shooting over a pup

[Tyler'sGSP]

I have 5 month old female GSP. i was wondering when i should start shooting over her. she is very birdy and will hold point to flush. should i continue to work her on birds only or is it ok to start shooting.

[concilion]

you have to slowly introduce pups to gun fire. YOU CANNOT start to shoot a shotgun over a pup or you may end up with a gun shy dog, and most people would agree that it is one of the hardest problems to fix. You should start out with a cap gun at least one hundred yards away and move closer slowly. Get John Hahn's "the perfect start" and it will show you how.

[cstokes/southeast,ks]

IMO: I dont worry about age much. I think it applies more to how easy and well you introduce it. I start my dogs young in every aspect. Also take in to consideration how well your pup handles pressure.

[Winchey]

Do you shoot when she is chasing the birds you flush?

[cstokes/southeast,ks]

Only if they make point it and hold it as desired. Also make sure they are in full chase and a good distance away during the first few fires. If the pup acts normally and not nervous work your way closer to him. Also start with a small caliber such as a .22 . Very important that you only shoot if the dog points and holds the bird as you want him to. So if he is on a check cord, Assist in keeping him steady and turn it loose as the dog starts chase.

[Will]

More than anything else in the upbringing of a pup....gunfire is the one thing I'm most careful with. I never try to fast track it...I'm super cautious...perhaps to a fault. I can't think of anything worse than ruining all of the training, exposure, etc. by turning a pup gunshy.

[Mike50]

I have 5 month old female GSP. i was wondering when i should start shooting over her. she is very birdy and will hold point to flush. should i continue to work her on birds only or is it ok to start shooting.

I also have a 5 month old female GSP. I did gun intro over the summer started at 3 months old while she chased pigeons. First with a 22 , then poppers, then 20ga. Been shooting birds over her since the season start. When she'll hold point.

[ACooper]

Be very aware of your muzzle blast when gun breaking or shooting birds for a dog.

[Bberry20]

Agree with the other posts, if gun intro is done properly you shouldnt have a problem. Shot my pups first pointed wild bird at 6 months, and have 60 wild birds to date over him at 8 months. Now when he sees the shotgun he gets crazy excited.