chesapeake bay retriever

[vikings269]

ok first off I am no proffessional and i have 2 gsps, im just a hunter, i found an add on craigslist for a chessie some older lady wanted to get rid of, he is 5 years old and full up on shots and fixed but she warns me he is gunshy and scared of water, i had to get him anyway, so $50 later me and gunner are together, i have found he is very timid on everything but he loves water. i didnt even try to introduce him to it he saw a pond and dove right in, lol but he does hate going deep as that particular pond was muddy and shallow and he had a hard time walking in it, anyway when i bring out my shotgun at home he runs so i know he knows what it is but i took him to the field and he got over me carrying it pretty "bleep" quick and he really enjoyed himself, i wasnt gonna fire it over him, baby steps here, but he is quite timid but i can tell he can get over it if i have enough patience, anyone have advice?

[Greg Jennings]

Do what you're doing, baby steps.

Get him interested in birds or something, anything to engage his prey drive. Then, when he is full chase, waaaayyy on out there, pop the quietest thing you can find behind your back, pointed the opposite way. If he reacts, just act like nothing happened and keep going. Use masking tape over the lips, if you need to (duct tape smarts! when you pull it off).

Greg J.

[westexasrepublic]

YAH YOU SOUND LIKE YOU ARE ALLREADY ON THE RIGHT TRACK, YOUR UNDERSTANDING NOT TO RUSH THINGS IS THE MAIN THING.... HE NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE GUN WONT HURT HIM. SO BEING AROUND IT, SEEING YOU WITH SHOULD BE A POSITIVE THING BEFORE YOU SHOOT OR EVEN MAKE LOUD NOISES AT ALL

[jetto]

Something that helped our rescue Brittany get over her gun-shyness was putting all of the dogs on the chain gang- and working birds one by one and letting her watch....Course the other dogs are screaming and saying "ME NEXT ME NEXT!!!" which got her all fired up too....She was not only gun-shy but pigeon shy but we got her over both in about a years time....Unfortunately we never got a good enough handle on her to take her hunting away from the farm and she never did figure out that she had to hold the point til we got to her before diving in and trying to eat the bird, lol...A product of her self hunting for 3 years before we got her. But we are able to work the other dogs around her, fire guns, carry the shotgun past her, etc. and have her not freak out anymore which came in really handy when we started field trialing with the gun fire she hears....

Good Luck and have fun!!!! Kristi

[Kiki's Mom]

Taking him all the way back to square one and proper introduction to the birds/gunfire with heightened prey drive will probably do the trick. You may want to contact CBRR&R (Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief and Rescue) for your area and ask who they recommend for a trainer if any...and have a chat with the trainer too to give you ideas that work with a Chessie. I LOVE the breed and have done a great deal of work with CBRR&R. They have a pretty good network and resource base for these dogs that are re homed such as yours.

Kristi's suggestions are excellent ones too.

Kudos to you for giving this boy a second chance. Post pics of Gunner when you have a chance, will ya? And did you see the latest issue of Gun Dog Magazine? It is featuring the Chessie this time

[vikings269]

thanks for all the replies so quick, i will post pics of gunner "bleep" fast as i can but i have no camera besides my phone right now and i dont have the technology to transfer them, gunner is a beautiful chessie and im so happy to have him and i just want him to enjoy himself, i didnt need another hunting dog but i had to grab him when i saw him, it seems everyone agrees i have done everything good so far, im not sure i can work on his swimming much more as its getting cold, mid summer id run out in the water with him, and for him to run the field yesterday while i carried a gun was a nice step, next time out i think im gonna bring my ruger 10-22 and do some fetching, god he is absolutely freakish with retrieving anything, and try to fire a shot here and there, thanks for all the replies

[vikings269]

[quoteI LOVE the breed and have done a great deal of work with CBRR&R. They have a pretty good network and resource base for these dogs that are re homed such as yours.
][/quote]

its my first chessie and even though its a little tainted i also love the breed, he is the most perfect dog in the home!

[EddieF]

First step: take some pictures!
Second step: Post them here!
I'm glad he has a good home now.

[vikings269]

dont ya know open bottle is illegal even if ya blame it on the dog? lol that sure looked like a newfoundland in the early pics

[vikings269]

the funny thing is i was told he hates water and is gunshy, he obviously loves water but never got introduced to swimming properly and how gunshy is he? obviously very when he runs upstairs when i get out the shotgun at home, we took a good step yesterday and he didnt mind at all when i carried the gun, i havent even seen what he does yet if a shot is fired, but i can tell it would mess with him cuz he is just a real timid dog, but i still think i can make him overcome it, i like challenges!

[Sandy Meador]

I'd make sure that the dog was very comfortable in his new home and surroundings BEFORE introducing shots. And as someone else pointed out - have him a good ways from you, chasing a bird, etc..., and then fire a shot behind your back. Do you have access to a .22 primer pistol or a .209 primer pistol? Use as little noise as possible before trying a shotgun. I've worked with several gun shy Chessies and Labs over the yrs. and you MUST take it slooooow. There is a CD you can buy that you leave playing for the dog that is supposed to cure gun shyness - but I have no experience with it.

Thanks for taking in the Chessie! They are superb water dogs and great pets, it is great to see you are trying to get him into what he was bred for - hunting. Good luck!

[vikings269]

ya im gonna get him into hunting and being what he loves but i gotta take it real slow, i just clapped my hands and he ran off to the bedroom to hide, hes also a tenderfoot, 5 years and no hunting, he cut his foot early when we hit the field, its not bad but i couldnt run him anymore, he is an awesome dog for a pet but i can tell he wants to tear it up in the field, lol

[rstbkt69]

You would never know it by the looks of my GSP, Cocoa, but when she was a pup she was a little.... noise shy. I was a little nervous over this at first but just hoped she would be ok come training time. Well i started to build a storage shed in the back useing a framing nailer. At first she showed a little shyness with all the cutting , board dropping and sawing and nailing going on but pretty soon she got to the point that I couldn't keep her out from under my feet. The nail gun was loud enough but not too loud. The first time I fired a blank gun over her she didn't even flinch and shooting a shotgun never bothered her. I'm not trying to say that you need to run to home depot to get a nailer, I mean I would, I look for excuses to buy another tool, but my point is to follow the advice of the others and take it slow ,start quiet and work up . There is hope for your chessie.. and your tool drawer too. You might want to start out with a little 1/4 inch brad nailer, they come in real handy around the home and they are pretty quiet... I mean you need this to help your dog overcome his aversion to noise.
Jim

[vikings269]

i got a pic of him on my stupid camera phone but i have no idea how to get it on here, i hate camera phones, lol

[vikings269]

Image005.jpg

[vikings269]

ok i finally get a pic of gunner and nobody replies?

[res283]

Good looking dog but to me looks like he could use a few lbs, not much but a little. May be camera angle.
Good job on the save . We used a food treat to get a buddy's Weim (rescue) over the shyness. Dog was a nut for icecream so we would get a kiddie cone and park by the skeet range and let the dog have it. He or I did this every Saturday. We parked a little closer every time. Started at the end of a 1.5 mile driveway. Within about 4 or 5 trips we could pull into the lot but not get out of the car. Took about 5 months to get him where you could walk around with people shooting ten or so feet away.

[vikings269]

i agree he could use a few pounds, he is a picky eater

[Rick Hall]

We used a food treat to get a buddy's Weim (rescue) over the shyness. Dog was a nut for icecream so we would get a kiddie cone and park by the skeet range and let the dog have it. He or I did this every Saturday. We parked a little closer every time. Started at the end of a 1.5 mile driveway. Within about 4 or 5 trips we could pull into the lot but not get out of the car. Took about 5 months to get him where you could walk around with people shooting ten or so feet away.

An awful lot of folks get their panties over their ears at the mention of "skeet range" with regard gun conditioning, but they're among the best of tools when used sensibly, as above. Never tried the ice cream approach or used a range to desensitize a gunshy dog, but more than a couple of my pups have been introduced to gunfire though activities they enjoyed moving closer to initially distant ranges over time.

(Current coyote's introduction was with the help of butane cannons used to keep birds out of seed rice. They're louder than any shotgun - but not at all intimidating at the distances where we began. Just a backdrop to good times.)

[vikings269]

where can i purchase a butane cannon and is it legal? lol

[vikings269]

update on gunner, i havent taking him swimming for obvious reasons, that might have to wait till next summer, on the gun shy he still jumps on everything yet he gets over it almost immediately, yet he still jumps. i havent fired a 12 guage over him yet as sounds way less make him jump, but he gets over it almost instantly where before he was cowering and hiding, now he just jumps, looks that way and thinks about hiding but turns around to look to see what happened. ive had plenty of dogs but this is my first ever gunshy dog, maybe i just been lucky but anyway this a first for me and i want to work him through it as he has a great prey drive and is an awesome loyal retriever! i know i wont have any problem getting him to swim. any advice would be greatly appreciated

[rstbkt69]

I am not trying to start second guessing your care that your chessie gets from you by any means. I'm just curious as to why you have not let him get into the water. Isn't it normally cold during duck season when these guys are used. I mean I havn't a clue about how cold it is where you are, I live in the desert where our low was 45 and our high today was about 92. Just curious. thanks
Jim

[vikings269]

well because when i introduce him to water i will let him go in all he wants when its cold but the best way to introduce him (for swimming purposes) is for ME to be in the water with him! I dont know about you but i rarely get into the water myself in minnesota at the beginning of november, sure he can go in all he wants, i just wont be working with him personally in the water, does that make sence?

[rstbkt69]

Yep. I didn't think about you getting in the water. but like I said I live in a desert. LOL

[vikings269]

i would work with him on swimming (he doesnt have a problem plowing into the shallows) with other dogs during this time of year, but i just wont be doing it myself, theres other issues to work on anyway and i know i can get him to swim easy if i am the one in the water with him, he is loyal and confident by me. no need to rush things.