# Training manuals



## LouJo (Nov 12, 2013)

Hi there

I'm a new user on the forum and have a 9 month old Viszla called Bob. I've read lots of posts on the forum from people who seem to have the same problem as me, ie: the fact that Bob can be absolutely adorable and well behaved, or he can be an absolute horror. I live in rural France so Bob has plenty of off-lead time. We walk for 45 mins to an hour every morning and late afternoon and there is only about a five minute section when he needs to be on the lead as it's a road where you _occasionally_ see cars. He's brilliant when we're out and always sits down to wait for his lead when we get near the road section. I walk about 4 km and he probably runs about three times that chasing birds or deer or just running for the sake of it. I work from home so I am here nearly all the time. He used to snooze happily in my office, playing with toys, or hang around the garden. Now, however, he's gone on a destructive rampage. He eats cushions, shoes, underwear, his own bed. And never even looks remorseful. I end up having to cage him just to get work done. I thought with the exercise he was getting he'd be fine in the house, but he seems to have got more disobedient when he's at home. My problem is that while my home is perfect for his walks, it isn't perfect for training. There's nothing nearby, and if there was I'm not sure that my French would be up to it. They certainly wouldn't be used to Viszlas as they are pretty rare here. I had to travel 3 hours to find a breeder! So it's going to have to be me who does the training. And, after a very long preamble, I'm finally getting round to my question. Does anybody know of any good training guide books or websites for this particular amateur? I'd welcome any help and advice.


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

Do you have toys to keep him busy during the day? 

We have Kongs, Orka Jack, Tuffy, antler, Himalayan chews, bones etc etc etc and change rotate them every few days to keep them interested so they are good in the house.


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## marathonman (Jan 15, 2013)

Sounds like he's going through one of those phases where he's testing you. (and sounds like he's bored) You need to give him more mental stimulation. My suggestions include:
-Re-focus on obedience training. Institute 5-10 minute fun training sessions several times a day. Hit all of the basic tricks in different orders with intermittent treats, (i.e. sit, down, treat, stand, sit, treat, shake, stand, down, spin, treat, etc) and start teaching new tricks (over, under, touch, wave, crawl, etc)
-Make him play some fun games/jobs, such as "find it". Hide treats all over the house in various spots. If his stay is good, make him wait while you place treats. (Otherwise, make him wait in his crate until you've placed treats) As he picks up the game, hide them in harder spots so he really has to use his nose.


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## LouJo (Nov 12, 2013)

Thanks for the comments. I've already got some new toys on order - a Kong Extreme and a Tuffy Boomeragng – as I had suspected that boredom was playing a part. Let's see when I get them. I'll try to add some extra training, but I'm not really very up to speed with ways of going about it. I could really do with some guidance myself about training tips and techniques so if anyone can recommend a good book, I'd love to hear from them.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Hi, LouJo, and welcome to the forums!! 

Sorry I can't suggest a particular book for training Bob (cute name), but if you go to http://www.amazon.com you will find tons to choose from. Search in "books" and type in "dog training" and a whole bunch of choices will be offered. You can also find lots of training videos on YouTube.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

LouJo,

I honestly think this forum is a far better resource for training advice specific to vizslas than any book you'll manage to find. I also love youtube for the breadth of concepts covered and the ability to see it rather than just read about it. I'll PM you the homework from the class I took, but please don't repost it. Good luck! Sounds like Bob has a fantastic playground.


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