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 top line 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 fore chest, 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 fore chest is a disqualification. When viewing the dog from the front, white markings on the fore chest 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 noticeable 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 1.5 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 fore chest. White extending on the shoulders or neck. A distinctly long coat. Any male over 25 inches, or under 20 inches and any female over 24 inches or under 19 inches at the highest point over the shoulder blades.

Approved December 11, 1995

Effective January 31, 1996