# New to Vizsla's. Training?



## Patriks7 (Jun 6, 2013)

Hi everyone!

My family has acquired an 8 week old Vizsla a couple days ago. He's incredibly cute and we've already been having a lot of fun with him; however, we also want him to grow up properly and well trained.

The thing is, not only are we new to Vizsla's, but dogs in general. (Well, we had a Rottweiler puppy about 20 years ago, when I was still a baby, but he died within a couple weeks due to some illness). I have been reading some training books, but I wanted to ask if there's anything specific I should know when it comes to Vizsla's that I should be doing/avoiding? Or are there any books/sites specific to Vizsla training?

Hope I posted this in the right place, I'm a bit overwhelmed with everything right now


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## WillowyndRanch (Apr 3, 2012)

Free Professional advice removed by Author.


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## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

Welcome, and glad you found us! The best book I ever read on dog training was "Mother Knows Best: The Natural Way to Train Your Dog" by Carol Lea Benjamin.

I agree that resources like the breeder are really crucial, as well as other Vizslot like us! There's no such thing as a stupid question, so ask away!


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Welcome to the forum Patriks7! I'm about to get my puppy in a couple weeks so I understand how overwhelming it seems! Here's a good thread that talks honestly about the specific challenges of owning a vizsla. http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,6693.msg51206.html#msg51206

I'll also emphasize that they are considered a "soft dog" meaning that harsher training methods will shut them down. Look up positive training techniques like marker or clicker training. Finding a trainer that is used to vizslas will ensure you both have a good experience. Some books that were recommended to me are The Versatile Vizsla by Marion Coffman and The Complete Vizsla by Gay Gottlieb. As Ken said, the search bar will be your best friend right now. Good luck with your puppy and please post pictures!


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## hobbsy1010 (Jun 4, 2011)

Hey welcome Patriks,

What's he called?

Get some pics of your new 'Boy' up on here ASAP 

Ditto einspanner, great V books and for reference.

Hobbsy 8)


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

Welcome!! Sounds like you are having a good time with him! 

If it's your first dog I definitely suggest a good dog trainer! I'm not sure of any good trainers in Chicago with Vizsla experience but perhaps your local Vizsla club may, or your breeder.


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## Patriks7 (Jun 6, 2013)

Thanks for all the help guys! Looks like I'll be here a lot.

I started reading "Mother Knows Best", liking it so far. Unfortunately, the specific Vizsla books suggested by einspänner don't seem to be available where I live. We're mainly looking to get him house trained at first, and it looks like "Mother Knows Best" is a good resource for this.

Unfortunately, a trainer won't be an option, as we are going to our summer vacation house for 4 months with him in a couple days (18 hours in the car and a whole night on a ferry, going to be very interesting!) and there is a big language barrier when it comes to this kind of stuff. So for the foreseeable future, books and this forum will have to do! 

His name is Enzo  Unfortunately haven't had the time to get more pictures off the camera yet. But we really are having fun together (apart from the biting - don't think I've ever had a hand scratched up and bit like this before )


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## Nelly (Feb 7, 2013)

Welcome Patriks7! Yes, I thought my hands would eventually fall off but, they didn't, it stops 

If you read R E McCraith's recent thread called 'commands!!!!' there is an example of some important, initial ones to learn there.

Have fun!


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Pat -HELLo - & welcome 2 the forum - so much adVice and so many good threads - take everything with a grain of salt LOL - 4 me remember 1 thing !!!! 4 the life of A V they wake up eVery morning as a pup - that's Y I loVE them


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## TAIsMom (Mar 7, 2013)

Patriks7 said:


> don't think I've ever had a hand scratched up and bit like this before )


HA! Congratulations on Enzo and welcome! He's a beautiful boy! Such pretty eyes! (why do I always get sucked into the eyes!!) 

BTW, I've never gotten a tattoo in my life, but I have a 12 year old scar on my arm that I look at fondly that reminds me of my Weimie in his early puppy days (he was nicknamed the Velociraptor) and now I have a matching one on my calf from Tai from his "early shark" days. Ahhh, the shark days. 

The mouthing will pass, and if you're anything like me if it leaves a mark it's a badge of love! ;D


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## Patriks7 (Jun 6, 2013)

Thanks a lot guys! We are finally settled into our vacation house after days of stressful packing, travelling and unpacking. Unbelievably, Enzo is a great traveler. We were expecting to have a lot of problems, with him not being calm, but he spent most of the time in the car asleep and we ran around quite a bit during our stops. We're now getting him acquainted to the house and different weather. Overall, he seems like a very calm dog 

I don't know if it's because of less training time during our travel or all the new distractions here, but he seems to not be listening as well as when we left. ??? or maybe it's just normal for a puppy like this?

One thing we're having trouble with, he doesn't seem to react to his name almost at all. And we try to use his name with every single command and when we're calling him, but still nothing... How long does it usually take for them to react to their name?


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Welcome to the forums, Patriks7! Enzo is an adorable little guy!! ;D ;D ;D

Take care of that precious puppy!


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## Jimbo15471 (Mar 27, 2012)

yeah you must teach him his name. We used clicker training and waited for eye contact ... there are some youtube video's on it. The key is learning the very moment to reward for it.. .


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## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

AT 8 weeks, I'd suggest you work on bonding..there's time for training and commands later on. A dog that feels safe and loved will do anything for its owner, including responding to his name! 

A change in environment to a vacation house at that age is a big deal, so be extra reassuring and supportive and tolerant of any whining and such as he reacts to the newness and anxiety. 

Dogs learn best (their names included!) with repetition, consistency, and lots of reinforcement. Say his name in that totally idiotic happy voice that sounds so ridiculous to outsiders, lots of praise, and lots of attention. Food, treats, clickers and the like are all over rated..what Vizslas really respond best to is attention, that's their best reward.


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## Patriks7 (Jun 6, 2013)

Thanks a lot guys! 

We're definitely being careful with the move. We just wanted to get him on a path to start learning something while we're here, as when we get back we won't have as much time with school and jobs and things like that  but we have almost 4 months here, so definitely enough time!

I attached a couple more pictures for those interested


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## Patriks7 (Jun 6, 2013)

I know! We were told to give him the wrong amount of food! Will start giving him more ASAP


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## hobbsy1010 (Jun 4, 2011)

Top his kibble up with some tasty cooked chicken pieces....

Your way of saying sorry to Enzo for getting his 'Portions' wrong 

All part of the steep learning curve that is ' VIZSLA' ;D

Hobbsy


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## Patriks7 (Jun 6, 2013)

Don't worry, definitely will! 

About how much should a 10 week old V be eating? Because the dog food we were recommended in my country had a lot smaller portions than the one we were given here (they don't have the other one here). I felt he was getting too little these last days, but when one dog food says he should be getting 60g and another 300g daily, it can be a bit confusing! 

I am going to take him to the vet in the coming days for a checkup and rabies vaccination, so I will ask there as well, but wanted to see what you guys had experience with.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

The rule about feeding your Vizsla: There are no rules!!  

You can pretty much ignore what it says on the package, and you can pretty much ignore what other people tell you!

Your best advisers are your own two eyes. If the pup is too "ribby", feed more food. If the pup seems hungry all the time, feed more food. If the pup starts looking pudgy, feed less food, etc., etc. Also, you should be aware that puppy will go through growth spurts during which more food will be required.

You know, every dog is different, and even an individual dog's nutritional requirements can vary day to day, depending on his activity level. Enzo is sooo cute (but a little too ribby). ;D ;D ;D

He is very young, but you will find that they learn very quickly. Even if you're short on time, a little training session of 15 minutes per day, every day, will yield results!


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## huntvizsla (Jun 8, 2013)

Congrats on pup!

MSW was right on - pups physical condition will tell you. Right now based on pictures he is a bit too ribby - I do like to see the last few ribs in their rib cage, but not all.

Regarding the mouthing/biting - there is a real easy way to deal with it - act like a momma dog. That is - sharp nips should recieve a HIGH PITCHED yelp and stopping play. Constant mouthing should recieve a muzzle grab, shake, and firm NO. Least, thats what I have done with the 7 I have had as puppies so far and these seem to work. The sooner you can stop this behaviour the better. 

If pup is VERY PERSISTENT do not be afraid to roll him over onto his back, gently of course, and hold him there with the broad palm of your hand till he stops struggling. Once he quiets you can release him, but if he comes right back at you repeat. You will find he will self correct.

You are very fortunate to have 4 months off with pup - what a great way to settle him into good manners and home obedience, and hopefully you will get out with him so he can explore and learn to use his nose in the woods!


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## Angie NG (Jun 6, 2012)

Hi,

Congrats on the new pup and welcome to the forum. I like so many others decided on a V after many hours of research to ensure we were doing the right thing due to it being our first dog. Bella is now 13 months old and she is such a great dog. If I could give you any advice about training your V it would be by getting as much advice as you can but use it to find your own path.
I read a book when we first got Bella called "Hunt, Point, Retrieve dogs for Work and Showing" by N. C Dear. This gives you good oversight of all possibilities and more importantly was written by a Vizsla owner. 
It gave us the a direction of travel to a family pet to working her. She is now in full swing of her third Gundog course, already gaining distinction passes on her Foundation and Bronze assessments and her silver happening in two weeks time.
I couldn't have done it all by myself and would strongly advise finding a good trainer to help you and your dog. 
Hope all works out and you find the path which brings you the most joy.

Keith


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## Patriks7 (Jun 6, 2013)

Thanks for all the kind words and advice everyone 

Everything has been going very well, in the last 2 weeks as we increased his food amount, he has been gaining a bit and looks a lot better! He's also been improving greatly in his basic training, he learns incredibly fast!

After a bit of a struggle, looks like he'll also like swimming a lot, attached some pictures from our trip to the beach a couple days ago


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## Henning (Jun 26, 2013)

sho, he's cute!

good luck with all the training and feeding  

August also eats like a monster


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