Post by: davecloke on November 17, 2016, 09:33:04 PM
Post by: metlhead on November 17, 2016, 09:44:37 PM
Post by: Smokeploe on November 18, 2016, 05:45:02 AM
Smokeploe
Post by: Henrydog on November 18, 2016, 06:28:08 AM
Post by: T-Bone on November 18, 2016, 07:08:20 AM
Mine: I start off with a toy cap pistol. At first, I don't reveal the pistol and only fire it when the puppy is involved in a fun time activity like play retrieving. I start at a short distance and then work in closer as the puppy is fully involved in fun time. I progress outside to a blank firing, starter/training pistol. I fire it as the maturing puppy is in full blast pursuit of the training dummy. The puppy soon learns that gun fire is a notice of possible fun. The final step is a solo hunt in the field or field training with pigeons.
Whatever method you decide on...take it carefully and slow and don't take a young dog for its first hunt with the car load of "Best Buds" that expose the dog to sudden multiple 12 Ga. blasts along with other people yelling at your dog.
Post by: davecloke on November 18, 2016, 09:30:42 AM
Post by: jackson7 on November 18, 2016, 09:34:12 AM
great advice from t bone.
Post by: jetjockey on November 18, 2016, 09:39:02 AM
Post by: ribka on November 18, 2016, 10:12:43 AM
Please, For your sake, DO NOT take your dog to the gun range. That is a great way to make your dog gun shy. Put the dog on birds, let it chase, and then fire a muffled blank pistol. Slowly work your way up from there so the shot gets louder, and closer to the beginning of the chase. If your dog associates the shot with birds, your dog will be looking for retrieves like crazy on the 4th. If your dog doesn't know why he's hearing the loud bangs, you could easily create a gun shy dog. I can't stress to you how bad an idea it is to take your young dog to a gun range.
x2- could ruin a dog quickly taking to a range
work on prey drive and then combine prey drive with gunfire. Associating the two if very important imo
Get some live pigeons or other birds let your dog go after them. After a week or so , have someone hold your dog. Walk about 20 yds away with a pellet rifle or muffled cap gun fire gun and release the bird (a tethered bird) while dog is watching. After a few weeks bump it up to a .22 cal still maintaining distance. I then slowly close distance with the pellet rifle so dog is near me when I shoot and release bird. Then slowly shorten distance and shoot next to dog with something louder like a .22 rifle. After a few weeks or so introduce a shotgun is dog is comfortable and excited. First few weeks with shotgun stay about 50 yds away from dog first time when release bird.. Definitely no hurry in exposing to gunfire. I then same and combine water retrieves
any problems start from beginning and go slowly. If you plan to hunt with other hunters introduce the dog, again at a distance to multiple gunfire during training. Have seen more than one dog who was not gun shy freak out first time exposed to multiple gun fire.
Post by: clockwork on November 18, 2016, 12:11:17 PM
Post by: scottr on November 18, 2016, 03:01:48 PM
Do not take your dog to the range as a way to introduce the gun. More gun dogs are ruined this way than you can imagine.
If you plan to hunt with this dog, the tried and true method is to create an association of the gun with birds & hunting. There is a lot of information online about this but at a high level here is the idea:
1) introduce the dog to birds (homing pigeons in a kick cage work great) until they are pointing & chasing them. You want the dog to be confident around birds and for the prey drive to kick in. Screw this up and you'll have a dog that blinks on birds (has a bad association with birds).
2) once the dog is pointing & chasing birds and seems confident in that you can introduce the gun. It helps to have a shooter while you handle the dog. Start with a 22 blank from far away and move gradually closer until you can fire over the dog. If at any time the dog reacts negatively to the gun, stop and go back to chasing birds and slowly re-introduce. You want a dog that is so focused on the bird that they never hear/or care about the gun. Eventually a gun shot may actually get them excited. The formula is gun + birds = fun.
3) repeat step 2 with a shot gun starting far away and slowly firing closer and closer.
If you get through step 3 with no ill effects your dog is broke to the gun.
My setter is broke to the gun but still freaks out at loud noises including fireworks & banging because when he hears these he is not associating the sounds with fun & birds.
Post by: SpringerFan on November 18, 2016, 05:31:22 PM
Please, For your sake, DO NOT take your dog to the gun range. That is a great way to make your dog gun shy. Put the dog on birds, let it chase, and then fire a muffled blank pistol. Slowly work your way up from there so the shot gets louder, and closer to the beginning of the chase. If your dog associates the shot with birds, your dog will be looking for retrieves like crazy on the 4th. If your dog doesn't know why he's hearing the loud bangs, you could easily create a gun shy dog. I can't stress to you how bad an idea it is to take your young dog to a gun range.
Spot on. Never a trap range. Do a search. I outlined what I was taught and both dogs loved their shotgun!
Post by: jagermiester on November 18, 2016, 11:24:33 PM
Post by: T-Bone on November 19, 2016, 06:33:21 AM
going it through it now. have been using a cap gun in house. starter pistol on walks. good luck.
great advice from t bone.
Thank you, jackson7; I've used this method for decades with great success and by "taking it slow", I've never had a gun shy dog.
In my earlier post, I should have mentioned my strong dislike about the gun range idea...Heck, I personally twitch without hearing protection upon hearing the BLAM...BLAM of gunfire upon arriving at a gun range; let alone a puppy with their sensitive ears.
As mentioned, keep the gunfire exposure a fun and rewarding experience for the puppy. Good luck!
Post by: Forks on November 19, 2016, 07:08:36 AM
Post by: Stein on November 19, 2016, 08:02:07 AM
Fourth of July is another good time, I took her outside and every big boom I fed her a treat. She was scared, but took the treats and I think it helped.
The first gunfire was at a shooting range (dirt pit style). I had her in the truck and then out of the truck but not very close to the gun.
When we finally got into a duck blind, she didn't mind the gunfire at all.
Post by: aaronoto on November 19, 2016, 11:05:13 AM
Here's what I did since I didn't have access to birds at the time. My dog goes crazy for bumpers so I had someone about 50 yards away with a .22 fire off a shot as she was in full sprint on a retrieve. She showed no reaction so shooter gradually moved closer until he was standing even with me, but still firing when she was in full sprint. That was it for initial introduction. Next time out it was with a 20 gauge and the same drill. The next time out a 12 gauge and the same drill. After I got through the 12 gauge I introduced a dummy launcher so she heard the pop before the retrieve. Then up to a 20 gauge again doing the same (fire and then toss dummy) then 12 gauge again.
If we're just out and about and she hears a loud noise she'll still startle, but absolutely no negative reaction when we're out in the field hunting.
Post by: wildweeds on November 19, 2016, 01:37:04 PM
Post by: Jpmiller on November 22, 2016, 03:16:58 PM
Post by: 7mmBuckley on November 25, 2016, 05:16:09 PM