Training a gun dog...

Lamina

Lamina

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I did a search, and couldn't find anything.

so, we got a new puppy, and I'm looking to train him to be a good gun dog. not so much for the purpose of hunting, but more so for the purpose of having him always be comfortable around gunshots, no matter the volume of fire.

so, I imaging many of the training methods for training retrievers would work, but I'm looking for some first hand knowledge if it's out there. the puppy is a golden/poodle mix, and he's going to be a big fellow. I figure he should make a good trail partner, provided he's raised right.

having said that, any pointers?
 
So do you want to train him to be a gun dog, or do you just want to make sure he is not gun shy?

If just intro to guns, Charlie Jurney has some good ideas here.

If you want full gun dog training, my first suggestion is to hook up with a training group and follow one of the established programs. If you want more info on this, let me know and I can give you some pointers....
 
dixidawg said:
So do you want to train him to be a gun dog, or do you just want to make sure he is not gun shy?

If just intro to guns, Charlie Jurney has some good ideas here.

If you want full gun dog training, my first suggestion is to hook up with a training group and follow one of the established programs. If you want more info on this, let me know and I can give you some pointers....
Click to expand...

I want to make sure that if I'm ever out for a walk and have to dump a mag into some scumbag, the dog doesn't scoot off never to be seen again when the SHTF.
 
When I trained mine I did something along the lines of the guy in the video. Bought metal feeding dishes. When you feed the puppy get in the habit of clanging the dish and work up to dropping the dish. Makes a big clang and pup gets used to something good being associated with noise. I worked then up to .22 and eventually to shotgun. Could shoot right over the head of my dog and he would not even flinch. It really works and is not hard to do...you just have to start them young.

Tim
 
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Training a dog for anything just involves repetition.. Expose him over and over to the same thing. If he shy's from sounds, give him a treat or a ball to play with as soon as he hears it.. He will get used to it. The most important thing is to socialize him with people..
 
Follow ALL the steps in the video. Once you are SURE he is ok with gunfire, go to the range, but park a good 1/4 mile away or more. Get pup out and start playing with pup and keep him entertained while slowly walking toward the range. Watch him, and make sure he doesn't show any signs of discomfort as the noise gets louder as you get closer. If he does, back off and continue playing and making it fun for him. Eventually (it may take several trips to the range) you will be able to walk right up to the firing line and pooch will be 100% comfortable with it.

Good luck and let us know you you make out!
 
My uncle trains his own hunting dogs, they are beagles.. I have never heard him say anything about their hearing.. [thinking]
 
Unless there is some weird dog biology thing, this is going to effect their hearing on a large scale. However, I've met more than a few gun dogs that didn't seem at all hearing impaired, but suspect I could measure it given the proper tools.
 
First and foremost, when owning a new puppy, basic obedience training is important. This will create a bond between you and your dog which will be inseparable to break. One great way for your dog to earn confidence is lots of on leash walking and training. When the pup is on a leash with its owner they become a team and work as one. This isn't something that can happen over night, although some dogs do learn commands and confidence quicker.

How old is your pup and what kind of breed is he/she? I have spent many many hours training my girl just in basic obedience. She is almost 2 years old now. She has been to the range with me many times, on leash of course. She goes with my girlfriend who can watch her and then we rotate. Although my dog is trained very well, when we get to the range she becomes aloof and very alert. She can tolerate the sound but looks to us for reassurance. I would not typically introduce a pup to gunfire without having the confidence that your dog has confidence in you.

Even the most well trained dogs get spooked every once in a while, it just matters how long it takes them to come out of it. When my dog gets spooked, she looks to me for my reaction and feeds off of my disposition. Dogs have a 6 sense that no human has. She knows when I've had a bad day at work.... its crazy!

The best thing you can do it lots of training. This isn't just to make the dog well balanced, it to also make the dog confident in you and itself.
 
WeedWhacker said:
I would like to know this information as well, it came up in conversation the other day in my circle of friends.
Click to expand...

Some quick research shows that indeed, dog's hearing is just as easily damaged as people. Big bore gunshots are going to cause some level of hearing damage. A lifetime of shooting will increase the chance of chronic hearing loss at old dog-age. Something to be aware of.

It seems people have written about this. See, for instance:
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/...t_mike&page=sd_col_Stewart_hearing_protection
 
It most definitely can and will affect a dog's hearing.

I run Hunting Retriever Club (HRC) hunt tests. It involves shooting 12GA blanks with your dog at your side. HRC has recently changed from full "popper" loads to "primer only" loads. They found that dogs developed hearing problems as they got older, especially if they had run lots tests over their lifetime.
 
he is a poodle, golden retriever mix, mostly poodle.

called (preparing for the man points deduction) a Goldy-Poo.
 
animal8526 said:
he is a poodle, golden retriever mix, mostly poodle.

called (preparing for the man points deduction) a Goldy-Poo.
Click to expand...

Haha. Thats funny! You are going to have a very energetic pup/dog on your hands. If it was bred with a full sized poodle it will be strong and fast. Lots of people have a misconception of this breed.

Lots of exercise for this pup! He will thank you every night by sleeping and not tearing up your shoes!

Good luck and have fun. Puppy years are the best! JK
 
Poodles were originally bred as retrievers. Over the years the breed has gone away from their original purpose. There are some folks that are trying to "put the hunt" back in the breed.

http://www.versatiledogs.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=13457

There are 2 (father and son) that run in the New England hunt test circuit at the Master Level. They do very nice work. One of them "Bang" is pictured in the link above
 
One example of confidence. (this is kind of funny)

Went on a normal hike with my girl off leash in the woods. Sometimes horses use these same trails by the locals to get from farm to farm. Well one horse took a huge dump in the middle of the trail and for some reason my girl got spooked just seeing a gigantic pile of something foreign that shouldn't have been there.

I had to coach her along to pass this foreign object that is usually never there. It was quite funny that my dog got spooked over a huge pile of horse crap! (I will admit that this pile was abnormally large)

This is a good example of a simple battle my dog went through but had confidence in me that everything would be OK.
 
I'll ask a similar question:

One of our dogs is smart as a whip, but just freaks out at the sound of anything metallic or whirring. He completely goes ape when he sees a gun because he's expecting metallic noises, even when we're trying to be gentle and silent as possible. He actually wants to attack the gun, though he's never been given an opportunity.

We've tried giving him treats as the sound happens but that doesn't seem to work at all. He's just terrified of the sound.

Anyone have any ideas?
 
Bill Nance said:
I'll ask a similar question:

One of our dogs is smart as a whip, but just freaks out at the sound of anything metallic or whirring. He completely goes ape when he sees a gun because he's expecting metallic noises, even when we're trying to be gentle and silent as possible. He actually wants to attack the gun, though he's never been given an opportunity.

We've tried giving him treats as the sound happens but that doesn't seem to work at all. He's just terrified of the sound.

Anyone have any ideas?
Click to expand...

Is your dog excited or fearful when you take out your guns? Are we talking long or hand guns?

A week before I first took my dog to the range I left out my gun bag along with firearm and ammo on floor so she could smell and get acquainted with them. I'd do this for 20 min or so each day. When we go to the actual range I always let her sniff out the gun first before I shoot. This lets her know where the noise is coming from.

Positive reinforcement works best. If you dog is showing fear or aggression when you take out your guns and then give him a treat you are actually rewarding bad behavior.
 
I don't know about the metallic noises, but I have had some exposure to gun shy dogs. I will say up front that it is easier to prevent than to cure. However, I know of a couple folks that have used this with varying degrees of success. One in particular it helped immensely. This dog would literally need tranquilizers whenever a thunderstorm rolled through. After using those CD's the dog can now hunt and is only mildly anxious in a thunderstorm. Might be worth checking out, but YMMV.
 
I would be careful training a gun dog! I think it is very dangerous to let your dog shoot your guns!
 
ASHDUMP said:
One example of confidence. (this is kind of funny)

Went on a normal hike with my girl off leash in the woods. Sometimes horses use these same trails by the locals to get from farm to farm. Well one horse took a huge dump in the middle of the trail and for some reason my girl got spooked just seeing a gigantic pile of something foreign that shouldn't have been there.

I had to coach her along to pass this foreign object that is usually never there. It was quite funny that my dog got spooked over a huge pile of horse crap! (I will admit that this pile was abnormally large)

This is a good example of a simple battle my dog went through but had confidence in me that everything would be OK.
Click to expand...

I think your dog is pretty smart. She was probably used to the piles of crap left by other dogs and similar animals, but not the monstrous pile of dung left by a horse. She probably didn't want anything to do with any animal big enough to drop such a huge turd.

This reminds me of the time I took my Great Dane, Otto, to the St. Patty's Day parade in Southie many years ago. This dog was well trained and calm, cool and collected. Why not? At 175 lbs he was the "King of the Hill" and had nothing to fear. That was until the parade passed by and he saw his first horse, courtesy of the BPD. Otto frieked out and dragged me face down through a wet, slushy alley for about 50 yds. He behaved as if he had just met the biggest dog in the world.
 
I have never deliberately set out to train a gun dog, but have taken the last two of my dogs (both Rottweilers) to the range with me from a very early age. I left them in the truck fairly close to the range, but kept the winow closest to the firing line almost closed and opened the other windows for ventilation. This gradual exposure to a muffled gun shot acclimated both dogs to gunfire in short order. The only down side is that the dogs became so used to gunfire that they would sneak up behind me while I was shooting if I allowed them out of the truck. To prevent hearing damage I am forced to keep my current Rottie, Axel, in the truck while I shoot.
 
None of my dogs have been gun shy. They've all been exposed to gunfire but I never let them stand close to me when I shoot. Their hearing is so much better than ours that I can't believe that close gunshots won't harm their hearing. If you have a new puppy,you must also have a Vet. Ask him or her if loud noises will damage your dog's hearing. I've often wondered why retrievers that sit in a duck blind aren't all deaf.
 
pupchow said:
The majority of advice out there, with regard to dogs & gunfire, relates to associating gunfire with hunting activity. Most advice discourages bringing a pup to the range.

Some more advice:
http://www.gundogsupply.com/sws-gun-shy.html
Click to expand...

Gundog supply is a great site with good products.

I would agree that bringing your dog to the range every time would not be a great idea. Once a week doesn't hurt. Also, every time I go to the range I'm the only one there with my girlfriend. So there isn't a lot of alternative firing going on and my dog is about 30 to 40 feet away.
 

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