Tips on raising a gun friendly dog?

[TheOtherOne]

There was a thread here about a week ago about anti-gun dogs , well I'm wondering what to do to keep your dog from being an anti?

I'm mainly looking for tips on preventing them from being gun shy. I've read a few things and about the only good information I've found is that you need to make loud noises when they are doing things they enjoy like eating and playing. I just got a new pup (9 weeks old now) and I want to condition her early. I don't know how soon is too soon to take her up in the mountains with me shooting?


If I have my way, she'll be a proficient marksman with the G27 when I'm done.

 

[Matthew Courtney]

You cannot start too early. Start with a .22 and work your way up gradually.

 

[Cactus]

I use to start out with a cap pistol, fired while the pup is eating, from the opposite end of the house. When the pup no longer noticed, I would move closer untill I could stand right next to them without a flinch. Doesn't take too long.

Now I live next to Fort Lewis so they learn real early and it's never a problem. 150 mm cannon, what's that sound?

 

[ENC]

If you reload you can start with primed cases. No powder or projectile. Safe and fairly loud.

What kind of pup? Guessing pit bull or American bulldog

 

[gunsmith]

good thing about dogs is

that they can not open the lock when you're not home

 

[Daedalus]

Just make sure she does not read the combonation to your safe over your shoulder.

 

[gunsmith]

another good tip

For a friendly gun dog is to give it a treat
before you let it handle any guns,you
never want a hungry dog to handle your
firearms!

 

[dinosaur]

I was working at the range when my dog was a pup. At the time we were pretty dog friendly and guys would bring their hunting dogs to train.

She got exposed regularly to everything from .38s to heavy weapons. It didn`t bother her then but when she got older, fireworks on the 4th really bothered her. I had no control over that unfortunately.

 

[TheOtherOne]

I like the cap pistol idea. I haven't had one of those since I was about 9 years old! It's a great excuse to go get one. I always remember bothering my mom to buy me more caps and now that I'm all grown up I can get as many as I want!

I think I'll start with that and then take her out here soon with some .22's only. We'll see how it goes.

What kind of pup? Guessing pit bull or American bulldog

She's a Canary Dog. They are somewhat similar to a Bull Mastiff. These dogs are great at hunting. They use them for wild boar hunts, but since we don't have any of those here we'll mainly be chasing jack rabbits , unless I can get lucky and draw out for a mountain lion hunt.

 

[Navy joe]

If I have my way, she'll be a proficient marksman with the G27 when I'm done.

If you don't have your way she'll use that thing as a chewtoy that smells like dad.

 

[Kim]

I trained my lab at the age of 6 weeks. Just took my shot gun outside and would shoot. She has never been gun shy. If she hears a gun go off she is looking in that direction for the duck to fall. I shoot turtles in my pond at times and she hits the water and swims one direction and then another. She must think I am a terrible shot since no duck to bring home!! She willeven bring back a clay bird that sometimes hits the ground and does not break. This last fourth of July when the fireworks were being shot over my pond she and I floated in the pond she went to sleep with me holding her head above the water. The only loud sound she does not like is thunder. She senses a storm before I do.

 

[c_yeager]

Be careful, i have an old plastic gun (grendel POS i think) that has few tooth imprints on the grip. It still works fine and i get to make up funny stories about how they got there. But, i would be ticked if it was something pricey.

 

[Nightcrawler]

One thing to keep in mind. A dog's hearing is way more sensative than yours, and I don't think they make hearing protection for your loyal pooch.

If even a single shot fired can damage the human ear, imagine what it must be like for the dog?

For the dog's own hearing health, I'd limit the amount of actual shooting I did around it. Unless they actually do make doggie ear protection.

 

[redneck2]

Nightcrawler...

that's one thing I could never understand

a hunting dog like a pointer will be on the ground in front of a shotgun and has to get full muzzle blast, but it never seems to bother their hearing

 

[Matt1911]

You can pick up a blank gun here www.lcsupply.com(one of my favorite toy stores)for around 20 dollars.They have several levels of blanks also.
Make the training fun,like while playing fetch(also reinforces the retrive),Chasing a frisbe,or ball also acts as a distraction to the noise.I use quail while guntraining my pups,the bird captures thier attention,they don't even seem to hear the gunshot.Take it slow,don't overwork the pup.

 

[c_yeager]

a hunting dog like a pointer will be on the ground in front of a shotgun and has to get full muzzle blast, but it never seems to bother their hearing

Hearing loss can be frequency specific. I have no idea if its true or not but, i think its quite possible that the dog's hearing HAS been damaged to the point that it isnt getting the full-effect of the blast. But, that it still has good-enough hearing in other ranges to function to no ill effect. Is it possible that good gun-dogs are just partially deaf?

 

[Quartus]

you never want a hungry dog to handle your firearms!

Especially if your gun is made of Tupperware!

Hearing loss can be frequency specific.

Good point. It would be interesting to see some research on this.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Don't chase him around the house with a shouldered gun pointing at him. I did that to my brother's dog (my brother knew the airgun was unloaded - OK, I'll admit I was naughty and violated the safety rule). He run and turn and bark at me at which point I'd approached menacingly again with the gun raised to my shoulder. We hadn't bonded because I thought he was such an arse (he'd attack other dogs all the time).

Later on, when he got older (and mellowed), we did bond and whenever I stepped out of the house with a gun, he'd follow and if I shot a critter, he'd run up and sniff it. Later on, he even learned to retrieve (amazing that no body taught him). Poor dog. Just as he became likeable, he got himself runned over.

Enough story telling.

Do what my brother did. As for all his dogs, when as pups, they saw guns. He take them to the range and they'd watched (leashed) him blow up something. They kinda got the notion of the power of a firearm (that's how the mutt knew it was dangerous to have a muzzle pointed at him).