MIDNIGHT RUN VIZSLAS
At Home. In The Field.
Vizsla Info
Official AKC Vizsla Breed 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
