# Vizsla retrieving problems



## chrisjd2 (Nov 4, 2012)

Hi all,

Hope some of you can shed some light on this.

I have a 7 month old male who is very cheeky and full of life! I have been training him on the recall and stop whistle which has been going well, however he really isn't interested in retrieving. 

This is my first dog and I've made a lot of mistakes early on, I formalised the retrieving too soon and at 4 months old I was try to teach him steadiness now he runs out to the dummy sniffs it and carries on hunting. Any ideas? 

Thanks
Chris


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## zigzag (Oct 4, 2011)

What I did. I started young just playing in the house, I taped a phesant wing to a paint roller and would throw it down the hallway in the house this makes him have only one way straight back to me. I did this 3 or four times moving farther away and giving him more freedom. He took to retrieving naturally so you may need to work harder on it.


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## NeverGiveUpRAC (Aug 27, 2012)

My boy didn't retrieve anything until recently at 10 months. I also started in the house. And it seemed to get the ball rolling. Hehe

I haven't done anything with birds...it has been mostly the rope and ball.

Once he realized how fun it was he started doing it outside too! I hope it works out for you. Good luck and update us!


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

Chris,
Welcome to the forum. Need more information. 

My first instinct is to find a trainer who understands Vizslas. When Bailey, my 4 year old male, was around 4 months old, I started taking him almost every other Saturday morning for a lesson in the field with a wise old professional who would charge $50 a 1/2 hour session which included two chulker. We would take the 90 mile trip one way starting in Spring of 2009 and going through all the next four seasons. The pro retired that following Spring. 

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2009/06/get-yourself-great-trainer.html

Not once did we work on the retrieve. That was taught when Bailey was two by another professional when Bailey went to "boot camp" for three months.

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2010/07/pro-takes-bailey-to-next-level.html

I have a stuffed toy pheasant that I use around the house and yard every once in awhile just to for fun. I wouldn't worry about the retrieve until later and then get a pro to help.

Just got back from hunting. We found one pheasant in two hours. Took the bird at 50 yards and Bailey held until I released him for the retrieve. He ran and got the bird and brought it to me at full speed. He loves the retrieve now. That is his reward for two hours of running all out in search of the prize. 

Was the investment in time and money worth it? To me, yes. Could I train another person's dog to hunt and retieve like Bailey? No. There is the honored profession of hunting dog trainer. I have known several now over the last four years. Good people willing to help you in exchange for making a living. Nothing wrong with that in my eyes.

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2012/11/im-home.html

Good luck.
RBD


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

Some where on the forum is a youtube video by Ken showing how he trains young dogs to retrieve.

It starts in the kitchen and the dog brings the item back (Ken uses a clicker) and then rewards. I followed the same method only in my hall but without a clicker. It worked really well. I did use his favorite toy and I did get my pup to play tugger with it.

Two important things I did learn from other members, was to put my hand under the dogs chin to stop him dropping the retrieved item and then removing the item from dogs mouth ... then reward. In the beginning I was too quick to reward and then he would anticipate the reward and drop the toy before I had a chance to take it from his mouth. 

The other thing you can do is put your dog on a line and bring him in until he gets the idea. 

I would suggest lots of play so he is keen to go get his toy. The other thing that my trainer advised me not to do is to make him sit when he returns with the toy. Keep it fun. Also do not keep repeating it until the dog is bored.

Finally, my trainer says that dogs that are taught to retrieve are better retrievers than dogs that do it naturally!! :-\ Don't know whether the experts would agree. My Vizsla is the only dog that has wanted to retrieve, so I am also on a learning curve.


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## zigzag (Oct 4, 2011)

like others have said, you need to get a bird dog trainer soon. You mentioned using dummys or bumpers. At some point live birds well be needed. IMO the retrive is a low priority right now. The dog using his nose and hunting birds is really important. You can do this on your own if you are dedicated and have the time. My go to book was Speed train your own gun dog. BUT do not play around with the gun conditioning, this is a very serious step for most Vizsla's. Where are you located?


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

What your intent with your dog is will dictate your course of action.

If you plan on trialing this dog, then yes he will have to retrieve. He will have to be a No-Slip retiriever for success, and this means a trainer.
If you just want to hunt him on your own and enjoy the day, then it's up to you how important the retrive component will be. I personally would not put a dog through a Forced Retreive program just to hunt on weekends, but that's me.

You can also wait.......
I had one Vizsla, Silkcut, that would retrieve a Dummy 8 times in a row, and then not again. I swear that dog could count. Seriously, it was 8 retrieves, virtually every time.
In the woods however it was a different story. He would tear himself up on bull briars to get to a downed bird, Every single time. He never lost a bird, or gave up tracking a cripple. I guess he just figured out that the dummy was a pointless exercise for him. 
Give him time.


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## chrisjd2 (Nov 4, 2012)

Thanks for the advise all!

Right lets answer a couple of your questions.. I am located in England, Somerset to be precise.

Dexter likes to play fetch inside however when he is outside he is more interested in hunting than retrieving which I guess is good in its own way.

My goals with dexter is to use him for walked up shooting I.e rough shooting and grouse shooting on the moors. So I can get dexter to quarter the area in front go on point until release and return the shot bird. And if he is good at this I would consider field trials but I'm not overly bothered on this.

I am in the process of trying to find a HPR specialist in my area.

Chris


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## Team X-treme (Sep 22, 2017)

*won't drop the bird*

My 7 month old vizsla retrieves a dummy in the yard and brings it back. I took him out on some chukker and was really aggressive at retrieving them, but would not bring them back to me then when he did he would not drop it. he would just lock his jaw at not release at all. any tips or ideas. Thank you!!!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Perfection Kennels has a DVD set named the Perfect Retreive. With a young dog, that is the way I would go. 
In the past, dogs without a good retrieve were Force fetched. Not a pleasant experience for dog, or owner.
I'm no against force fetch, if done properly, and the dog has a season of bird hunting under it belt. 

I wouldn't balk at paying the $100. for the dvds. The last dog I had force fetch by a professional cost me around $900.00 and that was a few years ago.


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