Introducing the Gun

[trasmuson]

How young do you start introducing your pup to the gun shot? I will be getting my first gun dog here in a couple of months and want to be as prepared as possible, so I was just wondering how soon I should introduce her to the shot, and what is the best method to do so? I don't want to just go out in the field and start shooting away as I think that would do more harm than good, so please share how you guys introduce the pups. Thank you!

[Fester]

I am probably the only one on here that does this but I just shoot a bird, once the dog makes a good point and is all tore up about the bird and if I can shoot in a direction that is not over the dogs ears, I just shoot a bird, small gun away from dogs head 1 shot and if the dog goes after the bird we get on the ground and celebrate, that might very well be the worse advise you ever got but it works for me
Fester

[rinker]

I have never raised a gun shy dog at my house and like the poster above I have never done any thing special to introduce the gun. I have bought a couple of older dogs that turned out to be gun shy. I think that I know the reason for this. I live in the country and neighbors around me occasionally fire guns. I have a neighbor not too far away that is a police man and he practices with his service pistol behind his house. When someone around me fires a gun the older dogs get excited because they think someone has gone hunting without them. The puppies realize the older dogs are excited and they get excited also.

I have three puppies now that are four or five months old. I was out in the yard doing some work last evening and my neighbor, the police man, started shooting behind his house. I looked down at the kennel and all three of those puppies were bouncing around as happy as they could possibly be. I have never done any kind of gun introduction with them and they already have no problem with gun fire.

If I lived in town or in a subdivision where dogs are not going to routinely hear guns I would probably find a way to make some noise that the puppy could associate with something good. I would get a couple of pans or a couple of bricks and bang them together every day right before feeding time.

[RayGubernat]

Probably the best time to introduce gunfire is when the puppy is consumed with the desire to get a bird, like when it is in full chase.

I just did a gunfire intro on a 12 week old pointer pup. She was running on a checkcord in a small field and I flew a pigeon. She chased the bird for all she was worth and I fired a blank as ashe headed out away from me. She turned her head, but kept right on running after the bird. On her next pigeon chase, which was a few minutes later in the same field, I fired again and she ignored the shot competely...she didn't even turn her head. Both times the pup was in full chase and headed out away from me.

Now I don't recommend that you try this with just any young pup. This youngster is as bold and independent and fearless as I have ever seen. Just bide your time and when you see your youngster with a fire in its eyes in hot pursuit of a bird...that would be the time.

RayG

[reba]

I totally agree with the idea of the dogs excitment with a flushing bird and then firing a shotgun.

If you can kill the bird and let the pup get it all the better.

You will then have a Bird Dog that will hunt for the gun.

[Mollyontherun]

How young do you start introducing your pup to the gun shot?

Check out the article below. (I thought we had a posted article on Gun breaking on this forum??? I couldn't find it)

http://www.duckhuntingchat.com/forum/vi ... 1&t=102734

This is a topic that can elicit a lot of emotion... but I think it's important to hear from both conventional and non-conventional approaches.

In my experience... socialization and building confidence is very important. Some dogs are very confident and not bothered by gunshots. Others pups... like my Molly... are not only gun shy but field shy. So:

- Socialize early and often... build the dogs confidence and make time to bond with your pup.

- Its best to introduce the dog to the field and gun at separate times.

- Don't start by shooting over your dog. Most dogs don't appreciate that and think your shooting at them

- Using a check cord can provide security and confidence when gun breaking and also when introducing hunting.

- Birds can cure gun shyness... just ask Molly She was big Chicken until she starting smelling roosters

- Try and remember that puppies are like children... we can expect too much too soon. A one year old dog is like hunting with a elementary school kid. Two year old like a middle schooler... (Of course there are exceptional trainers of exceptional dogs who have pup that can do it all at one year)

- Finally... I would introduce the dog to the gun shot when I sense that they have confidence. 6 months to one year, Like previous posters,,.we started with a capgun/starting pistol.

[Brittguy]

I can't add anything that has not been said. I just wait until a pup is in full chase and a fair distance then pop a blank. They never act like they hear the report.

[RoostersMom]

I suggest you get the Perfect Start DVD and follow their method. Works like a charm.

[4dabirds]

When considering an introduction to the gun you have to realize that dogs learn by association. Dogs perceive their world as made up of things that are dangerous or safe. They investigate something and if the experience is positive they will repeat the investigation determine if it is beneficial to them and consider it a resource or not. If a dog is scared by the gun in the presence of a bird it will determine that the bird is unsafe and will avoid them at all costs. This certainly is relative to the desire and motivation of the dog, some dogs will be affected more then others. That all being said it is best to have the dog make the association that guns equal birds. If the dog has a solid association with the two, the one thing that motivates the dog most "birds" will keep any possible negative association with the gun from happening in the future. As well as the intro to the gun it is important that the association is made as well, so the more repetition that you do in a controlled environment the deeper the association will be. http://www.georgehickox.com/about_georg ... x_dvd.html This video has a great demonstration of how to do this right. If you create the wrong association at this step of training your dog to hunt, you will not have a dog to hunt. Be careful with this, your dog is the one you have, and don't take a chance on it being the one that makes the wrong association.

[DonF]

I don't intro on birds. Instead once I have the pup blasting thru cover, I take a 22 rifle on happy time walks. Once it's off away from me and absorbed in whatever foolishness puppy's find, I hold the gun muzzle close to the ground and fire just one shot. No matter what reaction I get from the pup, I ignor it and keep walking. The pup's reaction dictates If I fire another that day or not.

I hae seen some gun shy dogs and mostly they were made gunshy by an owner, one was not really gunshy but timid to a fault. I believe that most guy shy pup's take very litter to introduce the gun, even the timid get it pretty fast without scaring the tar out of them. And that is a key, don't scare them! However you do it, pay attention to what the pup tells you and heed it!

[dakotashooter2]

I agree that you shouldn't react to the pups reaction. I start when the pup is out exploring and shoot blanks behind my back. I do not react to whatever the pups reaction is. They will generally look at you the first few times and if you don't react (no assurances or praising) they will resume what they were doing. My dogs have all been comfortable with gunshots by 14-16 weeks.

[Hookadooka BirdDogs]

In my opinion it all starts with genetics, sound training principles, conditioning, and good nutrition. Build confidence with birds, use lock-winged pigeons, then hobbled pigeons to build bird drive in your pup. I also condition a pup to noise as a young pup, be it by something as simple as banging a kennel door, making noise with a food pan, kids screaming, or whatever. Let the pup hunt in a safe field and chase birds first. Leave the gun at home until you see the boldness and drive. I also set a hobbled pigeon in front of the dogs on a chain gang (drives them crazy).
I then toss a hobbled bird in front of the dog and fire blanks at a distance. If they don't respond to the gunfire I move to a low power shell in 410, 28, 20. I may be overly careful, but just one more way to go about it.

YARD TRAINING II.ppt

[jimbo&rooster]

I don't intro on birds. Instead once I have the pup blasting thru cover, I take a 22 rifle on happy time walks. Once it's off away from me and absorbed in whatever foolishness puppy's find, I hold the gun muzzle close to the ground and fire just one shot. No matter what reaction I get from the pup, I ignor it and keep walking. The pup's reaction dictates If I fire another that day or not.it!

this is exactly how I do gun intro. I have yet to have a gun shy dog.....

All of the gunshy dogs I have been around wer made that way by someone to quick to use a shotgun over their pup, Usually the owner of a retrieving breed, who about mid august decides that ol gunner is ready for the dove field so lets make sure the 12ga doesnt scare him. next hing you know ol gunner has peed down his leg and is hiding under the truck.

Jim

[Sharon]

I don't intro on birds. Instead once I have the pup blasting thru cover, I take a 22 rifle on happy time walks. Once it's off away from me and absorbed in whatever foolishness puppy's find, I hold the gun muzzle close to the ground and fire just one shot. No matter what reaction I get from the pup, I ignor it and keep walking. The pup's reaction dictates If I fire another that day or not.it!

this is exactly how I do gun intro. I have yet to have a gun shy dog.....

All of the gunshy dogs I have been around wer made that way by someone to quick to use a shotgun over their pup, Usually the owner of a retrieving breed, who about mid august decides that ol gunner is ready for the dove field so lets make sure the 12ga doesnt scare him. next hing you know ol gunner has peed down his leg and is hiding under the truck.

Jim

Well said.

[hi-tailyn]

Some quotes from Feb. when we talked about same topic.

I hear these newbies shooting at a distance when pups are eating. What has eating got to do with Guns and Birds?

Once you have pup attention on birds and lots of desire, then you can introduce gun fire at a distance then shoot shot gun the other direction. Pavlov theory =unconditional stimulus = and unconditional response. All dogs I have trained, when they hear a gun look for birds. Wide eyed and excited. Guns = Birds.

Banging pots and pans and fire crackers are another way to cause gun shyness. Shooting range,= Gun shyness.

You can start at almost any age.

Even 8 weeks with a quail with wing feathers pulled that will just run around for the pups to see chase, and even point if in some grass.

Then progress each time out to less feathers pulled so it can flutter around then fly a short ways. Then no pulled feathers and full flight birds. Pup will be pointing and stalking bird. Building up that desire.

When the pup has been giving full chase and running good after the flying bird you can start shooting blank 40 yds from running pup. Work closer as long as pup has his full attention on bird, and shows no reaction to gun fire.


taztoo wrote:
I have a 9 week old gsp pup. At what age do you introduce him to a gunshot? My plan was to take him to my gun club when they are skeet shooting and just hang around about 200 yards away and let him play for awhile. then every week move a little closer to the range. I am a rank amature at training so any comments on this plan are appreciated.. thanks, mike/taztoo


Sorry to be cruel. This is exactly what you DO NOT want to do. You will most likely make your young pup GUN SHY!! :roll:

Sorry, but somebody needs to help stop Gun Shyness which is almost always Man Made. :roll:

There are plenty of great replies above from good people.


Take him to a field and let him get contact with birds. Let him chase and chase. Build up that bird desire and prey drive. Then with him in full pursuit fire small blank gun 50-70 yds from the pup. Full chase of birds then gun fire. As he grows he will fully associate Gun fire with Birds. All positive.