Confused by acronyms or dog terms when researching, caring for or training your vizsla?
There are countless dog words to learn when you are a future or new vizsla owner. Even experienced vizsla owners come across new dog vocabulary when researching a new activity or skill to teach their vizsla.
So this glossary of vizsla dog terminology defines the most common canine terminology you will come across. From vizsla breeding terminology to dog training terminology and dog show terminology, we define all the essential vizsla dog lingo here.
This article is based on research and personal experience as a Vizsla owner. I’m not a qualified dog trainer, Vet or dog behaviourist.
A Guide To Vizsla Dog Terminology
For future and new vizsla owners, the number of acronyms and dog terms can be a little overwhelming.
So to help make sense of vizsla dog terminology, this vizsla glossary defines most of the common terms you may come across when researching vizsla puppies, vizsla breeders, caring for your vizsla or training your vizsla.
This is the list of formal and official terms. But for a light hearted look at words used by vizsla owners to describe their vizslas, see this guide to funny vizsla words.
General Vizsla Dog Terms
AKC – American Kennel Club (AKC) is the official registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States and promotes the sport and breeding of purebred dogs.
BIRD DOG – Sporting dog bred and trained to hunt birds. Also known as gun dogs.
BITCH – Female dog.
BREED STANDARD – A detailed word picture of the idealized dog of a breed. It lists the desirable and undesirable attributes of appearance and temperament for the breed.
CKC – The Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) is the recognized registry organization of purebred dog breeds in Canada.
CONFORMATION – The form and structure, physique, make and shape and natural form of the body.
DOCKED TAIL – Tail cut to a shorter length through surgery, usually a few days after birth.
PREY DRIVE – A dog’s tendency to pursue, chase, and capture prey, such as small animals like rabbits, squirrels, or birds.
SELF COLOR – Of uniform color, one single color.
SMOOTH COATED – Short, smooth coat that lies close to the body.
SPORTING GROUP – Category of dogs who are bred to assist a hunter to hunt game birds. Dog breeds in the category include Hungarian Vizslas, German Shorthaired Pointers, Labrador Retrievers, Spaniels and Weimaraners.
THE KENNEL CLUB – UK organisation devoted to dog health and welfare along with the largest UK registration database of purebred dogs.
VCA – The Vizsla Club Of America (VCA) is the official breed club and registry for the Vizsla breed in the United States.
Dog Show Terminology
AGILITY TRIAL – Agility trials are a competitive dog sport where a handler guides their dog through an obstacle course as quickly and accurately as possible.
STACKING – A show stance taught to dogs participating in dog shows so their appearance can be judged when in the show ring.
CONFORMATION SHOW – Dog show where the dogs are assessed based on how close they adhere to the Breed Standard.
DUAL CHAMPION (DC) – A dog that has won both a conformation and field trial championship.
FIELD TRIAL – A dog field trial is a competitive event for sporting dogs where dogs are judged on their ability to perform tasks related to hunting, retrieving and pointing.
HUNTING TEST – A non competitive pass/fail test to assess a dog’s pointing, hunting and retrieving ability through their desire, independence and speed to locate birds.
OBEDIENCE TRIAL – A competitive event to showcase a dog’s behavior where commands, accuracy and performance are scored.
TITLE – An award conferred on a dog for completing specific qualifications at AKC events. See a list of titles with their definition here.
TRIPLE CHAMPION (TC) – A dog that has won conformation, field trial and obedience trial championships.
Vizsla Dog Breeding Terminology
DAM – Female parent of a litter.
CHIC Certification – Documentation of health screening test results by the OFA.
OFA – Canine Health Information Center, formally known as the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. Their mission is to promote the health and welfare of companion dogs.
LITTER – The puppies of one whelping.
PEDIGREE – The documented lineage of an animal that establishes its purebred status.
PUREBRED – A dog of a recognized breed that is bred from a dam and sire of the same breed and who’s genealogy can be proven as unmixed for as long as the breed has been recognized.
SIRE – Male parent of a litter.
STUD DOG – A male dog used for breeding.
WHELP – A puppy.
WHELPED / WHELPING – The process of a female dog giving birth to puppies.
Vizsla Dog Training Terms
BITE INHIBITION – The ability of a dog to control the amount of pressure applied when mouthing an object.
CLICKER TRAINING – A positive reinforcement training technique that uses a clicker signal to acknowledge correct behavior followed by a reward.
DESENSITIZATION – A technique used to help dogs overcome fear or anxiety towards certain stimuli. The process involves exposing the dog to the feared stimulus in a gradual and controlled manner, starting with a low level of intensity and gradually increasing the exposure over time.
E-COLLAR – An electronic collar that outputs a warning sound or electronic pulse to the dog when issued by the user.
MOUTHING – Dog mouthing is when a dog places their teeth and mouth over a person’s limbs without exerting pressure. A common behavior amongst gundogs and retrievers.
RECALL – The ability of a dog to come when called.
REDIRECT – The process of moving a dog’s focus from a negative behavior to a positive behavior.
WHOA – Command given by a handler to stop or steady their dog when in the field.
Vizsla Dog Grooming Terminology
CURRY BRUSH – A brush made from rubber or plastic with short rounded teeth used to rub over the dog’s body to loosen dirt and hair.
DEWCLAW – An extra claw on the inside of the leg, a fifth toe, sometimes removed by breeders soon after birth.
NAIL GRINDER – Electric nail trimmer used in grooming to trim and shape dog nails without the risk of cutting the quick of the nail.
SINGLE COATED – One coat layer – dog lacks an undercoat.
STRIPPING – The process of pulling dead hair from the coat of wirehaired vizslas to reveal the new hair underneath.
WIRE HAIRED – Dog with a wiry, coarse outer layer coat and a soft undercoat.
Before You Go
I hope you found the definition you were looking for in our Vizsla Glossary. For a comprehensive list of general dog terms see the AKC website.
If there are terms you have come across that aren’t listed here, let me know in the comments below!
Plus don’t forget to hop over to our list of funny vizsla words here for a light-hearted look at unique vizsla words used by vizsla owners.
More Vizsla Breed Guides
If you enjoyed this Vizsla glossary, you may also like:
- Hungarian Vizsla Puppy Guide
- Intriguing Facts About Vizslas
- Hungarian Vizsla Color Guide
- Guide To Common Vizsla Mixes
- The Unofficial Vizsla Dictionary
Or, browse all the vizsla breed guides here.
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