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LargeSporting Group

Vizsla

The Vizsla is a smooth-coated Hungarian pointing breed, recognizable by its uniform russet-gold color and athletic silhouette.

Calculate Vizsla age
Lifespan13.5 yrrange 13–14
SizeLargeSporting Group
Weight44–60 lb20–27.2 kg
Senior at6 yrgeriatric at 10

Gallery (3)

About

About the Vizsla

The Vizsla is a smooth-coated Hungarian pointing breed, recognizable by its uniform russet-gold color and athletic silhouette. The breed nearly disappeared after World War II before being rebuilt from a small surviving population.

Aging

How Vizslas age

RVC VetCompass reports a median lifespan of 13.5 years (n=3,468). The narrow founding population leaves elevated hypothyroidism (2.5% OFA) and lymphoma rates per breed-club surveys; orthopedic findings are unusually low for a medium working dog.

Lifespan deep-divePublished breed median: 13.5 yrSenior careSenior at 6 · geriatric at 10Common health issues7 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
44–60 lb(20–27.2 kg)
Height
21–24 in(53.3–61 cm)
Coat type
Short
Colors
Golden RustGoldenRedRed GoldenRustRust GoldenSandy Yellow
Temperament

Temperament

How Vizslas tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

affectionateenergeticgentletrainable
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~2 yr

    Elbow Dysplasia

    Description and veterinary guidance for Elbow Dysplasia land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~5 yr

    Hypothyroidism

    Description and veterinary guidance for Hypothyroidism land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
90min
per day

Vizslas are high-output dogs - plan for 90 minutes of daily activity across a mix of walks, off-leash play, and purposeful work.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. McMillan et al. 2024Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death

    Multi-source UK companion-dog study. See the lifespan page for the matched statistic and its limitations.