Thread: dog a little gun shy

Hi guys

So I am sure this has come up and yes I accept that it was my poor initial training that made my dog a little gun shy.

So I have a 1 year old lab and take him out shooting for ducks. Good points: retrieves ducks, drops them at my feet and finds ones I cant see after they go down, in both bush/water etc. Does this at a high level, Bad Points: shivers a little when pull shotgun to shoulder, puts head down when shooting and can just stay still some times after a series of shots. mind you this only happens ssometimes.

Now I would like my dog to get over it, I clearly have related negative thoughts with the gun,

Any ideas?

Quick fixes? (unlikely)

Training tips?

James I've never had a gun dog but I have had many a dog at home.. I'd suggest getting some positive asociation under your dog's belt.

Do things the dog enjoys with the gun around. Eg dinner time.

I hope this idea doesn't get bashed but I did a similar thing with my brothers' pet dogs with the nail clippers! I'm sure in principle it is the same. We started very easy with just having the clippers in the room during meal times. Progressively the clippers came nearer to the dog until the clippers could be tapped around the dog's feet. They both soon got over it. In a couple weeks they went from cowering under the table and hiding away to not really being bothered with their feet being touched by the clippers.

As you have said, the earlier you can create this connection of "fun things happen when the gun is out" the better. Sometimes this just isn't possible though (getting into shooting later in the dog's life!)

I'm sure it's about time the gun dog owners pipe in here!

Just a thought...

By the description you gave it sounds like the shots are just hurting the dog's ears which is understandable since they hurt my ears.

First thing I would try is to move the dog to spot where it's getting less muzzle blast and can still see the action. I pile a few sticks up against the side of the mai mai in a sorta lean to and have the dogs sit under that. Avery also makes small blinds for dogs.

I was thinking the same maybe sensitive ears . Try take him rabbit shooting , with a supressed 22 and see what he thinks of that .Good advice on moving him out of the blind . I had a retriever who was not keen on loud noises , got him working on rabbits and he never looked back .

interesting, i have never seen a dog that has sensitive ears , i wounder if your guys suggestions just helps the dog associate the shot with game faster ?

I've only seen it once but that's definitely what was happening. We put the dog in a different spot and it was all good.

It's worse if the dog can't see the action since they don't have the excitement/distraction

Originally Posted by Kaimaicockher

interesting, i have never seen a dog that has sensitive ears , i wounder if your guys suggestions just helps the dog associate the shot with game faster ?

Im sure It did in my dogs case . I wonce took a shot at a pig that was sneaking away as his mate that was getting bailed by our dogs , I had a young dog and unknown to me must have come off the bail and come back to where I shot from . I didn't realize what had happened until we sorted the pigs out and she was missing . We where in open country so I soon seen her in the binos back tracking all the way to the truck . I took a short cut and bisected her path I called her and nothing at all no response ? . Again again nothing , she was deaf as a post . Finally got her . Next day took her to the vet as she could still not hear. I assumed I had blown her ear drums. The vet checked her and said it was impossible for her to be deaf . It took a full week before she could hear again . When she seen the gun after that she would wet herself . Bugger she never got over it ,so she was made Into a pet..

Just sometimes we get involved in what we are doing and sort of forget the dog...we know they are as hard as nuts, obsessed with hunting and stuff but just sometimes we forget ourselves or rather them...it is like water retrieves...we can sit in the maimai with thermals, state of the art neoprene this, microfleece that, gortex whatevas but dog is all wet from the water, and cold, often very cold...the average temperature of a healthy dog is 101 °F or 38 °C...so if we are cold, he must be pretty damn cold, if he is wet.
And we sometimes forget too that not only is the dog's sense of nose extreme, but also his hearing (thats why gundogs have folded ears!!) is vastly acute...

Hey Jimmie I'm sure your dog will get use too the gun.My young boy is Bolt


He was shy but come right after some good gun shooting and when the dog relates the gun too a retrieve all good.
It takes time if they are a bit timid but labs shouldn't be gun shy.My boy is a lab x hunterway and hes young but good after the summer parrie season hope this helps you.

http://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co.n...b-parries-743/

jimme18 how did you introduce the shot , did you do any training for it before you went hunting ?

Yeah I started him with 12 gauge, that was a mistake. I like the idea of putting him away further as he may have sensitive ears, hoping he gets better as he is an amazing retriever and is fantastic at taking directions. Thanks for the ideas, I'll take him out tomorrow and see how he works out other wise he will just hopefully get used to it

Clay club is a good spot to get them used to it. In back of truck to start with then around to front of club house with our one and no probs. She used to shake when the gun came up as she was super excited and knew what was coming. Didn't half get a look of WTF if you missed and nothing to retrieve LOL

Yes we take a dogs ears to much for granted. Many of the dogs we shot deer over, or the goat teams dogs became totally or partially deaf over their life time from the constant shooting over them.

I know how the feel I am going that way myself. I have a whole bloody chorus of locusts bussing away in my cranium fins.

'Spanners' is right though the gun club is a great place for a pup to get used to guns. When I took my latest pup to the Whitianga Club I was suprised that it never turned a hair at the guns. One of the older guys said, "of course, I would not have expected any reaction except happiness from your pup. Remember you always brought the mother when you came to a shoot when she was carrying her pups. The pups being carried hear the guns and associate it with a fun experience because the mother is having a fun"

So if you want to produce a line of pups that are bombproof take the mother when she is carrying to the local gun club and get her out having a great time.

Originally Posted by Scribe

Yes we take a dogs ears to much for granted. Many of the dogs we shot deer over, or the goat teams dogs became totally or partially deaf over their life time from the constant shooting over them.

I know how the feel I am going that way myself. I have a whole bloody chorus of locusts bussing away in my cranium fins.

'Spanners' is right though the gun club is a great place for a pup to get used to guns. When I took my latest pup to the Whitianga Club I was suprised that it never turned a hair at the guns. One of the older guys said, "of course, I would not have expected any reaction except happiness from your pup. Remember you always brought the mother when you came to a shoot when she was carrying her pups. The pups being carried hear the guns and associate it with a fun experience because the mother is having a fun"

So if you want to produce a line of pups that are bombproof take the mother when she is carrying to the local gun club and get her out having a great time.

dogs ears dont even open till around 10 days old
how can they know whats going on when they are in there mothers belly ?? are you saying they know they have been to a gun club the second they are born ??

Originally Posted by jimme18

Yeah I started him with 12 gauge, that was a mistake. I like the idea of putting him away further as he may have sensitive ears, hoping he gets better as he is an amazing retriever and is fantastic at taking directions. Thanks for the ideas, I'll take him out tomorrow and see how he works out other wise he will just hopefully get used to it

i would just start again with the braking to the shot some one 100meter away and you doing retrieves ect , since the dogs not running away or any thing to major it shouldint be to hard , but from what you say it does sound like some negative accusation to the noise ,
or if you got a friend that shoots, get them in the mai mai shooting and you 50 odd meters away only sending for the retrieve of the birds , winged or flapping runners would be good as the would be lot of hype with it and chase , slowly move closer ect, if the dog could see the bird as it was flying in and see it being shoot would be even better

it may take some time and its hard to say what would be the best method with out seeing the dogs reactions