The Official Standard for a breed is a document which describes
the ideal conformation and appearance of that breed. AKC official breed
standards are written by the parent breed clubs as guides for breeders
to select outstanding specimens of their particular breed in order to
improve breeding stock and/or performance. New owners can also benefit
from knowledge of the breed standard in evaluating their selection of a
dog. AKC judges rely on breed standards in the judging process and seek
to find specimens that most closely conform to the standard. The
standards are published by the AKC and are the basis for breed education
at all levels, novice to expert.
Ad Hoc Breed
Standard Committee (created in 2001)
Chair:
Sylvia Kerr
Julia Bonar, Patricia Folz, Nancy Keiser, Rita Mather,
Carol Phelps & Kathy Rust
Proposed Changes to
the Standard (2006) for VCA membership review (step 4 below)
The AKC permits parent clubs to alter or update their breed
standards no more frequently than once every five years. The original
AKC breed standard for the Vizsla was published in 1960.
Revised versions
were issued in 1983 and 1996. The process for modifying the Breed
Standard follows VCA and AKC By-Laws. It requires the following:
1) A motion by the Board of Directors to consider amendments to
the Breed Standard.
2) Approval of any proposed changes by the VCA Board of
Directors.
3) Approval by the Board of Directors of AKC. AKC requires
pre-approval in order to avoid conflicts later.
4) Publishing the proposed changes for the membership to review.
5) A mail ballot
of the general membership is the final step in the process.
Overview (revised Feb
08)
Comparison (Existing v.
Revised)
Discussion (revised
Feb 08)
The Committee reviewed the Standard in a section by section
manner. Suggestions from the membership were considered under the
appropriate section. The Committee’s approach tried to emphasize what is correct in the Vizsla
rather than to dwell on faults. When a Standard emphasizes faults, it
tends to promote "fault judging", where the judge picks apart what is
wrong with a dog rather than looking for the strengths of the dog. A
general statement regarding faults has been included at the end of the
revised Standard.
Sample Ballot
-- breakdown by section
Breed Standard Vote Official Report
Questions and comments may be directed to the
VCA Board of Directors
or Breed Standard Committee
members.
