Vizsla Redeemed

Vizzy

As ye probably can guess from the user name I am hunting over a Vizsla.
Beautiful looking dog and a great nose.
He's 2 now since September.

Anyway I brought him to Birr this year and had a great day.Met a few people who loved the dog/wanted to get one etc.
Was getting ready to head home and I was talking to a lad and next thing the announcer says "next we will have an assualt on the castle with musket and cannon"
With that 12 muskets go off beside me and then a huge cannon.
Long story short the dog goes ballistic and is cowering under me.

Well, my heart sank,I've a gunshy dog !!
18 months of training wasted !!

So I bring him home absolutely disgusted with myself that I allowed this to happen.
I bring him out over the next few weeks making sure that there will be no shots/loud bangs nearby.Then I introduce the starter pistol and initially he is still very nervous of it(TBH the sound from the pistol is more like a rifle crack than a shotgun "blast") but he gets better as time goes on.
After about a month of throwing the dummy for him and firing the pistol at the same time I moved on to the shotgun,at a fair distance at first and then closer and closer.
All the time he is still nervous but not afraid of the gun,if that makes sense, and he will always return to me rather than run away from me when he gets nervous.
So I'm now 2 months in to the season and I have 4 cocks shot over him(and I mean over him) with no ill effects.In fact I shot one this morning but only winged him and he hit the ground and started running straight in to a haybarn in between round bales.Dog goes in and sets him in the barn.
Up goes the cock again and the hunt is on again.I shoot again with the dog at my knee and down he goes.Dog gets the bird an "half retrieves" but that will do me at the moment.

The Vizsla seems to be a real slow burner and at the beginning of the season I wasn't sure if he would hunt at all but I have been running him with the brothers setters and also with a friends springers as well as on his own(like today) to wake up his hunting spirit and he seems to learn a new little trick every time he is out.

Long story short lads-a gunshy dog is not born,he is made so don't give up on the dog,just give him time.

corco2000

good work, I went through sumit similiar with a dog. It was the crack of a riffle that done it at 1yr old. I just started from the start like you. But even when you think all is ok sometimes they take a step back. Keep it slow I say. Nothing better than getting them out on game, they forget all about the gun quickly.

terminator2

im shooting over a young vizla now , hes about a year old , just starting to work now pointed his first phesant in november so fingers crossed

Vizzy

Nice Vizsla Terminator,is he coning on nicely,hope so.

Don't rush him and if he doesn't show promise at this stage don't panic.
I was talking to the breeder of my lad who owns both the mother and father and he tells me that the mother didn't "click" until she was 3.

Here is a recent pic of my fella

terminator2

they dont half put the grub away , nice looking dog there vizzy , .....he flushed a couple of woodcock today ,and i shot a nice cock which he retrieved , im well pleased with him....a few lads said that to me about not kicking in until they are two or three

ROSSKI

Vizzy wrote: »

Nice Vizsla Terminator,is he coning on nicely,hope so.

Don't rush him and if he doesn't show promise at this stage don't panic.
I was talking to the breeder of my lad who owns both the mother and father and he tells me that the mother didn't "click" until she was 3.

Here is a recent pic of my fella

Fine looking animal - Some pair of gonads on him!

terminator2

anyone else shooting over vizlas