Keeping the dog from being gun shy

Okay.. it has been well over ..good lord, almost 30 years..

30 years since I helped train a bird dog. Early next spring, I am getting my first and very own Llewellin Setter (my dad had Llewellins but they were his.. this one will be mine.. heh).

I have already paid the deposit for her, but I have to wait till my new house is paid for and then I will get the pick of the litter once the next one is born.

So.. gotta brush up on training and the really only major thing is figuring out how to make sure they are not gun shy. If I remember correctly.. it was a lot of taking them out and using a smaller caliber gun and just shooting around them when they are running around having fun, so they get used to the gun.

Ideas? Thoughts?

Russ

Shoot a 45 over the heads of the entire litter. Pick the one which runs toward you rather than away from you.

lol.. well, I'll make sure they are outside for that, IF the breeder will agree to it.. hehe

Russ

A lot depends on the pup. I raised two litters. I blanked both litters at feeding time. They went away thinking the gun was their friend. I kept one out of my first litter that was a little soft to the gun but she got over it.

I had my son shot a 20g 30 yards away every time he shot gave the dog a treat
then slowly get closer soon the dog is wanting the gun to go off so it would get
a treat. then used the same when they retrieved the bird
worked great for my dogs

Watch the dog's reaction when you fire from a distance while they are having fun. Preferably when running through birds. It is really important that you watch the pup when they hear the report. If they don't appear anxious you can fire closer later. If they do you need to back off and let them build there confidence.
Also, take the pup everywhere you can--expose them to everyday sights and sounds while you are around.
It is almost as important to introduce the dog slowly to the field. Some dogs thought to be gun shy are actually field shy.
Getting dropped in a strange place with new smells and sounds, sights can be overwhelming for a dog that has not been out of the yard. If you can introduce gun fire around an older dog known to the pup that is not gun shy. Young dogs will look to older dogs to see how to react when they see or hear something new.

I did like you said. I let the dogs run around having fun and just shot randomly and acted like nothing happened. I made sure they didn't see me doing the shooting or acting differently. Start small and far away and work bigger and closer.

The Gun Dog section has a lot of good dog trainers on it if you need future help.

Good advice. My best hunting friend with the two red setters bought the pups during hunting season, two years apart. He socialized them in the city and then brought them to the field. He simply let them out of his truck and fired a shotgun at a distance. Neither showed any reaction. We took the pups hunting. They were too young to keep up but we let them out around birds. There was never any problem.

All pups are different. It takes more for some soft pups. You will have to bring them along slowly.

My advice would be to use a cap gun every time you put the feeding dish down for the pup.
This has always worked for me and my gun dogs.

Sorry fellas, got busy as heck today and forgot to post a big Thank you for all the input! I am sure I will be fine once I get my "feet wet" and such, but this one aspect is, in my opinion, far more important to get right, so figured to ask all you other fellas as, if nothing else, a refresher course.

Looking forward to posting pics next year when we pick her out!

Russ

I took my pup duck hunting in this little place that was known for pass shooting. Used a 20ga with tungsten shot at a moderate velocity. Sat down with him in the crock of my arm. Threw the dummy for a bit every time a bird flew over and handed out treats for the retrieves.

First time an easy shot on a bufflehead came along, I harvested the duck. He retrieved and got showered with praise. Gave double the treats. We've been a pair ever since.

He gets grumpy though when birds are flying and I'm not shooting them. Teal season is hard on him.

We are hunting woodcock and snipe on Sunday afternoons this fall. Yea!

go ahead and ruin a bunch of pups