bad timing?

LtsHnt · Post by **LtsHnt** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:51 pm

my Viz pup will be six months on the first of nov. i am from south dakota, so winters get tough.....i am thinking about paying for a trainer since im new at all this, plus i dont have the equip to start her off right...i guess my ? is this

is six mo a good age to send to a trainer, i would like to wait until 7-8 mo but im afraid the weather will suck in december/january. thoughts? ideas? should i try and start her off myself, then use the trainer in the spring, or should i send her off at 6mo? maybey get a couple weeks in nov. work with her through the winter myself and then another couple weeks in the spring? just not sure what would be the best thing to do.

jwnissen · Post by **jwnissen** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:23 pm

I went to my trainer and asked his opinion. He took my 9 month old GSP for a week to evaluate her. I would call around and find a trainer who you like and people recommend. Let them tell you if the pup is ready. God luck

birddogger · Post by **birddogger** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:50 pm

Socialize her, work on some basic obedience commands and take her to the trainer next spring. She will be too young this fall for serious training.

Charlie

LtsHnt · Post by **LtsHnt** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:16 am

11mo would be ok you think then? not too late?

birddogger · Post by **birddogger** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 1:03 am

LtsHnt wrote:11mo would be ok you think then? not too late?

Definately not too late, even older would be fine, especially for a Vizla, but 6mos. is way too young. Take your time, just enjoy and let your puppy have fun for the first year. Like I said, except for teaching some obedience and manners. JMO.

Charlie

gonehuntin' · Post by **gonehuntin'** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 6:37 am

birddogger wrote:Socialize her, work on some basic obedience commands and take her to the trainer next spring. She will be too young this fall for serious training.

Charlie

+1. I hunt them, kind of, and just laugh at them at that age. I let them romp in the field, experience different terrain, and bump birds if that happens. You're from SD; what a wonderful place to break in a new pup!!! You'd be wasting your money at a trainer now. As Charlie says, wait.

mountaindogs · Post by **mountaindogs** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 7:40 am

To add clarity 11-18 months is a good age for formal field training. But basic socialization, CORRECT bird intro, CORRECT gun intro, traveling, riding in a crate, running and playing in the field, learning to be confident away from the handler, but also listening to handler are all things I think are best learned during the first year. If you plan to do NAVHDA, definatly would be best to get some water experience before pup gets older. Confidence in water can hard to get from older dogs who are new to water.
Trainers get the dogs that were kenneled because " I didn't want to mess them up" all the time and it's very hard. These dogs do not know how to be dogs, are either crazy pushy with no manners or more often very cautious and timid. ALso trainers get pointing dogs who were treated like labs, who had so much obedience they have forgotten how to get out and be independent. So don't make those mistakes if you can help it. :roll:

DogNewbie · Post by **DogNewbie** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 8:02 am

gonehuntin' wrote:
+1. I hunt them, kind of, and just laugh at them at that age. I let them romp in the field, experience different terrain, and bump birds if that happens. You're from SD; what a wonderful place to break in a new pup!!! You'd be wasting your money at a trainer now. As Charlie says, wait.

+1. At this point the best trainers are the birds and I'm guessing you've got plenty of them.

RayGubernat · Post by **RayGubernat** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 8:07 am

I agree with both Birddogger and Mountaindogs.

There are tons of things you can teach a dog that is four to eight months old, but steadiness around birds ain't one of them. Don't go there. I work with trial bred pointers that come out of the birth canal wanting to find and point birds and they ain't anywhere near ready for serious birdwork by that time.

I would concentrate on getting the dog to be a buddy first and to respond to obedience commands. You can run the dog on wild birds to build its desire or even in birdless fields for handling.

12 to 18 months of age is prime time for getting a dog steady on birds. Some are ready earlier, some are ready later. I prefer to install the brakes and the steering before formal training. If the dog has the obedience foundation and the handling foundation...as in ...it comes when called, stops when it is whoaed, goes left when you go left, goes out when you whistle it out....(brakes and steering)...

It will be much easier to drive this car to wherever you want to go. Much less chance of a wreck.

Have fun with your youngster, play with it, play train it and get it to where it thinks the sun shines out your butt. Then you got somethin' that you or any good trainer can work with and be successful.

RayG

LtsHnt · Post by **LtsHnt** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 8:59 pm

very good advise you guys...thanks for giving me a sneak peak into the minds of some people with experience

.....i have been doing all of these things this summer and she loves the water..may need to find some help on bird intro, but there is a NAVHDA club that goes out once a week about five min from my house, should prob give them a call...thanks again for the help.

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