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- - Gun Shy Lab (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/sporting-dogs/66920-gun-shy-lab.html)

My 2yr 8mo old lab does well retrieving dummy ducks, pheasants, and doves but I'm having trouble with the gun. As soon as I pull my gun out of the case, he starts to act all scared and tensed up. I've tried the .22 blanks training and the same thing happens. The lab does not like any load noise including thunder storms.. Any advice would be great to overcome this problem.

Well there big game, welcome to the board.:) It sounds like you have not had a gun around your dog when he was a pup. If so he probably wouldnt act like that, you have to get them gun-broke at a very early age. If you have done so when he was a pup, then he will really need some work or might always be afraid of your gun. How long have you had your lab? Are you the original owner?

Try this bud.....it worked for mine. Take him out and have a partner with you. Have your buddy hold a 22. Get him all excited with a game of fetch. After the 2nd or 3rd throw, make a big deal, maybe even give him a treat. Then the next time, just as you throw the bumper or toy, have you friend (who needs to be at least 50-75 ft. away from you) fire a shot BEFORE the bumper hits the ground. Then do a couple more without shots. Then a couple more with a shot.

Make sure it is COOL when you do this and don't let the pup get heat exhaustion.

Hope this helps!

Yes, I am the original owner. Got him at 12 weeks and introduced the gun to him at 8 months.

then he may never be gun broke. Does he run when u shoot? What does he do? It may be that you just have to bring your gun around alot more. The one thing i do when i had my lab pups, is when they have there head in there dog bowl i would bang two pots together or smack my hands real loud, to get them use to loud bangs.

I broke -- or so I thought -- my male Chessie at 3-months of age. He was fine around the gun and several intermittent shots from the 12 ga, but a couple rounds of trap at a buddies house sent him running for my truck. I had a prairie grouse hunt lined up for Nebraska in September and this set-back occurred in June. Here's what i did.

He was definitely gunshy at this point -- even at the sight of the gun. I bought a kids cap gun, acquired some homing pigeons and went to work. First I introduced him to the pigeons and got him excited about them. I'd hold the pigeons on the ground and release my dog and let him catch them. Then I would let him flush the birds on his own. This all took place in my yard and went on for about 2-weeks. Slowly I introduced the cap gun -- in the house -- from a distance, eventually incorporating it with the pigeons. I'd hold the pigeon on the ground, shoot the cap gun and release the pigeon. My dog would brake at the crack of the gun. Mid-August, a buddy and I took the dog to the field and shot the 12 ga -- from a distance -- until we were shooting over him. The third day of Kentucky's dove season I took the dog out and he retrieved several dove on that hunt. Problem solved and he made the trip to Nebraska.

The process is a long and tedious one, but should work. To this day, he is very much afraid of fireworks and thunderstorms, but hunts like a machine.

try using a .22 pistol. then switch up to the rifle and back to the pistol then to the rifle and so on. every time try to use the rifle more.

Gun shyness is a man-made problem. Dogs are not born gun shy. Go to www.coonriverkennels.com and if you look around a bit, you will find an excellent article on preventing and curing gun shyness.

I started with loud noises the day I brought my lab home. First with a loud clap from the other side of the room, then working up to a .22 outside while he was in the general area, and so on, never had a problem. My friends lab, my labs brother, was suddenly terrified of gun shots @ 1 year or so. Found out a few days later that he had run off one day and someone peppered his butt with a shotgun. Loud noise=Ouch Took him a while to break him of that, he didn't do any majic trick, just worked with his dog for many, many months. I have to put my lab inside when I benchrest shoot, he lays right in front of the shooting bench. I swear you could see the muzzle blast ruffle his fur without so much as a jerk out of him. I figure it is bad for his ears though, anyone know anything about that? I'm sure long term gun fire exposure will take it's toll on any hearing, man's or dog's.

Semper fi Marine........boy i sure do remember those day laying in the prone out at the 500. Wasnt that long ago, but i still miss it alot! Targets, target, get those dog target in the air!! Stand by.........GRAB HOLD!! Sorry just had a flash back:D Yea its bad for your dogs hearing definetly
take care of yours and your hunting buddies. 0311 M4L!