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Have you ever had someone say to you about how they purchased a pup that was gun-shy?

What was your reply – send it back? Well, maybe the breeder should charge the new owner for the time it will take to re-train the pup. You see, by far the majority of cases of gun shy pups are caused by the carelessness of their new owner.

I will assume that the pup was purchased from a reputable breeder, that this breeder gave the pups enough time with mum and littermates for socialization, and that the purchaser made some attempt to enquire that the pup they were purchasing came from sound, healthy, well adjusted parents. Obviously if the pup you take home is a nervous wreck, hiding and wetting itself at all new occurrences, you most likely are in for a big problem.

Then there are the strange but true cases of the complete idiots who, believing this will correct their dog from breaking to shot and running in on flushed game, actually shoot their dogs with a light load. Any dog with a pinch of intelligence will associate the bang with the pain, and certainly will not break to shot or game again, they will be too busy running the other way or wriggling to safety beneath a bush!

Beating your dog with a stick or branch (!) also will contribute towards making the poor animal appear gun shy. As you swing your gun (stick) into the air, what do you suppose the dog will think is going to occur next?

It is important to accustom your pup to the general noise of around home living, and to take pup out into the big wide world to accustom it to traffic noise etc. Shouting and showing anger in conjunction with sudden noise will quickly teach pup to be very wary of these noises, pup probably running to the safety of its kennel – which is where pup will look to go when you ignorantly take it out and let rip with the shotgun over it’s head to see if is gun shy.

Often it is lack of observation that leads to gun shyness. This can happen to even the best trainer in the heat of the moment. Say you are hunting with friends and have taken pup along for the outing. Surprisingly you come across a really good sized covey and the firing is like a war – suddenly you look to pup and there it is covering at your feet. This pup needs reassurance and removal immediately from the war zone. Perhaps you took pup with an older dog that resented the pesky little varmint, and the gunshots just happened to coincide with a snarl or a nip at the pup. Dogs learn through association and this pup is on the way to associating the sound of shot with punishment, just as it will if you or your hunting companion loudly berate another dog whilst in the process of firing at game. This is easy to do, maybe the older dog chases game you missed and needs hollering at to stop – but what does pup think of all this?

The golden rule is THINK, and keep your voice calm. WATCH pups reaction to things, and watch what is going on with another dog. Make sure your hunting companions are steady of temperament and realise that getting your pup started out right is far more important than the days bag.

Don’t put pressure on a young pup or a dog that appears uncertain. Take things slowly, if pup looks worried give it a pat and retire to a quieter climate for a time. When acclimatising pup to the sound of shot, always act as if it is a common, normal occurrence, and be cheerful, whatever you do – don’t lose your cool.

Having your pup become nervous of gunfire, you will need to go right back to basics.

You will often carry your gun when you have pup out looking for birds and scenting, but his is all you will do, just carry the gun. When pup associates the gun with going out and about and having a good time, you can begin swinging the gun to your shoulder as if you were going to shoot. If pup cowers a this offer a few words of reassurance, maybe toss pup a bit of cheese when it has relaxed again, but be very careful not to let pup think you are praising and rewarding it for being afraid.

Be casual in your speech and manner, after all what you do with the gun is normal and fun. If you have a companion with you, chatter away happily, pretend you are shooting a few blackbirds etc. Meanwhile, about home you will have embarked upon a building project. This project will entail banging nails into wood, and dropping odds & ends – all with great enjoyment, whistling, singing etc. No angry tones of voice – absolutely do not drop something on the pup!

Pup will be eating its meals beside the unloaded firearm and to the accompaniment of pots clanging and cupboard door closing. Don’t go overboard or you and pup may get thrown out of the house!

You will continue retrieving training. When retrieving is so much fun pup is desperate to retrieve the articles you throw, this will help to overcome pups fear of the noise. Only when you are truly satisfied your pup has regained enough confidence will you fire a shot in pup’s vicinity. Ideally this will be a detonator in a shotgun cartridge, these do not have a very loud or sharp sound. This shot will be fired when pup is having a good time, chasing a rabbit, sniffing where quail or pheasant have been, running to retrieve. The shot will not be fired by you, but by a companion some distance away at your signal. It is important to see how pup reacts before you continue with further shots. You can have an older, quiet dog with pup. One that is friendly and does not react with much interest at all to the sound of shot. Too much interest by the other dog the pup may construe as reason to be alarmed. If pup comes back to you when the shot is fired, but doesn’t look too concerned, you encourage pup to continue on with what it was doing. Go to the area where the rabbit or quail flushed and make a big thing about pup finding the scent, or continue with a fun retrieve. It is normal for a pup to look to you to see what the noise meant by your reaction. An excited and pleased sounding “wow” from you will let pup know it was a fun noise.

Either move on slowly from this point, or go back to the building project. Don’t rush things. When pup is not showing signs of timidity with the detonator fire you can move on to having pup with you when a friend shoots a rabbit whilst pup watches. Pup can then immediately be taken to the rabbit while you show your appreciation. If you can associate to the pup gunfire with a pleasurable event you will be 90% on the way to a cure.

Don’t pressure the pup to accept the sound of gunfire. Take things slowly and carefully. Always what you do should be giving the pup the idea they are normal and fun things you do together.

Do some form of anti-gun shy training every day. Keep control of your voice. Don’t let pup associate any timid reaction it may give with praise, rather just say “what’s the matter pup?” and begin whistling a tune and ignore pup.

Gun shyness is curable but it is not a quick cure – this will take weeks, maybe months. You may end up with a pup that comes to you for reassurance when it hears a shot fired. This may be acceptable, but for those who do a lot of upland hunting it may prove to be rather a nuisance, requiring further conditioning to keep the dog out in the field.

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