# need advise with vizsla rescued from shelter



## gwit (Jun 11, 2013)

Hi everyone. My girlfriend rescued an 18 month old boy vizsla from a shelter. He was at the shelter for 6 months and never off a leash. He’s a great dog. He knows "sit" and "stay" commands and is everything I read about. I want to take him outside and let him off his leash to run but I'm afraid he will take off and get pre-occupied with the woods, wildlife and forget to come back. Is there anything I can do to work him to obey me and come back to me? What’s the best approach to building him up to come back to me? There are no fenced in areas where we are. But plenty of woods. We've had him about a week. We do walk him but "goose" needs to run. We aren’t runners but I do want to run him. And boy can he run.
One time, and only time I did let him off his leash, he darted about 100 ft. out to the woods, then to the right 100 ft., then reverse 100ft, zig zaging, then he followed his scent and went to trees and looked straight up and pointed, then off to another tree. He did this for about 3 minutes. I called him but he kept “hunting”. I got nervous that he wouldn’t come back. But after clapping my hands and getting on the ground and still calling him he did come back to me. Did I get lucky? Was he done with his hunt? Or is that what I can expect him to do. I must say, this dog was doing his part what he was bread to do. 
I really want to do the right thing with him so any help or confidence anyone can give me will be appreciated. I will play with him for hours if I can trust him that he won’t take off. 
Thanks


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## Ehartwig (Feb 14, 2013)

Hi gwit,

Congrats on the rescue. I did not know what to expect at first when I took my young V off leash through the woods and fields. They spend a lot of time working their nose and sometimes it can carry them off in directions you wouldn't have anticipated. That being said, my experience has been that without significant distractions "Ranger" has stayed close and has always kept an "eye" out for me.

If you're nervous, take him to a woods or field on leash and let him familiarize himself with it, with you by his side. After a couple visits, let him off leash. Previously unfamiliar smells will now be familiar and he will recognize the "off leash" environment.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

First step should be establishing trust, long walks on leash, followed by respect, later (obedience). 

Off leash with long cord so you can keep her out of trouble at the beginning. I would let him explore but would always keep an eye on 

 8) :-* on rescuing the boy 

Little cocker spaniel mix, rescue also, but not from shelter, grabbed her just before (she is not spayed yet)


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## Oquirrh the V (Jun 24, 2011)

Congrats on the new dog and pictures are a MUST. ;D
You could start by taking Goose to an open field, putting a long lead on him and having you and your girlfriend call him back and forth with treats. You can work on distance between you and your girlfriend and you will start to see how he reacts to recall. What I've seen with most Vizslas is don't expect them to stay next to your side or even on the trail with you. All the vizslas we hike with wander off the trail and return back to check on us once in a while. I would suggest always carrying treats with you when you plan to let him off leash. For the first, long while, treat him everytime he comes back to you and then send him off to run more. I found that calling Oquirrh back to me too often made him start ignoring me. My boy isn't as treat motivated as some of the others, so I try to let him have a good, long run before calling him back. I understand it can make you nervous letting him off leash, but it's been said many times. The only life for a V, is a life off lead.


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## marathonman (Jan 15, 2013)

First of all, thanks for giving that boy a home.
I think your first order of business is really firm up your relationship with him. (so he never wants to be without you. pretty easy for Velcro Vs) Working on basic and advanced obedience skills/tricks are a great way to do this. (lots of praise and treats work great for Vs) For recall, start things at home. Both you and your girlfriend should go to opposite sides of the house/apartment and alternate issuing the come command. I would highly suggest only treating once your boy has come to you, sat (issue a sit command as he approaches), and you place your hand on his collar. With repetitions and consistency, you can move to other areas, such as a fenced in tennis court or baseball field. You can also leave a long lead attached so you always have a way to catch him (just step on the rope). You can use the search box on this forum to find other recall training ideas.
Also, it was a good call for you to sit down to get him to come. Other ideas include turning around and walking the other way (we use a "keep up" command when off leash) or hiding behind a tree (so he comes to find where you are)


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

I just remembered, this worked for us. 

Got leash, 9ft, wrapped one end around my waist, attached the other end to the collar and took the dog everywhere inside/outside the house. Kitchen, basement, washroom, yard... Etc 
Did not find any misbehaved dogs this way. Once they learned, they were off the lead for good.


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## gwit (Jun 11, 2013)

To all that replied, so many thanks for the information and help. I will do what everyone has suggested. I can't wait to be with him more and work with him. But most of all I want goose to be himself. Who knows, maybe he will bring home a squirrel or two for my girlfiend to cook.... ;D


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## KentuckyRufus (Aug 16, 2011)

Congrats on your V! We also rescued a wonderful boy. We're lucky because our Rufus is big time food motivated and high praise motivated. We started with a long lead and a strong COME command while reeling in the leash followed by lots and lots of praise and an occasional treat to get his attention. These dogs are smart and take to training very easily. It didn't take long to get him to recall. I will admit that every so often he's a little lax on the recall (especially when another critter is involved) and that fabulous nose can lead him astray. But we do trust him off leash.

Good luck.


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