STARTING TO TRAIN MY 5 YR OLD GOLDEN RETRIEVER

[irishevox]

Well i recieved a duck trraining  decoy last year during the hunt wa christmas draw.  All went well it was mainly used for him retrieving the duck after i threw it.... once it warmed up we moved in the him going to get in the water.... here is my issue... even when i just rack my shotgun he gets all scared... is there a way to break him of that....  next week i am going to start working on me hiding the decoy between some floaters and see if he will go and find it... going to start using the scent.  Anytips or help would be excellent.  I know alot of people specialize in puppy training but i am working on getting him trained up.  what i am doing

[whitey]

5 years Old?? Why did you wait so long?
He might not do as well as if you would have started when it was a pup.
I think I would spread my Decoys out in the pond and just pitch the dummy out in them and let him go get it.
They see where the bird falls and that should be it.
I would take him to Cooke Canyon and do some shooting over him. Its good to knock the dust off the dog before hunting season.

[REHJWA]

Work the slide while feeding him. The goal is to link the gun to a positive result...food/retrive. Also, have the gun with you when throwing "fun"  retrieves.

[irishevox]

5 years Old?? Why did you wait so long?
He might not do as well as if you would have started when it was a pup.
I think I would spread my Decoys out in the pond and just pitch the dummy out in them and let him go get it.
They see where the bird falls and that should be it.
I would take him to Cooke Canyon and do some shooting over him. Its good to knock the dust off the dog before hunting season.

Right after i got him i moved it Italy for 3 years... so it kinda put training on the back burner.  Now that we are moved in and back in the swing of things/... and after a deployment i have all summer to work with him

[Elliott]

Glad that dummy is working for you! My dog when he was a pup was just plain terrified of the look and smell of my shotgun. Bring the gun out when you feed him and rack the action. To get the dog used to the sounds of the gun going off I would throw lit firecrackers about 10 feet behind him while he was eating, he jumped at first but after a while he didnt care. Good luck!

[T-Bone]

I don't like the firecracker idea, but if it worked….? I generally start a puppy/dog's introduction to guns and gunfire with a toy cap gun. I'll do a shot when the dog is distracted and having fun; I generally hold the gun behind my back, at first. I'll also, stand back from the food dish and do it, as well. DON'T BE IN A HURRY! Make sure the dog is comfortable with the cap gun sound before progressing to a .22 cal blank revolver and then onto a .410 or 20 GA. shotgun. In over 40 years of my amateur dog training with 6 different gun dog breeds; I have yet to have gun-shy dog. I've seen others' dogs go gun-shy by either never introducing them to gun fire or  taking the poor dog on a first hunting trip with all the Buds for a 12 Ga. mass blasting of gun fire.

Good luck…Your dog sounds a bit timid; I'd be slow and careful.

[irishevox]

he is still kinda iffy with the gun just racking.... i just have to sit with him and do it slowly to kind of coax him in to it... he doesn't cry he just runs away and barks at it.... 

[PointNLab]

I wouldn't recommend the fireworks. We throw a pissload of  marks ( bumpers or birds) several very night until the dog is crazy about retrieving. Then we have a second person start throwing the marks  anywhere from 50-100 yards away. Again several every night that you can and gradually introduce a shot with a blank pistol in the field with the remote gunner . Throw the bird then shoot and the dog will be focused on the bird. As far as the gun  as mentioned above just have it around and work the action while doing other things he likes.

[irishevox]

i need to find a place to do that...

[REHJWA]

I wouldn't recommend the fireworks. We throw a pissload of  marks ( bumpers or birds) several very night until the dog is crazy about retrieving. Then we have a second person start throwing the marks  anywhere from 50-100 yards away. Again several every night that you can and gradually introduce a shot with a blank pistol in the field with the remote gunner . Throw the bird then shoot and the dog will be focused on the bird. As far as the gun  as mentioned above just have it around and work the action while doing other things he likes.

Maybe have the remote gunner us a dummer launcher with light loads. The noise will be far enough away not to make the dog jump and the dog will see the dummy falling about the time the shot report reaches you...

[irishevox]

hmmmm

[Johnb317]

Take him to a very active shotgun range, get out of the car away from the noise and play/walk with him moving closer to the range.   Treats can help.

Maybe rack the gun then give a treat?

[irishevox]

i will have to try that i need to find one that will allow a dog on its range

[T-Bone]

With a dog that sensitive, I would not take it to a shooting range. The abrupt loudness of a shooting range could result quickly in a gun shy dog.Please give my prior suggestion a shot along with PointNLab's suggestions as well.

[irishevox]

I think i will use the CAP gun idea... I like it... and it would seem to work well.... plus it' easily mobile to do it in side city limits here in Oak Harbor they are super strict.  It might take me a little time to get one... b/c I am always at work just like now...

[Bushcraft]

The  theory is pretty straightforward.  You need to associate loud noises and hunting "stuff" (gear, shells, guns, vest, decoys, etc.) with things the dog believes are positives.

If you are just starting out in the training and can't make a positive association with a loud noise, DON'T make a loud noise.

Fortunately, most labs are extremely food driven and this greatly aids in initial aspects of training.  Preferably, you'll start the noise training very early by making increasingly louder noises while they are chowing down their food (banging their dish around a bit beforehand), making a reasonably loud noise as they are hell bent for leather going after their favorite toys, and give them TONS of encouragement, etc.  Try to always have a snack back handy as a reward.  You can find a trainer bag at most any pet store that cinches at the top and clips onto your belt.

Dummy launchers are awesome.  Cap guns are awesome. My lab can't get enough of retrieving and will literally run himself into the ground if we let him.  Don't EVER do that!  Stop well before the dog wants to, always.  That way, he'll always have a passionate drive to retrieve, thinking it "fun" vs. "work".  WRT noise, we simply started the introduction to "gun" noises after basic obedience training by having my wife walk off a distance 50 yards or so and pop the dummy out in front of us.  I carried an old beater 870 and would follow the flight path of the "bird", sending the dog after the dummy landed.  She would get progressively closer to the point that we could substitute blanks in a 22 single shot over him as she or I threw "birds" from any distance/direction to any distance/direction.  4th of July celebrations are fantastic if you can get the dog in a controlled spot among the comfort of people he knows and just shovel his favorite healthy snacks in his face with every loud boom and give him lots of "atta boy" encouragement.  I just use his regular dog food for snacks.  Now, any loud noise is cause for sheer euphoria and anticipation of getting to do something fun.

[irishevox]

good info... i have to start harder there is no way he will be ready for this season but he will be on his way