KENAI
Wirehaired Vizsla

The breeds · gun dog · versatile

AKC Sporting · UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 239

Wirehaired Vizsla.

Versatile pointing dog 'developed by hunters and falconers who desired a sturdy, versatile hunting dog able to withstand harsh winters in the field, forest and water ... an excellent nose for hunting and tracking feather and fur on land and in water, as well as a natural point and retrieve'. FCI: 'A versatile gun dog that must be able to work in the field, forest and water'.

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.

24 / 22INHeightdogs 24, bitches 22.25. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
45–65LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 60 lb (55 to 65); breed bitches 50 lb (45 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 24 in (23 to 25) · bitches 22.3 in (21.5 to 23)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2012

Midpoint. FCI: bitches 54-60 cm.

Weight

dogs 60 lb (55 to 65) · bitches 50 lb (45 to 55)

Breed clubAKC

Same caveat; midpoint.

Coat

Close-lying dense wiry outer coat about 1 inch long over a dense undercoat; shorter and softer on lower legs, chest and belly; close and short on head and ears; pronounced eyebrows and a harsh beard about 1 inch long; V-shaped brushes on the neck; shown almost in natural state, a clipped coat is faulty. Golden rust in varying shades; small white on forechest, throat and toes permitted

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2012

AKC breed page coat type 'Wiry', length 'Short'; UK standard: harsh close-fitting wire coat up to 4 cm with an undercoat heavier in winter.

Shedding

Sheds; AKC breed page shedding level 3 of 5 ('Moderate'), RKC 'Sheds: yes'; the UK standard describes the undercoat as 'normally heavier in winter'

Breed clubAKC

UK standard wording from hwva_about.

Heat tolerance

4 of 5 · 'Close lying, a length of approximately 1 inch, the dense wiry coat should not hide the outline of the body. Functionally the coat should protect against weather and injury with a dense undercoat and wiry outer coat.'

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2012

Derived by the coat rule (4 = short dense; the undercoat keeps it off 5). Not a measurement.

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 exercise band. AKC breed page energy level 5 of 5 and mental stimulation needs 5 of 5; the WVCA: 'a medium size, energetic dog. They do best in an active family atmosphere.'

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

AKC breed page energy level 5 of 5; 'lively yet gentle' and 'cannot tolerate harsh handling' (standard); 'calm and gentle around the house' with 'running, swimming, and upbeat play' outdoors (AKC breed page)

Breed clubAKC

RKC: more than 2 hours of exercise a day.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · More than once a week (RKC grooming band); coat length medium

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The AKC breed page scores grooming frequency 1 of 5 and calls the coat short; the standard asks for the dog 'almost in his natural state, nothing more in the way of stripping being needed than a tidying up'. The RKC band is recorded as the rule requires; the two registries disagree.

Grooming

More than once a week (RKC); AKC breed page 1 of 5; the standard asks for no more than 'a tidying up' by stripping

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

Versatile pointing dog 'developed by hunters and falconers who desired a sturdy, versatile hunting dog able to withstand harsh winters in the field, forest and water ... an excellent nose for hunting and tracking feather and fur on land and in water, as well as a natural point and retrieve'. FCI: 'A versatile gun dog that must be able to work in the field, forest and water'

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2012

A NAVHDA recognized breed (WV). Bred from the Vizsla with German Wirehaired Pointer input in the 1930s (HWVA survey introduction); the RKC dates the first Vizsla x German Wirehaired Pointer cross to 1904, with the resulting two puppies as foundation stock.

Primary game

'Feather and fur on land and in water': upland birds pointed and retrieved, waterfowl retrieved, fur tracked; the UK standard: 'Bred for hunting fur and feather, pointing and retrieving from land and water'

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2012

UK standard wording from hwva_about. No source names a single species.

Range

Close to medium: 'far reaching drive enabling the breed to hunt in all elements and cover any terrain encountered by the walking hunter'; no source gives a yardage

EditorialAKC breed standard, 2012

Inferred from the standard's 'walking hunter' clause; no source calls the breed close, medium or big in words. Fewer than three sources behind this value.

Field trial standard

AKC pointing-breed hunting tests (an eligible breed): Junior must point, Senior and Master steady to wing and shot, retrieve and honor; the AKC Water Test is open to the breed, and the WVCA reports the breed 'recently accepted as a Retriever breed for participation in Retriever Hunt Tests'. AKC pointing-breed field trials (an eligible breed). NAVHDA Natural Ability, Utility Preparatory and Utility tests: field search, pointing, steadiness, retrieve of shot bird, search for a duck, retrieve of duck

Breed clubAKC

Hunting test standards from akc_ht_rules; field trial eligibility from akc_ft_eligible; water test and retriever test lines from wvca_hunt; NAVHDA content from navhda_rules.

Water work

Water is written into the breed: the FCI asks for 'determination to remain on the scent even when swimming, which he manifestly enjoys' and lists 'a dislike of water' as undesirable; the AKC standard names 'field, forest and water'. NAVHDA judges the search for a duck and the retrieve of a duck; the WVCA points members to the AKC Water Test and retriever hunt tests

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2000

NAVHDA water group from navhda_rules; WVCA lines from wvca_hunt.

Cold water

4 of 5 · Bred 'to withstand harsh winters in the field, forest and water'; weather-resistant dense wire coat with undercoat; the FCI standard calls 'a dislike of water' undesirable

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2012

Derived from the coat and the breed's water work (the standard's purpose clause, the FCI's swimming clause, NAVHDA duck work). A 1-inch coat is still short next to the retriever specialists. Not a measurement.

How common the problems are

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

Hip dysplasia

10.5% · 408 OFA hip evaluations on file (all evaluations on file, read Oct 2026; the service prints no start year): 89.0% normal (13.7% excellent, 63.7% good, 11.5% fair), 10.5% dysplastic (7.4% mild, 3.2% moderate, 0.0% severe); rank 126 of the breeds listed

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry skewed toward breeding stock, and a small breed sample. The WVCA/OFA 2025 owner survey: of the 43% of 58 dogs with OFA hips, 84% good or excellent, 8% mild.

Elbow dysplasia

3.1% · 258 OFA elbow evaluations on file: 96.9% normal, 3.1% abnormal (2.7% grade 1, 0.4% grade 2, 0.0% grade 3); rank 105 of the breeds listed

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Same voluntary-registry caveat.

Most common disorders

UK mortality survey (Animal Health Trust for the HWVA, 29 deaths 1993-2009): median age at death 9 years 5 months (range 1 yr 2 mo to 15 yr); causes cancer 55% (95% CI 35-73), 'old age' 10%, gastric dilatation-volvulus 10%, cardiac 7%; the 2004 Kennel Club survey (15 deaths) put cancer and 'old age' first and second again (cardiac third) with a median of 9.8 years. US owner survey (WVCA/OFA, 58 dogs, 2025): 82% rated in excellent health; allergies 9%, benign lumps 10%, ear disorders 7%, behavioral concerns 9%, one cancer; HUU carriers 38% of the 47% tested, ECLE carriers 6% of the 29% tested. The WVCA names hyperuricosuria and exfoliative cutaneous lupus erythematosus (DNA tests), elbow and hip dysplasia, subaortic stenosis, glaucoma, PRA, persistent pupillary membrane and cataracts, and reports sensitivity to vaccines and difficulty recovering from anesthesia

Breed clubEvans KM

Both surveys are small and owner-reported; the UK median age at death comes from 29 deaths and is not a lifespan estimate of the McMillan kind. No VetCompass paper, Dogs Trust row or Kennel Club survey table exists for the breed (Lewis 2018 counted 14 deaths without a breed row).

More

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 5; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 1; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 5; Adaptability Level 4.

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.

No KENAI kennel lists the Wirehaired 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.

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. 9 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla, Hungarian Wire-Haired Vizsla, Drotszoru Magyar Vizsla, Wire

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

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