blanks are fine mate but if its the dogs 1st outing with gun i would recommend taking afriend along to fire the gun while you keep dog a fair distance away ,you can then see what dogs reaction is to the noise as some dogs dont like the bang right up close on 1st time out . if your happy with dogs reaction move in to the noise on a gradual basis every other day , use dead birds by all accounts and when the dog is ok with noise from gun throw a dead bird out so that the dog associates the noise /gun with a bit of fun ie its retrieve! best of luck mate -billy