Nicknamed the 'velcro dog,' Vizslas are bred to work closely with a handler all day and genuinely struggle with being left alone, so separation anxiety and destructive behavior are common complaints in a breed usually sold on its looks and affection alone.
13.5years, median
1 years above the all-dog median of 12.5.
Measured, not estimated: the middle age at death across 584,734 UK dogs, 284,734 of them deceased. Based on 3,468 dogs of this breed. 95% confidence interval 13.2 to 13.9 years. Half lived longer than this, half did not. UK dogs, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a promise about yours.
In the same study, medium breeds as a group had a median of 12.5 years and medium-muzzled breeds 12.8. This breed is medium and medium-muzzled.
McMillan et al. 2024, Scientific Reports 14:531 — open access · CC BY 4.0Health tests to ask the breeder for
Vizsla Club of America sets the tests a Vizsla needs for a CHIC number in the OFA's open database. A CHIC number means the tests were done and the results are public. It does not mean the dog passed them: ask for the results for both parents, or look them up yourself on ofa.org.
- Hip Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation, 24 months or older)
- Autoimmune Thyroiditis (OFA evaluation)
- Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist
When to spay or neuter: the guidelines split at 45 pounds grown, five to six months under it and after growth is complete over it, and the UC Davis study gives a guideline by breed for 35 breeds. The spay and neuter page has both, and the two weeks after.
- Elbow Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation, 24 months or older)
- Hip Dysplasia (PennHIP Evaluation)
- Cardiac Evaluation (board-certified ACVIM cardiologist, 12 months or older)
- Sebaceous Adenitis (skin biopsy)
- Hyperuricosuria (HUU), von Willebrand Disease and Long-Hair gene DNA tests
Test names as the club lists them; checked September 2026. OFA CHIC breed page. How to use this at the breeder: check a breeder.
Adopt a Vizsla near you
Shelters and rescues list Vizslas and Vizsla mixes on Petfinder. Enter a ZIP code to see who is waiting within 100 miles.
Listings come from Petfinder and open there. Petipedia does not take part in adoptions and earns nothing from them.
Living with a Vizsla
A Vizsla wants to be touching you, exercising with you, or both, for most of its waking life; this is a dog for people who genuinely want a running or hiking partner and can provide an hour or more of hard exercise daily, not a dog content to nap while you work elsewhere in the house. Under-exercised or frequently left alone, Vizslas become anxious, vocal, and destructive.
Health you should know about
- Separation anxiety — Vizslas bond intensely with their people and are widely reported by owners, breed rescues, and veterinary behaviorists to be especially prone to real separation anxiety when regularly left alone.
- Hip dysplasia — a hereditary joint condition screened for by responsible breeders.
- Epilepsy — a seizure disorder documented in the breed.
- Bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus) — the breed's deep chest raises the risk of this sudden, life-threatening stomach twisting.
Read the full Dog Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a dog needs before you choose a breed.
Naming a Vizsla? Hungarian dog names, 80 of them, with what they mean.
Sources — 3 references
Last reviewed October 2026. 3 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.