For the most recent version, check the AKC website's breed standard.

The Vizsla Club of America Official Standard (1983)

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 condition coats as well as brawny sinewy muscular condition and honorable scars indicate a working and hunting dog are never to be penalized. The qualities that make a dual dog are always to be appreciated not depreciated.

Head: Lean & muscular.; moderately wide between the ears with a medium line down the forehead. Stop between the skull & foreface is moderate, not deep. Foreface or muzzle is of equal length or slightly shorter than skull when viewed in profile. It should taper gradually from stop to tip of nose. Muzzle square and deep, it must not turn up as in a dish nor should it turn down. Whiskers serve a functional purpose; removal is permitted but not preferred. Nostrils slightly opened. 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 the cheeks. Jowls are strong with well developed white teeth meeting in a scissors bite. Eyes are medium in size and depth of setting; their surrounding tissue covering the whites. Color of the iris should blend with color of the coat. Yellow or other color is faulty. Prominent pop eyes are faulty. Lower eyelids should turn neither in nor out since both conditions allow seeds and dust to irritate the eye. Lips cover the jowls completely and are not loose or pendulous.

Neck & Body: Neck is strong, smooth, muscular, moderately long, arched and devoid of dewlap, broading nicely into shoulders which are moderately laid back. This is mandatory to maintain balance with the moderately angled hind quarters. Body is strong and well proportioned. Back short. Withers high, and the top line slightly rounded over the loin to the set on of the tail. Chest moderately broad, 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 1/3 docked off. Ideally it should reach to the back of the stifle joint and be carried at or near the horizontal. A tail undocked is faulty.

Forequarters: Shoulder blades proportionately long and wide, sloping moderately back, and fairly close at the top. Forelegs straight and muscular, with the elbows close. Feet are cat-like, round and compact with toes close. Nails brown and short, pads thick and tough. Dewclaws to be removed on front and rear. Hare feet are faulty.

Hindquarters: The hind legs have well developed thighs with moderately angulated stifles and hocks in line with the moderately laid back shoulders, and 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 wooly undercoat. Color: solid golden rust with different shadings, solid dark mahogany red or pale yellow are faulty. Small white spots on chest are not faulted but massive areas of white on the chest or white anywhere else on the body are reason for disqualification. Occasional white hairs on toes are acceptable, but white extending above the toes is a disqualification. White due to aging should not be faulted. Any noticeable area of black in the coat is a serious fault.

Gait: Far reaching, light footed, graceful and smooth. At a fast trot, a properly built dog single tracks.

Size: The ideal male is 22” – 24” at the highest point above the shoulder blades. The ideal female is 21” – 23”. Because the Vizsla is meant to be a medium sized hunter, any dog measuring more than 1.5” over or under these limits must be DQ.

Temperament: A natural hunter and dog with a good nose and above average ability to take training. Lively, gentle mannered, demonstratively affectionate, and sensitive though fearless with a well-developed protective instinct. Shyness, timidity or nervousness should be penalized.

Disqualifications: Completely black nose, massive areas of white on chest, white anywhere else on body, solid white extending above the toes, any male above 25.5” or under 20.5” at the highest point over the shoulder blades, any female above 24.5” or under 19.5” at the highest point overt the shoulder blades.

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Last modified: February 26, 2010