By Mike Stewart
Meadow is a well-bred Labrador with superior hunting
genetics behind
her, a proven gundog line, so there was not doubt we had the proper
material to hunt on our hands. The problem, though, was immediately
apparent when she arrived for training. At six months she was wild,
uncontrollable and sadly she had experienced no opportunities for
proper socialization or pre-training from her owner.
From the start Meadow learned slowly … she had heart, just no focus. No
learning chain had been established prior to her arrival …
opportunities lost. She experienced trouble comprehending base skills
such as in-line doubles, back casts, marking and certainly hand
signals.
After several months of patient dog
training and showing progress, the day
arrived for the introduction to gunfire … I should have known … yet
another issue to address.
To introduce gunfire to our dogs, we do so in a group setting. It is a
confidence issue, more or less, so Meadow found herself in line with
two other youngsters also in training, all about nine months old.
An assistant was placed with a retriever launcher out 40 yards with
instructions to fire the bumper toward the line as to distract the
dogs' attention away from the shot while focusing on the mark.
With the shot, Meadow jumped and turned away. The others in line were
staunch. Meadow was moved 10 yards behind the line. Another shot and
another more definite reaction. Again, we moved further away and got
the same reaction. We had the makings of a gun-shy dog on our hands. A common fear
Many gundog owners harbor this very fear with their new pups, despite
the breed. I receive many questions on this subject at seminars and by
e-mail and now Meadow is with us. So, a timely topic for a discussion
presents itself … gunshyness prevention.
Meadow was not gunshy at that point, not yet. So with the third shot
and subsequent reactions, we stopped and I began a remedial course to
attempt to relieve Meadow's fear of gunshots. To continue would have
been foolhardy. With care and a progressive training plan, I began the
tedious task of reducing Meadow's fear of "the shot" before the fear
became entrenched (gunshyness). Potential causesThe causes of gunshyness may vary but are usually man
made. There is genetic gunshyness.
My Jack Russell terriers are gunshy
through no fault of my own. Most likely dogs in their lineage are as
well.
In past years I have attempted to get dogs over their shyness of the
gun whose parents were known to throw the fault. I had some success but
many of the dogs were always on the edge of regression. It's best to
find pups from strong hunting bloodlines of at least three generations,
proven field stock. Remember, like produces like. Older dogs with a
long history of gunshyness are best enlisted as the family pet. Cut
your losses and begin again if the situation is genetic related. The
odds are simply against getting such a dog to stand up under intensive
gunfire in the field.
The most common causes of gunshyness are man made and usually
completely avoidable.
Someone other than the owner does
something
stupid to the pup making them fearful of the "bang" such as a
neighborhood kid tossing fireworks close to the pup.
The owner does something stupid to the pup. A
new Wildrose training law now takes shape. I've given you several over
the years and I hope you are keeping up … add this one to your list:
"Stupid hurts."
Commit a stupid act with your pup/dog and it will come back to haunt
you. Here is a list of "stupid" or shall I be more politically correct
by saying "avoidable" considerations concerning gunfire introduction.
Test firing: firing a shot over an unsuspecting
pup or even started dog to see if the younger shows signs of fear. I
know where I'll put my money.
Associating potential gunshyness with a dog's
fear of thunder, mowers or weed eaters. There is no correlation. Many
fine hunting dogs fear thunderstorms.
Taking a young pup on a hunt for "experience."
This has the makings for real trouble.
Discharging a shot behind an unsuspecting pup
as they eat. Logical? Try shooting behind a 3-year old kid as they
partake in a breakfast of Cocoa Puffs … bet the kid (and his mom, too)
won't give you a desirable response. Likely the pup won't either.
Gunfire should be associated with birds, not eating … no surprises.
Opening up over a young dog on their first hunt
with several 3-inch magnums at dawn. Even if introduced to the shotgun,
this loud shot intensity may be too much.
Taking a young pup to a sport shooting or rifle
range for introductory purposes.
The list can continue but the point remains, use common sense when
introducing pups to gunfire and make haste slowly. There is no rush.
I had a call from an individual a few years back who was about to pick
up his new pup from us. Given his profession, he should have knows
better than to ask if I had shot over the pup yet. The litter was 5
weeks old.
Stupid hurts.
Another case … a young man picked up an 11-month old starter, went
straight home to an open field with the dog not even knowing him yet.
As the pup sat gazing across the open field, the new owner pulled his
trusty 12 gauge from the truck and without warning discharged a round
over the dog's head.
Why? He said he wanted to see if the youngster was gunshy!
Stupid hurts. Problem avoidance
To introduce gunfire, I wait for the pup to gain in maturity and
confidence. There is no rush. We want our prospect to boldly blast out
for retrieves, hit the water with enthusiasm and be totally comfortable
in the field so the pup is usually 8 to 10 months old by the time I
start.
We use the dog's retrieving desire as an attraction, reducing the dog's
attention toward the shot. The shot means bird in the air and a
possible forthcoming retrieve. It is necessary to have our dog
retrieving well before introduction to gunfire.
Choose open ground initially to reduce the reflecting intensity of the
shot's sound. Start with a .22 (short) blank gun, never .22 rifle ammo.
A cap gun will work fine.
Have an assistant with bumpers do the shooting out about 40 yards. The
bumper comes toward the dog to catch and hold his attention. Just at
the peak of the arch, shoot. Watch the dog, not the mark. Look for any
reaction.
Gradually work the shooter closer denying every other retrieve to
reinforce steadiness. Move the shooter closer with each shot. Keep the
process going until the shooter is standing next to you. This may take
a couple of days but no matter, proceed slowly initially.
It's wise to use a second dog in line with the starter. The latter will
gain confidence from the older dog's enthusiasm and lack of fear.
If nervousness or a reaction occurs from the shot at any point, stop.
Skip a few days and begin again. Do not force the issue.
Once the dog is accustomed to your shooting the cap gun or .22 blanks
in several different locations, progress as follows using the same
ritual:
.12 gauge primers start at 40 yards
retriever launcher start at 50 yards
.410 or 20 gauge start at 75 yards plus
.12 gauge light loads start at 100 yards
Use only single shots at first with the muzzle facing away from the
area of the dog further reducing the impact of the sound. Multiple
shots come later. Incorporate all types of environments at each level.
Remember that sound reflects and intensifies with tight environments
such as woodlands, over water, in flooded timber and inside enclosed
blinds. Meadow's outcome
As
for Meadow, she was a borderline case initially and continued to react
to shots for some time but within 25 days she was standing under
gunfire quite well. She will make a hunter.
To avoid gunfire sensitivity, prevention is the best approach. Protect
your pup from early gunfire. Introduce the sight of the actual gun well
before the first shot. Take it to the field during training. We don't
want the pup to fear the gun itself. Introduce gunfire progressively
when your pup shows maturity and confidence in the field. When
introducing gunfire to a new prospect, use a progressive approach with
your maturing young dog, which gradually increases the intensity of the
shot and associates that shot with your dog's ultimate reward (the
retrieve), gunshyness should be of little worry. Just take your time,
there is no rush.
--Espn Outdoors
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