Intro to Gunfire
Getting Your Dog Comfortable with Shooting
Posted 04/30/2023
As bird dog owners, we all anticipate shooting birds and watching our dogs fire off into the water, chasing after the fallen greenhead. But, we need to take our time; when they are young pups, we need to be careful of just how we first expose them to gunfire.
There are some puppies that have absolutely no problem with gunfire from the get-go. I had a 10-week-old black female and I was out target shooting with my kids. Before I realized it, I was shooting right over Dixie. I panicked as soon as I realized what I was doing, but when I looked down, she was under my feet, chewing on the shell casings! Whew! It didn’t bother her one bit!
But, the only way to find out if the young pup is going to be timid or not is to shoot over it. And by doing so, you run the risk of scaring it, and if so, you have just taken a few steps backwards, and increased the chances of the puppy being gun-shy.
You might be asking yourself, “Then how am I supposed to start shooting around my dog?” There are certain steps you can take to increase the odds that your dog will be just fine around the guns. There is no guarantee, but there are ways you can go about it that put the odds in your favor.
Intro from a Distance
The first time I want one of my pups to hear a gun shot is when the gun is far away, roughly 40 yards away, and the dog is getting positive attention when the shot goes off. The dog should be getting treats and getting loved on it when the shooter fires the gun. If the dog jumps, you just need to be very positive with it and continue to pet on him and be encouraging.
If he shows no negative reaction, you can have the shooter shoot again. The next day you might decrease the distance from the shooter down to 30 yards. You can continue this process until you work down to around 20 yards. Once again, like all aspects of training, listen to your dog. He will tell you what he needs and where he needs reinforcement. If you have to back up and increase the distance for a few days, that is just fine.
Shooting While on a Retrieve
Before shooting directly over the dog, I like to shoot while the dog is making a retrieve. My preference is to actually shoot when it is on a water retrieve. No need for steadiness at this point, just high drive chasing after the bumper. Chunk the bumper out about 25-30 yards, and as the dog is almost to the bumper, fire off one shot. I prefer the water for this technique as opposed to land because I have found that dogs on land will, if they are caught off guard with the shot, jump and run straight back to you. But, when 25 yards out in the water, the dog is less likely to do a 180 and come straight back to you. They will typically finish the retrieve at this point. When they bring it back to you, they should receive a lot of praise and positive reinforcement.
Once you are able to shoot when the dog gets to his mark, the next step is to shoot when the dog is halfway through his swim to the bumper. This puts him closer to you but still not right under you. Doing this for a few training sessions will get him more and more used to the gunfire and less likely to be afraid of it.
By Your Side
Once your dog is not showing any negative signs of reacting to the gun, you are ready to move to having him at your side. If you are still doing fun retrieves, have the gun ready to shoot as you throw the mark. If you have steadiness in place, put your dog at heel with him waiting for the retrieve. Either way, set it up where you can shoot the gun, or have a partner next to you shoot the gun, as the bumper goes flying through the air. If you have built the foundation up to this point, odds are that he will be comfortable with the gun.
No one wants a gun-shy dog, and a lot of times gun-shyness can be the fault of the trainer, at least to an extent. It is important to take every precaution possible to take the possibility of gun-shyness out of the equation. Take your time and ease your dog into exposure to the gun. Once you have the confidence built in your pup, he will be strong and steady with the gun going forward.
There are some puppies that have absolutely no problem with gunfire from the get-go. I had a 10-week-old black female and I was out target shooting with my kids. Before I realized it, I was shooting right over Dixie. I panicked as soon as I realized what I was doing, but when I looked down, she was under my feet, chewing on the shell casings! Whew! It didn’t bother her one bit!
But, the only way to find out if the young pup is going to be timid or not is to shoot over it. And by doing so, you run the risk of scaring it, and if so, you have just taken a few steps backwards, and increased the chances of the puppy being gun-shy.
You might be asking yourself, “Then how am I supposed to start shooting around my dog?” There are certain steps you can take to increase the odds that your dog will be just fine around the guns. There is no guarantee, but there are ways you can go about it that put the odds in your favor.
Intro from a Distance
The first time I want one of my pups to hear a gun shot is when the gun is far away, roughly 40 yards away, and the dog is getting positive attention when the shot goes off. The dog should be getting treats and getting loved on it when the shooter fires the gun. If the dog jumps, you just need to be very positive with it and continue to pet on him and be encouraging.
If he shows no negative reaction, you can have the shooter shoot again. The next day you might decrease the distance from the shooter down to 30 yards. You can continue this process until you work down to around 20 yards. Once again, like all aspects of training, listen to your dog. He will tell you what he needs and where he needs reinforcement. If you have to back up and increase the distance for a few days, that is just fine.
Shooting While on a Retrieve
Before shooting directly over the dog, I like to shoot while the dog is making a retrieve. My preference is to actually shoot when it is on a water retrieve. No need for steadiness at this point, just high drive chasing after the bumper. Chunk the bumper out about 25-30 yards, and as the dog is almost to the bumper, fire off one shot. I prefer the water for this technique as opposed to land because I have found that dogs on land will, if they are caught off guard with the shot, jump and run straight back to you. But, when 25 yards out in the water, the dog is less likely to do a 180 and come straight back to you. They will typically finish the retrieve at this point. When they bring it back to you, they should receive a lot of praise and positive reinforcement.
Once you are able to shoot when the dog gets to his mark, the next step is to shoot when the dog is halfway through his swim to the bumper. This puts him closer to you but still not right under you. Doing this for a few training sessions will get him more and more used to the gunfire and less likely to be afraid of it.
By Your Side
Once your dog is not showing any negative signs of reacting to the gun, you are ready to move to having him at your side. If you are still doing fun retrieves, have the gun ready to shoot as you throw the mark. If you have steadiness in place, put your dog at heel with him waiting for the retrieve. Either way, set it up where you can shoot the gun, or have a partner next to you shoot the gun, as the bumper goes flying through the air. If you have built the foundation up to this point, odds are that he will be comfortable with the gun.
No one wants a gun-shy dog, and a lot of times gun-shyness can be the fault of the trainer, at least to an extent. It is important to take every precaution possible to take the possibility of gun-shyness out of the equation. Take your time and ease your dog into exposure to the gun. Once you have the confidence built in your pup, he will be strong and steady with the gun going forward.
About the Author : Chris Yielding
Visit authors website | View more articlesChris is a high school teacher in Arkansas, and trains retrievers on the side. He has been training as a side job for nearly a decade, training for clients all across the south. He also enjoys writing articles about training, as well as other outdoor activities. He has been published in many local and regional publications.
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