Thread: Advice on training a Vizsla that has been re-homed.

Hey Guys, we interested in re-homing a 1 year old female Vizsla who is too much work for a young family and they are looking at re-homing her.

It sounds like the she has had pretty much no training as such apart from being toilet trained etc but the good news is she comes from a good hunting pedigree. It sounds like she hasn't been abused or anything, just a bit time and attention neglected.

Whats your thoughts on taking on a re-homed dog like this ? Will her misspent puppy year running wild always be a burden in training her ? Our aim is that she will be a family pet but also we are very keen for her to be used for deer etc. We have an old / retired GSP so not complete novices.

Cheers, Pete

As long as she hasn't been taught bad hunting habits I doubt there will be much issue

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Originally Posted by Wildman

As long as she hasn't been taught bad hunting habits I doubt there will be much issue

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What do you mean exactly ? smacked on the nose from showing an interest in animals ?

I know nothing about training dogs, but if it is anything like most of the Vizslas some of my mates own, I'd suggest you buy a LOT of alcohol or really good drugs

They are an interesting breed.

I have a vizsla that has just turned 6 months old and is the first dog i have trained. They are a handful and require a lot of time but everyday I see him improving. I'm using the deer dog blueprint and so far I'm pretty happy. Apparently it can be used on any age dog.

Originally Posted by Pete_D

What do you mean exactly ? smacked on the nose from showing an interest in animals ?

Trail barking/chasing.

Noisy and things like showing you where possums are as opposed to a deer.

I have never trained for hunting, but as long as you can get her to start listening to you, then put down the some basic obedience you should be fine. As mentioned before, it can be quite hard to get some bad habits "unlearned" once they have been established, but it will come down to your determination to persist.

If you do get her make sure your old dog is still above her in the pecking order. You can also use your old dog to help with training the young girl with basic commands. .

be consistant....VERY consistant...get a rock solid no bullshit always obeyed nomatterthefuckwhat SIT and be HARD on that one thing....and it will be a get out of jail card more times than you will care to count....and drum into family that SIT is a one way command.....dog has to be un sat....or her bum stays where put.
go for it other than 12-15 years of fun n games followed by heartbreak you have little to loose....whats the worst you can have???dog that wont hunt,or runs around like a dick...or whines constantly and breaks to chase stuff...that SIT comes in really handy here....I have a deer dog now.she gets my ducks from the water too so I dont have to swim in undies anymore.... if dog does nothing more than walks along quietly with you in the bush and helps you find downed game you are on a win....

Breaking some bad habits may be difficult but it’s definitely achievable with the right persistence. I think the good thing is you are a stranger and basically have a clean slate with the dog. What I mean by this is that the dog has no experience on what it can and cannot expect to do with you so if you set the rules and training right from the start then you start setting up a new life that the dog expects to live by with you.

I have noticed this with friends pets. They give a pointless command and the dog doesn’t listen, the owner doesn’t do anything about it and the dog knows that. I give the dog a sit command and re inforce it. The dog has no choice but to listen to me as that’s the situation I put it in. After a while of doing this with every interaction we have the dog starts learning that it can’t get away with not listening to me as it knows no other experience with me. Still won’t listen to the owner though who has established that error in control / relationship.

I’m am by no means no expert though haha, just some of my very limited experience. Hopefully that makes sense and if you like the dog then I say go for it! One year old is still young.

Thanks guys, some great points to consider. I am going to phone the kennels tomorrow and will let you know. Any more words of wisdom appreciated.

I'm reading a book at the moment by an American GWP breeder who reckons a lot of dogs are ruined by being to hard on them in the first year, as in they run after a bird and owner comes down hard on them for getting out to far but dog thinks he's getting told off for going after bird so decrease prey drive..so apart from basic commands and manners he recommends letting them go for it in first year to develop skills and instinct then putting controls on them after that. Bit different to some ways of thinking but thought might be relevant in this case

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What are you waiting for, I would take her as long, worth a shot. At the very least she will be a great companion

Most young pointers seem to be re-homed before 2 years old as often unsuspecting owners had no idea what the "terrible 2's" are like. They can be a bloody great hanful but persistance is the Key and their greatness grows on you. I would not have any other breed.

Consistentcy is the key.
Vizslas I have met seem quite "soft" so patience and positive reinforcement works really well with them. If yo have an older dog its easier a bit as they learn recall faster by watching the older dog................but also will pick up bad habits of the older dog

I only expect a rock solid recall and stop. Recall is easy Stop (at distance ) not so much.
Mind you I am training a young Pointer for bird hunting, she may be come deer hunting but thats not the aim for her.

Awesome guys, some really useful advice and thanks for taking the time to comment. I will keep you posted.

I disagree...sit and stay CAN BE diferent commands...but sit is sit untill you are told otherwise so stay is redundant......if you need stay to MAKE the dog continue sitting,your sit isnt rock solid.
sit can mean arse on ground...and stay lie down and wait......BOTH mean dont go anywhere untill told to.

Agree with micky duck.
Having a stop/sit is vital.
I got a weimaraner at 18 months that had run loose with another dog.
She was bought up with kids so did have manners around people.
Run it on a long lead and teach stop/sit and you are in control.
Best heading dog I had was 12 months old when I got her so age isnt to much of an issue.
Some dogs get started to early.
My father farmed his pups out to his sister in Dunedin then got them back with manners and not started too early.