My family is getting a golden retriever pup soon, and I'm wondering if there's a way to train it not to be gun-shy. Is that something that can be trained?
put cotton balls in their ears
snap caps. kids toys with the loud noise orange cirlces (dont act like you dont know what im talking about)
Blanks
>>30539917
So, slowly introduce louder and louder noises?
>>30539936
Basically when you're playing fetch with the pupper, have someone stand a good distance away and fire a shotgun. Its important that you don't react and you keep playing with them like normal. They are going to look at you and react based on how you react.
Continue this with the shotgun gradually getting closer over a period of time. (Don't do this every day for a week, or you'll make your dog deaf) Try this every other week for about 7-8 months. Eventually play with the dog while you have the shot gun and fire it off up close once.
Also earpro for the pupper as the shotgun gets closer.
Get them started fetching. Then after a while throw the decoy and have your buddy fire one round. If the dog runs or yelps dont baby it and start over. If it doesnt yelp or run and actually fetches it. Have it fetch again and fire two rounds. If it still fetches after two rounds do it again and fire three. Then start throwing the decoy with a gun in your hands while your buddy fires a few rounds. If it doesnt get shy then you can throw it and fire a few rounds yourself. You can also start by taking it shooting as a puppy and play with it while your friends are shooting. Letting it know gunshots are ok. Never praise or console it when it cowers or yelps. It wilk reinforce the negative behavior. Praise and play with it when it doesnt react.
Dogs are easy. Try training horses not to be gunshy. That takes patience like crazy.
>>30539870
Make sure to get ear pro for your pupper. Dogs have more sensitive ears than humans, and tinnitus sucks.
>>30539936
Until it goes deaf?
>>30543661
>>30539936
I think he means just normally. Like start with small claps, Then Louder ones, then fire cap guns near it.once it stops being frightened, then shoot a .22 near it. Then move up to shotguns (if its going to be a bird dog). Im not saying next to its ears ( because thats just dumb)
Reward it every time its introduced to a loud noise and doesn't shy from it. Its needs to find that noise as non-threatening. Shoot the gun then lie it on the ground near the dog, let the dog sniff it and see that it wont hurt it. reward the dog. then pick it up again and fire another shot. rinse and repeat that over like 2 months
>>30539870
well we did by going for walks near range, took treats and toys with me and start at the distance and when it looked it didn't bother it moved closer and so on. takes a while but worked for me
Everyone ITT has good input.
I gun trained my lab by taking him on dove hunts, I'd sit with him in my chair and drink beer while they shot. Usually petting or playing (8 weeks old). Then a few days later I put him on a check cord and let him ramble while my friends shot. Sometimes he'd try and chase after the big dogs going for retrieves. As soon as I saw that, I'd tie the check cord to my chair and shaft shooting. Continued that through dove season with some fetch training and a .22 pistol. By winter he was sitting with me in the blind with 3.5 BB loads going off all around.
I figured he'd have hearing damage but he runs into the kitchen from my bedroom anytime he hears me open the treat jar or a an egg cracking (he loves scrambled eggs).
Anyways here's my big dumb retard #blacklabsmatter
>>30544505
#alllabsmatter
Also nice pupper
>>30544524
Thanks m8. I told him what was happening in Dallas earlier and he kept his cool sleeping on his bed. #notallblacks
>>30539870
Not OP, do I have to worry about gunshots hurting my dog's ears. I usually leave him inside when I shoot, but it would be pretty cool to have him outside with me.
>>30539870
I just would take him outside and play with the little throw snaps (the little balls that pop when you throw them) then I moved up to fire crackers, then to actual loud fireworks. By the time I got to the range my boy didn't even flinch.
It's all about desensitization and exposure, just like people