Send Away?

[Remington4]

Hey,
Just got a new vizsla pup and he is GREAT. I am thinking about sending him to bird dog training for 2 months in February. I have board exams in March and was thinking this could be a good thing for both my dog and I. He will be 7 months old. I know that training yourself is the best way to go and we are off to a good start, but I don't want to go about it wrong when it comes hunting.

My questions are:
In your experience, are board and train programs beneficial? I have heard both pros and cons

Is 7 months too young to send away? I don't want this experience to be traumatizing, but have read that this age is crucial for getting on birds, and I simply won't have the time or resources.

Is sending him in the winter months a waste of time for bird dog training?

Please no negative feed. I have time for the little guy - just am looking at different options that will benefit my dog and I.

[GunDogAdventures]

I've trained my dogs before, but this last GSP showed so much potential that I decided to send him away to run with the "big dogs" this fall. He had just turned a year old and I felt that I had let him be a pup long enough. My wife and I taught him the basics - obedience up through heel, whoa, kennel, up/down, lay, etc. He'd been introduced to birds, passed 3 legs of his JH, won a couple conformation shows for some points and placed 4th in a Derby FT at 10 mos. old. He had a natural retrieve and honor that I nurtured, but I wanted him to have as much formal training as possible before the season opener. If your pup is 7 mos now, then he'd be 13 mos in Feb. For me, it came down to giving him the best opportunity I could. He's been there two weeks and I've gotten two reports that he's doing great and the trainer really likes him. Good Luck with whatever you decide!

[shags]

I would not have a problem with boarding/training with a trainer at 7 months but I would be clear on expectations. It depends on what you would like to accomplish by sending the dog off. I don't think you can expect breaking your pup at 7 months, but having him started ( exposed to birds, maybe a bit of yard work) is possible.
As far as weather, it depends on what it's like in your trainer's area. Here, it's about useless to send a dog locally because February can be nasty, and there isn't chance of birdwork in deep snow and/or ice. On the other hand, there have been years when February is fairly open and mild. Just depends.
Personally I don't send my pups away at that age, but we have the opportunity to take them to the trainer's facility for a couple hours every week or so, so they get lightly started. It's more social for us than educational for the dog, since we can easily do the same lessons at home. That time also lets the pups become familiar with the trainer and the facility. Call the trainer you have in mind and check out his program, then you can make a more informed decision.

[Griffonpoint]

My opinion is that sending a dog to a trainer is unfair unless an owner has a chance to see the trainer in person and the trainer has an open door policy for the owner to stop in to watch or participate in the training any time. The owner needs training as much as the dog does (sometimes more!) A lot of trainers don't want owners around to watch, claiming that owners distract dogs, that's not something I would accept. Vizslas can be more sensitive than some other breeds and many conventional trainers have a hard time working with more sensitive dogs. Not all trainers, but many. So to be fair to a dog, I would want to see first hand, a trainer's success with dogs of the same breed and disposition as mine. When interviewing trainers, I would want to shoot over finished dogs to get an idea of what I might expect from their training. Also, if my goal was to hunt over my dog and not to participate in hunting games or tests, I would select a trainer that spends time hunting over dogs as well as training them. Last, think about how your dog will react to being kenneled by themselves. If your dog is a house dog and is placed into a noisy kennel environment, he may or may not thrive. Some dogs do fine and learn well under the new conditions. And some dogs fade and have a hard time handling the stress.

Shags has some good points about what to expect from a dog that young. Sound advice.

Does the breeder of your Vizsla have any advice?