By: Bob West

It’s not uncommon to hear of a young dog being concerned, apprehensive, or even frightened of gunfire.

My feeling is that, in almost all cases, true ‘gun shyness’ is man-made. Yes, there are individual dogs who's soft, insecure temperament predisposes them to problems. But most often, even those with problems lacked proper considerations before and during early exposure/introduction to each facet of their new world—including gunfire.

The good news is, if we take precautions, and follow some sort of sensible process, we can help our pup understand the gun noise as a cue to downed game and the excitement of the retrieve, rather than an unexplained, sudden, frightful ‘BANG!’

Whether starting a pup or working through existing gun sensitivity problems, my best results involve engaging the dog’s innate desire, prey drive, and mental strengths. No magic, we simply do our best to help Fido associate gun noise with “good stuff.” Progress will depend on the dog’s temperament, drive, level of training, previous exposure to birds, etc.

Let me give you some ideas of how you might work a young dog through gun introduction.

Build the Excitement About Birds

I recommend you use a 22-cal. crimped blank or cap gun in the beginning. You’ll also need a lead or check rope, a few game birds or pigeons, and a friend who understands your objective and will help throw birds.

First, reassure yourself that the dog is comfortable with birds and handles them correctly. We don’t want to create or reinforce an associated problem.

I like to use a cold, dead game bird, and start by letting the dog hold and carry it around a little; doing so gives me an idea of the dog’s manner and confidence. Next, tease the dog by flipping his nose and face with the wings, if the dog seems to back off, toss the bird out a foot or so and encourage the dog to chase. We’re trying to excite prey drive, divert attention, and build confidence, while ensuring the pup doesn’t mishandle the bird. Once we’re sure our pup is comfortable with dead birds, we can move on with the drill using live, shackled birds.

With the check-rope attached, hold your dog and toss the bird a few feet so it flutters and lands in open cover; encourage the dog to chase, catch, and retrieve it. Use calming praise but don’t overdo it, too much excitement could cause the pup to mishandle the bird. Don’t grab the bird immediately when your pup returns, allow some time for them to enjoy it. Next, throw the bird farther. You might ask a friend to help and extend retrieves to 15 or 20 yards during this first session, depending on the pup’s response. Remember, you don’t need to get in a hurry, quit while the dog is in high drive and excited about the chase.

The next session may be a repeat, especially when working through an existing problem. We want our dog driving with full attention on birds. Keep a check rope attached to guide the dog back, pet him, and give praise to pump them up a little if needed. Then, gently take the bird and toss it for another retrieve.

Notice, no gun yet! We’re building drive, while assessing any chance of subtle bird shy problems before the noise comes in. At this point, we call on our assistant again to walk out 10 or 15 yards, basically the length of your check-rope, and toss a bird while we hold our dog in position to watch. Depending on the dog, we may release while the bird is high and flopping, or wait until it’s on the ground. The goal is to release them when their excitement peaks—steadiness comes later and is of no concern at this point. Continue to extend retrieves out a good way, maybe twenty-five or even out to fifty yards if you have room.

By now we’re sure of our dog’s confidence, drive, and comfort with birds, and we can move to the next step: Introducing or reintroducing gun noise.

Notice, I’ve not suggested time parameters or length and frequency of sessions; you alone can make that call. Just keep it fun as you evaluate and build.

The Initial Introduction of Gunfire

A 22-cal. crimped blank works well for starters, the 209 primer pistol sounds more “shotgun like” with a louder bang, however, I don’t use 22-cal stud driver blanks—the report is way too sharp.

Now, we’ll bring in the gun sound while our dog is in high drive, and less likely to even notice the noise.

Set up once more with your helper at least forty yards away from you and your dog, with a few wing-clipped birds and the blank gun ready. Toss a couple, again without a blank, for your dog to retrieve and to get him revved up.

Bring in the gun noise on the next retrieve. Have your helper throw the bird and pop a blank while the dog is in full chase. While the bird is still in the air, you release your dog; this way, the dog is in full drive before the shot goes off.

If you feel the need to build more drive, have your helper throw a second bird immediately after the shot. As soon as the dog picks the bird up, try to keep the excitement up by calling him back with a ‘good job,’ ‘good boy.’ If the dog shows any apprehension, quickly toss another bird with no shot.

Providing all went well, repeat the drill with only one bird thrown. This may be good enough for one session, or you might mix a couple more retrieves—some with a shot, some without. Remember to watch for any apprehension and adjust accordingly.

Next session, repeat the above drill first to be sure all is going well. Then, using the same setup, have your helper shoot while the bird is in the air. This time, you will release the dog after the bird is on the ground.

Each step in the plan brings the gunfire sooner in the scenario, in turn, making the dog more conscious and aware of the bang; making it a positive cue to downed game and the excitement for the retrieve.

To check progress, have the helper shoot, then pause several seconds before throwing the bird. If your dog remains excited and focused after hearing the shot, and anticipating the retrieve, you are on track.

Work at the Dog’s Pace

From here, you can be the judge of how the scenario is set up, depending on the dog’s reactions to the gun fire during drills. At some point, long before any actual hunting, you’ll have to bring a shotgun into the drills. For this, I suggest you go back to step one, and extend the distance. Again, be ready with a second bird if your dog shows concern. This is a big step, be sure to quit while the pup is fresh and interested in the bird.

Remember, your goal is to introduce the gun noise in a way that your dog will associate and understand it as a positive cue. The process may take a couple days, or maybe a week or more, depending on the dog. Don’t rush it, let the dog set the pace.