"If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience." - Woodrow Wilson

Philosophy - Training
Field Work  

Aaron steadying Kosmo
Aaron practices "steadying" with Vizsla Kosmo - Kiowa Sporting Club, Colorado

Mel working Amante in the field
Vizsla Amante on point, Mel flushing bird - Ft. Lupton, Colorado

Aaron honors Trip's point
Aaron honors Trip's point - Colorado

Mel and Trip working with quail
Mel introducing quail to Vizsla puppy Trip - Colorado

Lola demonstratin gher soft mouth and untrained retrieve to hand
Vizsla Lola retrieves quail to Mel - Colorado

Suede and Mel working on steadying
Mel practices "steadying" with Vizsla Suede - Colorado

We'll readily admit we're "hobby trainers" in that we have regular 8-5 (on a "light day"!) office jobs. Most of our field training is done on the weekends, holidays, and vacations (yes, we do take vacation time to train/compete with our dogs). We do lots of yard and obedience work at home during the week as well as when we're out exercising the dogs on their off-leash runs.

Our philosophy on field training has only matured over the past few years as we've gleaned pieces and parts from a variety of sources. Without a doubt, the most influential source has been Lin Kozlowski and Jean Thomas of Everedi Vizslas. As a result of many training sessions with and phone calls to Lin and Jean for input on a variety of training quandaries, we're finally understanding some of the finer nuances of working with bird dogs (specifically, Vizslas). Perhaps the most important part of our training philosophy is not putting too much pressure on a dog when training. While it requires a tremendous amount of patience, asking a dog to learn only that which s/he is mature enough to learn ensures long-term success. We've seen young Vizslas pushed too hard, too quickly who then shutdown and loose their enjoyment for field work. Most important is that our Vizslas always wear that huge smile on their faces as they zoom through the field hunting for birds. We hope they will always have that deep passion for working birds from when they're just baby birds dogs who can't make mistakes to when they're "broke" gun dogs.

We've also learned the importance of consistency not only when training, but in everyday life. Dogs thrive when they know the rules and the rules are presented in a very clear, calm, and consistent manner. Inevitably, as we scratch our heads because of some training problem we're trying to solve, we see that we've given conflicting messages to our dogs. We might be verbally telling them one thing but our tone, body language or visualizations are saying something completely different.

Another few kernels we've added to our bag of field training knowledge:

  • Never train with anger or ego.
  • If the dog isn't succeeding, you've goofed up somewhere. Go back however many steps you need to help the dog understand what you want.
  • Always end training sessions on a positive note.
  • Only expect 100% from your dog when you are 100% at everything you do (ever miss a shot??). This is actually Lin's and it struck so true when she said it we decided to keep it close.

    • For Puppies:

  • Lots of early bird contact is important for young pups BUT equally as important is your attitude when your pup is working. This stage is all about having FUN!! A pup can't really do anything wrong and should be encouraged/praised for his/her interest, drive, pointing.
  • Remember--they're just babies. We don't believe in putting too much pressure on them while their young. Train frequently but keep training sessions short. Always try to end training on a positive note with the pup excited and wanting more.
  • Do not try to steady them at this stage. Just let them chase and give enthusiastic praise for pointing and wanting to carry the bird. Try to minimize any catching without pointing but not at the expense of the pup's excitement about the bird.
  • Be very careful about introducing any gunshot sounds to bird work. This is a critical step in training and MUST be done with care. Most people move too quickly and are too eager to fire over their pup. There is NO RUSH when introducing the shotgun sound to your pup. A pup should have a solid and intense interest in birds BEFORE you ever consider introducing the shot (with a starter pistol) to a pup. When a pup is ready, have someone stand a hundred feet away and wait to fire the pistol until the pup is in full chase. The pup should be completely focused, in full chase (intent on catching the bird), and running away from the person with the starter pistol. If the pup reacts in any way to the sounds of the pistol, the next shot should be fired from a further distance. Or, the pup needs to be more focused on the bird.

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    		   We are proud to be founding members of the Rocky Mountain Vizsla Club--"The Specialty Vizsla Club of Colorado",
    and members of the Vizsla Club of America.