# Idea of jobs for V?



## kdiamond (Aug 10, 2017)

Hello! 

Does anyone have any "jobs" they've trained their vizsla for around the house/yard, other than formally training them to hunt or show? I'm wondering if our puppy would benefit from some purpose around the house and from the mental stimulation of training/having a job. She is 15 weeks old. We are not hunters, but know Vs were bred to work, so we'd like to honor that in another way if possible. 

I have read about agility training, etc., but I'm wondering if there are things we can do less formally--if anyone has given their Vs jobs that they enjoy? My husband is an ultra-runner, so she will eventually be running lots with him, which I'm sure will help with both physical and mental exercise and purpose, but since she can't truly run this first year I'm looking for other suggestions! 

Does anyone else trail run with their dog? What would you recommend starting now to prepare her for that? Just basic leash training and heeling? She will be eventually be running off leash in the woods, etc., so I'm sure recall will be important too. 

Another related question: we met a V owner while camping last week who trained her dog to point when he saw birds, even though they, like us, are runners and are not hunters. She said it took his attention off of nipping them and directed it toward the birds. Has anyone else done this? Is it a good idea to train a V to bird if you don't ACTUALLY want it going after birds? Would this be a total liability when off leash out on the trail? I guess in truth I know nothing about hunting or birding, but I do know pointing is the dog's natural instinct... I'd love any advice/clarity on whether this can be encouraged without committing to hunting and without complicating her behavior in our yard, while camping, at the park, trail running, etc. And if not, how do we train her to point at birds but not chase them? 

Last question: does anyone have any advice on deterring whining and barking? Ellie has discovered her voice recently, which I wouldn't mind in general, but she's trying to bark at us to get her way now....

Thanks so much for any ideas on jobs/birding/running!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

At 15 weeks anything that makes a pup use their mind is a job.
You can teach her different tricks, that get more advanced as she matures.


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## juesq2 (Apr 30, 2017)

About barking: I closed her mouth with my hand every time she barked... After a few days, our V stop barking forever  

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Scout does mostly retrieving based jobs like bringing in groceries and the mail or carrying her leash on walks. That's definitely something you can start encouraging now through play. 

I'm curious about that runner you met. I'm having a hard time picturing her dog pointing in that context as it seems to me it would interrupt the run. Does she keep going and just have the dog catch up later? Regardless, it's a good idea to discourage your dog from nipping when your husband runs. At 4 years old my dog will playfully jump and nip when I (infrequently) start running so I have to tell her "off" or "leave it." When hiking or biking with my dog I basically just want her to stay within a reasonable distance and come when I call. Again, those are all skills you can start work on now. 

I'm also not a hunter, but I have attempted to familiarize myself with the basics and seek out opportunities for my dog to hunt. I do think it makes them whole to express this primal part of their genes and the increased obedience and impulse control around wildlife translates really well to other areas. So even if you have no desire to hunt yourself, it's worth learning how people have bred and used pointers for centuries as it will give you insight into the heart and mind of your girl.


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## jean (Feb 17, 2015)

Agility training looks really fun, but I found it is not easy to get into - the classes/trainers are somewhat expensive and DIY requires equipment. 

We found nose work to be more assessable. We did take a couple local classes, but at 15 weeks, you could start the "find it" game with hiding kibble or treats in the house on your own. Start by hiding it right in front of the pup. Later, a class can teach you how to hide scents, and you can play outside. Rally Obedience is another one that he likes and requires limited equipment (compared to agility). These are both things you can do while waiting for her to be old enough to run.

Good luck!


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## kdiamond (Aug 10, 2017)

Thanks for the info about the differences between agility and rally. I love the nosework idea!


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## jean (Feb 17, 2015)

You are welcome! Unfortunately we haven't came up with any "jobs" that actually help us accomplish anything useful in our lives, just something fun for the dog to do and "work" at.

This video shows some jobs that we just haven't been able to teach our dog  




I highly recommend both Rally and Nosework though! Frozen kongs and the "find it" game helped us with our sanity in the young puppy days. Who am I kidding? They still save me!


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## tech_dog (Feb 20, 2013)

I hike, run, and ride mountainbikes with my Vizsla. I researched forums and other web sites, and held off on anything long or aggressive until she gew up a bit. I can't remember the different ages with different recommended max distances, but be sure you read up on that topic before you do anything even remotely long with your puppy.

Going out for a trek is surely my dog's favorite activity, and took almost zero training. The following bullet points come to mind:

1) My vizsla seemed to have a natural instinct that made her very easy to take on treks. Whether hiking, running, or mountain biking she's always kept an appropriate distance that's close enough without being in the way. 

2) Having good recall is very important so you can let her off leash. My girl seemed to do this naturally and always comes at a blazing sprint when called. You have to be ready to dodge in case she miscalculates the skid-stop.

3) I taught her a command I call "right here" where she comes at a sprint and puts her head back in my lasso-style leash. I use this command when I see people coming towards me on a trail, and she's learned this and now sprints for the leash when she sees other people, even before I say the command. This is a very cool behavior, and gets a lot of comments and appreciation from other hikers. I once came across a ranger on a trail where dogs must be on leash at all times, and he watched as my dog sprinted to my leash as soon as he came into view. When we finally passed I was braced for a reprimand, but all he said was "Well, I can't really complain about that!"

4) I taught her another command I call "near me." When operating under this command, she has to stay within about 10 feet of me, and she got this one pretty quickly too. This command is half way between "heal" and a full release. 

5) We've taught our dog a couple dozen useless tricks, and she likes learning them and using them. We even challenge friends and neighbors to teach her other newly invented tricks, and several have been successful. Once a dog understands the training event, they can learn a new trick in just a couple of 5 minute sessions. 

6) On pointing, my girl has naturally pointed since she was a pup. She'll point at birds, lizards, bugs, or even a toy she wants us to throw. It's hilarious...

I don't hunt with my dog, so there are surely more refined outdoor strategies than mine, but the short list above gave me a dog that's very easy to hike with.

Good luck,

T.


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## Garvs (Apr 8, 2017)

Older thread, but want to chime in....

Hiking is definitely a must. The Vizsla is made for it. My girl Cali is in a state of multi-scented euphoria out on the trails lol. Not to mention being the perfect way to utilize that 'velcro' they are so well known for.

If you get a newspaper delivered (for you kids that's like a papery blog) have her/him get it. Easy one to learn and fun. Cali gets the paper first thing in the morning. 

For barking I used the method of teaching her to 'speak' on cue first and then 'quiet' This worked like a charm!!! There's a bunch of YT videos that you can check out for examples.

'Find it' is a blast as well.

This breed is so darn smart and they pick things up so quickly. Every day I'm amazed.

Hope it's working out well for you!


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## tknafox2 (Apr 2, 2013)

Cruising Youtube, I saw this...







Very talented..


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