The breeds · side by side
for a house dog that hunts
Weimaraner or Vizsla.
Two short-coated continental pointing breeds that live in the house. Size, the exercise ask and how far each one reaches out are where they part; both want a job and both tell you when they do not have one.
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
Height at the shoulder
dogs 26 in (25 to 27) · bitches 24 in (23 to 25)
dogs 23 in (22 to 24) · bitches 22 in (21 to 23)
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.
Heat tolerance
5 of 5 · 5 of 5: short single coat with no or very sparse undercoat
5 of 5 · Derived from the standard's coat: short, smooth, dense, no undercoat = short single coat.
The rest, read the same way
Weight
dogs 77 lb (66 to 88) · bitches 66 lb (55 to 77)
dogs 57.5 lb (55 to 60) · bitches 49.5 lb (44 to 55)
Coat
Short, smooth and sleek, solid mouse-gray to silver-gray; a distinctly long coat is a disqualification (AKC). FCI 99 recognises a longhaired variety and describes the shorthaired coat as short, strong, very dense, smooth lying, without or with only very sparse undercoat
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
12.8 years (12.6 to 13)
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.
Why they get given up
Separation anxiety: the parent club calls it 'one of the most prevalent reasons cited when they are given up to Rescue'
Not recorded for this breed yet.
Role
Versatile hunting dog for all work in field, wood and water, before and after the shot: 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 ('fur and feathers' dog since the late 19th century)
Not recorded for this breed yet.
Also used on
Originally big game (the club names bear and deer) for the nobles of Weimar; fur; tracking, with the club noting 'much of the original hunting instincts remain today'
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); prized I, II or III against a standard. The WCA also runs its own ratings program (NSD/SD/SDX shooting dog and NRD/RD/RDX retrieving dog ratings, Versatile and Versatile Excellent) and AKC pointing-breed field trials
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 is in the breed's definition (FCI: 'all works in field, wood and water'); NAVHDA Utility requires a duck search; the WCA ratings program includes retrieving ratings on water
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.
Cold water
2 of 5 · 2 of 5: short single coat with little or no undercoat; the breed does water work in versatile tests but is not built for late-season 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.
Hip dysplasia
8.5% · 8.5% dysplastic of 14,688 OFA hip evaluations on record (OFA data service, retrieved Oct 5 2026); 90.5% normal (22.8% excellent, 56.4% good, 11.3% fair); 5.7% mild, 2.4% moderate, 0.4% severe; OFA rank 144
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
2.1% · 2.1% abnormal of 3,176 OFA elbow evaluations on record (OFA data service, retrieved Oct 5 2026; 1.8% grade I, 0.3% grade II, 0.0% grade III); 97.9% normal; OFA rank 124
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 = 372 living Weimaraners; 43.8% with at least one reported condition): lipoma 17.5% (highest of 41 breeds; all-breed 4.3%), skin cyst 5.4%, skin lump 3.2%, allergic skin disorder 2.7%, skin cancer 2.4%, food allergy 2.4%, epilepsy 2.2%, colitis 2.2%, arthritis 2.2%. Causes of death (Lewis et al. 2018, n = 74): old age 17.6%, unspecified cancer 12.2%, heart failure 9.5%, gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat) 8.1%, significantly above the all-breed rate
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
- Elbow evaluation (recommended, optional) · US
- Advanced cardiac evaluation (recommended, optional) · US
- Spinal dysraphism (SD) DNA test · US
- Hypomyelination (HYM) DNA test · US
- Hyperuricosuria (HUU) DNA test · US
- Eye examination by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist · US
- Autoimmune thyroiditis · US
- Hip evaluation · US
- Eye testing · UK
- Elbow scoring · UK
- Hip scoring · UK
- 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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