Roading progress!! Need just a little more guidance

[daddyfid]

My vizsla is no longer flipping out when I hook her up to the my roading setup on my ATV. The problem I am running into now is that she does not want to run. She will walk next to the ATV but when I speed up I end up pulling her. When I release her from the ATV she takes off like a bullet.

How do I get her to run while roading?

Thanks,

[Kiki's Mom]

The roading is more of a pulling/cardio workout ratherr then a "running" workout. How old is the dog you are roading? If the dog is pacing with the ATV that is a good start. Let the dog get happy with the activity, don't go fast and set a good even pace.....even if you think its too slow. Slow is good for now.

[Wagonmaster]

Have you done any obedience work with the dog, such as sit, heel, stay, whoa, etc.? One common issue that occurs is that owners obedience work first, before a dog learns to pull, then the obedience training causes the dog to decline to pull. The prior poster is correct that roading needs to be a pulling exercise rather than just a "running along side" exercise.

Here is a suggestion. Put the dog in a harness and find a dead weight for it to pull. Some people use tires, I find them too heavy for young dogs unless they are small tires, such as trailer tires. But pretty much anything will do. Hook the dog up to the weight. Then you need a "rabbit," someone to run ahead and encourage the dog to follow. Usually this works best if you have an assistant be the rabbit, and you stay back and jog along side the dog. Do this on a quiet street, your driveway if it is long enough, someplace that is paved, or the friction from the dead weight will be too much. What you are up to, is teaching the dog to pull that dead weight using a command such as "Alright" or a whistle blow. You will later use this command to get the dog to run when you want it to.

It may take a few sessions of this before the dog is pulling, especially if it has developed a reluctance to pull.

Then I would graduate to having the dog pull you on a bicycle. I am not a big fan of roading off a bike, but for a few sessions, to get the dog to pull, it works out ok.

Once the dog is pulling confidently and happily with you on the bike, and is learning to enjoy pulling, then graduate to the ATV, but the dog should be pulling the ATV, not running along side.

[Ricky Ticky Shorthairs]

Very good advice John. I agree 100 percent.

Doug

[hpvizslas]

The other thing to remember like I said in your prior post, don't let your Vizsla figure out a way to get by with what she wants. A lot of people say that Vizslas are soft dogs, but I don't agree. I think they are smart enough to push our buttons and try to get by with only what they want. She is complying with what you want but is now looking for other buttons to push.

Good luck
Jeff

[daddyfid]

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO GAVE ME ADVICE ON MY ROADING PROBLEMS. WE HAD A BREATKTHROUGH SUNDAY AND BOTH MY VIZSLAS TOOK TO ROADING LIKE THEY HAD DONE IT FOR YEARS. WE WENT ALL DIFFERENT SPEEDS AND OVER DIFFERENT TERRAIN AND THEY HANDLED EVERYTHING PERFECTLY. THEY WERE STILL WANTING TO GO WHEN I STOPED... THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME OUT TO HELP WITH MY PROBLEMS!!

BRIAN