# New to this



## andallis (Mar 3, 2013)

Ok, so I've been searching tons of old hunting posts and absorbing as much info as possible. We have a 13 month old V, and we're interested in having her potentially hunt/hunt tests (we don't hunt now). I spoke to our breeder for advice on where to start. I was having trouble finding anything close as far as pointer clubs or bird breeders, etc. He suggested I try local hunt clubs, I'm in Northern Indiana by the way. those I can find fairly close, I've emailed a couple and called one this evening and he seemed very receptive to letting us come by the day after a hunt and check out the field. I'm excited because I feel like we're on the way to progressing but I want to make sure we do things the right way. The first step that I keep hearing is we need to introduce her to birds in a controlled environment. So I don't want to just put her out in the field. I mentioned having her see a bird one on one to begin with and he said that was fine, but how do I make sure it's controlled? I've seen people show dogs birds in cages but I don't have one of these and I doubt the property owner would either, can I tie the bird down? I want to make sure she has a good experience. My goal is to potentially have her take part in a NAVHDA NA test in late may. Is there time to get her ready for this? I realize we'd have to get her used to a gun as well which will come later. Here's a pic from tonight, when I ask her to stay while she's shaking she'll actually leave her leg in the air!!


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

I am excited to hear! Find the local Vizsla club and e-mail them or call them and tell them EXACTLY what you just wrote.
Tell them you really need a mentor to get you started. I screwed up my first Vizsa, Chloe, taking her out "hunting" at 4 months old without proper introduction to the gun. She is now forever gun shy. With Bailey, a year late,r I asked enough people until I found the mentor I needed. It was almost every other Saturday, and a 70-minute drive each way for 1/2 hour sessions for many months.

This was after our NAVDHA NA test. The first time having someone evaluate Bailey was a pre-Natural Ability field day.

These occur all over the country. Go to the NAVDHA website and see if you can find some sessions.

Hope someone in your area can be of help. 

Best of luck and go for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Find a mentor. They are out there and they want to help folks like you. Really!

If you lived closer, I'd even take you under my wing. 8)

RBD


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Well ignore my reply on the other thread! I got started later with Scout than I had intended and it's worked out fine, so first off, don't worry about timelines. Enjoy this time and take hers and your progress as it comes. I introduced Scout to quail at the beginning of January, guns (a .22 pistol) came a few weeks later, and just last weekend she got shotguns and pheasant and chukar intros. Her test is at the end of March. So that's about the same amount of time as you have. It's doable. You can always have her evaluated for the NA test after 16 months even though she wouldn't be eligible to place. 

With her being older, I'd think bird intro could go a little faster--at least it did with Scout. Here's what I did: I bought 25 quail and put them in a pen in the backyard. For about a week Scout would run up to the pen, causing the birds to flush which built up her prey drive and allowed her to see, smell, and hear the birds. Then I put 3 or 4 in a bird bag and put Scout on a check cord. This all comes from Perfection Kennel's Perfect Start video btw. In our fenced backyard I took out the first one, securing both it's wings in my hand so it couldn't flap them and just let her sniff the bird. After a while I tossed it and let it fly away. Scout chased it. I called her back, took out another bird and this time let it flap a wing around her, but made sure not to let it hit her in the face. That's probably more important for a younger puppy. Again I let it fly. She was showing good interest, so I decided to plant the last two birds for her to find. I believe she pointed and then flushed them herself. The chase builds drive, so it's fine during early training. After the intro I started taking birds and planting them around for her to find. The ones released near the house would return the next day and Scout helped me catch a few. Basically you want them to understand that birds are the best thing in the world and that finding them makes you very happy and gets them tons of praise. They can do no wrong around birds. Set them up for success, but if they fail, it's a non-issue. 

For birds, sometimes vizsla clubs or navdha chapters list recommended bird breeders. I found mine on craigslist in the farm and garden section. With the season ending it might be hard to find them now though. 

Once you have bird intro and gun intro down (I can elaborate on that if you want) the rest of the test is willingness to swim and tracking. Try and get a pheasant to practice tracking. This weekend they pulled the flight weathers on one wing of the pheasant and tied a string attached to a pole to that wing. Then someone takes the pheasant to the starting points, pulls out a few feathers to mark the spot and "walks" the pheasant 30 yards away through cover and leaves it at the end. You bring the dog on check cord to the feathers, get their nose down there and give a command like "Track it." Walk with them, giving them leeway on the cord and let them follow the track. If they get too far off course, bring them back to the start and try again. One guy suggested trying it with hotdogs. Drag a hotdog across your yard leaving little pieces of along the way to give the dog an instant reward as it follows the track. 

Go ahead and contact a few navdha chapters. They can put you in touch with members in your area and those tests fill up fast.

Yikes! Sorry for the novel.


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