JUDGING THE VIZSLA
By Patricia Folz Szikra Vizslas
T he Vizsla is a joyful creature with a charm- ing way of making a fool of itself and us. Th e breed is an intel- ligent, good worker who responds to kindness and can be ruined by a heavy hand. Th e Vizsla is a personal gun dog and companion and it is well suited for that purpose in size, character and silhouette—a short- haired dog of golden rust color, proud and lively, with an elegant and distin- guished appearance. Th is is not an easy breed to judge—subtle in the attributes that distinguish it from the other smooth coated pointers—it can be as di ffi cult to understand as it is to get your hands on a wiggly Vizsla puppy. Th is is a gentle and a ff ectionate breed with a well- developed protective instinct—they are
sensitive but cheerful; shyness and timidity should be penalized. Th e Vizsla is moderate in all aspects: size, angula- tion and overall substance. Th e silhouette of the Vizsla is a series of continuous curves—from the begin- ning of the nose to the end of the tail, your eye should never stop. Follow the arched neck down over the moderately laid back shoulders, past the ribcage, which is carried well back to the mus- cular fullness over the short loin, fol- lowing to the set on of the tail, which is slightly below the level of the croup. Th e tail should not o ff end the eye and is carried near the horizontal, in length it should reach to the bend of the stifle. A docked tail is preferred. Carriage, which is an extension of the structure, should be judged rather than length which is man-made. Th e outline should be of a
dog who appears square and is neither tall and leggy, nor long and low. Th e chest, moderately broad and reaching to the elbow, flows through the slight tuck up and on to the well-muscled thigh and moderately angulated rear. On exami- nation, the hand should move smooth- ly over the curves without feeling any abrupt changes in direction. Th e standard calls for a dog who is “robust but rather lightly built”, mean- ing it should be well muscled and have substance, while being an agile mover. Th e Vizsla should never seem slight nor heavy, but there should be some appre- ciable substance to the breed. It is the smallest of the smooth-coated point- ers, which is an important part of its breed character. Th e ideal size is 21-23 inches for bitches and 22-24 inches for dogs. Th ere is a disqualification in the
continued on page 288
“THE SILHOUETTE OF THE VIZSLA IS A SERIES OF CONTINUOUS CURVES— from the beginning of the nose to the end of the tail, your eye should never stop.”
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