Is it possible to train a 2 year old Vizsla to hunt?

jegan · Post by **jegan** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 8:36 am

Hi everybody, I am new to this forum and I have a questions for everyone more experienced than I am. I have the opportunity to get a 2 year old Vizsla. It does basic commands (sit, stay, come, etc.). I am wondering if it is possible to effectively train a 2 year old Vizsla to hunt? I would be training it for upland and waterfowl. Please let me know what you think. Thanks

DogNewbie · Post by **DogNewbie** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 9:48 am

If it comes from hunting lines I'd say yes. Don't know much about the breed, but my understanding is that most in this country come from hunting stock.

jakethebirddog · Post by **jakethebirddog** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 2:01 pm

Vizslas are becoming very popular, especially within the last 10 years. They are very loyal dogs making them popular family pets rather than hunters. To test if your dog has the hunting genetics, I would try tying a wing to a fishing pole, dangling it in front of your dog's face, and then dragging it on the ground. If your dog gets excited, and you can get it to point at the wing, that is a good indicator that it still has the drive and desire to hunt. A lot of the "training" of a hunting dog is just following commands, but you should not have to train a dog to hunt, just develop its skills.

Brazosvalleyvizslas · Post by **Brazosvalleyvizslas** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:07 pm

Where are you getting this dog from. Is it registered and if so can you find out it's registered name. It may help how I answer your question.

gotpointers · Post by **gotpointers** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:45 pm

jakethebirddog wrote:Vizslas are becoming very popular, especially within the last 10 years. They are very loyal dogs making them popular family pets rather than hunters. To test if your dog has the hunting genetics, I would try tying a wing to a fishing pole, dangling it in front of your dog's face, and then dragging it on the ground. If your dog gets excited, and you can get it to point at the wing, that is a good indicator that it still has the drive and desire to hunt. A lot of the "training" of a hunting dog is just following commands, but you should not have to train a dog to hunt, just develop its skills.

+1

whoadog · Post by **whoadog** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 4:55 pm

I actually have a two and a half year old Vizla. She is actually just starting to get where I want her as a hunting companion. She was so slow to develop I had all but given up. My nephew has a male littermate, same situation. So, in my personal experience, a two year old V is just getting started. Make sure you ask about any gun exposure before you take the dog. Watch out for answers like "I took it to the shooting range and it didn't seem to bother". Don't be afraid to ask flat out, "Is it gun shy?" More than a few times, I have found free hunting dogs to be gun shy hunting dogs. Not always but often.

1vizsla · Post by **1vizsla** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 7:57 pm

Where are you located? I know a few trainers tha may be able to hep you evaluate your dog. It's never too late. We are behind on training too because sometimes life gets in the way.

Carla

whoadog · Post by **whoadog** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:56 am

By the way, that fact that it has taken so long for my dog to develop doesn't have anything to do with my experience as a trainer. People actually pay me to work with their dogs, believe it or not, and I once trained a very precosious gsp to be ready for his first master hunter test at 11 months old.

bb560m · Post by **bb560m** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:06 am

At 2 yrs old the vizsla is just getting mature enough to figure it out! Mine has been so much slower than our GSP puppy - seems it is that way for most Vs - just a little slower to mature. If it comes from the right lines it's never too late.

DonF · Post by **DonF** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:36 am

Don't worry if she won't point the wing. If she won't chase, worry! Doesn't even need to be a wing, big floppy sock will do just as well. The only dog I ever had that wouldn't point the wing was the hardest runner I ever had. She'd chase that wing full bore till I put it up. Squirt and Bodie weren't much on chasing the wing. They would see it on the ground and point, never chased much at all. Pay attention to what your looking at.

Brazosvalleyvizslas · Post by **Brazosvalleyvizslas** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 11:58 am

Lock wing a pigeon and see if it will chase it. If so, pull enough feathers off of the next one so that it can barely stay off the ground and let it chase that one. The dog needs to show drive more than anything to decide if further training is possible. I'm not saying don't do the wing on a string but I would "wake" up the instinct. (or see if it's not there)

I still would love to hear who the dog is out of though.

will-kelly · Post by **will-kelly** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:37 pm

Short answer is Yes it is possible to train Vizslas(any breed for that matter) to hunt.(Work a field)

The long answer is that you must consider that this process even with the best breeding will take longer than if you started out with a younger pup. This dog has had 2 years of imprinting that without the full back story you are just guessing.

I'll give you my own personal example. If you met my dog(18 month old Vizsla) you would see a less confident dog at my home. Almost a little skittish. Trainer who has been around her thinks it's all related to an attack from the neighbors Jack Russel when she was 12 weeks. If you slam a loud door the dog jumps. If you met her in the field you would see a big running, half crazed lunatic with all the confidence in the world. Gun shyness is non-existent. To her the shot is a reward. Bird in the mouth if we can hit it.

It's the same dog just two different environments. One she has been imprinted by humans and their worthless Jack Russels. The other is a natural environment where she hunts instinctively.

If the hunting instinct is there then it is there. I would avoid the wing on a string or clipped wing as your first test but that's just me. Instead take the dog to a field. If you have access to one with birds great but if not there's enough scent in the wild to see if there is a basic hunting instinct. Take the dog on a check cord and walk. Maybe let him run on his own but be careful not to lose the dog. Recall at home is much different than recalling a dog in a field. Watch how the dog moves. Does the dog use it's nose? Are you following the dog or leading the dog? Does a scent make the dog change his direction? Does the dog smell the air? In my humble opinion the nose is where the hunting instinct lies. It's a switch attached to the brain that says whoa daddy or not interested. Who knows if the dog is a natural you may find a point or two along the way.

No matter what you decide to do the breed is very intelligent and loyal. It's my first Vizsla but I have been around a lot of them and hunted over them. They make excellent hunting dogs and family pets.

Treat all the training as if the dog was a puppy because in it's own mind everything you do will be new. If the dog doesn't understand what you are trying to do then don't force it. Go back and figure out where the break in the training chain is and restart from there.

Just my 2 cents.

Good Luck!

Francois P vd Walt · Post by **Francois P vd Walt** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:00 pm

Nope ! No! Never!

You can not train any gundog to hunt, they have it or they don't some mature later than others.
All you need to do is to train the basic commands, whoa, here with bsic discipline he will hunt he will chase be patient work it out and you will have a great hunting buddy for many years.

My best hunting buddy a chocolate Gsp I rescued from pig hunters that wanted to shoot him cause he didnt bite the pigs, he was three at the time, he gave me another 10 great years, had to put him down last year in his 14th year. Pedigree that is not to importend working parents are a must though, just my 2c.

Have fun with this younster spend time with him before going into big open spaces, he will need you for back up be there for him now, he will be there for you always!

Good luck!

Trekmoor · Post by **Trekmoor** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 4:07 am

I'd say it is possible if the dog has a hunting instinct that just needs to be awoken. I agree with the others who have said the vizsla is a slow maturing breed mentally. I find that the one I am training is several months behind any G.S.P. or brittany I have trained. I do not mean this breed is stupid for it is not, they are just slower to mature. Very loving and very loyal, very willing to please but also sensitive and they take time to gain in confidence while hunting.

Bill T.

whoadog · Post by **whoadog** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:54 am

Francois P vd Walt wrote:Nope ! No! Never!

You can not train any gundog to hunt, they have it or they don't some mature later than others.

I was assuming that the dog had the drive and the question was, to paraphrase, "Can you teach a 2 year-old Vizla to be under control in the field?" If my assumption was incorrect, I apologize for a hasty answer. If the dog has already demonstrated the drive, I stick with my original response. If the dog is tentative, it still does not mean there is no hope. So, I guess my next question would be, what are you actually asking?

Francois P vd Walt · Post by **Francois P vd Walt** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 1:16 pm

Maybe I was quick on the draw!

Yes any dog at any age can be trainied to obey a command in the field may it be by wistle or clicker. It does take longer on a adult dog that had no basic training but it can be done. I personally love dogs on the edge with lotsa drive!

IMO - Better flying a kite on a windy day than flying it without a wind.

I didn't mean to be rude, sorry if I was it was just my opinion, enjoy your dog befriend him first and get to know him and you will the rest will fall into place.

phermes1 · Post by **phermes1** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 1:52 pm

A vizsla we bred didn't get a great deal of bird exposure as a puppy. Some, but not a lot, it's owners were more interested in the show ring. He didn't start in the field in earnest until he was over 2 years old, yet he finished his field championship at 4 1/2.

So yeah, if he's got the natural skills, 2 is not too late to start a dog on hunting.

AmericanBrittGuy · Post by **AmericanBrittGuy** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 8:56 pm

My four year old 'rescue' Britt is now a hunting machine. Wanted to add a dog, and fell in love with her through my volunteering with American Brittany Rescue. First, I decided if she was only going to be a companion, that was fine with me. Then, began training her like I would a puppy, but slow and letting her determine our training pace. Yardwork for getting basic commands down. Introduction of birds in the field until she was interested. Slooooowly introduce gun noise @ flush (cap gun to blank pistol to 20 ga.). In some ways, I wish I had taken this steady, not laize fair, style with my excellent genetics/ hunt test/ dog. It would have saved him and I a bunch of frustration.

Here she is....backing (her junior, but more experienced, and awarded hunting buddy)

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1358304926.834744.jpg

Here she is on her own bird. (*tear* it is like my wife and the baby pictures)

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1358305011.276824.jpg

Saddle · Post by **Saddle** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 10:24 pm

Dogs don't know how old they are unless you tell them. I just finished a 3 year old Brittany last month. A career house dog until she came to me. Not any more. I had a 5 year old Brittany brood bitch here before her. She's a nice walking field trial dog now.

campgsp · Post by **campgsp** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 4:21 am

I'm not expert but I've heard vizslas are much easier to train at 1or2 years. They pick up quickly and better at the age.

Just my .02

buckeyebowman · Post by **buckeyebowman** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 8:29 pm

Francois P vd Walt wrote:Nope ! No! Never!

You can not train any gundog to hunt, they have it or they don't some mature later than others.
All you need to do is to train the basic commands, whoa, here with bsic discipline he will hunt he will chase be patient work it out and you will have a great hunting buddy for many years.

My best hunting buddy a chocolate Gsp I rescued from pig hunters that wanted to shoot him cause he didnt bite the pigs, he was three at the time, he gave me another 10 great years, had to put him down last year in his 14th year. Pedigree that is not to importend working parents are a must though, just my 2c.

Have fun with this younster spend time with him before going into big open spaces, he will need you for back up be there for him now, he will be there for you always!

Good luck!

Wow! Not to hijack, but I stumbled upon this thread looking for advice and it answers some questions that I was looking to have answered. My buddy has a 2 yr old GSP male that is just gorgeous! His sisters all hunt like bird killing machines, but, as someone else posted in their reply, "life intervenes"! My buddy is now making the best money he's ever seen in his life, but his schedule is nuts! So, I go feed and water when he can't be there. All the dogs like me, but I have a special feeling for this one. I think he can be something. So, I'm bugging my buddy to let me have a shot at "training" him.

I'm in total agreement with Francois. My first bird dog was a Springer, and I had no idea whatsoever about how to train him. Well, he trained me! He had the nose and the instincts. All I did was teach him basic obedience, then took him out to the field, and the rest is history.

This GSP has pedigree galore! So, I'm thinking of putting a collar and lead on him and trying to train him in basic obedience. Just take him for a walk around the property (my buddy has 9 acres), and slowly introduce him to the wider world. We'll see what develops from there. What do you think?

Steve007 · Post by **Steve007** » Thu Feb 14, 2013 9:24 pm

jegan wrote:I have the opportunity to get a 2 year old Vizsla. I would be training it for .....waterfowl.

How much waterfowl hunting do you do, and in what weather? A Vizsla may not be your best choice, regardless of age.

Neil · Post by **Neil** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 1:51 am

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