# Did you use a trainer?



## KBouma (Apr 17, 2013)

Hi Everyone! 
We are getting out puppy his next round of shots tonight that will allow him to be around other dogs. So my question to you all is did you use a trainer or did you just do it yourself? We've been doing crate training ourselves and its going pretty well, I've also taught Kane to sit and shake but those are pretty basic. What are your thoughts on using a trainer, is it worth it? I think we need help with jumping and chewing...

Thanks,
Kathy 

PS here are some pics of my Kaner!


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

We went to puppy classes and it wasn't worth it at all. We could have done it ourselves. We also got some poor advice. Once we found a good trainer it was helpful, but still, I think I enjoyed the accountability more than _needed_ it. If you are confident in your skills or your ability to research and dedicate time to training on your own, skip the class. If you feel you need a helping hand, make sure you have a good trainer and it can be fun. 

What I would certainly advise is a puppy socialization class. We were able to take Oso to a puppy play time at our local Petco for free, 3x a week. The trainer gave out advice, I got to learn a lot about puppy play behavior and Oso got invaluable socialization. From there we were able to make relationships with a few of the other consistent families and set up our own play dates when the dogs got bigger.

NOTE: That not all puppy play times are the same. Someone posted on here awhile back who had a very poor experience with the one at their local Petco. Maybe check it out without the pup first to make sure it is a safe place for your pup to be. Have fun with your new freedom!!


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## marathonman (Jan 15, 2013)

I would highly suggest finding a trainer/obedience classes. More often than not during training/issuing commands, the fault will be with you, not the pup. It is possible to do things on your own, but an experienced eye can identify things you are doing incorrectly (confusing signals/bad habits) and help train you faster. The tricky part is finding a good one. We were lucky and found a really good trainer that has an animal behavior degree, fully believes in positive training techniques, and keeps class sizes (at a local park) to 5 dogs or less. 
You have a highly intelligent and energetic breed on your hands. Getting some directed help will allow you to direct some of that energy more effectively and will lead to an overall more fulfilling experience with your pup.


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

We didn't get a trainer. As luv2laugh said, it did take quite a bit of time for research and then the dedicated training time. I ran into a few trainers over the first year or so that I would ask about their schedules or rates or philosophies. Each of them said something to make me walk away and continue the DIY approach.

Probably the best thing I can tell you about DIY is make sure you set realistic expectations for you and your pup. Your pup will not master heel, recall, or 4-paws-on-the-floor in a day. You will occasionally feel like you want to scream. You -both- will have regressions on all commands at some point; perfect one day, clueless the next.

Other than that: Keep your training goals in mind. Research what to realistically expect. Spend the time and energy needed. Get help if you get in over your head. Above all, remember that you both should be having fun!


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## SMG (Apr 24, 2013)

We used petsmart to introduce her to clicker training. We did a lot of home training. Riley got very distracted at puppy class. All she wanted to do was play  At least it got her used to other dogs...


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## jcman01 (Apr 1, 2013)

We invested $40 in a video from "Leerburg" on Marker (clicker) training. Our 4-month male Vizsla responds very well to it. He was expected to be "difficult" by our breeder, but he is a breeze to train. The key for him is to be hungry


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## GarysApollo (Nov 27, 2012)

I've always done all basic training myself, if you have not trained a dog before get your self a good book and you can always tweek commands and the way you use them. 

For more advance training hunting, agility, or something more advanced some times it best to have someone help you along the way if you are new to it.


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

To my mind, it really depends on your experience levels with training a dog. Then your experience levels with training a gun dog (not necessarily for hunting, but a gun dog per se). Then it also depends on what you want to train them for.

I have always trained my own dogs and found the standard puppy type class trainers to be well........outclassed by Vizslas and Pointers. So I wouldn't overly recommend a standard type puppy training class. 

I took a lot of advice from a good friend of mine who has trained several gun dogs for hunting, trialling, tracking for fur and feathers. Although he was really there to support what I was doing and guide me on some more advanced techniques to achieve what I wanted. But even as a relatively experienced trainer myself, I think there was great benefit in having him assist me. He has never done a session with my dogs, but each time I hit a hurdle which was challenging me I would chat to him and we would work out together a plan of approach to meet the objective we were aiming for. 

Once again, I would highly recommend not going to a run of the mill puppy class, but finding either a school, class or trainer who knows and has trained several Vizslas previously, as they have more of an understanding of the breed. Most of the normal puppy class trainers just do not understand the V's and dismiss them as out of control and untrainable. It's not the case.


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

I did puppy classes with both Bailey and Chloe. Both quality (costly) held by experienced dog trainers. One had never seen a Vizsla and one had seen them but never trained one. These classes are "general education" for all breeds.

Both my dogs "flunked" puppy school (in my estimation) but I was fine with that. I wasn't looking for much except for socialization, which was a good thing. 

Walks in the woods and in the fields with experienced gun dog people will teach you more about your Hungarian Pointer than any class in-doors. If you don't expect much from puppy classes then they are a good investment in the time and money.

But get your boy in the field and watch him show you why he is who he is. ;D

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2013/04/las-trampas-spring-hike-with-vizslas.html

RBD


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## Főnix (Feb 3, 2013)

I agree with Ozkar that it depends on how experienced you are. I think it also depends on if you can find a trainer you have confidence in. 

I was looking for puppy socialization and found a trainer that does puppy playtime if you're signed up for classes, so we signed up.

My real goal was the socialization, but I'm surprised how happy I've been with the classes. The trainer has a high opinion of Vizslas and tailors the training to him when he needs different things than the rest of the class. I feel like she plays to his strengths and he does really well there. 

What I really like is that she anticipates him so well, and teaches me how to do the same. I understand his body language and what it means, and how to set him up for success much better than I did before we started taking him. Especially as far as what is positive and what is negative as far as interaction with other dogs. She probably spends more time training me than him. 

It's also nice to have some reassurance that he's a normal puppy on the harder days, when I've got bites and scratches covering my arms and holes in all of my clothes . 

So for us, it's been a really good thing, but puppy owners with more experience probably wouldn't need any of it, and might consider it a waste. 

We chose one after visiting several class to decide if we wanted to go/which we thought would be the best for him. I think that helped a lot as far as ending up in the right place.


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## Ollywebb1 (Feb 6, 2013)

People have already pretty much said what I would say. The only thing I would add is that I found taking Radley to puppy obedience class great, because on the first session he was awful and destined to be the worst but as soon as we got training at home he progressed really quickly. By the end of the 4 week class he passed with top marks, out shinning the other breeds by far........ How proud was I? It really set me up positively to carry on training at home.


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## Angie NG (Jun 6, 2012)

We have been attending a gundog training class with Bella for a while now, the place we go to have been training gundogs for over 20 years. I would recommend going somewhere with experience in gundogs because of the difference you will see. When Bella was around the same age as yours we took her to basic socialising classes, we only took her twice. The dogs were running around with no control at all and it made me feel quite useless :-\


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

Olly had such a wonderful experience. I know others did as well. We had quite the opposite. Oso started out the "worst" dog in the class and ended the "worst" dog in the class at well. It was a stressful experience.

I think it depends so much on your class setup, on your trainer and also on your dog. Oso knew his tricks very well before we even arrived in class @ 10 weeks. The class was setup so that the instructor talked and then you had a time period to practice with your dog (pretty standard setup). Most of it was talking. This was _very_ difficult for Oso, however. The sitting and waiting and not being allowed to play with the other dogs was just torture. He would whine and yelp during this period. When it was time to practice his tricks, he was great. He just didn't know how to be ignored/wait. The first two instructors gave us little advice on what to do and tried to ignore/talk over Oso's yelping and whining. One told me to feed him after he quieted down (which actually ended up reinforcing the behavior - he actually looked back for his treat after whining/yelping), the second. I finally started a class with the trainer who Oso did puppy play time with. There were only two other dogs in the class and she immediately stopped the class and gave me instruction on what to do and then had me practice. During the class, she would monitor and correct me if I wasn't doing it correctly (example of why it is nice to have a trainer). Actually, that was very helpful. I still believe I could have trained him via books. Just wanted to share here about experience. Even after we solved the attention problem during class, Oso was not the star like Olly and I wouldn't want you to go into the class and be disappointed.

We have high drive hunting dogs. They are energetic, clingy and even if exercised before hand may not do best learning in that type of environment. Or they may do amazingly well! You do most of the work at home. The main purpose of most classes is to give you information and accountability. Yes, it's a place to work with distraction, but you can manufacture that on your own. Typically, it's best to teach a skill with no distraction and then gradually move it to areas with more and more distraction (around other dogs is probably the most distracting of all).


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Not PetSmart... Only for socialization. 

Personal trainer can do miracles. Well with the price.


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## dmak (Jul 25, 2012)

I've found over the years of training my gundogs that on the beginning there is socializing and there is training. They both need to be done, but have found they should be done separately. My young dogs where a little hard to teach when there was multiple stimulus around so I always train them when we are alone in a field. I prefer DIY. Each of my pups has learned a little differently and it has always been a fun challenge to find a working method for each pup. I suggest books specifically written for gundog training, and as others have said, being around gundogs and their handlers will teach you a whole lot. Find a gundog/pointer club in your area


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Trained by my grandfather so many years ago - still works for me and my children & pups !!!!!! LOVE RESPECT & RESPONSIBILTY !!! NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE - A POINT WELL MADE & A POINT WELL TAKEN !!!!!!!!


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