Gun Shy Dog

I messed up bad earlier this fall and I have been paying for it the last few weeks. I shot some doves over my dog and scared the crap out of her. From then on, she has been really weird around gun shots. I have been working on breaking the gun shy and I think I finally got it. Today I shot 8 times with my cap gun and she only flinched on shots 1 and 2. On the last two shots she was jumping around looking for the bird. I am still going to take it slow, but hopefully I can take her out next weekend.

Pretty cool this morning. We were at the park training and I was throwing a ball for her. I threw the ball into a plowed field next to a 10’X10′ patch of long grass. She circled downwind of the grass on the way back. After a short pause she brought the ball back. She bolts right to the grass and starts sniffing around. A couple steps into the grass and a hen flushes right in front of her. I was stunned and so was she. She took off after it, but I called her back. She hasn’t been around birds for awhile, so I was glad to see that she still has a nose for them.

Slow and easy with the pup Dan.

I know that is sucks to wait but you will have many great years with her.
Start with the cap gun and find some birds. As she finds birds shoot the gun, then slowly upgrade the gun power. She needs to think the the gun is a game and FUN.
If you can find a friend that can help and shoot the gun a ways away from her and then slowly get closer.
My GSP sees the gun and goes absolutely nuts. He knows the fun is about to begin.

Ron

Slow and easy with the pup Dan.

I know that is sucks to wait but you will have many great years with her.
Start with the cap gun and find some birds. As she finds birds shoot the gun, then slowly upgrade the gun power. She needs to think the the gun is a game and FUN.
If you can find a friend that can help and shoot the gun a ways away from her and then slowly get closer.
My GSP sees the gun and goes absolutely nuts. He knows the fun is about to begin.

Ron

When you are playing fetch with her, start lighting a fire cracker right after you throw it. The dog will start to figure out the bang sound means fetch the ball [bird]. It can be easy if you have someone ready to light the fire cracker when you throw the ball. Alot of [good girl] when she brings it back with the sound of the bang. You want her to be going after the ball when the fire cracker goes off. Good luck with her!

When you are playing fetch with her, start lighting a fire cracker right after you throw it. The dog will start to figure out the bang sound means fetch the ball [bird]. It can be easy if you have someone ready to light the fire cracker when you throw the ball. Alot of [good girl] when she brings it back with the sound of the bang. You want her to be going after the ball when the fire cracker goes off. Good luck with her!

They make the 22 shell dummy launcher that makes a bang when it shoots. That might be an option..
Or I had a buddy the scared the crap out of his first dog and it was gun shy for a while, what he was told to do is while feeding the pup shot the cap gun if he/she runs take the food away and try again in an hour. sooner or later the dog was hungry and ate the food. And he just kept shooting the cap gun. He said it worked great for him.. Just an idea..

Good Luck

They make the 22 shell dummy launcher that makes a bang when it shoots. That might be an option..
Or I had a buddy the scared the crap out of his first dog and it was gun shy for a while, what he was told to do is while feeding the pup shot the cap gun if he/she runs take the food away and try again in an hour. sooner or later the dog was hungry and ate the food. And he just kept shooting the cap gun. He said it worked great for him.. Just an idea..

Good Luck

As slider put it slow way down. You can even just take her out to work birds in the field without out a gun or noise for a little while. She will be just fine by going back to basics.

As slider put it slow way down. You can even just take her out to work birds in the field without out a gun or noise for a little while. She will be just fine by going back to basics.

Thanks for the info. Hopefully some other people can use it too. I got the gun shyness all fixed up. Birds and a cap gun did the trick. I also made a lot of noise while she was eating. Right now she is down in Mississippi retrieving ducks and getting trained for a few months. She will be back in a few weeks and then we are going to the game farm.

Thanks for the info. Hopefully some other people can use it too. I got the gun shyness all fixed up. Birds and a cap gun did the trick. I also made a lot of noise while she was eating. Right now she is down in Mississippi retrieving ducks and getting trained for a few months. She will be back in a few weeks and then we are going to the game farm.

Another thing that you may want to try, if you have a trap range close. Take the dog there and start at the back of the parking lot with the dog. Play fetch and as the dog gets use to the noise of the gun shots, work closer, until you are very close. Keep playing fetch with the dog, or better yet if you have access to getting your hands on some training piegons(live birds) do the same thing at the trap range but with the live birds. Just make sure that you clip the wings first, or your training piegons will be long gone. As stated take it slow with the dog and let it tell you what it is ready for.

Another thing that you may want to try, if you have a trap range close. Take the dog there and start at the back of the parking lot with the dog. Play fetch and as the dog gets use to the noise of the gun shots, work closer, until you are very close. Keep playing fetch with the dog, or better yet if you have access to getting your hands on some training piegons(live birds) do the same thing at the trap range but with the live birds. Just make sure that you clip the wings first, or your training piegons will be long gone. As stated take it slow with the dog and let it tell you what it is ready for.

No firecrackers and no trap ranges. You have no control after the firecracker is lit and if for some odd reason the dog does something that hurts or scares it just when the firecracker goes bang then you could be at square one again. Same with the trap range, you have no control over the situation. Guns are firing randomly and you are not in control of the thing the dog is afraid of.

To do this right you need to have as much control as possible over every variable in the situation. That means using a cap gun or blank pistol for starters. Do this in an open field free of obstructions too. Only fire when the dog is keenly focused on something it finds pleasurable (like chasing a bird). Then over time s-l-o-w-l-y move closer and s-l-o-w-l-y increase the noise of the gun.

No firecrackers and no trap ranges. You have no control after the firecracker is lit and if for some odd reason the dog does something that hurts or scares it just when the firecracker goes bang then you could be at square one again. Same with the trap range, you have no control over the situation. Guns are firing randomly and you are not in control of the thing the dog is afraid of.

To do this right you need to have as much control as possible over every variable in the situation. That means using a cap gun or blank pistol for starters. Do this in an open field free of obstructions too. Only fire when the dog is keenly focused on something it finds pleasurable (like chasing a bird). Then over time s-l-o-w-l-y move closer and s-l-o-w-l-y increase the noise of the gun.

I disagree that the trap range offers no control. you have control of the distance to the firing line. Start where the noise is barely noticable and very slowly work your way closer.It is not a one time deal but over the course of a few weeks it will cure a gun shy dog with no adverse effects. I have started more than a few dogs that way and have cured one very gun shy dog with it. Its not the only way but it works well for me.

I disagree that the trap range offers no control. you have control of the distance to the firing line. Start where the noise is barely noticable and very slowly work your way closer.It is not a one time deal but over the course of a few weeks it will cure a gun shy dog with no adverse effects. I have started more than a few dogs that way and have cured one very gun shy dog with it. Its not the only way but it works well for me.

This is exactly how I introduced my dog to gun fire and it worked like a charm for me.

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I disagree that the trap range offers no control. you have control of the distance to the firing line. Start where the noise is barely noticable and very slowly work your way closer.It is not a one time deal but over the course of a few weeks it will cure a gun shy dog with no adverse effects. I have started more than a few dogs that way and have cured one very gun shy dog with it. Its not the only way but it works well for me.

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This is exactly how I introduced my dog to gun fire and it worked like a charm for me.

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I disagree that the trap range offers no control. you have control of the distance to the firing line. Start where the noise is barely noticable and very slowly work your way closer.It is not a one time deal but over the course of a few weeks it will cure a gun shy dog with no adverse effects. I have started more than a few dogs that way and have cured one very gun shy dog with it. Its not the only way but it works well for me.

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We’ll have to agree to disagree then. I would never take a puppy or a dog to the trap/skeet range for either intro to guns or to cure gunshyness.

We’ll have to agree to disagree then. I would never take a puppy or a dog to the trap/skeet range for either intro to guns or to cure gunshyness.

I’ve been around dogs for a long time and worked with some of the best trainers in the region and I cannot say it enough or loud enough NO FIRECRACKERS OR GUN RANGES. Ecspecially for a gun shy dog…you must take it very slow, it may take months for ANY progress to be made. Most gun shy dogs are that way for a reason, something happened to them early in life (you may not even know) but they need to start to “trust” the noise again and uneven, rapid noises like firecrackers and gun ranges are not the place to achieve that. Good luck.

I’ve been around dogs for a long time and worked with some of the best trainers in the region and I cannot say it enough or loud enough NO FIRECRACKERS OR GUN RANGES. Ecspecially for a gun shy dog…you must take it very slow, it may take months for ANY progress to be made. Most gun shy dogs are that way for a reason, something happened to them early in life (you may not even know) but they need to start to “trust” the noise again and uneven, rapid noises like firecrackers and gun ranges are not the place to achieve that. Good luck.

Ice angler, my resume also includes a life time of experience with gun dogs and work with several noted trainers. I stand by my claims. By the way, another method is to record gun fire on tape and play it back to your dog. Start with the sound being inaudible to the human ear and slowly increase volume. NEVER leave the dog unattended with the tape.With either method if there are any signs of stress stop and back off to the beginning.

Ice angler, my resume also includes a life time of experience with gun dogs and work with several noted trainers. I stand by my claims. By the way, another method is to record gun fire on tape and play it back to your dog. Start with the sound being inaudible to the human ear and slowly increase volume. NEVER leave the dog unattended with the tape.With either method if there are any signs of stress stop and back off to the beginning.

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We’ll have to agree to disagree then. I would never take a puppy or a dog to the trap/skeet range for either intro to guns or to cure gunshyness.

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I do not pretend to be an expert just posting what worked for me. My dog was never gun shy but I can see where this might not work for a gun shy dog. Let me clarify a little more on how I did this. I live one mile from our local range, I would take my dog on walks to the range so she could hear the shooting as soon as we left the house. For the first week we did not even go on to the gun range we would just sit across the road from the range and this did not bother her at all, we did this every day for a week. The next week we crossed the road but still did not get close to the range we also did this for a week. The following week we went half way to the range. The fourth week I took my own gun but started the first day with a 22 and let her sit next to me as I would shoot, this did not bother her at all. The next day I took my shot gun and did the same thing with the same results no problems at all.

HERE IS MY DISCLAIMER
Like I said I am no expert this worked for my dog but it might not work for all dogs.

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We’ll have to agree to disagree then. I would never take a puppy or a dog to the trap/skeet range for either intro to guns or to cure gunshyness.

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I do not pretend to be an expert just posting what worked for me. My dog was never gun shy but I can see where this might not work for a gun shy dog. Let me clarify a little more on how I did this. I live one mile from our local range, I would take my dog on walks to the range so she could hear the shooting as soon as we left the house. For the first week we did not even go on to the gun range we would just sit across the road from the range and this did not bother her at all, we did this every day for a week. The next week we crossed the road but still did not get close to the range we also did this for a week. The following week we went half way to the range. The fourth week I took my own gun but started the first day with a 22 and let her sit next to me as I would shoot, this did not bother her at all. The next day I took my shot gun and did the same thing with the same results no problems at all.

HERE IS MY DISCLAIMER
Like I said I am no expert this worked for my dog but it might not work for all dogs.

Please list the trainers that you know that use firecrackers and gun ranges to cure a gun shy dog so I can make sure to never use them for any kind of training. If your child was afraid of snakes, would you throw him in a shed with 200 snakes and lock the door? I just don’t understand the logic of forcing the thing that the dog is afraid of onto them…doesn’t is make more sense to introduce small amounts of noise in association with something the dog finds enjoyable? To each there own, I just see a lot more degree of risk in the firecracker/gun range method. Good luck with your dog which ever method you choose.

Please list the trainers that you know that use firecrackers and gun ranges to cure a gun shy dog so I can make sure to never use them for any kind of training. If your child was afraid of snakes, would you throw him in a shed with 200 snakes and lock the door? I just don’t understand the logic of forcing the thing that the dog is afraid of onto them…doesn’t is make more sense to introduce small amounts of noise in association with something the dog finds enjoyable? To each there own, I just see a lot more degree of risk in the firecracker/gun range method. Good luck with your dog which ever method you choose.

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Please list the trainers that you know that use firecrackers and gun ranges to cure a gun shy dog so I can make sure to never use them for any kind of training. If your child was afraid of snakes, would you throw him in a shed with 200 snakes and lock the door? I just don’t understand the logic of forcing the thing that the dog is afraid of onto them…doesn’t is make more sense to introduce small amounts of noise in association with something the dog finds enjoyable? To each there own, I just see a lot more degree of risk in the firecracker/gun range method. Good luck with your dog which ever method you choose.

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iceangler,
I am not sure if your last reply is to me or someone else if it was to me I would like to make a few things very clear.

First I never said anything about firecrackers that was someone else.

No where did I say anything about this was recommended by any trainer, I also said “My dog was never gun shy but I can see where this might not work for a gun shy dog.”

No where did I say anything about forcing anything on my dog I let her tell me what she will accept and not accept by reading her body language.

When you said….

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doesn’t is make more sense to introduce small amounts of noise in association with something the dog finds enjoyable?

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that is exactly what I did she loves to go on walks and we started out slow as I said the first week we sat across the road from the range. The other thing that I forgot to mention was I also brought her retrieving dummy for her to fetch as we would go along on our walk which she also loves to do.

I do not claim to be an expert and I do not claim that this will work for every dog just posting what worked for me.