HUNGARIAN WIREHAIRED VIZSLAS

General Temperament  

 Happy, personable, sensitive, loving, very entertaining, loyal and affectionate, the Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla craves human companionship and bonds closely with its "people." They do not do well as kennel dogs and to reach their full potential they need to live in the home as part of the family.  

Hungarian Wirehaired Vizslas are steady tempered and dependable, but they are not Golden Retrievers. The breed has a well developed protective instinct and is often serious and discriminating toward strangers. Early and ongoing socialization is a must.   

Kids

The Hungarian Wire-Haired Vizsla is as polite to your children as they are to him. They will not put up with on going teasing, poking and prodding like some other sporting breeds.  

Exercise

Although not hyperactive, Wire-Haired Vizslas are high energy dogs requiring daily exercise and mental stimulation.  Once this need has been met they are calm in the home.

Training

The Hungarian Wire-Haired Vizslas is not difficult to train because it is happy to learn and eager to please, though it can be stubborn and creative. Consistency is important. Hungarian Wire-Haired Vizslas are sensitive and should be trained gently; harsh training methods are likely to backfire.  
Hungarian Wirehaired Vizslas often appeal to people who want a smart, entertaining dog. But the smarter the dog, the smarter and more creative the owner has to be.  

Hunting

For now the Wirehaired Vizsla, unlike many sporting breeds in America, is a dual purpose dog. Dual purpose meaning there is no division in the breed between a show dog and a hunting dog. Breeders should be breeding for Wirehaired Vizslas that not only hunt like a Wirehaired Vizsla, but fit the standard also.  

A close hunter of both fur and feather and a natural retriever on land and water, the Wirehaired Vizsla often appeals to foot hunters looking for an all purpose dog. It should be noted that harsh field training methods involving shock collars and force fetch training is not needed and should be avoided with this sensitive breed.  

Grooming

Although they shed lightly, Wirehaired Vizslas with a correct coat require only minimal grooming and brushing. Those possessing a longer coat often require hand stripping to be kept neat. Ears should be checked weekly for wax build up or infection.  

Health

Wirehaired Vizslas do have some health problems to watch out for. The most common being hip dysplasia which has been reported as occurring in 13.7% of the American population. Among the other diseases/conditions reported are -  seizures or epilepsy, addisons, hypothyroid, juvenile cataracts, PRA, allergies and heart murmurs. Although none of these are particularly common  that is no consolation if your puppy is the one affected. 

These are all things a reputable breeder (read more about what to look for in a reputable breeder here), myself included, will screen for and research pedigrees for before breeding their stock, but there is still no absolute guarantee one or more of these conditions will not surface. And since so much of the breeding stock in this country is imported from Europe, we can't always go back as far in our research as we'd like. 

UKC

HISTORY
The Hungarian Wire-Haired Vizsla (Wirehaired Vizsla) was created by cross-breeding the Hungarian Short-Haired Vizsla with the German Wire-Haired Pointer during the 1930’s.
The Hungarian Wire-Haired Vizsla was recognized by the United Kennel Club January 1, 2006.

GENERAL APPEARANCE
The Hungarian Wire-Haired Vizsla is a medium-sized, wire-coated hunting dog, with a distinguished appearance and bearing. They have a lean build and are very robust. The coat is an attractive russet gold. This is a dog of power and drive in the field, yet is a tractable and affectionate companion in the home. Field-conditioned coats, as well as a brawny or sinewy muscular condition, and honorable scars, indicating a working hunting dog, are never to be penalized. The qualities that make a “dual dog” are always to be appreciated, not depreciated.

CHARACTERISTICS
The Hungarian Wire-Haired Vizsla is a versatile, natural hunter endowed with an excellent nose and an above average trainability. Although they are lively, gentle mannered, demonstrably affectionate and sensitive, they are also fearless and possessed of a well-developed protective instinct. The breed has a firmness on point, is an excellent retriever, and has the determination to remain on the scent even when swimming. The overall appearance embodies the qualities of a multi-purpose pointing dog, endurance, working ability and an easily satisfied nature.
Body length slightly exceeds the height, measured at the withers. The skin is tightly-fitting, well-pigmented.
Faults: Shyness. Nervousness. Timidity.

HEAD
SKULL - Moderately wide, slightly domed. A slightly pronounced groove runs from the moderately developed occiput toward the stop. The supercilliary ridges are moderately developed. The stop is moderate. Strong, well-muscled cheeks.
MUZZLE - Blunt, not pointed. Strongly muscled, powerful jaws. Slightly shorter than half the length of the head. The lips are tight-fitting, and the flews are clean. The bridge of the nose is straight.
TEETH - The Hungarian Wire-Haired Vizsla has a full complement (42) of evenly spaced, white teeth meeting in a scissors bite.
NOSE - Broad, and well-developed, with nostrils as wide as possible. Nose pigment color is slightly darker than the coat color.
EYES - Slightly oval. Medium size. Well-fitting eyelids. Intelligent, lively expression. The brown eye color harmonizes with the coat color; as dark as possible preferred.
EARS - Set on at medium height, hanging closely to the cheeks, ending in a rounded V-shape. Slightly shorter than the (short-haired) Vizsla’s.

NECK
Of medium length. In proportion with overall appearance. Muscular, slightly arched nape. Tightly-fitting skin at the throat.

FOREQUARTERS
Legs are straight and parallel when viewed from the front, with strong, but never coarse, bone and good muscling. Viewed from the side, they are placed well under the body.
Length of leg from elbow to ground is slightly greater than one-half the height at the withers. Elbows are close to the body, but not tied in nor turning in or out. There is good angulation between upper arm and forearm. Pasterns are short and slightly sloping. Pastern joint is dry and sinewy.
Shoulder blades are long, sloping, flat and well-attached. Elastic when moving with strong, dry muscles. Well-angulated between shoulder blade and upper arm.

BODY
Pronounced, muscular withers. Solid, well-muscled, taught, straight back. The short, broad, tight, muscular loin is straight or slightly arched. The broad, well-muscled croup is of sufficient length and slopes slightly to the tail.
The chest is deep, broad, well-developed and well-muscled. The forechest is moderately arched. The sternum extends as well back as possible. The sternum and the elbows are at the same level. The depth of the brisket (breastbone) is slightly less than half the height at the withers. The ribs are carried well back, with the last ribs moderately arched. The elegant, tight, slightly tucked up underline arches toward the rear.

HINDQUARTERS
Straight and parallel when viewed from behind. Good angulation, strong bone. Good angulation between pelvis and upper thigh. Long, muscular upper thigh. Well-angulated stifle. Long, muscular, sinewy lower thigh. Length almost equal to that of upper thigh. Good angulation between lower thigh and rear pastern. Vertical, short, strong rear pastern. Strong, dry, sinewy, rather well-let-down hock joint.

FEET
Slightly oval, with well-knit, sufficiently arched, strong toes. Strong, brown nails. Tough, resistant, slate gray pads. Parallel when standing or moving.

TAIL
Well-furnished with a dense coat. The tail is set on at medium height. It is strong at the base, then tapering. In countries where tail docking is not prohibited by law, the tail may be shortened by one-quarter. An undocked tail reaches down to the hock joint and is carried straight or slightly saber-like. On the move, the tail is raised up to the horizontal.

COAT
Wiry, close-lying, strong, dense, providing as much protection as possible against weather conditions and injuries. Not glossy. Three-quarters of an inch to 1¼ inches (2 to 3 cm.) in length. There is a dense, water-repellent undercoat. The outline of the body is not to be hidden by the longer coat.
The lower parts of the legs and the undersides of the chest and belly are covered with shorter, softer, slightly thinner hair. The hair on the head and ears is shorter and a little darker; however, it is not soft and dense.
Pronounced eyebrows accentuate the stop. These, along with a strong, harsh beard, ¾ of an inch to 1¼ inch-beard on both sides of the muzzle reinforce the determined expression. The coat forms V-shaped brushes on both sides of the neck.

COLOR
Various shades of russet gold and dark sandy gold. The body is uniform in color but the ears may be a little darker. A small white patch on the chest no more than 2 inches (5 cm.) in diameter, as well as white markings on the toes are acceptable. Lip and eye rim pigment corresponds to the color of the nose.
Faults: Red, brownish, light yellow or lightened color shadings.

HEIGHT AND WEIGHT
Dogs: 22¾ to 25¼ inches (58 to 64 cm.)
Bitches: 21¼ to 23¾ inches (54 to 60 cm.)
Overall balance and symmetry are not to be compromised for size.

GAIT
Typical gait is an animated, light-footed trot, elegant and far-reaching, with drive and corresponding reach. When working in the field the gallop is efficient; not exhausting. The back is firm and topline remains Level.
Fault: Pacing.

FAULTS
Any departure from the ideal should be considered a fault, and the seriousness with this it is to be regarded is to be in exact proportion to its degree.

ELIMINATING FAULTS
(An Eliminating Fault is a Fault serious enough that it eliminates the dog from obtaining any awards in a conformation event.)
Undershot or overshot bites.
Wry mouth.
One or more missing incisors and/or canine and/or premolars 2-4 and/or molars 1-2. More than two missing PM1. Non-visible teeth are assessed as missing.
Distichiasis (double row of eyelashes).
Dark brown or pale yellow coat color.
Parti-colored.
White chest patch larger than 2 inches (5 cm.) in diameter.
White feet.
Thin coat, lacking undercoat. Long, soft, silky, shaggy, crinkle or woolly coat. Lacking brushes on the legs.
Deviation of more than ¾ of an inch from the listed acceptable height ranges.

DISQUALIFICATIONS
Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. Viciousness or extreme shyness. Unilateral or bilateral deafness. Albinism.

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