Vizsla

ORIGIN: Hungary.
UTILIZATION: A versatile gun dog that must be able to work in
the field, forest and water, having the following typical qualities:
an excellent nose, firmness on the point, excellent retrieves and
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, gun and game shyness, unwillingness to
point and retrieve, as well as 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.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY: 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 already. 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
(among others) 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 Short-Haired Hungarian Vizsla received recognition
by the FCI in 1936.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Medium sized, elegant gun dog of
noble appearance with short russet gold coat. His rather light,
dry, lean structure embodies the harmony of beauty and
strength.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS
• The body length slightly exceeds the height at the 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 the
head.

BEHAVIOR/TEMPERAMENT : Lively, friendly, evenly tempered,
to be trained easily. 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 nor shy.

HEAD : Dry, noble, well proportioned.
CRANIAL REGION
Skull : Moderately wide, slightly domed. A slightly pronounced
groove runs from the moderately developed occiput towards the
stop. The superciliary ridges are moderately developed.
Stop : Moderate.
FACIAL REGION
Nose : Well developed and broad with nostrils as wide as possible.
The colour of the nose harmonises in a dark shading with
the coat colour.
Muzzle : Blunt, not pointed; with strong jaws, strongly muscled.
The bridge of the nose is straight,
Lips : Tightly fitting, no pendulous flews.
Jaws/Teeth : Powerful jaws with a perfect, regular and complete
scissor bite, the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth
and set square to the jaws ; with 42 healthy teeth according to
the dentition formula.
Cheeks : Strong, well muscled.
Eyes : Slightly oval, of medium size. Well fitting eyelids. Intelligent
and lively expression. The brown eye harmonising with the
coat colour, as dark as possible preferred.
Leathers : Set on at medium height, a little backwards. Fine
leathers hanging closely to the cheeks, ending in a rounded V
shape. The length is about three quarters of the length of the
head.
NECK : Of medium length, harmonising with the overall appearance.
The nape very muscular and slightly arched. Tightly
fitting skin at the throat.
BODY
Withers : Pronounced and muscular.
Back : Solid, strong, well muscled, taut and straight. The vertebral
spines should be hidden by the muscles.
Loin : Short, broad, tight, muscular, straight or slightly arched.
The portion from back to loin is well coupled.
Croup : Broad and of sufficient length, not cut off short. Sloping
slightly to the tail. Well muscled.
Chest : Deep and broad with well developed, well muscled,
moderately arched forechest; sternum extending as far back as
possible. The sternum and the elbow should be at the same
level. Ribs moderately arched. Last ribs carried well back.
Underline : Elegant, tight, arching line towards the rear, slightly
tucked up.
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.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS : Viewed from the front, straight and parallel.
Viewed from the side, legs are vertical and placed well under
the body. Good bones, strongly muscled.
Shoulders : Long, sloping and flat, well attached shoulder
blade. Flexible. Strong, dry musculature. Well angulated between
shoulder blade and upper arm.
Upper arm : As long as possible. Well muscled.
Elbows : Fitting close to the body, however not tied in, turning
neither in nor out. Well angulated between upper arm and forearm.
Forearm : Long, straight, sufficiently muscled. Bone strong, but
not coarse.
Pastern joint : Strong, tight.
Pastern : Short, only very slightly sloping.
Forefeet : Slightly oval, with well knit, sufficiently arched, strong
toes. Strong brown nails. Tough, resistant, slate grey pads. The
feet are parallel when standing or moving.
HINDQUARTERS : Viewed from behind, straight and parallel.
Well angulated. Strong bone.
Upper thigh : Long and muscular. Good angulation between
pelvis and upper thigh.
Stifle : Well angulated
Lower thigh : Long, well muscled and sinewy. Its length is almost
equal to that of the upper thigh. Good angulation between
lower thigh and metatarsus.
Hock joint : Strong, dry and sinewy, rather well let down.
Metatarsus : Vertical, short and dry.
Hind feet : Similar to forefeet.
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.
SKIN Tightly fitting, without folds. The skin is well pigmented.
COAT
HAIR : Short and dense, should be coarse and hard at the
touch. On the head and the leathers, it should be thinner, silkier
and shorter. The hair underneath the tail should be slightly, but
not noticeably, longer. It should cover all of the body ; the underside
of the belly is a little lighter coated. No undercoat.
COLOR : Various shades of russet gold and dark sandy gold
(semmelgelb). The 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 eyerims
corresponds to the colour of the nose.
SIZE/WEIGHT
HEIGHT AT WITHERS
Dogs: 58 – 64 cm
Bitches: 54 – 60 cm
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.