xbowhunter78

i recently got a german shorthair pointer pup. he is about 10 weeks old.my dad used have rabbit dogs and i used to love hunting woth dogs. i got the puppy for free because somone who raised them moved and had left him in a cage on the door step when they moved which i think is quite cruel. the dog is a purebred and has already had its tail cut and its dew claws removed. my question is can this dog be trained as a bird dog and how do you train one or how old should he be before i send him to a trainer to be trained?

birddog3412

Depending what you are planning to do with him. If you are going to send him to a trainer, most like the dog to come when called, and also be used to being steaked out. This time of year I would do my best to build confidence, get him into some birds and see what he does. You do not have to kill birds over a pup there first year. If you are going to send himto a trainer, i would find one now and take hime in the spring or summer.

xbowhunter78

so the dog can be trained to hunt birds? and is it possible for me to train him or am i better off sending him to some one who trains dogs for hunting?

birddog3412

I see no reason why he cant hunt birds

Vizsla Vince

You've gotten this pup at the perfect time! There should be no reason at all why you can't train him to hunt birds. I suggest you get a general purpose puppy book (try "leader of the pack") & get him socialized & also invest in some bird dog training books. I suggest the Delmar Smith bookby Bill Terrant (sp?) or the NAVHDA "Green book".You can train him yourself for probably the first several months, but you will eventually need help getting him introduced to game birds.
If you get into a training club such as NAVHDA or your local GSP club, you'll be able to hunt him next season.
Find all the bird dog forums you can & ask LOTS of questions!!
Congratulations on your new pup!!

kdvollmer

THe GSP is fast coming one of the most popular upland dogs out there. Lots of others too. For the other breed owners, not taking anything away from yours. I have a GSP, and quick likely will try a Vizsla for my next. They are very intelligent dogs, and supposed to be easy to train.

raptor5618

I say train the dog yourself. I had a GWP which is very similar as well as having friends that all has GSP's and these dogs are a snap to train if they have the right breeding. Gets some books at the library if you cannot afford to buy some or buy some if you can. My training bible is actually a retriever book, "Retriever training your duck dog" or something like that. It is out of print but still available and hard to get one cheap so I think I am not alone in thinking it is an excellent guide. Essentially do easy types of training until they are 6 months then do more intensive training and you will have a dog that is very obedient to commands.

A little work on birds until they get the concept and focus on the training and not on getting game as much and in the second year you will have a great hunting dog. Those dogs were bread to go after rabbits and even fox so it can do it all if you train it right. My would go for rabbits if the hunt went on with no sign of birds. I think the hardest part of training is to learn how to trust the dog. I cannot tell you how many times I was steamed that my dog was pointing where there could never be a bird only to have a bird take off.

It really only takes 10 to 15 minutes a day for most of the training and it really lets you learn your dog and them to bond to you that I would only go to a trainer when there was an issue to difficult for me to figure out. If you have no time to do training a trainer might be needed but if that is the case you might want to think about having a dog like that when you have little time to work with it or take it out for runs.

raptor5618

I just got a wire haired Vizsla and they are quite interesting. I am not so sure about easier to train because I think my dog is perhaps too smart. It has learned some things where I never even gave a command, sits at the door even when it is open so I can wipe off its paws. But on the negative is not sure when it is OK to come through the door. She also took a no command to mean something else and it took a while to convince her that she was OK. So it seems to me that you have to be careful that when you give a command it is extremely clear what you want. Also, I think that with this dog use of any force would cause big problems, I think a shock collar would lead to having a dog that does not leave your leg. Because of all this I think training might take a bit longer and you will have to be more careful. If you have experience training dogs it should not be a big deal but a first time trainer might have some problems.

However, as a house dog, I have never had a dog that was more attentive nor liked being around people more than this dog and I have had several labs. More often than not when I am working on something she will come over and lean on me or sit on my feet. She also often prefers to be petted than going to a bowl of food. I have not put live birds in front of her yet but she really had an intense point on some pheasant wings I have.

jrfrmn

He should now be around 3-1/2 mo. Hopfully you have already started. Don't waste any more time. Start now with a wing on a fishing pole and then continue all through summer into hunting season, and finish up through out the next year.

4evrhtn

Once you have him started on his basic commands and he is showing some degree of interest in the wing training I suggest building a small quail pen for 2 or 3 birds and have it in your back yard. Everytime you take the pup by themsay "birds"and let the pup jump up at the pen and hopefully he shows excitement for the birds. At this stage you don't have to worry about whoa training and worrying about him jumping or flushing birds in the field. Don't introduce him to live birds in the field until he is at least 4 1/2 months old. Build his bird drive and confidence by using the penned birds. The dog has to look at the training as fun time not work. Let your pup be a pup for the time being and tighten up the reins a little when he is 6 months old. Do not put an E-collar on him until he already understands and does the commands you are training him on. Do not shock him while he is at the bird,it could cause him to become scared and unsure when he comes across the bird in the field, establish whoa training and all other training at home in the yard before taking him to an unknown place and expecting him to learn commands. Reward him for doing the commands correctly and if you give a command make sure you follow through and have him do what you command ALL THE TIME, if not he may learn that it is ok to listen to you some of the time. Hope this helps. For me the experience and time spent with my German shorthair is rewarding. You will have more pride in your dog and yourself if you are the one training him and responsible for his acheivments. Letting someone else train your dog is like letting someone else fill your deer tag. During those training sessions his bond with you will increase and he will want to please you first before anyone else.