A possible gun shy dog

[ratter1234 1]

I brought a cocker pup 6 months ago and he is now 8 months old, I have trained him to the whistle and he is showing some real talent and excels at working. Only problem is he is very nervous. Especially with loud noises. I can get a friend to shoot a starter pistol about 200m away with no affect and I can get about 50m away from my friend, then my pup starts to stop working and comes in very close to me. Any suggestions will be much appreciated

[welshboy454 3]

I struggled with a similar problem with a young bitch I was given. She was ok when focussed with a starting pistol but somebody had terrified her with a 12g by firing over her so she was gunshy.

What I did was to approach it in stages.

1 Throw a visible dummy/bird for the dog while in her kennel . On letting her out tell her to fetch.

2 Progress to a blind retrieve immediately on being let out.

3 Fire a starting pistol some distance away then let her out for the retrieve.

4 Fire it outside the Kennel then let her out.

5 Fire a 12g well away then let her out

6 Slowly bring the distance closer.

 

The idea in all of this was to get her to associate the bang with something pleasurable to follow

 

She still jumps a bit but the thought of the retrieve helps her lose her fear.

Another thing I did was to leave a gun in her kennel between her feed bowl and water bowl at feed time for a week or so until she was happy to come for a walk while I carried the gun.

 

I was fortunate enough for a Pheasant to rise off a hedge and fly over her while she watched and drop it dead into the open field for her to retrieve and she is ok now.

[tus 22]

got this of another site hope it helps

One of the hardest problems to correct is gun shyness or gun sensitivity once it is instilled in a dog. Unfortunately, introducing a dog to gun fire is the one place most people make mistakes. Like all other aspects of field work the introduction of the gun needs to be introduces in steps, with positive rewards and praise. There are varying degrees of gun shyness, from the dog that flinches or runs from the sound of the gun, to the dog that hides behind the furniture at the mere site of a gun. The common thread to any of these behaviours is that the dog has had a bad experiance with a load noise be it gunshots, thunder, or fireworks.

 

So how do we over avoid these problems? The best way is to deal with a breeder who takes the time to introduce his puppies, from the time they are born till the time they go home with their new owners, to the sound of load noises. Personally, when I have a litter of pups on the ground from the time that they are a week old things progressively get louder in the nursery. In the beginning I will tap a metel pie plate with my fingers for 3 or 4 days until everyone is comfortable and taking no notice. I then start banging two pie plates together increasing the noise they make over the course of a few days. Once the pups are starting in on their own food I progress to banging empty food bowls together as the pups dive into the food placed down for them. By the second week of them eating on their own, I will have an assistant firing a childs cap gun 20 meters away while they dive into the food. When I am sure that none of the pups are having any problems to the noise I have the cap gun come closer and closer, until it is right in the puppy pen as well.

 

Another step that I like to add with young pups or with an 8 week old pup that I have bought is the sound of gun fire to music, which can be left playing. There are a number of products on the market for this purpose, but the best that I have found is from "Starfire" and is produced as a cure for your dogs fear of gun fire.The cd has 14 segments with gunfire set to music. The key to its success it that the music is set to the dogs heart beat, and the gun fire is added very softly and slowly. What I have done for my use is broken the cd down further into 14 seperate cds so that I can leave it playing softly in the back ground with out fear of it moving forward to quickly. I will normally take a pup ahead 1 cd per week untill we have gone through all 14 disks. At the end of the 14 weeks I have a pup that is listening to a pump action shotgun being fire, and the action being worked and has no fear of the sound. I then proceed to introducing him to the sight and scent of the gun, and then onto the introduction of the gun in the field where everything comes together.

 

Now the above is great if you are dealing with puppies, but what if you have an older dog to introduce? Personally , I like to make sure that the dog is comfortable with the sight and scent of the gun before anything else. To do this I bring the shotgun out and sit down on the floor with it, laying it on the ground. I then proceed to make a fuse over the dog as he sniffs if, and plays around it. I will also lay the gun on the floor when it is feeding time and set the food down right beside the gun, letting the dog relate the food reward to the sight and scent of the gun. Over a two week time period I will also carry the gun while we go out for walks or while playing fetch. During this time the dog becomes accustomed to the gun being present and relates it to all things fun and good.

 

It is now time to introduce the dog to the noise of the gun in the field. The worse things that you could do is take the dog to your local clay grounds where he is going to be over whelmed by the noise of guns going off or to shoot right over or beside him. I find the best way to introduce the noise of the gun is to have a helper. This way I can place my helper 60 meters off to the side and slightly forward of the dog and myself. I also like to do this is 3 stages working the gun in closer over the progression of each stage. In the first stage I use 20 guage shells that only have primers. In the second stage I use 12 guage shells that only have primers. In the third stage I use full load 12 guage poppers. I use the shells with just primers as I find they have a softer sound, and not a hard crack of a .22 cal blank.

 

Personally I like to introduce the gun with the dog chasing birds, which I plant in the field before entering with the dog, or rabbits. This allows him to be hunting and focused on something fun as the sound of the gun goes off. The same can be accomplished using bumpers or balls for him to fetch if he has a solid drive for the retrieving of them.

 

When using birds or rabbits I have my gunner who is 60 meters off to the side and slightly ahead of us fire a shot when a bird goes up or a rabbit bolts. You can signal him by raising your arm if need be. I also make sure that I am carrying my gun empty so that the dog, associates the fun with my having it along. If all goes well and the dog shows no reaction to the sound of the gun going off, I will move my gunner in 10 meters for the next flush or bolt. If on the next flush the dog shows no sign of concern the gun comes in again, and this is repeated until the gun is walking along side us. IF AT ANY TIME The dog shows signs of concern move the gun back out 20 meters and repeat at that distance. Then proceed to come in on 10 meter increments. REMEMBER This does not have to be accomplished in one session. If at the end of the session the gunner is beside you, on your next day out fire a 20 guage primer on your first flush and then stay at that distance and fire a 12 guage primer. This will allow you to evaluate the dog to be sure that there are no problems developing. As with the 20 guage, work your way in with the 12 guage primers during the session, or over however many sessions it takes for your dog to become comfortable with the gunner beside you.

 

The next step is to work your way in using the 12 guage poppers. Again start by having your gunner out 60 meters and firing the first round as just a 12 guage primer. Then switch to the poppers working in at the dogs comfort rate until your gunner is beside you. On your next session out You should be able to comfortably shoot over your dog,using live shells and dropping quarry for your dog to retrieve. However be certain to NEVER shoot directly over or across your dog subjecting him to muzzel blast.

 

To introduce the gun using bumpers or balls, set your gunner up the same and move him in the same as above. The differance is that you are going to throw the ball as you walk and your gunner is going to shoot as it is in the air. Besure that the dog is already chasing the ball before the shot is fired.

 

By following the above your dog will have a stress free intrduction to the gun, and you will have an enjoyable companion for your shooting.

[Lab 10,979]

I brought a cocker pup 6 months ago and he is now 8 months old, I have trained him to the whistle and he is showing some real talent and excels at working. Only problem is he is very nervous. Especially with loud noises. I can get a friend to shoot a starter pistol about 200m away with no affect and I can get about 50m away from my friend, then my pup starts to stop working and comes in very close to me. Any suggestions will be much appreciated

Just highlighting the problem.

[hily 379]

as above toYOUNG FOR THIS LEVEL OF TRAINING

[ratter1234 1]

" tus" can you recall the site you got the info off ? I will try give the Starfire cd a try if I can find it as I have had a quick look on google with no luck. And thanks for the response

[tus 22]

• pigeon watch mate load of info about gundog
  
• http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/
  

Edited December 19, 2011 by tus

[Bradford Lad 74]

Dont know about the rest on here but i start with a loud clap of the hands near the pup when a dummy is thrown in the air, then gradually build up from there.

[j davies 8]

I brought a cocker pup 6 months ago and he is now 8 months old, I have trained him to the whistle and he is showing some real talent and excels at working. Only problem is he is very nervous. Especially with loud noises. I can get a friend to shoot a starter pistol about 200m away with no affect and I can get about 50m away from my friend, then my pup starts to stop working and comes in very close to me. Any suggestions will be much appreciated

i got 4 cockers and to me at 8 months is far to early all mine did nt here a gun until the age of 15 months