Introducing Bangs

[lurcher666phil 43]

has anyone any advice as when and how to introduce bangs to a cocker I have a 4 month old 1 and have heard that you can make a dog gun shy by doing it to soon or is it like a lot of other things with dogs and just down to the individual personality of the dog? atb

[dogs-n-natives 1,181]

Just make it fun! I would wait until your training has got the pup sitting, staying, retrieving well, and learning hand signals well.. Get a friend to stand 50 yards away, and when you hoy the dummy, he shoots, then on command send the pup for the fetch. Gradually bring the gun closer to you., keeping things fun for the pup, no dicipline, allow for a bit of loss of concentration etc If the pup gets frightened you might as well then put the dam gun to its head, i dont know about you, but I couldnt be arsed with a gun shy dog. haha lucky Ive not had one yet. Just kidding. Or am I?

 

Happy Christmas

 

DnN

[Lab 10,979]

You can start by banging there feed bowls when your feeding them.

[stroller 341]

You will know your own dog if its confident and lets face it most cockers are very confident just do it gradually I got the wife to walk firing a starter pistol at about 100 yards away gradually getting closer. One thing I wouldn't overlook ist carrying the gun. My old dog took a while to get used to me swinging a gun about so if you can carry a gun around with you on a walk and swing it about not firing it. Don't do this in your public park ;0) Merry Christmas

[SILVER-SALMON 0]

I wouldn't worry to much about introducing your pup to a lot of noise the now ! Just concentrate on forming a strong bond with the pup. Personally I would wait until the pup is about 6/7 months! then give the food bowls a slight rattle every time you feed the pup but nothing to loud

I usually wait until the dogs well into its advanced stage of training(18/24 months depending on the dog) before I introduce loud bangs

[lurcher666phil 43]

thanks folks all advice gladly received keep it coming atb

[andy97 209]

id leave it till the dog good on all comands then take him out n et few shots off if he doesn like the gun hes not going to be any good for shotgun shooting but could be used for airgun

[ftm 3,357]

im always plinking in garden with air rifle & find it helps to sort of make guns "the norm" they soon just get used to it and I then start getting the missus to throw a dummy out when I take a shot and giving the pup a chance at retrieving[its like a reward] ,the dog then thinks guns are good! I wont take it out to shotgun till 6+ months and will stand a field away whilst mate is shooting and its the pups reactions to the shots that will determine my next steps -but I wont push on until I know the pup is confident enough -billy

[28xxgeo 28]

As lab said cloncking bowls together then party poppers tend to work a treat did with my old boys gun shy pointer and he was 10months just gradually got him use to popers then worked him up standing good bit away with dummy launchers gradually got closer and slowly intro gun now at 2 and half you would never no he had been gun shy ps forgot dad took him to a shoot to get him use to it to but that was once he was more advanced on training etc etc

[RubyTex 1,957]

You can always take the pup to the clays, usually other dogs, people, guns going off, everything you need really. When i took mine i got her out the back of the car which is about 50 metres from the first stand then had a slow walk towards the stands even getting her to sit next to them. No bother.