How to Fix Gun Shy Dog

NMdoghunter

NMdoghunter

New member
I know, I know, its almost impossible to cure, but my year old german shorthair is gun shy and i dont know how to fix it. Does anyone have any suggestions? Has anyone ever fixed a gun shy dog? She is very birdy, has an excellent nose, rock solid point, and is a great retriever, but at the first sound of the shotgun shes in the bed of the pick up. I would hate for a dog with talent like she has to go to waste. Please help.
 
The only one I tried it on it worked. I would give its daily feeding when I got home from work. I started with a 22 fired as I walked to the pen with the bowl. after about a week when she heard the 22, she came looking for the food. then I got closer before I fired. then closer still. finally she would eat while I fired the gun right outside her pen. This was a golden that loved to retrieve doves and it was about 25 years ago. The young cur I currently own is just a touch shy and will run about 15 yards from the tree when I shoot squirrels over her. By next year she will be OK.
 
Great advice Randy. I did it on a GSP a long time ago. Started with primers only, then went to 22, then to 20 ga from a distance, etc. Did it along with play training while the dog was fired up about what he was doing.

Take your time, go very slowly, be patient.
 
I would try the food/22 blank also, You might even try taking it to a trap range. Start with it in the truck then progress to haveing out on a leash behind the shooting line, I would let it out before the shooting starts to socialize and get use to the area.
 
I agree with bayne that is how I introduce gunshot's to the dog's I train. Start out quite along ways away from the shooting and just let the dog slowly make its way towards the shooting on a checkcord. Be sure to use a lot of positive reinforcement letting her know everything is going to be fine. Maybe even throw a couple of bumpers or what ever you trained her on fetching. Good luck and hope she comes around. How was she introduced to gunshots?
 
I started her only on blanks after i flushed the birds she pointed. However, the mistake was made when i had her out on the river when she was just a youngen and a budy of mine unknowingly pulled out his shotgun and scared the bejeezes out of her. She has never been the same since.
 
Have a GSP that wasn't quite gunshy, but more situation shy. He is a hunting and retreving machine just wasn't sure about the gun thing either. I started taking him on walks firing a 22 pistol while walking. I did that for about a week. Seem to help that I was right there with him. Another thing I found that seem to help is to take him somewhere different than he was used to. That seemed to work because the only thing to comfort him was me. He is doing great now I have shot grouse and pheasants over him now. Good Luck just keep it simple and keep repeating whatever you try iy will work.
 
"You might even try taking it to a trap range" - This is the worst thing you could do for a gun shy dog, so don't do it!!!!

This is how we work with gun shy dogs that are brought in to us for training.

Go buy a toy cap gun, as even 22 blanks or 209 primers are two much for a dog that is as gun shy as yours. Have someone back off 100 yards and fire the cap gun while you are doing retrieves with your dog or some type of training. I like to do retrieves with dead birds, as it really gets the dogs fired up. Move closer as your dog will allow, about 10-20 yards a week. Keep in mind, that our dogs get trained 4-5 days a week, so it might be longer for your dog. When you can get to firing the cap gun yourself, with the dog at your feet, then we move up to 209 primers. Go through the whole thing again with the 209's. After that, move up to a 20 gauge and do it all over again. As you can see, you have a long road a head of you, but not impossible. Good luck!

For a dog just being started to gun fire, we change things up some. We use cap guns when we do training walks in the field with the pups. As they progress, we have an helper stand off 100 yards while we are working/ training and go through the above steps with 209 primers, and them move up to a 20 gauge.

Hope all this help.
 
The guys have given some pretty good advice. Just work up to it and associate it with food and peting.

I actualy started by making sure the gun was unloaded while at home and letting her smell it a little and get familiar with it then every once in a while I scream BANG right when I put it under her nose. I give her a bunch of praise when doing this.

Then I took her camping and would just fire one or two shots a day and praise her. after a few weeks did some target shooting with her just with 22lr and 22 mag. I would shoot real slow groups 5 minutes apart and keep screaming bang every time i give her praise between groups. then on to the shotgun.

Now instead of food when she hears the shot her reward is a dead rabbit to fetch and maybe eat for dinner. soon as she hears bang she is running happy as can be.

good luck!
 
Last edited:
My GSP was Gun nerviouse, It took about two months to work up to a 12 gage. Now at 2 years old she could't care less if I shoot it 2 feet away. The key for me was to start with a cap gun with no caps in it, and use it wile playing fetch with a frozen or caged bird. After a week doing that I had a helper shot the caps at a distance and basically did what sand hill reccomended. I would do this almost every day some times twice. And per haps the most importat thing to do is go slow. If you thing she is ready to move to the next step wait anouther day or 2. My girl got her problem from trying to "fetch" an M-80 at 10 weeks old. Doh. Good luck.
 
Quote:

Go buy a toy cap gun, as even 22 blanks or 209 primers are two much for a dog that is as gun shy as yours. Have someone back off 100 yards and fire the cap gun while you are doing retrieves with your dog or some type of training. I like to do retrieves with dead birds, as it really gets the dogs fired up. Move closer as your dog will allow, about 10-20 yards a week. Keep in mind, that our dogs get trained 4-5 days a week, so it might be longer for your dog. When you can get to firing the cap gun yourself, with the dog at your feet, then we move up to 209 primers. Go through the whole thing again with the 209's. After that, move up to a 20 gauge and do it all over again. As you can see, you have a long road a head of you, but not impossible. Good luck!

For a dog just being started to gun fire, we change things up some. We use cap guns when we do training walks in the field with the pups. As they progress, we have an helper stand off 100 yards while we are working/ training and go through the above steps with 209 primers, and them move up to a 20 gauge.

Hope all this help.



This is very professional...and CORRECT advice. I have trained several competitive labradors and actually had one that belonged to a friend that was afraid of the gun. Do like is outlined above, or you'll be even more frustrated later on. One rule that is NEVER wrong with dog training....ONE misdirected incident will take you forever to un-do. Go slowly, and intelligently. Always think this thought: "What are the ramifications of what I am thinking about doing?"
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top