HI: I have a great dog, finds game, keen nose, just a
great hunter...except...when I shoot the dog takes
off in panic & the last time, it was 4 &1/2 hours
before he came back, about 7 PM, completely dark.
He will come back to the point of origin, where the
car is parked & I don't know how he can go so many
miles cross country & find his way back..the last
time other hunters saw him at least 6 miles away.
This dog is 2 years old & may have been traumatized
as a pup before I got him (I got him at 8 weeks old).
Any suggestions will be much appreciated. Thanks, Tom

I'm no expert on this but I got an idea. You could get a pump pellet gun and gradually get him used to lowder and louder shots. Pet em and let em know it's Okay before and after each shot so e feels secure and gets used to it. I got a Bull terrier hound pig dog and nit was a little gun shy. Not like your but she did get freaked out when we were shooting and at home she would jump and run away every time I I fired my bb gun but after alot of firing she is used to it now.

Nic

I've never done this but I was talking to someone and he told me the following:

Get a friend and a shotgun and shells

get your buddy to go about 100 yds away while you stand there gettin the dog all riled up playin with him and praising him

have your buddy start shooting and moving closer after shooting a couple times

get buddy to gradually move closer as he shoots while you're praising the dog all along

when your dog gets spooked have buddy back off and slow down and let pup get comfortable

from what I've been told if you do it right your dog will be okay

I had a silimar problem with my lab. Since your has had experiance with it and is scared already, you should try to put him in a dog crate wil you shoot. It will prevent him panicing and trying to run and choking on his collar. It may help to imprint that it is something to be scared over. Put him in a crate and stand in front of it where he can see you. Don't pay any attention to him while you are shooting. Over time, if you don't make a big deal about the noise he will probaly just go to sleep. Start with some thing small and work up toa bigger calaber. next time you go out, put him on leash. hold onto it don't tie it up to any thing. Have a friend start shooting. Just walk your dog around the area. Pretend that nothing is wrong or different give him treats occationaly. The most important thing is not to act like you even hear the noise.

Do NOT shoot over your dog again!!!!!! Something has happened to make him like this and it's a gradual process to correct it; It can be corrected with time.
Start as if you've got a pup again...at the food bowl
While he's eating, clap your hands to start. Do that a few times and ANY TIME HE SPOOKS Love'em up real good. Do this until he no longer spooks or when you clap he comes to you.

Graduate to louder noises i.e. pots and pans banging and after a while try sneaking up on him a little. The idea is to get him to realize "loud unexpected noises are GREAT!"

No offense, Valcorie, But that sounds like a sure fire way to make a gun shy dog crazy.

Trushot }}------>

It sounds like the dog has it pretty bad. There are a couple of ways to help him through it, but they are very difficult, and time consuming. You need to weigh whether or not you want to put in the time or start over with a new bird dog. You will also need a few things like a kennel, and a buddy to help you. If you are absolutely certain you want to spend the time trying to treat this, you can email me at [email protected] and I will give you instructions. For now do not expose the dog to any gunfire. He is freaked out enough. Locking him up and forcing him to listen to shooting will worsen the problem.

Use a Big Lead to shoot them
were they aint.

Be careful in how you handle this. Get your dog to a competent trainer ASAP and be careful in taking advice from us on the internet.

Star was what I would call gun sensitive when she was about a year old and I took her to an excellent trainer. I followed his advice and took her to him every week. In 2 weeks, she was excited to hear a gun shot. We NEVER shot unless she was after a planted bird (either quail or pigeon)and she quickly learned that the shot meant fun. Now she comes running to the sound of the gun.

There is also a CD or tape out there that is supposed to work. I read about it in Outdoor Life a while back.

Good luck, and be careful what you do.

Airedales hunt for feather or fur!

I agree on checking with the pros. I am sure we have some on this site but alot of us are not really trained in this complex area. What may work for a certain dog might be a train-wreck for another. There is some good advice given so far and some very bad info. also.
Check with a trainer = sounds like Big Lead might have something and Star1pup has given very good advice.
Good luck and keep us posted

February 2003 = tired and Re-tired cop

Slowly reintroduce him to the noise while he is doing something that he enjoys. Play with him while some one target shoots in the distance with a .22 at first and get him so he doesn't care about the sound then GRADUALLY increase the amount of noise.

Some good advice and some not so good advice.Curing a gunshy dog IS possible ,but like a few others have said its takes a good bit of time and Lots of patience.I'd have to ask the breeder where you got the dog if he tried shooting over it at a ridculous young age.The reason I say that is while you can get a timid of fairly shy dog,in 98% of gunshy dogs are from "Man Made Error".Pups are Not born gunshy,that happens from a mistake in training,perhaps trying to rush the dog to fast to gun introduction.

I introduce all my pups to the gun while on birds.Set a bird out let the dog find it and chase it up while the dog is in HOT pursuit and away about 100 yds I then fire the gun or have a friend along and when I think its far enough have him fire a shot so I can be Totally focused on the pups reaction to the shot.If the pup stops at the shot or turns and heads back to me we are DONE for the day with the gun.More play time and lots of priase, no more gunfire until another day.As you well know by now introduction to the gun is Critical and cant be done too fast,it has to be done gradually and over time.

The first step I'd take is have your pup at your side and TEASE the heck out of it with a live bird.Then toss the bird loose for the pup to chase,even catching a few and letting it play with the birds and possibly make a few retrives would be a great start,but with NO GUN,just pup and birds.When you have the pup chasing with great desire would I then try the gun again.Get it all FIRED up for the chase then turn the bird free and wait till the dog is hot after it and a GOOD distance from the gun then fire a shot.Before I'd even try the gun I would let the pup chase these birds for at least a few weeks to build its confidence.Keep the sessions short with perhaps 1-2 birds TOPS and time in the field about 45 min to a hr Tops again,so it doesnt get bored and stays focused at the fun at hand.Seeking professional help is excellent advice but again theres NO guarntee it can be cured.Some dogs can some can't thats just the way it is.The time and expense can get costly.I did read one time there are a few professional trainers that do guarntee success or you dont pay.Good Luck let us know how things work out.Happy Holidays,Jackson..