If you have a dog that has never been exposed to the sound of gunfire, I would take it to a commercial shooting range. Park at the farthest point possible from the actual shooting. Bring the dog out of the car (on leash) and walk with it toward the shooting area. Go only a small distance, then wait a few minutes, praise the dog, and then go a bit farther, then wait a few minutes, praise the dog, and then go a bit farther, etc. If the dog shows any sign of discomfort, DO NOT go any farther that day. Go back to the last spot at which the dog was comfortable, and stay there for a few more minutes, if the dog seems ok there. If not, go back to the next-to-last spot and try again. Keep going, if necessary, until you find one that works or you are back at the car. If you are back at the car, just take the dog home and try again another day.
Once you get the dog comfortable with being near where people are shooting, take it to a secluded place where shooting is allowed and you won't be bothered. Also bring a .22LR rifle. Load the rifle. Put the safety on. Bring the dog out of the car on leash and walk a little distance from the car. Attach the leash to your belt so both hands are free, and fire the rifle. Pay close attention to the dog's reaction. Praise the dog. If the dog has no problem with the sound of the shot, fire another shot. If still no problem, praise the dog, and then fire a couple in quick succession. Praise the dog again. If the dog has been fine with all this, then you can do the same thing with a .22LR handgun. If the dog is still fine, you can then progress to a centerfire rifle (preferably small caliber to start, then larger, and so on). Remember to praise the dog after each shot.
I have trained all my hunting dogs this way (even some that I got as adults) and none of them have ever had any trouble with the sound of gunfire after that.Hunting dogs...How do you get them use to the gun sound??
don't use firecrackers.
a stupid friend of mine did that
the dog retrived the fire cracker.
the dog now runs the other way at the slightest bang.
Well, you could get them used to it by shooting around them a lot. It also has a lot to do with the breed, a freind of mine raises Beagles and they are never scared by gunshots. It gets them really excited but not scared, they are bred to hunt. Technically, you can train any dog to be a hunter, but some dogs are just genetically predisposed to it.
That is a good question.
The breeding plays a big role in the sucess of the dog but, the training plays a big part. In training a dog around the gun, you must start from a pup. Mainly, if you get a coon dog or a beagle, they are supposed to be trained around other dogs before you recieve them. If not, shooting around them is one of the only ways. If your dog is scared, shoot off a round, and then sooth it. Call it a good dog and give it a treat. Make it sit and put off another round, treat.
Train it like you are going to train it to do anything. Do not get mad at the dog for not listening or staying, or every time you shoot a gun, it will associate it with you being mad!
I have shot around all my dogs from pups on and can not explain that to you I have two 6 year old dogs 1 will run to the door and beg to get in the truck with you the other will go and hide at the site of a gun my puppy is 1 and 1/2 and will run to the truck they are all Brittney spaniels from the same blood lines so that is a hard question the will either hunt or they won't
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