North TX Hunting

Finally was able to make it to my lease. Since it's so big the lease manager put me with a couple gents who have hunted the place a few years. Neither guy owned dogs anymore but had a friend that trains dogs so they had several first year dogs, still ruff. One little pointer was pretty good, pointed and held for a while but when the birds flushed she lost it. My GSP was ranging pretty good but after the shot he wouldn't leave me all day so I guess I have a pet.
I'm going to the trainer to pick up my setter pup to get him on wild birds, the trainer thinks that's a good idea, after the season I'll take him back for fine tuning. 9 coveys in the a.m. 3 in the p.m with ruff dogs, I think aint bad

Best trainging aid is wild birds!

It ain't bad at all. I'd take it. Were you walking or hunting from a vehicle? How far is your drive?

I had issues with a gunshy gsp as well. Don't give up. It took me two years and a lot of patience but she came around this year. I took her with me to a lot of clay shoots. She had no choice but t get over it.

Hunting from my Ranger and it's 5 1/2 hours from my house.

I plan to take him when I go

I hunted with Delmar Smith on an Exon lease years ago. He had a puppy box on the front of his hunting truck. He put the shy pups in there and let them stay while we busted covey after covey. That made the cry to go hunting.

I cant believe the suggestions to take a gun shy dog to the sporting clay range

It seemed to have worked.

I'd try to find a safe way to tie my put to the seat of the Ranger and let him watch the action for a few days.

This is what I plan to try

X2 let us know how it goes. Was this the dogs first introduction to gun shot?

No, the moron typing this response didn't pay attention where his crate was while working another dog and let go a 20 ga. when he was a pup

My best story on gun shy dogs. I was working a dog that had been gun shied and had the dog about 90% cured. I could but a bird in a release let her point it and released the bird she would chase and I would fire pistol while chasing. I had even gotten to point of killing a bird for her. Had a friend out to work his dog, releasing birds his dog chased and he tried to shoot pistol and it did not fire. I started a set up for my pup and brought my pup over on a check cord. He says I believe I have my pistol fixed and shot it about 5 feet from me pup. Dog Ruined could have shot friend. He apologized and said he was not thinking. AMEN

I have never understood why anyone waits till the hunt to find out if thier dog is gun shy, its not hard to do the training, I will absolute not hunt with anyone I don't know, to many idiots not knowing how to hunt over dogs.

He didn't wait. The pup has been through the process. I've had two that I hunted the first year and they came back soft to the gun the second year. They both made fine bird dogs, but still soft like around grass burrs and stuff like that.

Hey Colt, when you walk on water do your ankles get wet?

I started mine as a pup. I was shooting over her at three months. She was pointing and retrieving. I sent her to a trainer at seven months to be finished. She came home gunshy. I did the best I could and it took two yrs but it worked.

That's unusual. A good trainer usually bolds them up. All they have to do is put them on a chain gang and ignore them while they work the other dogs.

Agreed. I usually won't hunt with anyone that I don't know, unless a friend of mine knows the person or something. I hunted with Tigger last weekend and we moved 13 coveys in about 3 hours. Had a great time with him. He was glad I brought a nice pointer to make up for the shorthair he had to watch.

However, as far as getting a pup ready for gunfire, I wouldn't wait until the first hunt just to see how it goes either. I have a 4 month old Brittany pup and last weekend I hunted with another good friend of mine and when we found a covey on the road or flushed one, I'd let him out, run around until he found the birds, when they flushed and he chased we would shoot a .22 blank about 50 yards away from him. He never even paid attention to it, it was all about the birds. I will continue to do that for awhile until I step it up. Baby steps is key.

Barney, I've seen gunshy dogs reversed. Don't give up!

O.K guys here's Zeke's history. His gun shyness is my fault, no excuses. I was working another dog and didn't pay attention where his crate was, he was a puppy I lit off my 20 and it scared him. This isn't his first hunt, I have had him out several times. I had a trainer keep him a year to try and cure the gun shyness. I saw him work liberated quail at the trainers with a shooter, never flinched. I worked him on liberated quail with the trainer, never flinched. The problem, in my opinion, is I haven't had him out for two years. I'm not giving up. Like Bill says, I'll let him ride the Ranger and sit on the seat while my setter works. BTW CinchMan, I'm on that lease.

Bill, there were some circumstances at work, I believe. This dog had never been away from me since she was brought home. The first night in the trainers kennel, there was a super severe thunderstorm that went on for hours. I have no proof but I feel sure this is the main cause. She's still a thunder dog.

Well congrats, the it's a good one! Plenty of good guys on there that could help you with any situation and enough birds to get your setter trained right. Good luck!

no, I learned a long time ago to walk around instead of getting wet

Cinch man you need to cool it. it is your other friend that makes jokes about shorthairs.

I like all the pointing breeds from pointers on down.

Picking up the setter Saturday and headed back New Years Day. Guy at the lease gave me a name of a guy in Houston that has had great (he says) success with gun shy dogs. Zeke's only 8 so he has a few years left. I'll see if he can take him if he doesn't improve through the season.

Why do we associate with that guy?