My 9 year old dog has been great the past few years. Awsome infact.... now he is 9 almost 10 and he barks / whines when i shoot. or he hears gun shot at a range. he still looks arround after the shot like he expects a bird to fall but with rifles .... even a 22 he whines and crys all the time after a shot even barks and yaps and never stops..... please tell me its not hirting him? why would he do this after so long of hunting. the vet cant even explain it and says his ears are fine.

its almost bird season and as you all know... a dog is mans best friend am i to leave him home this season and procede with out my dog? is there somthing i can do to break this or fix this?

he is a 9 yr old yellow lab


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you have the best dog i know

Come on..... someone has to know.

His expectencey is only 10-13. He's old. I have a 9 yo english yellow and now a days its sleeping, pooping and taking his old sweet time.

Mine is still energetic. He plays ball every day after work and still chases rabits and runs up to 14 MPH for 2 Miles nearly daily.

Is the howling because the noise hurts his ears - Even shooting a blow gun he will bark any time a "projectile" is pointed. from guns to slingshots to blowguns etc.

He also is starting to bark when you cast a fishing line and run arround sparaticly.

Are you positive it's only his ears that seem to be bothering him? Could it be something else? Does he only bark and whine when he hears the sound of a gun? Does he seem to be in pain? Does he seem nervous or anxious? When did he start this behavior and do you know where it started?

A rifle shot is not the same blast as a shotgun discharge. I have seen dogs go gun shy because of the crack of a rifle. So I'd be careful about that.

Whining and crying with a shotgun blast is probably from the anticiaption of the retrieve which is a reward to the dog.
If the dog will no longer be quiet a bark collar can be tried but at a low setting to start with. The last thing you want to do is create more trama for the dog.

Or constant shooting of a blank pistol held and fired 20-30 yds back from the dog and at the same time a dead bird or dummy is launched at the shot, for the dog to RTV, while you handle the dog and teach it quiet. Once yo have the dog settled send it for the RTV. But only when you get it quieted down.
On sequences the dog performs correctly lots of praise for the dog and don't be real quick taking that bird or dummy from the dog.
I like to pet them talling them good boy for a bit and then reach for the item the dog is holding in its mouth.
Keep your sesssions short no more than 10 to 15 minutes but do several during the day. If the dog does it correctly - always stop on a high note or at some point the dog was successful - even if it is a slight improvement. Don't over do.

Through that constant positive repetition I would expect your dog to settle down and be quiet.

Or seek the help of a professional dog trainer - someone who will work with you and the dog and help teach you.

That would be my suggestion.
JW