# Training to hunt



## RuledByMyVizsla (Aug 28, 2014)

Hi everyone, 
I'm new to V ownership - our 8 week old puppy Truman came home on Sunday. I realize he's way too young to start any formal training, however I do want to start searching now for knowledgeable trainers/programs so I can start reading up on training techniques and decide how I'd want to go about training my dog. He will be used for pheasant hunting, primarily. 

Also, is there anything I can be doing NOW to give him a head start once his hunt training starts (get him around birds, etc). We live on 165 acres with woods so we are already taking "brush walks" 

Thanks for your help!


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## sniper john (Jun 17, 2010)

Something you can do "now" that is fun and will help your pup later when learning to track pheasants is a hotdog on a string game. Leave the pup in the house at first. Out of site of the pup take a hot dog, tie a string to it. Drag it through the yard laying a trail and leave a piece of the hot dog or the pups favorite toy hidden at the end of the track. Then take the pup outside and place at the start of the track. I doubt you will have to do much to help get him started and it will be fun watching your pup work out the track. Keep it as a game, don't help too much if at all. Let the pup be a self thinker. Start easy, but make the track more difficult, ad turns, and longer as the pup gets better at it. Don't overdo it, keep the game short, end the game while the pup pup is still interested and wanting more.


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## dextersmom (Oct 29, 2013)

Oh, I've never heard of that game. What fun! Going to have to try it out this weekend


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Rule - I like 2 break the pup 2 birds at 9wks - if that goes well - break 2 gun @ 10 wks - you have 2 do this RIGHT !!!!!!


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## sniper john (Jun 17, 2010)

If you pup came home uncomfortable with entering water or swimming as some do. Something I did playing around with clicker training was using a clicker to get my pup to like water. Even if you don't plan to clicker train or you don't believe in clicker training this could be looked at as a fun game for a very small pup with the benefit of helping boost his problem solving ability. No matter how you plan to train later, You can't hurt anything doing this.

When my most recent V came home we bought a small kiddy pool and placed it in the back yard with water. I sat in a lawn chair a few feet away. I had a clicker and some treats. Standing over him you can do a few click, then treat if you want to start the initial understanding, but I went strait to the game. Stay silent with no expression and no praise during the entire game. Ignor the pup and let him walk, run around, play whatever. Every time he runs or walks near the pool, click and toss him a treat. Timing is critical. He will want more treats, but again ignor him and wait till he runs near the pool again, the click and treat. At some point and must faster than most would imagine, you will see his expression change and he will have figured it out. He will start running to that pool over and over to get the click. But when you see that he has figured you out, stop clicking and treating. You are only to click if he touches the pool or water in some way. With his nose, paw, whatever. Again he will figure it out and start touching the pool to get a click. Again once he has worked this out, stop clicking. This time wait until he touchs the water with a paw before you will click. By this time you may see him getting frustrated and running through every action he did earlier to get clicks. And by now he may tray jumping on you and barking demanding a click/treat. Just ignor him, don't even look at him if he does. When he touches the water with his paw that first time, you now may really see an AH HA! from him when you hit the clicker at that precise moment. Once he gets it, move to requiring a paw down the water, then to two paws in the water, then to standing in the water with all four. Then to laying down in the water. You might get this in one session or 5, and you may have end the game and move on till another day if his attention moves on to something else in the yard, but he will get it soon enough. I promise as he gets into the game it will be fun to watch him use his little brain to problem solve to get what he wants. Once he is entering the water, you can cease the game as your pup will now love the water and you will have a hard time keeping him out of it. If I remember my dog figured it all out in one session, but my breeder Adele had already introduced the clicker to him so that helped. 

Note when I had Dash going into the water, I added a verbal command "Get the Water" or just "Water" with the clicker. Then I removed the clicker and went with command only while point in the direction of the water. Then I removed the treat and replaced the reward with praise. Now Dash has a command that I use when hunting on warmer days to get him to to go to water and cool off when he normally would have tried to keep hunting, or did not know what direction the water was, or to just to go get a drink.


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## sniper john (Jun 17, 2010)

dextersmom said:


> Oh, I've never heard of that game. What fun! Going to have to try it out this weekend


I can't take credit for it. I would have to pull the book out and look through it to be sure, but I may have got the idea from the book Culture Class by Donaldson. Note I actually did this game for my old blind Vizsla Blaze recently just to give her something stimulating to do. She of course runs a hot dog track like a rat running the same maze for the 1000th time.


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Another game I used to play on wet days inside. Make pup sit. Place small toy in sight. Command find it and release. Once pup goes near toy, praise reward. Extend distance each time until toy is out of sight or in another room.

Another variation is a treasure hunt. Make sit/stay. Hide treats in areas of house. Release and let pup find them.


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