The breeds · side by side
for the house and the field
German Shorthaired Pointer or Vizsla.
Two pointing breeds that live in the house and hunt on the weekend. The exercise ask, the coat in cold water, and the range decide most of it.
Every value below shows its source and how sure we are. Breed sets the odds; the parents set the dog. Nothing here is a prediction about one dog.
What the question turns on
Exercise need
More than 2 hours per day
More than 2 hours per day
Energy
5 of 5
5 of 5
Heat tolerance
4 of 5 · 4 of 5: short, dense, hard coat
5 of 5 · Derived from the standard's coat: short, smooth, dense, no undercoat = short single coat.
Cold water
3 of 5 · 3 of 5: short dense coat with little undercoat; bred for water work but not a late-season water specialist
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.
Range
Medium: a versatile dog that hunts for the gun and is judged on cooperation and search within the handler's reach
Not recorded for this breed yet.
The rest, read the same way
Height at the shoulder
dogs 24 in (23 to 25) · bitches 22 in (21 to 23)
dogs 23 in (22 to 24) · bitches 22 in (21 to 23)
Weight
dogs 62.5 lb (55 to 70) · bitches 52.5 lb (45 to 60)
dogs 57.5 lb (55 to 60) · bitches 49.5 lb (44 to 55)
Coat
Short and thick, tough to the hand; somewhat longer under the tail and back edges of the haunches; softer, thinner and shorter on ears and head; long body hair severely penalized
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.
Shedding
Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)
Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)
Median lifespan
13.4 years (13.3 to 13.6)
13.5 years (13.2 to 13.9)
Exercise need
More than 2 hours per day
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').
Grooming load
2 of 5 · Once a week
2 of 5 · Once a week
Grooming
Once a week
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.
Role
Versatile hunter, an all-purpose gun dog capable of high performance in field and water: points, retrieves on land and water, tracks
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.
Primary game
Upland birds (pheasant, grouse)
Not recorded for this breed yet.
Also used on
Retrieving on land and water (GSPCA water tests use duck at the advanced levels); fur (rabbit, fox); tracking wounded game
Not recorded for this breed yet.
Field trial standard
NAVHDA: Natural Ability (to 16 months: nose, search, pointing, desire, cooperation, tracking, water entry, gun shyness), Gun Dog Test (formerly Utility Preparatory) and Utility (field search, pointing, steadiness, retrieve of shot bird and dragged game, duck search and water retrieves, obedience); dogs are judged against a standard by three judges and prized I, II or III, not placed against each other
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.
Water work
Water work is part of the breed's definition: GSPCA water tests (Novice Retrieving Dog, Retrieving Dog, Retrieving Dog Excellent) require a swimming retrieve of a dispatched bird to hand, judged pass/fail; NAVHDA Utility includes a duck search
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.
Hip dysplasia
3.7% · 3.7% dysplastic of 23,655 OFA hip evaluations on record (OFA data service, retrieved Oct 5 2026); 95.9% normal (28.9% excellent, 60.7% good, 6.3% fair); 2.5% mild, 1.0% moderate, 0.2% severe; OFA rank 196
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).
Elbow dysplasia
1.4% · 1.4% abnormal of 7,824 OFA elbow evaluations on record (OFA data service, retrieved Oct 5 2026; 1.2% grade I, 0.2% grade II, 0.0% grade III); 98.5% normal; OFA rank 134
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).
Most common disorders
UK owner survey (n = 362 living GSPs; 33.7% with at least one reported condition): lipoma 10.8%, skin cyst 5.8%, arthritis 2.8%, skin lump 1.7%, spondylosis 1.4% (significantly above the all-breed 0.26%), epilepsy 1.4%
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.
What to ask a breeder for
Clearances
- Cone degeneration (CD) DNA test · US
- Eye examination by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist · US
- Cardiac exam · US
- Elbow evaluation · US
- Hip evaluation · US
- Eye testing · UK
- Elbow scoring · UK
- Hip scoring · UK
- Thyroid evaluation and von Willebrand's disease screening (GSPCA: 'some will also have' these done; not a CHIC requirement) · US
- Hip evaluation, ophthalmologist evaluation, thyroid evaluation (AKC national breed club recommendations) · US
- Optional: cardiac evaluation by a board-certified ACVIM cardiologist at 12 months or older, registered with OFA · US
- Optional: hip evaluation by PennHIP at 24 months or older · US
- Optional: elbow dysplasia evaluation at 24 months or older · US
- Eye exam by a board-certified ACVO ophthalmologist, registered with OFA (CHIC) · US
- Autoimmune thyroiditis evaluation (CHIC) · US
- Hip dysplasia evaluation at 24 months or older (CHIC) · US
- Eye testing including gonioscopy for PLA · UK
- Elbow scoring · UK
- Hip scoring · UK
The health clearances each breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.
The selector
Which one, for your life?
A few minutes of honest answers: the birds, the ground, the water, the house, the week. The selector ranks both of these against what you said, explains every rank, and shows exactly where the one you came in wanting lands.
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