[lawson]

Have any of you had a dog seem like they have lost interest in birds? I have a vizsla that will be 2 in October. He exceded my expectations last year but he has seemed to lose interest when working with him lately, even on live birds. This has been going on for the last couple of months. I allowed him to be a puppy for the majority of the off season, it just seems like the drive is not there anymore when I picked the training up to another level. Any advice?

Thanks

 

[Bobm]

You will have to go into more detail about what you've been doing with him to get a good suggestion.

Somehow you're over training the dog would be my guess, so give a honest account of your routines with the dog and I'll try to help.

Dogs don't just lose interest normally unless hes ill.

 

[gonehuntin']

It's possible that it's just the off season and if you train a lot, he's sick of training and wants the real thing. I don't pretend to know a lot about V's but I do know they are peculuar dogs to work with. You must be patient and not push him. If he's from good breeding, not a backyard special, my best guess is, he'll return to normal during the hunting season.

 

[deacon]

Guess, is either the dog is becoming bored as mentioned previously. Second, would be it is hot and dog simply gets tired.

My dog when fetching in yard loves it for about 5 minutes but any longer and I can see she is getting bored. So keep it fun and come hunting season dog will be ready.

 

[LuckCounts]

Are you giving a lot of positive reinforcement. It's important for a young dog to hear real excitement in your voice. If you were spoiled by the performance of the dog in the previous year you may have lost the true excitement that comes with seeing your dog do what it was bred to do. If that's not the case, try working with another hunting dog owner and let your dog watch the other dog at first. That usually works my dog into a frenzy waiting for her turn. Once you build the excitement train until your dog starts getting disintristed. In warm months it isn't uncommon for me to do 2 or 3 short field sessions in a day instead of one longer one. Keep it fun for you and the dog. Also remember to train without harsh commands or strong physical correction because a vizsla has a more sensitive temperment and can be damaged if trained too harshly. They thrive on attention and interaction. They also have a high motor and like to be challenged. They can get depressed if they don't get enough exercise and attention. They are a fantastic dog (and beautiful) and will give you many years of hunting companionship. Good luck.

 

[Gordon Guy]

Some dogs don't like domesticated birds. I have had a dog that refused to pointed handled quail and pigeons. She would turn her nose up at them and act like they weren't even there. But she was crazy about wild birds.

 

[buckseye]

Hey we all have bad days, even this old dog can have a slow day

 

[lawson]

This has been an on going thing the last few weeks. I guess he could just be sick of pigeons. I don't think I have been over working him and in the past he always went nuts over live birds of any kind. I will buy a couple rosters and try him on that and see if it helps. Just never seen a dog not show interest in birds before. I appreciate all the help and I am sure I will be back asking questions.

Thanks