Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla

Size
Medium (11kg - 27kg)
Exercise
40 min/day
Training
Puppy school only
Size of home
Some outdoor space
Time at home
Often alone
Grooming
Low maintenance
Barking preference
Moderate
Personality
Independent + affectionate

Breeder List

Breeder - Ms Louise Bennett (RUGALMAS)

weroona@gmail.com
See Details

History

The Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla is a completely separate breed from its more commonly seen smooth-coated cousin, the Hungarian Vizsla, and was developed in the 1930s. A Hungarian Vizsla was crossed with a German Wirehaired Pointer, with the aim of producing a dog with the same traits as the Hungarian Vizsla, but with a heavier coat and a more substantial frame. This, it was hoped, would make him better suited for working in cold weather and retrieving from icy water and thick undergrowth.

The first Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla arrived in Australia in 2004. Thanks to the dedication of Fay Harris (Hanafor Kennels) the breed was recognised in Australia in 2007. Since then several additional dogs have been imported, and a number of litters born, but today there are still less than 100 Hungarian Wirehaired Vizslas in Australia, making it a very rare breed.

Hungarian Wirehaired Vizslas are used extensively in their native Hungary, as well as surrounding countries and the UK, in hunting and retrieving activities including falconry. They work equally well on land and in water, and have a reputation of being calm and steady workers. In Australia, examples of the breed have excelled at showing, Obedience, and Retrieving, and they are quickly becoming recognised as the truly versatile workers and wonderful companions that they are.

Appearance

Medium sized, distinguished appearance, with a more robust build and a stronger bone structure than the Hungarian Vizsla. The coat is an attractive russet to golden sand in colour, and should feel wiry, close-lying, coarse, and dense to the touch.

Temperament

High energy, gentle-mannered, loyal, caring, and highly affectionate, Hungarian Wirehaired Vizslas, or ‘Wires’ as they are affectionately known, are natural hunters, pointers, and retrievers. They are eager to learn, love the water, and thrive on interaction with their human family. A combination of intelligence and high energy can lead to them being destructive if they don’t receive enough regular mental and physical stimulation.

Like the Hungarian Vizsla, the Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla responds best when trained positively, without harsh commands or strong physical correction.

Health

The average lifespan for the Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla is 10-12 years and for the most part they are a strong, healthy dog. Being a rare breed with a limited gene pool, however, can lead to instances of hereditary diseases if a responsible health screening and breeding program is not followed.

Some of these diseases could include Hip Dysplasia, eye conditions such as ectropion and entropion, hypothyroidism, and epilepsy. It is recommended that prospective owners talk to breeders about their health-screening regime and breeding approach.

Suitability

‘Wires’ are eager to please, so do well at Obedience, Agility, Tracking and Retrieving. They are versatile and adapt easily to new situations, but definitely do best when part of a family with an active lifestyle.

Article by: Louise Bennett and Anne Salisbury

Image: Ffire Photography

In Conclusion

Now you know a little about the Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla, you may think that this is the dog for you. Before you make a decision, please make contact with the breed club or your State controlling body for purebred dogs. They will be able to give you information about available puppies and also suggest dog shows where you can see the breed and speak to breeders. In this way you will gain a better perspective of the Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla, and its needs and whether this breed would suit your lifestyle.

Official breed standard as recognized by Dogs NSW (Last Updated: 13 May 2013)

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Breed Standard - Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla

A breed standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.

General Appearance

A lively, russet gold hunting dog of dry and lean but more robust construction compared to the Hungarian Short-Haired Vizsla. His appearance embodies his qualities as a multi-purpose pointing dog, endurance, working ability and an easily satisfied nature.IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:· The body length slightly exceeds the height at the withers.· The depth of the brisket is slightly less than half the height at the withers.· The muzzle is slightly shorter than half the length of the head.

Characteristics

His breed characteristics are identical with those of the Hungarian Short-Haired Vizsla. An affectionate and intelligent dog, self-confident, easily trained, which cannot bear rough treatment. He keeps contact with his handler, is passionate in his quest, is stubborn, has a good nose and is staunch on the point.

Temperament

An affectionate and intelligent dog, self-confident, easily trained, which cannot bear rough treatment. He keeps contact with his handler, is passionate in his quest, is stubborn, has a good nose and is staunch on the point.

Physical Standards

Head and Skull	Skull: The skull is moderately wide and slightly domed. A slightly pronounced groove runs from the moderately developed occiput towards the stop. The superciliary ridges are moderately developed. The stop is moderate.Nose: Broad and well developed with nostrils as wide as possible. The colour of the nose harmonises in a dark shading with the coat colour. Muzzle: Blunt, not pointed, with powerful jaws, strongly muscled. The bridge of the nose is straight. Lips: Tightly fitting with no pendulous flews. Cheeks: Strong and well muscled.
Eyes	Slightly oval, of medium size, well fitting eyelids. Intelligent and lively expression. The brown eye colour harmonising with the coat colour, as dark as possible preferred.
Ears	Set on at medium height, a little backwards, hanging closely to the cheeks, ending in a rounded V shape. Slightly shorter than those of the Hungarian Short-Haired Vizsla.
Mouth	Powerful jaws with a perfect, regular and complete scissors bite, the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws; with 42 healthy teeth according to the dentition formula.
Neck	Of medium length, harmonising with the overall appearance. The nape very muscular and slightly arched. Tightly fitting skin at the throat.
Forequarters	Viewed from the front, straight and parallel. Viewed from the side, legs vertical and placed well under the body. Good bone, well muscled. Shoulders: Long, sloping and flat, well attached shoulder blade. Elastic when moving. Strong, dry muscles. Well angulated between the shoulder blade and upper arm. Upper Arm: As long as possible, well muscled.Elbows: Close to the body, however not tied in, turning neither in nor out. Well angulated between upper arm and forearm. Forearm: Long, straight, sufficiently muscled. Bones strong, but not coarse. Pastern Joint: Dry and sinewy.Pastern: Short, only very slightly sloping.
Body	Chest: Deep and broad with well-developed, well-muscled and moderately arched forechest with the sternum extending as well back as possible. The sternum and the elbows should be at the same level. Last ribs moderately arched. Ribs carried well back. Withers: Pronounced and muscular. Back: Solid, well muscled, taut and straight. The vertebral spines should be hidden by the muscles. Loin: Short, broad, tight, muscular, straight or slightly arched. The loin is well attached.Underline: Elegant, tight, arching towards the rear, slightly tucked up. Croup: Broad and of sufficient length, not cut off short, sloping slightly to the tail. Well muscled.
Hindquarters	Viewed from behind, straight and parallel. Good angulations. Strong bone. Upper thigh: Long and muscular. Good angulation between the pelvis and upper thigh. Stifle: Well angulated. Lower thigh: Long, muscular and sinewy. Its length is almost equal to that of the upper thigh. Good angulation between the lower thigh and the metatarsus.Hock joint: Strong, dry and sinewy, rather well let down. Metatarsus: Vertical, short and strong.
Feet	Slightly oval, with well knit, sufficiently arched, strong toes. Strong brown nails. Tough, resistant, slate grey pads. The feet are parallel when standing or moving.
Tail	Set on a medium height, strong at the base, then tapering. In countries where tail docking is not prohibited by law, the tail may be shortened by one quarter to avoid hunting hazards. If tail docking is prohibited, the tail reaches down to the hock joint and is carried straight or slightly sabre like. On the move, it is raised up to the horizontal. The tail is well furnished with dense coat.
Gait/Movement	The typical gait is an animated, light footed trot, elegant and far reaching, with much drive and corresponding reach. Not an exhausting gallop when working in the field. The back is firm and the topline remains level. Pacing is undesirable.
Coat	Wiry, close lying, strong, dense and not glossy. Length of outer coat 2-3 cms; dense, water repellent undercoat. The outline of the body must not be hidden by the longer coat. By its hardness and density, it should provide as much protection as possible against weather conditions and injuries. The lower parts of the legs as well as the undersides of the chest and belly should be covered with shorter, softer and slightly thinner hair. The coat on the head and on the ears is shorter and, at the same time, a little darker, however not soft and dense. Pronounced eyebrows accentuate the stop. These and a strong, not too long (2-3 cm) as harsh as possible beard, on both sides of the muzzle, underline the determined expression. On both sides of the neck the coat forms V-shaped brushes.
Colour	Various shades of russet gold and dark sandy gold (semmelgelb). The leathers may be a little darker, otherwise uniform in colour. Red, brownish, light yellow or lightened colour shadings are undesirable. A little white patch on the chest or at the throat, not more than 5 cm in diameter, as well as white markings on the toes, are not considered faulty. The colour of the lips and of the eye rims corresponds to the colour of the nose.
Size	Height at withersDogs 58-64 cmsBitches 54-60 cmsIt is ineffective to increase the height at the withers. A medium size should be aimed at. Overall balance and symmetry are much more important than the mere measurable size.

Faults

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog, and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.ELIMINATING FAULTS:Aggressive or overly shy.Strong deviation from sexual characteristics.Atypical head.Spotted (butterfly) nose.Pendulous or dribbling flews.Under or overshot mouth. Wry mouth, including all intermediate forms.One or more missing incisors and/or canine and/or premolars 2-4 and/or molars 1-2; more than two missing PM1; the M3 are disregarded. Not visible teeth are assessed as missing ones.Supernumerary teeth not in line with the othersCleft palate, harelip.Light yellow eyes. Very loose eyelids; ectropion, entropion. Distichiasis (double row of eyelashes).Pronounced dewlap.Dewclaws.Very faulty movement.Thin coat, lacking undercoat. Long, soft, silky, shaggy, crinkle or woolly coat. Lacking brushes on the legs.Dark brown or pale yellow colour. Particoloured, not uniformly coloured. White chest patch larger than 5 cm.White feet.Lacking pigmentation either on the skin or on the lips and eyerims.Any type of weakness in temperament.Deviation of more than 2 cm from the above mentioned heights at withers.Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.