Thread: Is she old enough?

Read this

http://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co.n...-gun-shy-2524/

Prevention is always better than cure. Personally, I would build up a huge positive association with all things hunting way before introducing the actual shot. Different application but same process - before Jet and I started our Schuthund style tracking, I built a great positive association with the long line, the harness (the sight of the harness, not just the wearing of it) and the particular tug toy we use at the end of the track.

I thought about all the elements of the final product and built the positive association with them separately before putting them together. I also only added a few things together at a time, rather than each individual element and then bang all of them at once. For example, I worked on the sight of the long line and the sight of the harness separately, then put them together to work on the long line dragging behind the harness just at home. Then I built up to those elements while in the environment of a track lay.

So for me, I would probably build a positive association with the individual elements of the safe keys being jangled, the gun bag, the physical presence of the gun, maybe even the physical presence of my hunting belt too, my day bag, hopping into the back of the car, then building up to the action of the gun being raised into the shoulder etc etc. I'd probably also build on the sound of gun fire by using a recording and having the volume at a low level while fun stuff is happening (dinner lol) and then build up to the sound happening as a precursor for food or other reward.

This is coming from a girl with a very soft dog with medium to low drive and of a non-hunting background!

Good luck and have fun