The air was cold in my nostrils as I inhaled deeply the late fall air. I was shivering a little, unaware of whether the trembling was in response to the temperature, or the adrenaline being dumped into my bloodstream. I was seven years old and living my greatest dream. My dad had been telling me stories about his childhood companion, Rusty, for as long as I could remember. Rusty was an Irish setter with a knack for finding and pointing pheasants. He took my dad on many wonderful adventures as a child, and I dreamed of living those same types of adventures in my youth. One day, my parents took me to pick out my own Irish setter puppy. I promptly named him Rusty and headed out to make my dreams a reality. There I stood with my Dad and dog by my side, preparing to begin our first pheasant hunt. Soon, we were off, and Rusty 2.0 was busting through the brush in pursuit of ringnecks.
In preparation for this day, Dad and I had taken Rusty for walks along Kays Creek where Rusty had learned to hunt and find roosters. This preparation paid off. Before long, Rusty completed his task, and the first rooster was airborne! The sound of gunfire filled the air and the bird fell to the ground. Dad and I watched in horror as our dreams seemed to fall with the beautiful pheasant. It wasn't the pheasant we were watching. It was Rusty! He was running back to the truck, having been greatly traumatized by the unexpected gunfire. That was the only hunt I experienced with Rusty. I have many fond memories of Rusty—they just don't include hunting. After that day, Rusty no longer had interest in pheasants.
Through the years, I have come to know that my story was not unique. Many gun dog dreams have come to a crashing halt just as mine did. I remember a horse training clinician saying, “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” When it comes to gunfire and gun dogs, proper preparation is paramount. In the words of Ben Franklin, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Proper gun introduction allows for years of great hunting with your dog. (Photo courtesy of Dean Pearson) Understanding the Cause of gun-Shyness To fully understand how to prevent a dog from becoming gun-shy, we need to take a closer look at the cause. Ingrained in each living animal is a natural response to link emotional experiences (good or bad) to whatever happened right before that experience. This is key to survival; it allows the animal to predict and avoid danger in the future. It also allows the animal to recognize how to gain what it wants. In the case of a gun-shy dog, the dog becomes scared by the gunfire and recognizes that the flight of the bird happened right before the guns went off. In order to avoid the loud noise, it may avoid the birds.
Traditionally, the process for prevention was to get the dog really excited about the bird; then, when the dog was in full chase, have someone fire a gun from a distance. This was done in hopes that the dog would accept the distant gunfire as a part of the fun and become accustomed to the noise. Then, work closer and closer with the gunfire until you could shoot a bird for the dog. It was then that the real magic happened. Once you had killed a few birds for the dog, you were out of the woods. A dog that has had birds killed over it will actually then become excited by the gunfire.
Using this method, success lies in the dog being more excited about chasing the bird than it is alarmed by the sound of the gun. This can be a challenge because dogs differ in their desire to chase birds in flight. The greatest danger however lies in the sequence of events. “Get the dog excitedly chasing the bird—fire the gun.” If the gun worries the dog, it will naturally connect what it was doing before the gun went off to the sound of the gun. This leaves the dog believing that birds cause the scary experience. This is the precise sequence of events which causes a dog to be gun-shy. Managing the experience by increasing excitement for the birds and decreasing the volume of the gunfire can help the dog become desensitized to the sound, but it is far from foolproof.
In this traditional method, the dog becomes excited by gunfire when the birds start falling from the air. This is also due to the sequence of events. The gun goes off, the bird falls from the air. Here, the dog experiences something very fun. Naturally, it attaches what happened right before the good experience—gunfire—as an indicator of good things to come. Using this sequence of events, the dog quickly becomes comfortable with the sound and even finds it exciting.
As illustrated in my experience as a young boy, the creation of a gun-shy dog only takes one bad experience. Proper conditioning to gunfire and curing gun shyness is not as quick or easy. It is imperative that it is approached with care and planning.
Do not rush gunfire introduction. Slow and steady progress will create a polished hunting dog in the future. (Photo courtesy of Kali Parmley) How to Introduce Gunfire to a Dog The first step is to create a game that the dog is very excited about. This, in and of itself, will take a little time. It is very important that the dog is confident and excited about this activity.
At T’s Doghouse , we like to use the retrieving of a pigeon with a clipped wing for dogs that enjoy retrieving; or a pigeon on a pole if the dog does not retrieve. If you are unfamiliar with these activities, a video example can be seen under the “Watch” tab on gundogmag.com titled A Pup’s Introduction to Gunfire.
Once we have established an exciting activity, we are ready to set up the introduction to gunfire. To do this, you will need a helper to hold the dog on a leash, a blank pistol, and a clip-wing pigeon. The helper simply holds the dog on a leash where it can clearly see the person with the pigeon. It needs a clear, unobstructed path of approach. The individual with the pigeon and pistol needs to be standing an adequate distance from the dog. This distance needs to be far enough away to create curiosity when the gun is fired but not fear. It also needs to be close enough to get the dog to engage in the game of retrieving, or to play with the pigeon on the pole.
In general, I work to figure out how far apart we can get, rather than how close we can be. With the helper holding the dog, I will walk thirty or so yards away. From this distance I get the dog's attention with my voice. When the dog looks at me, I throw the pigeon, or present the pigeon on the pole. If I am throwing a bird, I make sure to throw on an angle toward the dog so the bird lands closer to the dog than to me. The helper then releases the dog to go to the pigeon.
We repeat this activity at greater distances until we have found the optimum distance. In general, I would say that fifty yards is adequate. At this point, the dog should be engaged, looking eagerly toward the person with the pigeon and then running to the pigeon with enthusiasm. With this accomplished, we are ready to add gunfire to the scenario.
Next, instead of using my voice to get the dog's attention, I will simply fire my pistol. I will then note the dog's reaction. I am specifically watching for the dog to look my way after the gunfire. When the dog looks my way, I present the pigeon and, if necessary, use my voice to encourage the dog to come and play the game with me. It is important to note that the gun is fired before the pigeon is presented. We want the dog to understand that the gunfire is a precursor to a bird rather than the bird being the precursor to gunfire.
With a dog being introduced to gunfire for the first time, these drills should run smoothly, and the dog will soon come running at the sound of the gun knowing that it is an invitation to play the game.
If the dog has previously developed a fear of gunfire, it will react to the noise by turning away from the sound and possibly trying to run away. In this situation, we stop it from fleeing with the leash and lead it back toward the gunner. Inevitably, the dog will look back that way with concern. When this happens we throw the clip-wing pigeon for the dog. It's best if we can have the bird land within ten or fifteen yards of the dog. It's important that the bird lands closer to the dog than to the gunner. I also recommend throwing the bird on an angle to prevent the dog from having to run toward the source of the sound in order to get the bird.
It's widely accepted that repetition brings understanding, and it is no different in this case. Following the gunfire, it is good practice to play with the dog until its enthusiasm for the activity is equal to its enthusiasm prior to the gun introduction. As always, repetitions are of value; however, repeating an activity that is causing the dog concern is not wise. One good indicator of the dog's state of mind is the excitement it has as it goes to the bird. Another good indicator is its energy as you set up the drill again. If the dog is at the end of the leash, eagerly awaiting the presentation of the bird, things are going well. If the dog shows concern when you set the drill up again, it would be wise to run the drill without gunfire until the dog is confident again. Then add the gun back in from a greater distance or use a quieter gun. Some dogs will be very excited after just a few repetitions. Others might take a little time. Highly sensitive dogs may do best with only one repetition per training session followed by a lot of fun.
As the dog's excitement increases, the distance between the gun and the dog can be decreased. Remember, developing a lifelong hunting partner is not a race, it's a journey. Gunfire is a very important part of that journey. Take the time it takes.
