Wirehaired Vizsla Club
of America
Celebrating 10 years of Protecting and Promoting the Wirehaired Vizsla
The Official AKC
Parent Club of the Wirehaired Vizsla
Right Breed for You?
Is a Wirehaired Vizsla (WV) the right breed for me?
Making the decision to bring a dog into your life is a major milestone for you, your family and ultimately your canine companion. Determining what breed is best for you is the critical first step. Please heed the invaluable advice that “all breeds do not fit all life styles”. Buying a dog is a lifetime commitment and a major responsibility in time, energy and money. WV often live until the age of 12 to 14 years.
Please consider carefully the Characteristics of the WV:
Temperament:
In temperament, the Wirehaired Vizsla is a calm, gentle and loyal companion. Their sensitivity and strong desire to please makes harsh discipline unnecessary and unwise. They are outgoing and friendly, neither timid nor aggressive. WV can easily be kept as a companion dogs in the house because of their easy-going nature and adaptability.
Performance:
The Wirehaired Vizsla is able to work in field, forest or water. WV have keen noses and are firm on point. They are excellent trackers and retrievers, and are determined to stay on scent, even while swimming (which they enjoy). The WV is well known in Europe for deerstalking. Their falconry heritage and calm intuitiveness also makes them a favorite of falconers here and abroad. They can cope with difficult terrain as well as extreme weather conditions. WV are intended to be efficient hunting dogs. Gentle, outgoing and friendly, neither timid nor aggressive, WV make loving and loyal family companions who love to hunt all types of feather and fur.
Conformation:
The Wirehaired Vizsla is similar to the smooth Vizsla in many aspects, though it is a distinctly separate breed. The WV is recognized under its own breed standard by registries worldwide.
Physically, the Wirehaired Vizsla is generally a little larger and heavier-boned than the smooth Vizsla. They share the same uniform coloration, with nose and eyes that blend harmoniously with the coat. The WV coat is coarse and wiry and has furnishings on the head and body. Its bushy eyebrows accentuate a lively, intelligent expression and its golden rust color blends into dried grasses and brush in the field. The tail is docked 1/4 in countries where docking is permitted, and dewclaws are removed.
HEIGHT AT WITHERS (Shoulder)
Dogs: 23-25 inches
Bitches: 21.5 - 23 inches
The standard allows a one inch variance.
The breed standard does not specify a weight range but WV tend to be approximately in the 55 - 65 lb. range for males, and 45 - 55 lb. range for females
Known Health Issues:
Unfortunately, WV are susceptible to certain health problems. Some diseases are hereditary while others can be influenced by nutrition and environmental factors. The most commonly seen problems in WV are hip dysplasia, eye disease, and cancer. Responsible breeders test their dogs for the more common genetically transmitted disorders. However, none of the available tests are 100% foolproof, and even cleared parents may produce affected offspring.
Please go to our Health page and learn more about these issues and how they affect the WV breed.
Breed History:
Originating in 1920's - 30s, Wirehaired Vizslas were developed by hunters and falconers wanting a versatile hunting and family dog. The outstanding traits and golden rust coloring of the Vizsla was adapted to be able to withstand the harsh winter conditions of the northern Hungarian uplands. Development of WV began with crossing smooth Vizslas with a German Wirehaired Pointer. Pudelpointer, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Irish Setter and possibly even a Bloodhound were believed to have been used at one time. The WV breed was officially recognized as a Hungarian breed with its own standard by Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in 1966. The first Wirehaired Vizslas were imported to North America in the early 1970s, recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) in 1978, and by the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) in 1986. By January 2008, over 500 Wirehaired Vizslas had been registered by NAVHDA. You can view more detailed WV information on the History page.
If the WV sounds like the breed for you please check out:
