Very gun shy dog.....any ideas?

[fj40z]

Well let me preface this by saying this is probably my fault, I bought a bought a Browning 300 Mag with the Boss system about 6 months ago, the dog was about 9 months at the time, shes a mut, her mother is a 50/50 mix of Border Collie and Blue Heeler, and her father is a Lab mix. After bringing the gun home I decided to go out side and fire it a few times and I totally forgot about the dogs on the front porch, the older dog (17 years.....yes 17 years) didnt pay any attention to it but when I found the dog in question she was cowered under the porch and it took a lot of coaxing to get her out. Ever since shes been deathly afraid of even the sight of a gun. I've been working with her with a cap gun, firing it and giving her a treat when it goes off, does anyone have any ideas? Heres a pic of the dog, shes an awesome dog and if she never becomes un gun shy it really wont bother me that much, I just dont want her to go paranoid every time I shoot.

[theside00]

Just keep working with the cap gun. My lab is gun shy (friend fired a 12 guage right over him at 4 months even while I was screaming at him not to) and I am trying to use him for hunting and this is all I have been told is just to start far away so they can barely hear it and work closer. Doing something they like and have fun will help get over it. I have been playing fetch while somebody with a cap gun shoots it off a ways away. Not really getting anywhere right now but hopefully it will get better .

Hope yours comes around just might take a little time good luck

[D'Animal]

WOB and several other had a really good thread on this a few months back.

I'll go search for it.

[CJF]

Originally Posted by theside00

friend fired a 12 guage right over him at 4 months even while I was screaming at him not to

Holy crap!

I'd *almost* be tempted to sneak up behind him while he's not wearing any ear protection and return the favor.

[Atticus]

Originally Posted by CJF

Holy crap!

I'd *almost* be tempted to sneak up behind him while he's not wearing any ear protection and return the favor.

Just punch him in the head. I would.

[inthewall]

Try to associate guns to having fun. Grab a ball and play fetch with him having your gun in hand. Shoot a cap gun around him when hes eating or playing fetch. The dog should get used to it eventually.

[wob]

Good luck.

[theside00]

ya I shot him well not really but wanted to but he got the point that I wasnt happy. Hopefully yours isnt scared that much and he will come around.

[flintknapper]

Originally Posted by wob

Good luck.

Yup.

Damage done!


Maybe some outside chance if she were a hunting/sporting breed....but I'm predicting life long aversion to guns and loud noises from here on out. Shame.

[fj40z]

Originally Posted by flintknapper

Yup.

Damage done!


Maybe some outside chance if she were a hunting/sporting breed....but I'm predicting life long aversion to guns and loud noises from here on out. Shame.

Yeah, thats kind of what Im afraid of also, it really sucks. She trees squirrels well so it would have been nice to be able to use her for squirrel hunting a little bit, but right now I would just like to be able to go outside and shoot without her turning into a paranoid schizophrenic(sp?)

[highlandcruzer]

That's a shame. The sheep/cattle type dogs that I have known would have a hard time getting over it. Maybe with very gradual, patient work. Good luck.

[fj40z]

Originally Posted by theside00

Just keep working with the cap gun. My lab is gun shy (friend fired a 12 guage right over him at 4 months even while I was screaming at him not to) and I am trying to use him for hunting and this is all I have been told is just to start far away so they can barely hear it and work closer. Doing something they like and have fun will help get over it. I have been playing fetch while somebody with a cap gun shoots it off a ways away. Not really getting anywhere right now but hopefully it will get better .

Hope yours comes around just might take a little time good luck

Man that sucks about youre lab, I hope that you can get it straightened out also. I've also heard about starting far away and working towards them, Im going to give that a shot (no pun intended) for a while and if that doesnt work I'll probably just quit, shes to good of a dog to stress out that much.

Keep us posted on youre progress and Good Luck also.

[Atticus]

I don't believe that the damage is irreversible, but it's going to take an enormous amount of work. Get something not too loud, like a mild cap gun, and work with the dog every single day. Associate the loud sounds with eating, having fun, whatever. Don't force the issue. If the dog gets upset, calm it down and wait for the next day.

But yeah, good luck, you'll need it.

[wob]

I have a female chocolate lab that just about shits herself whenever she hears fireworks or thunder. I had already put my order in for my male lab because I figured she would be worthless in the field. I had her out at a buddy's hunt club back in my truck during duck hunting season a few years ago, and we had some downed birds that we couldn't find. I went back to my truck, got her out, and had her sniffing for them. Some late ducks started flying in, and we unloaded on a few groups of them. I figured I would turn around and see nothing but ass and heels and her running in the opposite direction, but she was sitting right there looking up at the sky. So, I guess I have a loud noise shy dog, but not a gun shy dog. Go figure.

Your best bet if you want a hunting dog is to start over, though. Turning a gun shy dog into a good hunter is just about impossible, and RARELY worth the effort even if doable.

[Atticus]

Originally Posted by wob

I have a female chocolate lab that just about shits herself whenever she hears fireworks or thunder. I had already put my order in for my male lab because I figured she would be worthless in the field. I had her out at a buddy's hunt club back in my truck during duck hunting season a few years ago, and we had some downed birds that we couldn't find. I went back to my truck, got her out, and had her sniffing for them. Some late ducks started flying in, and we unloaded on a few groups of them. I figured I would turn around and see nothing but ass and heels and her running in the opposite direction, but she was sitting right there looking up at the sky. So, I guess I have a loud noise shy dog, but not a gun shy dog. Go figure.

Your best bet if you want a hunting dog is to start over, though. Turning a gun shy dog into a good hunter is just about impossible, and RARELY worth the effort even if doable.

I got the impression he just wanted a dog that wouldn't crap blood every time the phone rings.

[Blue77FJ40]

Start by acclimating the dog to noise. While puppy is eating, take a ruler and lightly fwap it against the floor. Puppy will be startle. Calm puppy down and do it again later in the meal a bit louder. Not much. Calm puppy again. Continue this with each meal until you're really fwapping the ruler and the puppy totally ignores the sound.

At that point, you're ready to take puppy out for a walk in the woods with cb shorts. Pop one straight into the ground, calm the dog down and walk a while. Do this a few more times until dog ignores pops. Do all this gradually, acclimating the dog to increasing loudness. e.g., 22 regs, then someone shooting off shotgun shells at a great distance, then a bit closer, all the while calming the dog. I have a skeet range where I could heel the dog from a distance, slowly, approaching the parking lot where it was plenty loud.

My dog went from running wilh tail curled from a .22 to totally ignoring a 7mm magnum shot over her head. It just takes time and patience.

All this is from Wolter's 'Gun Dog'.

also see http://forum.ih8mud.com/hunting-fish...n-shy-dog.html

['74 UA FJ]

My dog used to be scared shitless of any loud noise while we were on a walk. Eventually, he began to ignore them as he became accustomed to the noises. It just takes time and experience.

[Atticus]

Originally Posted by '74 UA FJ

My dog used to be scared shitless of any loud noise while we were on a walk. Eventually, he began to ignore them as he became accustomed to the noises. It just takes time and experience.

It just takes time and experience...and cutting his ears off.

['74 UA FJ]

Originally Posted by Atticus

It just takes time and experience...and cutting his ears off.

Cutting those hound dog ears off helps them hear better.

[Atticus]

Originally Posted by '74 UA FJ

Cutting those hound dog ears off helps them hear better.

What?

['74 UA FJ]

Originally Posted by Atticus

What?

Huh? Roger! Meltin down! Aaagghhhhhhh!

[Atticus]

Originally Posted by '74 UA FJ

Huh? Roger! Meltin down! Aaagghhhhhhh!

Fuck! I was trying to set it up.


OKAY!

[wob]

Originally Posted by Blue77FJ40

Start by acclimating the dog to noise. While puppy is eating, take a ruler and lightly fwap it against the floor. Puppy will be startle. Calm puppy down and do it again later in the meal a bit louder. Not much. Calm puppy again. Continue this with each meal until you're really fwapping the ruler and the puppy totally ignores the sound.

At that point, you're ready to take puppy out for a walk in the woods with cb shorts. Pop one straight into the ground, calm the dog down and walk a while. Do this a few more times until dog ignores pops. Do all this gradually, acclimating the dog to increasing loudness. e.g., 22 regs, then someone shooting off shotgun shells at a great distance, then a bit closer, all the while calming the dog. I have a skeet range where I could heel the dog from a distance, slowly, approaching the parking lot where it was plenty loud.

My dog went from running wilh tail curled from a .22 to totally ignoring a 7mm magnum shot over her head. It just takes time and patience.

All this is from Wolter's 'Gun Dog'.

also see http://forum.ih8mud.com/hunting-fish...n-shy-dog.html

Originally Posted by wob

Turning a gun shy dog into a good hunter is just about impossible, and RARELY worth the effort even if doable.

see?


...

[Blue77FJ40]

Originally Posted by wob

see?


...

Not clear here. My dog was scared of a .22 before I worked with her, and as I mentioned, ignored a 7mm magnum shot over her head when I finished noise training. Thereafter, I used her for upper field and game as well as for duck. You CAN retrain a dog. It just takes a lot of patience.

[fj40z]

Well I think we made a little progress today. I also have another Border Collie that I use where I work for Canadian geese control that is not bothered by loud noises at all, and this dog and the gun shy dog in question have a ball playing together, so I started out by letting them play around a while then I brought the cap gun and calmly sat down and started firing it. Gun shy dog immediately cowered down, went to the other side of the deck and went under a table, the other dog was not bothered at all. I just kept firing the cap gun, not pointing it at anything just sitting there and firing it. After about 20 minutes the 2 dogs started playing around again, Gun shy dog never would get real close while I was firing it but she would let me pet her while I was just holding the gun and not firing it. In total I shot about 200 caps, I know its not tons of progress but right now Im just thinking baby steps.