# My OnPoint Pup killed a bird... :-(



## Jessticulate (Aug 10, 2010)

Hi, all.

I feel a great deal of shame about this because ultimately it goes to show I have no control of my dog right now. Please bear with, and any advice is appreciated!

Anya is now 10 months, just spayed, and has gone BIRD CRAZY since spring began. We walk off-leash at a park in Toronto which is a haven for marshland birds, and since early April, Anya has spent a great deal of time chasing birds from tree-to-tree, coursing, etc. and I have lost all recall on her. I have to now leash her 10 minutes away from the end of the dog-walk to ensure I am not stuck waiting for her for half-an-hour or longer while she runs or hunts mice in the grasses.

Yesterday she did what I never believed possible - she came running out of the brush with something in her mouth, I assumed to be a carcass (she finds ALL of them!). I started shouting at her to leave it, she ignores me. I was careful not to chase her to avoid turning it into a game. She finally dropped the thing and to my horror, I saw it was a live mourning dove. Within the next two minutes she proceeded to kill it and eat it whole. Of course, this was not without other dog-walkers looking on in horror as well.

I have NEVER heard of this before; I was raised with vizslas, there has always been one in my parents household and none of their three have ever killed anything. I am not planning on hunting with Anya, though my husband is starting to fancy the idea, especially given her drive. She is astonishingly headstrong, as well.

I just want to know how to get through this total disregard for my command without more bird carnage, yet I can't fathom keeping her on-leash - how does she get any exercise that way? I am discouraged, pissed off at myself, feeling very low indeed. :'(

Thoughts?
Jess


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## Crazy Kian (Aug 10, 2009)

Jess, 
Sorry, I cannot contain my laughter a little, I'll stop now ;D

If anything, go back to the basics with her. Keep her on a long lead and start over. 
As I told you in emails the other week, we had a setback with Kian and we had to do the same. It's been working.

Good luck.

ps if you want the name of his bird trainer I'd be happy to pass on her info to you.


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## Jessticulate (Aug 10, 2010)

Thanks to you both for your quick replies! It helps to alleviate _some_ of my panic over this. 

How do I handle Anya on a long lead when she can easily pull me off my feet on a short one? No amount of daily leash-work has helped with her pulling; the only time she is leash-worthy is after a LONG off-leash run to exhaustion. My dog... sigh.


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

Go back to basics and use use an e-collar to augment the training. Be sure she will retrieve to the hand for you on command. If it happens again, call the dog, put your hand on the bird, under the dog's mouth or on her snout (whichever works best) and squeeze the skin in front of the rear leg, she will drop the bird. Big praise should follow.


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## Crazy Kian (Aug 10, 2009)

Jessticulate said:


> Thanks to you both for your quick replies! It helps to alleviate _some_ of my panic over this.
> 
> How do I handle Anya on a long lead when she can easily pull me off my feet on a short one? No amount of daily leash-work has helped with her pulling; the only time she is leash-worthy is after a LONG off-leash run to exhaustion. My dog... sigh.


Jess, if you want you can meet up with us this weekend and I can show you the method of leash work we use with Kian. It's a little difficult to go into on-line, better to show you in person.
Would be good to see her and you too.
Let me know if you are available Saturday.


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## Jessticulate (Aug 10, 2010)

Thanks for that tip, Linescreamer. I think a lot of the problem is that I skipped the basics and have been training my vizsla as all my parents vizslas were trained - and all of them have been off-leash on all walks from 4 months onward, and generally highly obedient (and nowhere near as prey-driven as Anya has turned out to be).

Also - should I have stopped our walk after the bird had been devoured? How could I let her know how displeased I am about that?


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

Jessticulate--Feel no shame ;D I am a sister in this crazy V training journey! Our V pup Pumpkin is 9m, and I had a similar experience over the weekend, at least with not listening. You can read the Feeling Discouraged thread. I had to smile when I read your post, because I share your dismay & feel better knowing I'm not the only one with an unruly, bird crazed, pup! The good news is that a couple days out, I can find some humor in the situation. You have a good story to tell


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

I'm sure your pup knows your disappointed. Mine gets a No, No Copper in a stern deep voice.  He was caught chewing my son's RedSox hat today. After expressing my dissatisfaction verbally, I stood quietly and stared at him. He was already in the other room and after catching the stare, his head was down under the coffee table trying to hide.  I called him back and he reluctantly complied, after I changed my tone back to normal. I had him sit in front of me, and put the hat below his snout - "no Copper no, leave it, leave it" . He knows. ;D


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## Crazy Kian (Aug 10, 2009)

Red Sox hat.....can you really blame him.


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

I didn't say he wasn't deliberate or smart. Just a little miss behaved. 8)


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