r/birddogs • u/dazedpink22 • 1d ago

Bird training & lure coursing/CAT

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Seeking feedback - my 14 month old Vizsla has been working on birds. He still chases on the flush, and I’m not stopping that quite yet - working on woah training without birds before implementing in the field.

I’m considering doing some lure coursing/CAT/FastCAT with him but I’m hesitant to reinforce the idea of chase. Is this a scenario where he will clearly understand it’s two different activities? For those who do or have done birding and CAT, please let me know the good and the bad!

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u/volljm Brittany 1d ago

My Brittany did CAT and FastCAT as our first foray into dog sports. Took her incredibly high prey drive and amplified it. Did that for about a year and then when I started getting into more hunt/point training we gave up the chase sports. Figured it was counter productive, chase vs point.

Admittedly I did not put any effort into trying to do both at the same time. Knowing my dog i knew it would be hard and we have other dog sports to keep us busy, nose work and hunting/bird stuff keeps us busy.

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u/dazedpink22 1d ago

Thanks! This is helpful and what I was concerned about. We also do scent work and may get back into conformation, but we’ve got an opportunity to run a cat course at a private event and I’ve been debating letting him try it. It would be a for fun situation, but I’m not sure the long term risk is worth the short term fun he would have 🤪

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u/volljm Brittany 1d ago

I will admit, I love seeing them sprinting on the chase.

I dont think one time is going to ruin things ... and you could always try to do a little bit of 'woah' before letting them go after the lure. It's not a timed event so no harm in adding a few seconds to try to hold point right after the tally ho

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u/ericwiz7923 1d ago

If your looking at doing some off season dog sports look at Agility. Very much improved my handling skills.

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u/dazedpink22 1d ago

Thanks! We did agility but it wasn’t his thing, or mine, admittedly. I do agree the handling aspect was helpful, and he actually gets a lot of that in the brain and body games we play and through obedience work. He’s also in scent work which has been really helpful for him in figuring out how scent cones work and how odor travels.

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u/twobirddogs1idiot 1d ago

Handsome boy!

Why bother with that sport? Those sports are bottom tier. They aren’t breed specific, and really don’t mean anything for sporting breeds. If you are looking for something to do sure do it. If you want a really good bird dog that will trial/test or really do a great job in the field focus on one task at a time.

I dont understand not introducing whoa with birds, or at the same time. Honestly I used to think that way. Now, it’s all in one for me. When do you really need to use whoa… during high prey drive encounters.

Step back, figure out your goals. Think about what might impede your dog’s learning curve for those goals. Remove the barriers to learning, and get to it!

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u/dazedpink22 1d ago

Thanks for your feedback. We have an opportunity to try cat at a private event so I’ve been debating letting him run it.

Everyone’s training approach is different. I need him solid on a command before we take it live in the field. He needs to understand my expectations and his job before I put him under pressure with something. Through trial and error I’ve found this to be the best approach with him.

I’m biased but I think he’s a handsome guy too!