The breeds · gun dog · versatile

AKC Sporting · UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 57

Vizsla.

Versatile pointing dog: 'bred to work in field, forest and water' (AKC standard). FCI: 'A versatile gun dog that must be able to work in the field, forest and water... an excellent nose, firmness on the point, excellent retrieves and determination to remain on the scent even when swimming.' NAVHDA-recognized versatile breed..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

13.5YRMedian lifespan13.2 to 13.9, measured on real dogs.

23 / 22INHeightdogs 23, bitches 22. An ideal from the standard, not a range.

44–60LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 57.5 lb (55 to 60); breed bitches 49.5 lb (44 to 55).

2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 23 in (22 to 24) · bitches 22 in (21 to 23)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2009

FCI 57 gives bitches 54–60 cm (21.3–23.6 in).

Weight

dogs 57.5 lb (55 to 60) · bitches 49.5 lb (44 to 55)

Breed clubAKC

Registry breed page, not the standard; single source for weight.

Coat

Short, smooth, dense and close-lying, without woolly undercoat; a distinctly long coat is a disqualification. FCI: short and dense, coarse and hard to the touch, no undercoat.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2009

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

5 of 5 · Derived from the standard's coat: short, smooth, dense, no undercoat = short single coat.

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2009

Derived by rule (coat type → heat tolerance); not measured.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

13.5 years (13.2 to 13.9)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

McMillan et al. 2024 method. Teng et al. 2022 does not include the Vizsla, so no life_expectancy_yr partner.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped to minutes. The parent club states a lower floor: 'Adult Vizslas still need a minimum of 45 to 60 minutes of vigorous daily exercise' (vca_owning). Sources differ; the RKC band is the ruled mapping.

Exercise need

VCA: 'Adult Vizslas still need a minimum of 45 to 60 minutes of vigorous daily exercise. Puppies will require 2 hours of play and exercise a day.' RKC band: more than 2 hours per day. AKC energy level 5 of 5 ('High Energy').

Breed clubVizsla Club of America

Three sources; the minute figure is the club's floor, the RKC band the UK registry's.

Energy

5 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

2 of 5 · Once a week

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC grooming band mapped to the 1–5 scale (2 = weekly brush). AKC grooming frequency 2 of 5 (between 'Monthly' and 'Weekly') agrees.

Grooming

Once a week (RKC). VCA: 'a drip-dry and go dog who needs only the basic care common to all dogs.' AKC shedding level 3 of 5.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 57, 2000

AKC wording from akc_std; NAVHDA recognition from navhda_breeds.

Field trial standard

AKC pointing-breed field trials in five stakes (Puppy, Derby, Gun Dog, Limited Gun Dog, All-Age), run in braces for 15 to 60 minutes; mature dogs 'are expected to stand on point, be steady while a bird is flushed, and retrieve the bird if the competition includes shooting.' Dual Champion = FC + CH. The breed also runs AKC hunt tests and NAVHDA tests.

Breed clubVizsla Club of America

Water work

Water work is in the standard: the FCI requires determination on scent 'even when swimming, which he manifestly enjoys' and lists 'a dislike of water' as undesirable; the AKC standard says 'bred to work in field, forest and water.' AKC pointing-breed field trials have no water series; NAVHDA tests do.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 57, 2000

Cold water

2 of 5 · Derived: a short single coat with no undercoat, on a breed the FCI standard requires to retrieve from water ('determination to remain on the scent even when swimming'; 'a dislike of water is undesirable') — a willing water dog without the coat for late-season cold.

DerivedFCI-Standard N° 57, 2000

Derived from coat (akc_std, fci_std) and the standard's water clause; not measured.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

6.7% · 20,276 hip evaluations, all data through the Oct 5 2026 read: 92.6% normal (19.5% excellent, 62.9% good, 10.3% fair), 6.7% dysplastic (4.7% mild, 1.8% moderate, 0.2% severe).

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's public breed statistics. Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock and voluntary submission; abnormal results are under-submitted. Read directly from OFA's statistics service (api.ofa.org/api/ds.php) on Oct 5 2026; Hou et al. 2013 prints no per-breed percentages.

Elbow dysplasia

2.5% · 5,556 elbow evaluations, all data through the Oct 5 2026 read: 97.4% normal, 2.5% abnormal (2.2% grade I, 0.3% grade II, 0.0% grade III).

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Same OFA caveats as hips.

Most common disorders

UK Kennel Club 2014 owner survey, Hungarian Vizsla n = 441 live dogs: lipoma 5.22% (95% CI 3.50–7.70), skin cyst 3.85% (2.42–6.09), hypersensitivity (allergic) skin disorder 2.27% (1.24–4.12), skin lump 2.04%, skin cancer/tumour 1.81%. The breed had only one disorder at a significantly higher within-breed prevalence than the all-breed figure.

StudiedWiles BM, 2017

Owner-reported, KC-registered UK dogs, median age 4.5 years across the survey; not veterinary records. Figures from the paper's Additional file 4.

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 5; Mental Stimulation Needs 5; Trainability Level 5; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 5; Openness To Strangers 4; Good With Other Dogs 4; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 5; Adaptability Level 5.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

USHip evaluation, ophthalmologist evaluation, thyroid evaluation (AKC national breed club recommendations)OFA / ACVO · American Kennel Club, Sporting Group health testing requirements (CHIC)
USOptional: cardiac evaluation by a board-certified ACVIM cardiologist at 12 months or older, registered with OFAOFA · Vizsla Club of America, VCA Official Health Statement, approved by the VCA Board of Directors August 18 2018
USOptional: hip evaluation by PennHIP at 24 months or olderPennHIP · Vizsla Club of America, VCA Official Health Statement, approved by the VCA Board of Directors August 18 2018
USOptional: elbow dysplasia evaluation at 24 months or olderOFA · Vizsla Club of America, VCA Official Health Statement, approved by the VCA Board of Directors August 18 2018
USEye exam by a board-certified ACVO ophthalmologist, registered with OFA (CHIC)ACVO / OFA eye registry · Vizsla Club of America, VCA Official Health Statement, approved by the VCA Board of Directors August 18 2018
USAutoimmune thyroiditis evaluation (CHIC)OFA · Vizsla Club of America, VCA Official Health Statement, approved by the VCA Board of Directors August 18 2018
USHip dysplasia evaluation at 24 months or older (CHIC)OFA · Vizsla Club of America, VCA Official Health Statement, approved by the VCA Board of Directors August 18 2018

UKEye testing including gonioscopy for PLABVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme · The Royal Kennel Club, Breeds A to Z: Hungarian Vizsla (gundog group) — exercise, grooming, size, health schemes
UKElbow scoringBVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme · The Royal Kennel Club, Breeds A to Z: Hungarian Vizsla (gundog group) — exercise, grooming, size, health schemes
UKHip scoringBVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme · The Royal Kennel Club, Breeds A to Z: Hungarian Vizsla (gundog group) — exercise, grooming, size, health schemes

No KENAI kennel lists the Vizsla yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

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How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 11 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called: Hungarian Vizsla, Magyar Vizsla, Hungarian Short-haired Pointer

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