Gun Shy Dogs-NOT

[jdscholer]

Hey dovehunter, now that ya got a name for your little buddy, you can start worrying about getting him adapted to gun fire. I thought we oughta start a new thread.
Ya can't be too careful, because gun-shy often lasts.....forever.
IMO you don't want to wait to long, but don't start with gunfire. Start with making loud noises from a good distance and hopefully he will show interest, not fear. If that is the case, escalate the noise, and make it coincide with something tasty or fun.
Don't rush into using actual gunshots, but when you do, make it a good distance from him and with a small gun. If at anytime during this process he seems hinky about noise, back up and get more expert advice than me. jd

 

[wpcexpert]

I was told by an old timer that his remedy for a gun shy dog was to tie it to a tree and grab a case of low brass 8's and start blasting away. He'll either get used to it or go deaf. It's no good for a hunting dog either if he's deaf or gunshy. He's either a pet or...

Never tried it. My pup used to be shy, but she must have grown out of it. She must have figured that the bangs weren't going to hurt her. I also was doing a lot of shooting inside my fenced in 1.5 acres. She could only get so far away.

But once she realized the squirrels would jump out of the trees after I shot, she love it then.

 

[gunn308]

My last pointer and my meat dog coon hound mix were always brought to my work sites where Paslode nail guns rule and neither dog was gun shy although retrieving game is different than a hunk of wood LOL

 

[hogdogs]

My method is to park a long distance from the skeet/trap or gun range and slowly but confidently "go for a walk" with the puppy. Stopping ever so often to pet and "rest" the puppy. Before he knows it he is there. A half mile would be good if you suspect the pup may need special help.
Brent

 

[dovehunter]

Thanks jd for starting this thread!!! Jake is already retrieving balls!! He is only eight weeks old. That is a good start, I think. I need all the help I can get. I need him to waking me up three times a night to go pee and poop. Ha Ha. Thanks for your help. I guess I won't use my glock to get him started, I have a BB gun for cats I can use. Thanks

 

[Doyle]

My method is to park a long distance from the skeet/trap or gun range and slowly but confidently "go for a walk" with the puppy. Stopping ever so often to pet and "rest" the puppy. Before he knows it he is there. A half mile would be good if you suspect the pup may need special help.

+1. I've done this with two labs. Both loved to ride, so I would just idle up to the range parking lot and sit there playing with them. When they got curious and wanted to look out the window, I started rolling it down. I did this two or three times before I ever got out of the car with him. Even then, I let him walk around on the leash well away from the firing line. After he seemed totally comfortable with that, I let HIM lead me towards the firing line.