Dog hunting too close sometimes.

[Birddogz]

I have a hunting buddy that has a 14 month old Vizsla that hunts very well 80% of the time. When I say he hunts well, I mean he charges hard out to 150-300 yards and really "hunts". The other 20% of the time he hunts very hard, but too close. 25-50 yards. The cover is the same, so it isn't a cover issue apparently. He lives in Saskatchewan, and runs his dog on birds 2-4 times a week. He asked me if I had ever heard of this, and I had to say no. I said the dog would probably grow out of it with time and maturity. Have any of you ever heard of this?

[bwjohn]

I think age will take care of the issue?

brandon

[blanked]

if my dog is into birds he hunts closer and more detailed. if not into birds then i would ask if your buddy is continuoulsy calling on his dog instead of keeping quiet and let the dog do what he is bred to do. the dog may be looking at him for directions.

[slistoe]

Dogs will remember where they have found birds before. If the dog is getting accustomed to finding birds in a particular place he may be convinced that they are there again and he just has to find them even though he is getting no scent clues to lead him to hunt out the area more. Or is could be that there have been birds there recently and the dog does not yet have the knowledge to sort through the abundance of bird scent in the area and quickly determine whether the birds are actually there or if he should move on out and search elsewhere. Or....

[Birddogz]

Good stuff Slistoe, I will ask him about the bird contact in the area. That sounds reasonable. I had thought possibly the dog was encountering birds that couldn't fly well yet, and they were simply running on him. Heck, I don't know.

[zzweims]

I agree with slistoe. Another thing to consider is direction--both of the handler and the wind. If the handler changes direction frequently--or right before the dogs comes in--he could be signalling the dog to hunt closer/pay more attention to him. Also, a lot of dogs will hunt closer if the wind is at their backs. Whatever the cause, he sounds like a smart dog to me (most vizslas are).

Aline
http://zzfarms.com

[Ryman Gun Dog]

Birddogz,
What we do with slow developer dog like this is run him with a bigger running dog, however remember that some V-dogs hunt close as a matter of genetic imprint, if you are fighting the genetic imprint, good luck.
RGD/Dave

[Birddogz]

I'm not fighting anything, my buddy in Saskatchewan is. I talked to him last night, and he said that the dog has not hunted too close for 3 days in a row. I really think this dog is going to grow out of this.

[Iowa]

I guess its a matter of what feels right and the land your hunting. I've NEVER hunted with a dog out more than 30 - 50 yards. In the group I run with that dog would not be allowed back. I guess I just grew up learning that from the old guys. Thats one of the main reason I hunt with v's and not gsps anymore. I like that dog to be close. Maybe its different in other parts of the country but 300 yards is way out there for me. We hunt slower than most but we are always low on dogs it seems so 1 or 2 dogs are covering the ground of 4.

[Chukar12]

I would also assume that a 14 month old is still at "green broke" status...it may know what it is supposed to do but still receives guidance and correction. As they gain confidence my experience is that they get back their run.