Dog afraid of guns

[Cump]

I've had dogs before scared of gunfire, but never one that just can't stand to look at a gun.

Getting ready for the range, she hides. Guns out for cleaning, she hides. Air rifle in the yard, she hides. When I put on my carry gun, she hides. (Once its covered, she doesn't seem scared, but she will sniff at it when she sits by me.)

Her previous foster home, at least, didn't have firearms, and she was there most her life -- so probably not from a bad experience, unless a memory from puppyhood. She's a chihuahua mix ("well, there's your first problem"). Other than the guns, she acts tough.

Anyone else have a hoplophobic dog?

 

[oneounceload]

Sounds like a lot of trap shooters I know who now shoot release triggers because of the fear of recoil inducing flinches........ just sayin'

Dogs' ears are MUCH more sensitive than ours and pain is relative.....

 

[rcmodel]

I did once years ago.

A neighbor kid found a Brittany puppy at the lake someone had dumped and shot with a shotgun.

Her whole left side had shotgun shot under the skin.
We named her Pepper! ( Cause she was peppered with shot.)

She was terrified of guns.
But she had the birddog instinct that was stronger.
I worked with her with a quail wing and a fishing rod, and dummy birds all summer teaching her to point and retrieve, while nursing her back to health.

By early fall, I introduced a cap-gun into the wing & retrieving training.
And then .22 shot shells.

And by fall hunting season she thought shotguns were just peachy keen play toys when we went hunting.
And she was raring to go anytime, any place!!
I got a gun out she was jumping up & down joyful!

She turned out to be the best bird dog I ever had in my life!!

rc

 

[Bexar]

Had a Labrador that was awesome and...well...awesome. He did not like gunfire and would slink off when we pulled the shotguns out. We discovered later that his hearing was almost radar equivalent. He was about eighty yards away with our Daughter and I simply said something about them to my Wife in an office voice and he perked up and came running. Gunfire simply may have hurt his ears.

Miss him...

 

[danez71]

She turned out to be the best bird dog I ever had in my life!!

rc

.... you deserve a LOT of credit.

Well done, Sir.

 

[Cump]

My bird-dog herd-dog mix isn't scared of the sight of guns like the little squirt (nor the sound). But when she was an adolescent, she would get defensive/aggressive when she saw someone open carrying other than me (including cops). Had to train that out of her real quick.

An aside: The big dog, also has a particular fondness for Frog Lube. I have to lock it up in the gun cabinet, or else she'll chew it open. Probably wouldn't mind licking up all of that excess on a gun either.

RC: I think I've read some of your posts skeptical of Frog Lube. I can vouch for its usefulness, at least as a dog treat.

 

[Cump]

I'll play that straight: Afraid of stainless and nickel too.

 

[rcmodel]

Who me?

I love frogs.
I just don't think they should make lube out of them!!

Seriously, I don't think I ever commented one way or the other on Frog-Lube, as I have never used it.

And if I have never used it, I wouldn't have said anything against it.

Must have been somebody else??

But, I still think they shouldn't make lube out of frogs.
It's as bad as making Duck-Tape out of ducks.

rc

 

[BK]

Our Brittany pups always were trained by starter pistol, then the shotguns. I've had dogs who were skiddish, but you push through that until they know how much fun it will all mean to be.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Not a dog and she's not really afraid-----but my cat will let out a strange meow every time the action of a gun is worked.

She can be in the other room or sound asleep------will be dead asleep and let out a sound without opening her eyes or even moving------pretty funny to see---and hear.

 

[cat_IT_guy]

My chocolate lab barks at guns in the house. But when I put them in the car she knows Im going somewhere and she'd rather go with than stay home. I've taken her to the range a few times on "quiet" days (staying away from the rifle line and on relatively low volume pistol days), leaving her in the car with only a far side (relative to firing line) window cracked for air. .38s and .22s, she curls up and sleeps on the driver seat.

 

[Mike J]

My Australian Shepard mix does not fear the sight of a gun but I am sure he is aware of them & what they are. It has been several years ago now but I used to dry fire to work on trigger control in the garage for about 10 minutes a night. He would go in there with me & hang out until I picked the pistol up & racked the slide to make sure it was clear. That was when he would get up & leave every time.

 

[Drail]

Years ago we had a bearded collie who was so terrified of thunder she would crawl into the bath tub and shake like a leaf. One day I was taking a showing and a pop up thunderstorm blew in. She climbed into the tub and gave me "the look" It was like - "Dude, get out of my way - I really NEED to get in there". What're ya gonna do?

 

[Capybara]

My in laws had a mixed breed cattle dog on their ranch named Jezzie. She was very intelligent, sweet but same thing, when she even saw a gun, she was gone. Same thing with my camera too though, she didn't like black metallic things, which is funny since she was black too. She just died of skin cancer too (who knew that dogs also get skin cancer?), we miss her, she was a sweet girl.

 

[rcmodel]

gave me "the look" It was like - "Dude, get out of my way - I really NEED to get in there". What're ya gonna do?

Sounds like my old Boxer Titan.
He had no fear of anything, and would take on a Tyrosourous Rex if it threatened me or my wife.

He loved guns and going shooting.
Had to tie him to the truck or he would jump up and try to catch the bullets!!!

But thunder?
Oh heck no!!!!!

He became a trembling shivering wreck at the distant thunder we couldn't hear yet.
And scratched on the basement door until you opened it so he could go take cover under the reloading bench when it got closer!

I never knew why?
Hurt his ears when gunfire didn't?
Ancient instinct to go to the den when lighting gets close?
Who knows??

Wish I did understand Dog better then I do.
I would be a much better human!!!

rc

 

[Hardtarget]

Had a dog that was OK with my guns. However...he was afraid of cameras. Could not get a good photo of that dog for 15 years. Every shot he was trying to escape and evade. Kind of funny when you see the whole group.

Mark

 

[Cump]

RC: I likely mis-remembered or ascribed someone else's comment to you. Sorry.
But as I had it filed away, it wasn't a critical comment, just a note of skepticism, that it probably wasn't quite as revolutionary as some claim.

Unless dog-appeal is important.

But unconsciously, I probably just wanted to find some way to associate my comment with RC.

 

[scotjute]

My BlueTick hound was afraid of guns. First time he treed, I shot and he disappeared for an hour. I traded my 12 gage to a 20 gage and used 2 3/4" shells to lessen the noise for him (it also lessened carry weight for me and reduced recoil). After I shot his first raccoon out of a tree and he saw it fall, he became much more accepting of guns and is somewhat excited when I get the small shotgun out.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Cump,

I've had a dog once that seemed to know they were deadly weapons by sight.

Don't know how but Teddy just knew and would leave the room when I belted up.

Deaf

 

[Rockwolf66]

Growing up the family dog, Sam, did not like firearms.

It seemed that there was a kid next door that used him for target practice with a BB gun. Sam was not comfortable with people with guns other than my dad. On the other hand Sam had enough fight in him to drive off a cougar. I know that when the Eureka PD stopped by the house searching for a bank robber, Sam went a bit nuts on the end of his chain.

Alas Sam has gone to that great kennel in the sky.

 

[HB]

We had a dog that was also afraid of guns. Even getting a shotgun out of a safe would make him turn and run. However my current dog doesn't mind them at all. She will sit on the concrete pad and bask in the sun while we shoot 22s. She doesn't flinch at the bigger stuff either but I always put her in the truck because I don't want to deafen the poor girl.

My guess is some dogs are skiddiish by nature and even racking the slide of a pistol can be loud. Peggy is my only dog now but she went to college with me. Even during loud parties she would just sit on the couch and people watch. I got her from a shelter after she had already lost a leg and had 2 litters so I suppose not much can phase her. Also the smartest and most loyal mutt I've had.

HB

 

[dancitizen]

...

 

[1911Tuner]

One of our two Collies born to us in a litter of six boys who had never been subjected to gunfire would react and hide whenever I cycled a slide or even cocked the hammer on a DA revolver in his presence.

A similar sound from any other source, he ignored. Only if it came from a gun and only if he actually saw the gun.

Maybe he was shot in a former life. I dunno.

 

[Cee Zee]

My fiest has been scared of guns since I brought him home from the shelter. He's scared of anything that looks like a gun including handguns. He runs off scared every time I get a gun out to shoot. My cat on the other hand wants to sniff the barrel to see what is coming out of there. She sees the bullets and it drives her crazy. I've seen her get up on stuff between where I was shooting and my target hoping to get a view of the bullets as they passed by. Of course I would never shoot with her in the direction of fire but she wants me too. She smells the trigger and the bore when I put my rifles down. She wants to hang right under my feet while I'm shooting. The crazy thing would love to be standing right in front of the gun when I'm shooting it. Obviously she doesn't get what she wants. She's so bad about it that when I would go outside to shoot when I was shooting a lot and if I didn't let her go with me she would stand at the door and squawl until my wife let her outside.

Animals are funny about such things and it's hard to predict what dogs will be gun shy. I don't know if everyone is familiar with that term but it was something that used to automatically disqualify a bird dog for example. You can't hunt birds with a dog that cares more about the gun you're carrying than the quail they're supposed to be finding.

 

[g.willikers]

Dogs are weird.
The folks who owned the range had a mutt that would run around in front of the targets trying to catch the bullets, if the dumb thing wasn't tied up.
One time it got loose and lost a piece of ear.
That made no difference at all.

A friend had a dog that had no fear of guns, until he took it hunting.
When the dog saw what that was all about, it hid under the couch when any gun came out of the safe.