Vizsla Growth Chart – Size & Weight Chart

The Vizsla is a hunting dog that makes great watchdogs and is also a good companion that likes to be around their owners.

You can keep track of your puppy’s growth using a Vizsla growth chart given in this article.

A Vizsla goes through different stages of growth, and all they need is a balanced diet, adequate exercise, and happy home to achieve all their milestones.

Sourcing your Vizsla from a reputable breeder will ensure that they are healthy and will reach their lifespan.

Continue reading to know the different factors that can affect the growth of your Vizsla, how you can help them maintain a healthy weight, and the potential health conditions they may suffer from.

When Do Vizslas Stop Growing?

Generally, when Vizslas reach the age of 12 months, they stop growing. This is when they have reached their adult weight and height.

However, some Vizslas may take longer to fill out completely and will need about six months to reach their adult weight.

Vizslas will take up to three years to mature mentally and emotionally. So, expect to have your dog to still have puppy behaviors even after reaching their adult size.

The rate at which your Vizsla grows can be affected by some factors such as health issues, physical activity, genetics, and nutrition.

Therefore, ensure that your puppy is getting all the nutrients that they need to grow and take them to the vet regularly so that any health issues can be treated at an early stage.

Vizsla Weight Chart

A Vizsla weight chart shows the typical weight range of your puppy at different ages.

It is important to note that your puppy’s weight may be slightly different than what is shown on the Vizsla growth chart.

However, if their weight is much higher or lower than the range, you should speak to your vet.

Female Vizslas are lighter than male Vizslas hence their weight is in the lower range.

At three months, your Vizsla should weigh between 17.6 and 24.3 pounds, at 6 months they should weigh between 32.5 and 45.2 pounds.

At 9 months, they should weigh between 39.6 and 56.8 pounds, and at one year, they should weigh between 42.8 and 61.7 pounds.

To ensure that your Vizsla maintains a healthy weight throughout their life, you should provide them with adequate exercise and balanced meals.

Vizsla Growth Chart

Vizsla Puppy Development Stages

Birth – 2 Weeks

During the neonatal stage, your Vizsla puppy is deaf, toothless, and has no sense of vision, but can touch and taste.

Because they are not able to walk, they spend most of their time sleeping and need care and nursing just like babies.

When they are two weeks old, they finally open their eyes and ears and can now be more aware of their environment. their main source of nutrition is their mother’s milk, but if it is not enough, they can be fed puppy formula.

3 Weeks – 12 Weeks

This is the developmental stage where your puppy’s growth is faster.

They are well aware of their environment, and they start showing their biting instincts. During weeks 6 and 7, they start playing with their littermates and mother.

At 8 weeks old, the puppy can be rehomed, vaccinated, and dewormed.

They also need socialization and training on primary manners and commands. At this stage, they are afraid of things, people, and situations and may shy away.

4 Months – 9 Months

This is the stage where your puppy will put on muscles and weight and start growing taller.

More training is needed during this period to ensure that they know how to behave. By the age of six months, they should respond to various commands.

Expose your puppy to different situations and socialize them with other people and dogs by going to parks and new places so that they can adapt and behave well in any circumstances.

You can neuter or spay your puppy at this stage as they will sexually mature at the age of nine months.

10 Months – 18 Months

Your puppy will reach their adult size at the age of one year, but some of them will continue growing until the age of 18 months.

Keep in mind that your puppy needs training and socializing, therefore, you should treat them like a true companion and take them everywhere you go to improve their adaptability.

Do not exaggerate their exercises because their joints and bones are still growing and developing.

Adult

As an adult, your dog’s bones and joints have stopped growing as they have reached full development.

You can switch their diet from puppy food to adult food specifically prepared for them. Feed them twice per day with around 3 to 4 cups of food and ensure that you watch out for weight gain.

You can start jogging with them and enjoy daily activities together.

How Big Do Vizslas Get?

When fully grown, an adult Vizsla weighs between 42.8 and 61.7 pounds with a height of between 21 and 24 inches.

The final size of your puppy can be affected by genetics, health issues, and nutrition.

There are ways to predict the final size of your puppy including checking the Vizsla weight chart, paws, parents, or doing a DNA test.

Looking at the parents is an obvious way of knowing the adult size of your puppy because genetics play an essential role in the physical characteristics of their parents.

Chances are high that your puppy will look exactly like their parent in terms of appearance and size.

However, if the parents are not accessible, you can do a DNA test with the help of your Vet and you can predict their final size using the results.

Looking at your puppy’s paws is another way of knowing whether your puppy has reached their final size or not.

If they are bigger and not proportional to the rest of the body, then your puppy has not reached their adult size and still growing.

Male Vs Female Vizsla Size Chart

Male Vizslas are taller and heavier than female Vizslas. A male Vizsla weighs between 45 and 62 pounds while a female weighs between 42 and 55 pounds.

When it comes to height, a female Vizsla is around 21 to 23 inches tall while their male counterpart stands at around 22 to 24 inches tall.

Measuring the weight and height of your Vizsla at home will tell you exactly their size.

To measure the height, you will need a flat surface such as a table or concrete floor, someone to hold them straight if they cannot stand still, and a measuring tape.

The first step is to ensure that your Vizsla is standing straight on the flat surface.

Then you should find their withers, which is just below the neck and between the shoulder blades.

Finally, take the measuring tape and measure from the ground to the withers, and this is your puppy’s height.

Will Neutering/Spaying My Vizsla Affect His Growth?

Neutering is the removal of a dog’s testes while spaying is the removal of a dog’s ovaries and uterus. Both procedures are done by a qualified vet as it involves surgery.

There is no 100% definitive answer to when you can spay or neuter your Vizsla puppy, but the general recommendation is between four and nine months old.

If these procedures are done too early, your puppy is likely to grow taller than they should as the growth plates will not close. This is because reproductive hormones work together with growth hormones.

Neutering is known to reduce aggressive behaviour and prevent testicular cancer while spaying prevents unwanted pregnancies and ovarian cancer.

German Shorthaired Pointer Vs Vizsla Size

When it comes to the size differences between the two dogs, the German Shorthaired Pointer is heavier than the Vizsla, but their height difference is slightly small.

A male German Shorthaired Pointer weighs between 55 and 70 pounds while a female weighs between 45 and 60 pounds.

On the other hand, a male Vizsla weighs between 45 and 62 pounds while a female weighs between 42 and 55 pounds.

For the height differences, the Vizsla stands between 21 and 24 inches while the German Shorthaired Pointer stands between 21 and 25 inches.

You can see that the differences often overlap and are subtle, but the German Shorthaired Pointer is slightly taller.

Factors That Affect Vizsla Growth 

Genetics & Gender

Parents play an important role in determining the adult size of your Vizsla puppy.

If the bloodline of your puppy is full of tall and large dogs, chances are your dog will have the same proportion.

However, if the parents are small, do not expect your puppy to be a big dog when they are fully grown.

Females grow faster and reach their adult size faster than males. But males are slightly heavier than females.

Nutrition

For your Vizsla puppy to grow properly and achieve their growth milestones at each stage, they should consume high-quality dog food that is specifically designed for puppies.

Ensure that the food contains enough proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals to help support their growth and development.

Keep in mind to feed them the right amounts for their age, to prevent undereating or overeating as this may lead to illnesses such as obesity.

Physical Activity & Health

Initially, Vizslas were bred as hunting dogs, meaning they have high energy levels and are very active.

However, since the bones and joints of Vizsla puppies are still developing, they should not be forced to be active.

Instead, five minutes of training per day is enough, then you can increase the time as they grow.

Certain health issues affect Vizslas as a breed such as dental problems, eye issues, hip dysplasia, and bleeding disorder.

Regular visits to the vet will ensure that any of these conditions are caught at an early stage and treatment can be given.

How Much To Feed A Growing Vizsla Puppy?

Certain factors affect the amount of food that your puppy eats such as exercise level, age, size, and the type of food.

If your is more active during the day, you may need to feed them more food. Younger puppies eat more food than older puppies.

Sick puppies will eat less food as they may have lost their appetite and will need time before they can resume their normal eating.

Before three months old, your puppy eats about one to two cups of food per day.

Between the ages of 3 and 5 months, your puppy should eat between 2 ½ and 3 cups of food per day. From the age of 6 months to one year, they should eat between 3 and 4 cups of food per day.

How To Tell If Your Vizsla Is Underweight or Overweight?

If your Vizsla puppy is not in their normal weight range, they could be at risk of health conditions such as obesity and nutrient deficiencies.

Some things can make your puppy overweight or underweight such as genetics, illnesses, and improper nutrition.

The first method that you can use to tell whether your puppy is overweight or underweight is the touch method.

Start by tracing the ribs, spinal cord, and tailbone, and if it is difficult to feel them because of a thick layer of fat, your puppy is overweight.

If your puppy is underweight, it will be easy to feel the hip bones, ribs, and spinal cord because they have lost muscle mass and fat.

The second way to determine whether your Vizsla is underweight or overweight is the soak method.

Once your puppy is soaked in water, you can observe their body from the sides and above. An overweight puppy has a sagging stomach when viewed from the sides and a bulging stomach when seen from above.

On the other hand, for an underweight puppy, you will see an hourglass body shape from the top and an abdominal tuck from the sides.

What Are the Most Common Conditions To Be Aware Of In Growing Vizsla Puppies?

Vizslas are lively and energetic dogs but just like any other breed, they suffer from health conditions throughout their growth stages.

One of the main conditions that Vizslas are prone to have is dental diseases where tartar can build up on the teeth causing gum disease.

Eye problems such as glaucoma, distichiasis, and canine entropion are also common problems that you should be aware of as your Vizsla is growing.

These conditions can be inherited or developed. Eye problems can lead to reduced vision and blindness.

Other common problems include skin conditions, obesity, infections, and parasites.

Do Vizsla Experience Growing Pain?

Like most medium-breed dogs, Vizslas experience growing pain. Growing pains, also known as Panosteitis is a specific medical condition that affects puppies in the first year of their growth but may last up to two years for some puppies.

If your Vizsla puppy is experiencing growing pains, they are likely to suffer from a lot of pain and they will show signs such as heavy limping, reduced energy for playing and running, shifting legs, and being hesitant to go for walks.

When you notice these symptoms in your puppy, take them to the vet for diagnosis to confirm whether it is Panosteitis or another serious condition.

What To Do If My Vizsla Is Not The Right Weight

Vizslas are usually slim dogs, therefore, you might get worried that your dog is too skinny. It is good to know that this dog should be lean and muscular.

If you want to tell if your dog is not the right weight, look at them from the side and the top, no ribs should be visible because if there are then the dog is skinny.

When you run your hand over his body, you should feel his ribs and if you cannot feel the ribs, the dog is overweight.

If you find your dog is overweight, you need to help them shed some weight, this includes exercises, no treats, and less food.

If the dog is underweight and is enjoying a healthy diet, then take the dog to the vet for a check-up.

How To Help Your Vizsla Lose Weight If He Is Overweight

There are several ways to help your Vizsla lose weight:

• Balanced diet– The first thing to do for your dog to lose weight is to change the diet to one that is well balanced with enough vitamins and nutrients. This will help compensate for the energy used during training sessions. Reduce caloric intake and give a good source of protein.
• Physical activity– Exercise is an important aspect of Vizsla’s life. They are characterized by jumping, running, and playing. This is because they tend to get bored quickly and hence need some fun. Therefore, long walks, physical agility training, and games are the best way to control Vizsla’s weight.
• Physiotherapy for your Vizsla– This is recommended for the elderly because they begin to have mobility challenges. It will help the dog to lose weight and strengthen its joints and muscles.
• Take the dog to the vet– If you have not achieved results when trying to help your Vizsla to lose weight, it is best to visit the vet to verify that the dog has no health problems because some diseases can cause obesity.

How To Properly Weigh My Vizsla

There are two ways that you can use to measure your Vizsla;

The first method is to use a weighing scale to get your dog’s weight. This is a very accurate method.

A dog’s scale is important if you monitor the Vizsla’s growth regularly for any abnormal growth. A weighing scale will make it easy for you to weigh your dog without any hassle.

The second way of measuring your Vizsla is by using a bathroom scale to weigh yourself while holding your dog. Then weigh yourself without holding the dog.

Then calculate your weight when you are holding your Vizsla minus when you are not holding your Vizsla.

The second method is not very accurate and may be difficult to weigh yourself and the Vizsla if it is very heavy or if it is the type that does not stay still when held.

Vizsla Genetics And Common Health Problems

The following are common health problems that affect Vizsla:

• Von Willebrand’s disease– This is a bleeding disorder caused by protein deficiency. This brings about difficulty in blood clotting hence leading to a lot of blood loss whenever the dog bleeds. When diagnosed the dog will need certain medication to stop the blood flow.
• Hypothyroidism– This is caused by the underproduction of thyroid glands that help in regulating metabolism. If your dog is diagnosed with this, they will undergo hormone replacement therapy for the rest of their life. This can be achieved through the daily taking of a pill.
• Progressive retinal atrophy– It happens when the dog’s retina deteriorates leading to blindness. It is genetic and starts as a loss of night vision. This disease has no cure.
• Hip dysplasia– It occurs when the dog’s hip joint does not align well with the socket causing pain, discomfort, and irritation. The dog may need supplemental surgery or physical therapy according to severity.
• Epilepsy– This is a condition where your dog experiences sudden collapsing, foaming at the mouth, and heavy breathing. If your Vizsla has epilepsy he will be given an anticonvulsant medication to help your dog cope with seizures.

Final Words

If you have never owned a Vizsla, having a growth chart will help you monitor their growth throughout their developmental stages by knowing what to expect at each stage.

Taking your puppy to the vet for regular checkups will ensure that any problems are caught early and treated.

Maintaining the health of your puppy will make them happy and proud of you as their parent. Their lovable and playful nature will surely help you with that.