I have a new Vizsla pup from a respected field breeder. I would like professional help getting her ready for quail hunting here in Georgia and possible to compete in NAVHDA. Thanks all, we have had “Dame” for two months now and she’s been a blast
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Not sure what advice you are looking for, but Marty Griner in Augusta area is very good for upland game.
Thanks I’ll check him out
If you want the best contact Ronnie Smith. If he does nothing else he will determine if your pup has the basic tools to make a gun dog.
Training a gun dog is not difficult if your dog has a nose and a brain. Do you know how to hunt with a dog? Do you know what a gun dog is supposed to do in the field? If not, train yourself first. Hunt with a friend who has gun dogs or go on a few guided hunts so you will learn how to handle a dog in the field and what your dog needs to be able to do to make a gun dog.
Read Delmar Smith's book. Training starts a few days after bringin the pup home. Start with yard work. Come, stay, sit, heel, whoa. Teach your pup to lead on a leash. When your pup is 100% on yard work introduce the pup to the field and quartering. Then to birds (pigeons or pen raised quail) while using a check cord so you can control your pup at point and flush. Or do what I did with my last pup and trained her on bird scented tennis balls in my yard. Work on retrieving while you play with the pup in the house. Work the pup into the set bird from down wind. Toss a favorite ball or toy and let the pup bring it back to you. Teach the pup to release without force. If the pup won't release easy, blow in the pup's ear and save "give". The pup will learn to fetch and release by playing. Join a bird dog club and enter your pup in puppy division field trials. Train EVERY DAY for short sessions and keep them fun. Have patience. Put in 750 to 1000 hours and you will have a dog that will hunt. Train the pup in the way you would want to be taught a new skill-with small doses, lots of love, happiness, forgiveness and patience.Then hunt with the dog every chance you get. Put the pup in birds and keep the pup in birds all season. Bird dogs need birds to be bird dogs. Otherwise they are just high energy yard dogs.
I wouldn't send my kid to someone else to rear and I wouldn't send my pup to someone else to train. If you are too busy to train a pup you are too busy to own a dog. Train the pup yourself and the bond will be much stronger. Plus, if this is your first gun dog the pup will teach you more than you will teach it.
great advice!!
. You'll never get that special hunting partnership/connectioin if someone else does the training. Maybe have a professional assist you in a few sessions. Getting you dog on as many wild birds as possible the first few years I think is very important too in his development
If you want the best contact Ronnie Smith. If he does nothing else he will determine if your pup has the basic tools to make a gun dog.
Training a gun dog is not difficult if your dog has a nose and a brain. Do you know how to hunt with a dog? Do you know what a gun dog is supposed to do in the field? If not, train yourself first. Hunt with a friend who has gun dogs or go on a few guided hunts so you will learn how to handle a dog in the field and what your dog needs to be able to do to make a gun dog.
Read Delmar Smith's book. Training starts a few days after bringin the pup home. Start with yard work. Come, stay, sit, heel, whoa. Teach your pup to lead on a leash. When your pup is 100% on yard work introduce the pup to the field and quartering. Then to birds (pigeons or pen raised quail) while using a check cord so you can control your pup at point and flush. Or do what I did with my last pup and trained her on bird scented tennis balls in my yard. Work on retrieving while you play with the pup in the house. Work the pup into the set bird from down wind. Toss a favorite ball or toy and let the pup bring it back to you. Teach the pup to release without force. If the pup won't release easy, blow in the pup's ear and save "give". The pup will learn to fetch and release by playing. Join a bird dog club and enter your pup in puppy division field trials. Train EVERY DAY for short sessions and keep them fun. Have patience. Put in 750 to 1000 hours and you will have a dog that will hunt. Train the pup in the way you would want to be taught a new skill-with small doses, lots of love, happiness, forgiveness and patience.Then hunt with the dog every chance you get. Put the pup in birds and keep the pup in birds all season. Bird dogs need birds to be bird dogs. Otherwise they are just high energy yard dogs.
I wouldn't send my kid to someone else to rear and I wouldn't send my pup to someone else to train. If you are too busy to train a pup you are too busy to own a dog. Train the pup yourself and the bond will be much stronger. Plus, if this is your first gun dog the pup will teach you more than you will teach it.
Yard training is definitely something you can do on your own. Having a place to run your dog that has birds is a lot harder to come by and that is what makes real bird dogs.
You might want to contact some of the Georgia kennels that advertise
here.