Originally Posted by
Oldtimr
Forget about the pan banging nonsense. When you want to get your dog ready for gunfire start small with a .22 blank about 20 yards away after the pup's nose is full of bird. Once the dog shows more interest in the bird than the gunfire, move closer until you are finally shooting over the dog. Then start all over again with a shotgun shell with a primer only. Don't rush it, plant 2 or three birds each time and then increase until the dog is only interested in the bird and ignores the noise. You want a hunting dog to ignore gunfire, r look forward to it when they are hunting, gun fire has nothing to do with beating on a dog food pan.
Not sure banging a pan is nonsense, what is wrong with trying to condition a dog to loud, sudden noises? I've trained 2 dogs, neither was gun shy (or scared of firecrackers, thunder, etc.). The advice I was given was fire a cap gun (not in the pup's face) whenever you feed them, let them associate the sound of a loud pop with something they enjoy (food). But I agree the rest of your suggestion makes good sense.