# Training Maisy to hunt



## Maisy Mae (Jul 22, 2011)

We have a 14 week year old vizsla and are trying to get her to hunt. She looks up at rabbits and birds but dosen't point. She is not scared of a pellet gun but shows no intrest in hunting at all! I know she still a pup and we might be expecting to much of her but there has to be a way to train her to hunt faster. Even if she is to little we atleast need a way introduce hunting to her. Thanks any help is appreciated!!!


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## Mischa (Feb 17, 2010)

I think a lot of people use feathers on a string as an intro to birds. It gets the dog excited at the scent.

I can't remember Mischa showing any kinds of hunting instincts at that age, but I may have been too new to pick up on it.
Either way, it becomes more clear as they get older. She's a year and a half now, and it's clear that she's always searching for prey on our off leash forest walks

Ours was a nutcase as a puppy, and is becoming a good little bird dog with limited training, so in my very amateur opinion, a crazy puppy will have more instinctual drive to hunt once they mature past the insanity of the first few months.
It's just a thought of mine, but is your pup relatively calm, or bouncing off the walls, non stop?


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

You do not need to get your puppy to hunt. Teach your basic commands, socialize, be consistent, and expose your pup to the woods, fields, & life as much as possible. Some pups point later than others, & some regardless of a strong hunting pedigree, will have more drive than others. You want your pup to develop good prey drive, and in my humble opinion, putting too much pressure on a young pup to "make her hunt" is a good recipe for disaster. Read a alot, search the threads here, and fill in your gaps before trying to on your pup. At 4m, you start exposing your pup to loud noises (not guns) like a pot falling on concrete, leaf blowers, or whatever sounds your pup may not be familiar with. Make "training" fun. You can not rush good, solid training, and it should be methodical, IMO. Set your pup up for success not pressure. I highly recommend the book 'How to Help Gun Dogs Train Themselves,' by Joan Bailey. There are lots of good books, and more qualified folks than I on this forum. Pressure in the field does not come until the 2nd year of life. Vs do not mature until around 18m--an adolescent. Still too young to have babies (at least with a responsible owner). You have many months to build a foundation of commands (stay, heel, come etc.) and introduce game birds. Training sessions on commands or leash should be short starting out. Patience will be needed on your part  I'm sure a lot of the experienced hunters/trainers on here will have good advice for you. Congrats on your pup & welcome to the forum! Search the threads. There is a lot of good information and people here. Best wishes!


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

> We have a 14 week year old vizsla and are trying to get her to hunt


Hello. She is very young. There are dozens of books about training pointing breeds written. There is a website: http://steadywithstyle.com/ that will give you tips. 

Hunting drive is different from Vizsla to Vizsla. Part of it is in the genes that they get from their sire or dame.
http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2010/08/promoting-vizsla-as-high-class-bird-dog.html

Do you have a Vizsla club or Pointing breed club you can join? Vizsla are one of only 11 pointing breeds in the world. Hunting dogs include a 100 or more. Pointing breeds require a different training method than let say a retriever. You'll need to know the difference. Vizslas require a different training method then lets say a German Shorthair. Vizslas are "softer" and "smarter" than a GSP and will shut down if pushed as hard as a GSP in training.

Training a Vizsla to hunt for me has been 100's of hours of training for me as well as the dog. Bailey is 3 and I am off to a all day seminar on field trails and hunt tests to learn better on how to take Bailey to a higher level hunting dog.

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/07/vizsla-first-summer-training-day.html

Paitence, knowledge and genes are the three things you need on your side.

Good luck with her. Don't push her too hard early or she will not find it fun and will NEVER hunt for the joy of the hunt. And that, I hope is what it is all about.

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2010/10/hunt-for-dog-or-dog-for-hunt.html

Rod a.k.a. redbirddog


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## Maisy Mae (Jul 22, 2011)

We were actually pleasantly surprised with how calm she is! Thanks so much for all the advice and I will defiantly use your recommendations!


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I think Maisy is still way too young for you to worry about hunting with her. I'm not a hunter, but here's my take on it...

I don't think you actually need to teach a Vizsla to hunt. Hunting is in their blood. You wouldn't need to teach a bird how to sing, after all. My dog, Willie, hunts pretty much all day long. I have a large, fenced yard which is his domain. He is a dedicated hunter. He points all the time, and will hold a point tirelessly.
He seems pretty happy just doing what comes naturally. He has killed a few critters but never tries to eat them. I tell him he is a good hunter. (Of course, we play fetch and other games, too.)

I think you DO need to teach a Vizsla to hunt in front of a human carrying a gun. Guns can be loud, startling and scary! When this breed was developing, humans were hunting with bows and arrows and falcons. So training a Vizsla to be a good gun dog can be a long, arduous process requiring a LOT of dedication, just like redbirddog Rod said.

So that's what I think... They are natural hunters, but not naturally comfortable around guns.


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

Firstly, let's clear up some misconceptions. You will never "train a dog to hunt". They are either born with the instinctive ability, or they are not. What you are trying to accomplish is to take that natural ability, couple it with some discipline without compromising the natural ability, and establish that you too are part of the equation.
The dog doesn't need the hunter, the hunter needs the dog. The dog is the single most important variable, and needs to be treated as such for success.

Maisy is too young for actual "hunt training". At this point she should can be introduced to caged quail, and "parts". ie, wings, and allowed to more or less develop her own interest. The single most important thing is to not squash her natural tendencies at this age. Let her be a little unruly, but bring out that birdiness. You need to go just as nuts with the birds as her. She'll key off you. The disipline will come later.

Dogs develop at their own pace, within reason, you can't speed it up. You have to wait for the indications that the lessons can move to the next stage, or you will have an undeveloped dog with "holes"

If your goal is too hunt Maisy this fall, I would reevaluate that goal. Next fall is the one to shoot for.
Take your time and do it right. Find a Vizlsa club in your area if at all possible.


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## barretts87 (Apr 24, 2011)

She is definitely too young at this point. Our Abby just barely turned 5 months old...at 9-12 weeks she would point when she saw a bird or rabbit but at about 13 or 14 weeks she just stopped. We would like to train her to hunt with us but if she's not interested thats okay too. At just almost 5 months we've noticed a huge change in her maturity and mentality and she started pointing again...now whenever we go outside to go potty or for a walk she is constantly looking for prey to point at. I encourage her to point and hold point and let her search and track scents for a while. She really enjoys it and seems to be even remember from each walk the different places she last saw a rabbit out.
Just remember this is a very slow maturing breed, give them time to grow up and experience everything that they can while they are puppies and I believe each has the natural instinct that will slowly come out.


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