beginning training at 20 mos. ?

cuwader · Post by **cuwader** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:37 am

My wife and I are considering rescuing a 20 month-old Vizsla that the previous owner has treated like a normal, dumb family dog (ie, left alone in back yard all day, left in crate all night). it is housetrained, but obviously not well-experienced or socialized.

I have been wanting to get a V for a family companion and for a birddog. How likely is it that this 20 m/o is capable of being trained to hunt recreationally (i'm not really looking for a 3xCH hunter, just a dog that'll find and retrieve quail). I figure if its capable of being trained to hunt, its capable of being trained to be obedient at home.

thanks for the input!

-Gareth

madonna · Post by **madonna** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:58 am

Dear! some 15years ago, the german hunters began to train dogs very often with more than one years old.
i think, it is no problem, to teach the dog retrieving- do it like training a retriever pup- first with prey dummy, then dummy, then birds. you have to look very much for oboedience before game! That is a main problem with a dog as old a this. Greeting madonna

sjohnny · Post by **sjohnny** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:56 pm

Sounds familiar! I found my V in July on Craigslist looking for a new home. He was one year old and had just been a pet. He was already neutered and house trained. I did a lot of obedience work with him and started throwing a retrieving dummy for him. This past weekend I exposed him to quail for the first time and he can definitely find them and retrieve the dead one I threw for him (very soft mouth, brought it straight to my hand every time). He is now officially bird crazy and I need to get more birds so I can work on steadying him. I think he's going to be a decent hunter but he is definitely a great buddy.

I have no other experience than this but I would think your V could be a serviceable hunter if you put the time in.

Good Luck,
John

stumpy · Post by **stumpy** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:17 pm

I started training my GSP about the same age. I am a green horn and got Roscoe at about three months old. It took me a while to find and get involved with the local NAVHDA chapter, the best move I ever made in reguards to Roscoe. He is now 2 1/2 yrs. old and doing great. It can be done (at almost any age I believe), just take it slow. You may have to wake up that prey drive, but once the litght comes on, the dog take off.

gspjeb · Post by **gspjeb** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:55 pm

opinions differ for sure: personally, if the dog has the right breeding it will not be that much of an issue. I don't think you teach dogs to hunt...they should do that instinctually...you just mold what they do naturally into what you want. If he has it in his blood (not too much show etc) he should be able to do it just fine. good luck and congrats

Nebraska · Post by **Nebraska** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:41 pm

I'm new here so take this for what it's worth.....

When I got my first GSP she was 16 weeks old and I took some advice and waited to do any formal training until she was a year old. I'm not saying that's good advice, just the advice I took. BTW - I have pup coming this Friday and will probably start working with her right away so please don't think I'm saying everyone should wait a year!!

Anywho..... Until my GSP was a year old, I took her almost every where I went besides work and we played a lot too. I "ran" her almost daily at the local wildlife areas and put zero pressure on her and gave her only positive attention and lots of love.

She's 14.5 years old now and has to be, without a doubt, the best dog I'll ever own. When I started to work with her (lots of positive reinforcement), she responded very well to my efforts and was a joy to hunt with. Even though she was my first hunting dog, I didn't have to chase her all over and yell commands at her - just "talk" to her. Our bond is incredible and she would hunt her heart out for me if I let her, even into her old age.

She's very slow and pretty much deaf now (even gets lost in the house at times) but she's always looking for me and wants nothing more than to be next to me. So.....my advice is put in every minute you can to bond and love that dog and she'll likely respond better than you could ever imagine!!

madonna · Post by **madonna** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 4:17 am

Dear Nebraska! often the second- hand dogs have the best bond to the owner and are so happy to have a human beiing, that they do everything for you.

Greeting from germany Madonna

Dennmor · Post by **Dennmor** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 4:57 am

I am in a similar situation.
I'm looking at a 19mo. old GWP. Hope to have him home in the next couple of weeks.
He's been with three diferent owners to date, through no fault of his own.
There are three show champions and three JH among his Great Grandparents.
He hasn't been hunted a lick but, (this'll sound funny) I fell in love with him the minute I saw his pictures.

I agree with what others have said here, what these dogs do comes from a place deep inside them. If you put them in the right place you need mostly to get out of the way and let them do it.

We'll be testing that theory won't we?

Good luck,
D.

Nebraska · Post by **Nebraska** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:40 am

That's the first greeting I've had from Germany!! A warm Cornhusker hello right back at ya....

ohiohuntinweim · Post by **ohiohuntinweim** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:43 am

I got my Weim when she was 3 or 4 months old, she's 3 yrs old now. We just finished our first season on birds. She was my first bird dog and I had screwed her up really bad in the first year or so...

So we took along break and I began to learn a lot more about training. When we started again last summer I treated her like a new puppy. She had been introduced to the collar and had a lot of retrieving work done by this point.

So I let her instincts take over when on birds and did some yard work on whoa, here, etc. Just got back from a preserve in KY and she performed beautifully...and she was a petstore dog.

Yes it can be done!!! Patience she's a puppy in bird exposure so don't expect her to be a superstar out of the gate. Make it fun for both of you!!

dustertoo · Post by **dustertoo** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:56 pm

I bought a 23 month old GSP from a family that had kept it as a family dog. I knew the breeder, and had hunted with a littermate. The dog was neglected with no formal field training, but healthy. She ended up being sensitive to gunshot, but with training, she came out of it.

I'm glad I bought her, she went through three months of training with Perfection Kennels this winter at two years old, and went two for two in her first Senior Hunt tests last weekend. I'm as happy as can be.

DarbyMan · Post by **DarbyMan** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:13 pm

Don't know much about V's but.....

My oldest lab (7yrs), which I never formally trained has, really developed as I train my new pup (6 months). She has taken a liking to him and I am using some of my drills on her and she is reacting in a positive way. When I first got her I didn't have the time to really get into her training. She knows the obediance commands, flushes game, and retrieves it. She gets no points for style but she gets the job done. I am working on making the pup a polished retriever, and I think he will get there.

So I think you can teach a 20 month old dog. My 7 yr old lab is picking up on techniques so I figure a V can do it as well.
Good luck!

Don · Post by **Don** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:39 pm

I'm one of the guys that likes to wait about a year. It's not so much you don't train that first year, you do! What you don't do is put any pressure on the dog. re-read Nebraska's post and look at what he did the first year, lots of happy timing and bonding.

cuwader · Post by **cuwader** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:47 am

i've received a lot of encouragement from this thread, but i think a few of you didn't really understand my concern. i'm asking whether I can expect a dog that is 20 months old (almost 2 years -- not 20 weeks) to respond positively to training. And not just any dog, but specifically a dog that has had little to no experience outside of a backyard.

I think it can be done. But i'm sure it will take extra work.

Dennmor · Post by **Dennmor** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 1:58 pm

Y'know I got my Lab when she was 6! She had been in a pen most of that time. I had occasion to baby-sit her once in a while and when I would take her out for walks in a field, she would go out ahead and swing back and forth.
I ended up taking her home ad spent the summer taking her to the lake and doing some retrieve training in the water and on land.
That fall when I took her to N.D., people who didn't know us couldn't belive that it was her first hunt.
The first bird I knocked down, she went and got.

Another friend either that first year or second started to bring his three year old Weim hunting with us. He had been a house dog up until then and by the end of his first year he was hunting right along side the other dogs.

Can they learn? You bet they can!
D.

tailcrackin · Post by **tailcrackin** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 2:04 pm

pm'd ya Thanks Jonesy

rstbkt69 · Post by **rstbkt69** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 7:46 pm

I tell you what. Send the V to me and go find yourself a puppy.

Post by **ezzy333** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:45 pm

One of the best dogs we ever owned I purchased from some people who had spent two years showing him and he had never been even near a bird. Was a nice three year old when I got him home and as I remember the most training we did was taking him tto the field and letting him find a bird. He became the dog the kids always took when they went hunting. My experience with him and several other dogs is that they learn faster and easier than most puppies.

Ezzy

Gun Dog Forum

beginning training at 20 mos. ?

beginning training at 20 mos. ?

you can do it

If you're up to the task the dog should be too.

Thanks Madonna!