training a dog for gunfire

gunnoob75 · Jul 31, 2009

I read on a forum somewhere, about a guy who would get in a canoe with his dog, and bring a couple guns.

The man would fire off a round or two, and the dog would get scared and jump into the water. He'd swim around a bit, but eventually get back in. Repeat as necessary.

Cougfan2 · Jul 31, 2009

The worst thing you could do is just take the pup to the range. When I trained my bird dogs, I would start out with a pop gun at dinner time (not sure you can even buy a pop gun anymore) and have someone a ways away shoot the pop gun a couple of times as the dog was eating. The dog will be more focused on the food. They might look up to see what the noise was, but if you don't react to it, chances are they won't. Slowly over the next week or so get closer and closer to the dog while ther are eating until you can stand right over the dog and fire the pop gun without them paying attention to it (I would think something like a Daisy Red Rider BB gun would make an appropriate noise). After that maybe repeat the process with a training pistol until you can stand right over the dog with the training pistol while it is eating.

You can repeat this process then by taking the dog to the Trap range starting out a ways away from the range and gradually getting closer to the firing line until you can stand close behind those shooting without the dog getting concerned. Bring plenty of treats with you!

Eventually the dog will start to associate the sound of shooting with something they like; eating! The trick is to introduce them slowly to the sound of firearms and get them to associate firearms with something they love. After I had trained my first bird dog, I couldn't leave the house with my shotgun if he saw the case and thought I wasn't bringing him.

MarkSBG · Jul 31, 2009

+1

I have heard of a similar process for shooting from horse back. Start with clapping, move to cap guns, and gradually increase volume over a few weeks or months depending on how the animal reacts...

whutdidyousay · Jul 31, 2009

gunnails · Jul 31, 2009

What kind of dog, any pics.

Here is mine.

So far he has gotten 2 geese about 6 ducks, 2 pheasant, and a rat.

whutdidyousay · Jul 31, 2009

MarkSBG · Jul 31, 2009

Awww of the day....

Oro · Aug 1, 2009

That dog looks plenty old, but in general, try to wait until they are six months or more old. Really young ones can suffer auditory damage from gun fire if it's done up close when very young (this applies to most animals - humans, horses, dogs, etc.).

Cotton wadding in the ears at first is also a good first step - protects from concussion and acclimates them slowly to it, just like a new shooter.

whutdidyousay · Aug 1, 2009

ABG/CORVALLISGUNS · Aug 1, 2009

When I trained my springer starting at 8 weeks I would clap my hands real load when there backs were turned.You can do this while teaching them to fetch and they get used to the clapping sound and associate it with retrieving.After that you can intoduce a cap gun just hold it behind your back and shoot when they are retrieving.Just a few things i did it may work for you, just hold off on the big guns first off till you get them used to it or there ruined.

candyman · Aug 1, 2009

shes a pit mix
boy is she cute

the4thshake · Aug 5, 2009

I started my dog off when he was young by having him near when we shot .22 rifles. It didn't seem to bug him so he soon graduated to watching us shoot trap with a shotgun. We had to keep him tied up because he wanted to retrieve the little orange "birds".