I was wondering what differences (if any) in temperment, energy level, or any other differences you can tell me about Vizllas compared to a GSP.  I have always really liked the breed, its a close second to GSPs.

Has anyone ever owned one?

I have two very good friends that have Vizlas and there dogs are wonderful.  They are finer boned and smaller than GSPs.  There personalities are similar and they are also very high energy dogs.  That said, we took their Vizlas and my GSPs (Belle and Halo) out one day and let them run and Halo outran everyone and lasted longer than any ot them. Belle was second.  So, I would bet that the GSPs have more stamina and staying power than the Vizlas.  I also wonder if the GSPs are better water dogs.  My friend Vizlas are not crazy about the water, but then that is not something my friends introduce their dogs to at an early age either. I love the Vizlas and if I couldn't have a GSP, then the Vizla is my second choice.  They are very nice dogs, just not my beloved GSPs.

I have a 4 year old GSP and a 2 1/2 year old Vizsla.  I know breeders of both and they can very a lot. 

Comparing my two, both are excellent family dogs, both are high energy but the GSP settles faster.  Mine come from strong hunting lines and we hunt, run hunt tests, a few field trials and train year round.  Both need a lot of exercise but my GSP can get by with a walk in the morning and a run in the evening.  The Vizsla could get a run morning noon and night and still have the energy to get into things.  As a pup I would have to crate her to get her to rest or she would keep going and going and going.  There is no on/off switch, believe me I looked. My Vizsla is fun loving and very mischevious, she will climb onto the counter, open cabinets and drawers to get what she wants.  The GSP is an oportunist and will grab things within reach but if she wants a treat she'll sit in front of the cabinet and bat her sweet brown eyes until  you get her what she wants.  As far as training the GSP is more stubborn, the Vizsla is a little softer.  Sitting on the couch, the GSP has to be next to you with her head or paw over you, the Vizsla is on top of you.  My two have very different hunting styles and compliment each other very well in the field.  I love them both and wouldn't trade either one for anything. I could go on but right now the GSP is lying on her blanket waiting patiently while the Vizsla is running up and pawing at me, she's ready to go now. 

My best advise is to figure out what you want to do with the dog, what you want and can live with then start checking lines and breeders. 

Not all, but most of the weims I know are quite a bit different.  Those I see tend to be more of a one person or one family dog not the outgoing "everybody loves me" attitude I see in GSPs and Vizslas.  Healthwise you need to do your homework and research the pedigrees on all breeds.  Hunting is another thing you need to do your homework on.  I know some breeders that have told potential puppy owners their dogs hunt just because they have a sporting breed and one dog somewhere back in their pedigree has a field title.  I have to shake my heard when I see them at a hunt test struggeling to get a pass in a JH test or I run into one of their puppy owners that is terribly disapointed because their dog doesn't have what they were looking for in the field.  I see dogs in all three breeds that don't have any interested in birds even if you put one right in front of them.  My suggestion is to take the time to do your research and go out and see the parents hunt especially since what I want to see in the field vs what someone else expects can vary alot.  I hunt my dogs much more than I show so I tend to run into more breeders focusing on the field.  I would have to say there are plenty out there to choose from, depending on what you want.  I lucked out in that I know the pedigrees on both of mine very well, I hunted with their parents, grandparents and great grandparents. I helped pick out my Vizsla's sire.

Marie - I just went back an read your post.  You bring up a couple of good points.  The Vizsla does not have an undercoat or as harsh of a coat as a GSP.  With proper conditioning they can handle the cold weather but you definately would not want to duck hunt with Vizsla in the dead of winter.  We went to a field trial in Florida one February leaving 9 degree temps in MO.  Florida got a cold snap with freezing temperatures, our dogs thought the weather was great while the Florida dogs were shivering.  Our season runs Nov 1 to Jan 15 and we get a wide range of temperatures we've hunted in temps as low as 6 without problems.  Sometimes they'll shiver and pout on the way back to the truck but ask them to go out again and somehow the cold isn't a problem any longer.  

I also see differences in their agility running through the woods, the Vizsla is more agile than my GSP.  She can fly through the brush around trees and over logs while the GSP plows through knocking everything out of her way.  We compared them to an off road motorcycle vs a jeep.

Pixie - to answer your question about getting a good hunting viszla, I can only speak from experience. Here in my area, I rarely see either a Vis or a Weim that have real bird finding talent. That's not to say I never see any, but if I had to try to quantify it, I'd say I see decent hunting ability in 1 out of 20 Weims and maybe 1 out of 5 Viszlas that show up for hunt tests. I can't honestly think of ONE Weim I've seen in AZ that is something I'd want to hunt over. I can think of maybe 4 Viszlas that are something I would want to hunt over that I've either judged or been braced with at hunt tests or seen in action at field trials. DISCLAIMER - THIS IS MY BIASED PERSONAL OPINION, but I consider either breed significantly inferior to GSPs, EPs and Brits if you are looking for a dog with drive and hunting ability.

Jean