increasing steadily. As early as the end of the 19th century, competitions for pointing dogs were organised in Hungary, in which Hungarian Vizslas participated with great success. In those days, other Gundog breeds most likely played an important part in the development of the breed.

The specific modern breeding started in 1920, as a result of which, the Hungarian Vizsla received recognition by the FCI in 1936.

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.

SIZE/WEIGHT

HEIGHT AT WITHERS

Dogs: 58-64 cm

Bitches: 54-60 cm

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 the exact proportion to its degree.

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

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

Gundog Group - A.N.K.C. © 1st January, 2002

 

Last Updated: 31 October, 2013

 

 Standard - CANADA

Origin and Purpose: The Vizsla (Smooth-Haired) (pronounced as if spelled VIZH-LA) is of Hungarian origin, where various records indicate its history as going back many centuries. It was the companion hunting dog of the early warlords and landed aristocracy who used it for general-purpose hunting. It was known in Hungary as the “Yellow” Pointer. In North America it is used primarily as an upland bird dog, where its excellent scenting and retrieving characteristics have been widely acclaimed. It is a strong swimmer and also retrieves well from water.

General Appearance: The Vizsla is a short-haired, medium-sized sporting dog. It conveys the impression of an alert, muscular, well-balanced animal with a distinctive and aristocratic appearance.

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Temperament: The Vizsla is intelligent, calm, obedient, and easy to train. It is a sensitive dog which becomes attached to its owner and develops a strong but not overly aggressive protective instinct. In the field, the Vizsla is an eager, happy hunter which is at home on land and in the water.

Size: The standard size, measured at the withers, for the Vizsla is 23 in. (58 cm) for males and 22 in. (56 cm.) for females. A dog of good bone and substance in this size range shall weight from 50-65 lb. (22 - 29 kg). A bitch weighs about 10 lb. (5 kg) less. The length to height ratio should be approximately 1:1.

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Coat and Colour: The hair of the Vizsla should be short and dense and lie close to the skin. Each hair should be thick and elastic and the coat should have a glossy sheen.  The correct colour is a golden-rust, sometimes described as the golden colour of a bread crust. In some strains slightly lighter or darker shades may predominate. A white mark on the chest under 2 in. (5 cm) is permissible but not desirable.

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Head: Skull should convey an impression of being lean and muscular, with a median line down the forehead. The topline of the skull should be straight. The skull tends to be comparatively narrow in relation to its length, with that of the male being slightly wider. The occiput is slightly visible. The stop should be slight and sloping rather than abrupt. Muzzle: the muzzle should be approximately the same length as the skull. It should be narrow, end squarely, and have clean straight lines. Mouth: the jaws should be strong, and well-developed teeth meeting in a scissors or even bite. The lips should be smooth and well developed and cover the teeth tightly. The lips extend in a level line 3/4 of the length of the muzzle. Eyes: they should be almond shaped, bright and intelligent in appearance. The colour is in harmony with or darker than the colour of the coat; they should be moderately deep set. The eyelids close neatly and cleanly with no overlap. The nictitating membrane should not be overly exposed. Ears: the ears should be thin, silky and moderately tapered with rounded ends. They should just meet under the jaw, or reach to the corner of the mouth, but should not extend as far as the canine teeth. They should be set about 1/2 inch (1 cm) below the level of the skull and hang close to the cheeks.

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Neck: The neck should be of medium length in proportion to the body, it must be well muscled, with a definite arch at the nape and widened to blend smoothly into the forequarters. The skin of the neck should be smooth and tight.

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Forequarters   Shoulders: The shoulder blade should be of medium length and must be tightly held in place. The angle formed by the shoulder blade (scapula) and the humerus should be approximately 90 degrees. The musculature should be firm, smooth and clearly defined. Upper-arm (humerus): The bone structure should be heavy, smooth and well covered by strong firm muscles. The skin should be firm, pliable and smooth. The upper-arm should be equal in length to the shoulder blade (scapula). Lower-arm (radius and ulna): Strong big bones with good muscles. The legs should be straight whether viewed from the front or side. The angle at the elbow joint should be approximately 135 degrees. Pasterns: The angle that the pastern makes with the lower leg should be nearly straight (about 175-180 degrees). Paws: The paws should be cat-like with tightly closed toes and big rough pads. The feet should be webbed. The nails should be short, firm and well curved, and their colour should be similar to that of the eyes, nose and coat. Dewclaws, if not removed, should be held tightly against the leg.  

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Body: Topline: the topline should be broad and smooth and is slightly arched over the loin and croup to the base of the tail; there is a slight depression at the juncture of the withers and the back. Chest: the chest should be deep, reaching down to the elbows and moderately broad. A cross-section of the chest is oval with well spring ribs, narrowing between the elbows to permit free and easy leg movement. Width of the chest between the forelegs is at least 6 in. (15 cm) for a male and 5 in. (13 cm) for a bitch. Loin: it should be broad, strong and well muscled. Croup: it should be heavily muscled and smoothly rounded to the base of the tail. Abdomen: the abdomen should be trim and neat with a moderate tuck-up.

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Hindquarters: Hip bone (pelvis): this is the framework which forms the basic support for the hind legs. These pelvic bones should be wide and strong. The musculature attaching to these bones should be very well developed and gives strength to the hindquarters. Upper thigh (femur): this bone should be heavy, straight, round, and smooth. Muscle attachments should be very powerful, broad, and evenly distributed. The angle at the hip joint should be 90 degrees. Lower thigh (tibia and fibula) should be well muscled. These bones should be longer than the femur. The angle at the stifle joint should be 110-120 degrees. Hocks: the angle at the hock joint should be from 125 - 130 degrees. Paws: same as the front.

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Tail: The tail is set below the level of the croup and is moderately thick, tapering towards the end. It is well covered by dense coat. An undocked tail reaches to the hock joint. If the tail is docked, to reduce the chance of injury when hunting, it should be docked by approximately 1/3, so that the tip is level with the stifle joint.The tail is straight or slightly curved. When the dog is in motion, the tail is carried outstretched at or slightly above horizontal.

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Gait: Viewed from the front, the dog’s legs should appear to swing forward in a free and easy manner, with no tendency for the feet to cross over or swing wide. Viewed from the rear the gait should be true-tracking. The topline is level when dog is in motion, while the head is carried high and the tail “flags” constantly at the proper level.

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Faults

1. Very nervous dogs should be heavily penalized.

2. Very dark or very light colour coat.

3. Hare feet.

4. Light yellow, green, blue or “Pop” eyes.

5. Throatiness.

6. Dogs 10 lb. (4.536 kg) over or under the standard weight.

7. Roached, hollow or camel backs.

8. Too steep a croup.

9. Undershot or overshot bites.

Disqualifications:

1. A dog 2 in. (5 cm) or more over or under the standard height.

2. White markings over 2 in. (5 cm) on the chest or white markings anywhere else other than the chest.

 

  Updated: 03/02/2014

 Standard - ENGLAND

Last updated February 2009

 

A Breed Standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament and appearance including the correct colour of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function. Absolute soundness is essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be careful to avoid obvious conditions or exaggerations which would be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed. From time to time certain conditions or exaggerations may be considered to have the potential to affect dogs in some breeds adversely, and judges and breeders are requested to refer to the Breed Watch section of the Kennel Club website herehttp://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/breed/watch for details of any such current issues. If a feature or quality is desirable it should only be present in the right measure. However if a dog possesses a feature, characteristic or colour described as undesirable or highly undesirable it is strongly recommended that it should not be rewarded in the show ring.

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

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

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 (22 1/2 - 25 ins); bitches: 53-60 cms (21 - 23 1/2 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.

 

Standard - NEW ZEALAND

A breed standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.

 


Hungarian Vizsla
Gundogs

Group:Gundog

Size:large

Lifespan:10-14 years

Exercise:high

Grooming:very low

Trainability:moderate

Watchdog ability:high

Protection ability:low

Area of Origin:Hungary

Date of Origin:Middle Ages

Other Names:Magyar Vizsla, Hungarian Pointer, Drotszoru Magyar Vizsla

Original Function:pointing, falconry, trailing

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History

The Vizsla is a Hungarian hunting dog which probably descended from two ancient breeds: the Transylvanian hound, and the Turkish Yellow Dog (now extinct). In more recent times, the blood of the German Shorthaired Pointer and the Pointer has been added to the Vizsla. After World War II, the breed was nearly extinct. Hungarians saved some dogs and built the breed up again. After World War II, when Russians took control of Hungary, the native Hungarians feared all the Vizsla would be killed by the Russians, because owning a Vizsla was a symbol of aristocracy. Some devotees smuggled Vizslas out into Austria and to other countries, including America. The name "Vizsla" in Hungarian means, "Pointer". The Vizsla is a fine retriever with an excellent nose, and is a good small game and bird hunter and pointer – even on marshy terrain. They have also been successful obedience competitors. The breed's gentle, friendly disposition makes them well-suited to their role as a family companion dog.

 

Temperament

The Vizsla is a friendly and loving dog breed that adapts well to family life. Alert and responsive, the Vizsla makes a good watchdog. The owner of a Vizsla should be an active and energetic leader because if not given enough exercise, the Vizsla may become destructive.

 

Upkeep

The Vizsla needs a lot of strenuous exercise every day. This is an active breed that cannot be expected to meet its energy requirements with a short walk or within a small yard. It needs to be jogged or allowed to run in a large enclosed area. Otherwise, its needs are minimal. Its coat requires little care except an occasional brushing to remove dead hair. It can live outside in warm climates, given adequate shelter, but should sleep indoors on cold nights. It needs a soft bed.

 
Official Breed Standard

CHARACTERISTICS:
The Hungarian Vizsla should be lively and intelligent, obedient but sensitive, very affectionate and easily trained. It was bred for hunting for fur and feather on open ground or in thick cover, pointing and retrieving from both land and water.

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GENERAL APPEARANCE:
A medium sized dog of distinguished appearance, robust and not too heavily boned.

Head and Skull:
The head should be gaunt and noble. The skull should be moderately wide between the ears with a median line down the forehead and a moderate stop. The muzzle should be a little longer than the skull and although tapering should be well squared at the end. The nostrils should be well developed, broad and wide. The jaws strong and powerful. The lips should cover the jaws completely and should be neither loose nor pendulous. The nose should be brown.

Eyes:
Neither deep nor prominent, of medium size, being a shade darker in colour than the coat. The shape of the eyes should be slightly oval and the eyelids should fit tightly. A yellow or black eye is objectionable.

Ears:
The ears should be moderately low set, proportionately long with a thin skin and hang down close to the cheeks, should be rounded V-shaped not fleshy.

Mouth:
Sound white teeth meeting in a scissor bite, full dentition is desirable.

Forequarters:
Shoulders should be well laid and muscular, elbow straight pointing neither in nor out, the forearm should be long.

Body:
Back should be level, short, well muscled, withers high. The chest should be moderately broad and deep with prominent breast bone. The distance from the withers to the lowest part of the chest should be equal to the distance from the chest to the ground. The ribs should be well sprung and the belly should be tight with a slight tuck-up beneath the loin. The croup should be well muscled.

Hindquarters:
Should be straight when viewed from the rear, the thighs should be well developed with moderate angulation, the hocks well let down.

Feet:
Rounded with toes short, arched and well closed. A cat like foot is desirable, hare foot is objectionable. Nails short, strong and a shade darker in colour than coat, dew claws should be removed.

Gait:
Graceful and elegant with a lively trot and ground covering gallop.

Tail:
Should be of moderate thickness, rather low set, with one third customarily docked off. Whilst moving should be held horizontally.

Coat:
Should be short and straight, dense and coarse and feel greasy to the touch.

Colour:
Russet gold. Small white marks on chest and feet, though acceptable, are not desirable.

Weight and Size:
Optimum Weight 22 - 30 kg (48.5 - 66 lb) . Height at withers Dogs: 57 - 64 cm (22.5 - 25 in) Bitches: 53 - 60 cm (21.5 - 23.5 in).

Faults:
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness of the fault should be in exact proportion to its degree.

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


 

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.

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