how early is 2 early?

dirtyd · 11-16-2008, 09:57 PM

how early is too early to take a pup duck hunting?

i have one that can retrieve on command with the dummies. i just dont want to make him shy of the gun.

Doc E · 11-17-2008, 08:29 PM

Do you mean TAKE him hunting or actually having him make the retrieves etc?

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dirtyd · 11-17-2008, 08:38 PM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Doc E

Do you mean TAKE him hunting or actually having him make the retrieves etc?

.

just take him. and have him sit with me.

Illinois hunter · 11-17-2008, 10:27 PM

If your pup has not been conditioned correctly to gun fire, he could be traumatized by the rapid close range shooting that occurs in a blind. Make sure you have taken plenty of time to condition him. The last thing you want to do is ruin a new dog from gun shyness.

fastfreddie15005 · 11-23-2008, 04:48 PM

I started taking my dog to an outdoor rifle range when he was about 8 months old. I started out by shooting a single 22lr shot from about 30 feet away and giving him a treat. Then it went to 380,9mm,40cal,12ga then 30-06.....he was always rewarded with a treat and praise. He associates gun noise with treats.

Other folks will walk a dog up to an active rifle range and giving the dog praise and petting to let the dog know everything is OK.

A dog needs to get used to gunfire gradually. I think its very possible to ruin a good dog by firing a big gun to close when they are not used to it.

Mite · 12-03-2008, 05:02 AM

Ouch, 22LR is okay but a 30-06 will actually hurt the dog. Such a high caliber rifle cartridge travel faster than the speed of sound or supersonic. It creates a doppler effect, where the produced sound catches up to earlier sound, ie sonic boom. That's why shooting a supersonic caliber at a range with no ear protection hurts your ears. And remember, a dog's ear is much more sensitive than ours.

raptor5618 · 12-09-2008, 02:06 PM

The way I learned to condition a dog has always worked and seems a lot more sensible than going to a rifle range unless you are the only one there maybe.

I have a blank pistol and when the dog is all excited about retrieving a dummy I toss it and when the pup is almost ready to retrieve I have someone shoot the pistol a good ways behind me. I do that a few times and over a few days move closer depending on their reaction. In the end the gun is fired just as the dummy is tossed. I then use low brass when the dog finds a bird that I planted and after that you pretty much have nothing to worry about. I have yet to have a dog that even reacted to gun fire.