gun shy

[border man 2]

Evening all , was out today with dogs and gun problem is my young russel bitch has become gun shy. Been out with me a couple of times before no probs gun shot never bothered her hunting up well and marking.This time couple of shots fired early on and she hung back all day wouldn't come when called wouldn't hunt all other dogs fine.Any ways of sorting this problem guys and gals much appreciated. thanks

[NBW Terrier 16]

Evening all , was out today with dogs and gun problem is my young russel bitch has become gun shy. Been out with me a couple of times before no probs gun shot never bothered her hunting up well and marking.This time couple of shots fired early on and she hung back all day wouldn't come when called wouldn't hunt all other dogs fine.Any ways of sorting this problem guys and gals much appreciated. thanks

It's the easiest thing mate. Just take the gun and the dog, and bring them to the shooting club. Tie the dog, and practice the shooting. At the end of the day you will know what to do with the dog.

[judge2010 196]

what if its still gun shy?

[Shadowstalker 2]

Overexposure to the noise is not the answer here, what i would do is start back at basics, use a starter pistol(much quieter), find something the dog loves (retrieving), play with the dog and get it all excited, throw the ball (in my case) and as the dog runs off for the retrieve fire the starter pistol, with a bit of luck the dog wont even notice, slowly change the order in which you do things so that in the end (after a few weeks) you can fire the starter pistol then throw the ball. hope this helps... ATB, Shadowstalker.

[the bullcross man 6]

i would agree with shadowstalker and try starting with the basics again mate

[NBW Terrier 16]

a starterpistol makes a sharper loud than a shotgun, but maybe you are right. my experience is the gun shy dogs never will be able to work under fire no matter what to do with them.

[Shadowstalker 2]

I want to see your starter pistol, so are you willing to write a young dog off because it hasent been given the chance to become acostum to the noise working around a gun???

[NBW Terrier 16]

Don't write off. As I said, tie it not to far from shooting, and tie closer and closer.

 

How many dogs were you able to "make" with the mentioned way? Were they as good dogs after as the others who don't cares the shot at all?

[waidmann 105]

how old is the bitch bud?

has she realised that a bang from the gun needs attention from her?( i.e. that she gets to rag something )

 

were you shooting in a depression( ground rising on both sides.woods etc deflect the sound back and some dogs don't like it when young).

 

i would get her out mooching and shoot a couple of rabbits,pigeons,crows,squirrels(mine love squizzers).only shooting when the dog is bushing/busy. if she shys from the gun then take it into the living room,feed her next to it etc(de sensitization).

 

whatever you do don't take her to a clay ground,that will either make or break her(if she is scared of the shot then the stress will be immense)

she will come around if given time(maybe never totally gun "safe" but she will tolerate it).

waidmann

[border man 2]

Thanks guys had it in my head to take her out with a mate and his .410 and him to have a couple of shots a couple of hundred yard away while i play ragging with her. she loves it and then move ever closer. spoken to a couple of mates about it seems russels are more prone to gun shyness than other terrier breeds.

[pepa 0]

I think you are spot on there Border Man, I had a hound that was doing exactly what you described but he loved to hunt, so I just waited until he was red hot on game and made sure he was well away from me (about 250 meters) and let a shot off. I just kept letting the shots off closer and closer to him over a few months and last week he came through on his first Fox wasn't bothered by the shot at all and scragged the dead Fox. Perfect, problem solved

[russell tuck 127]

don't take the dog straight to a clay shoot . stop a mile or so away and walk in the direction that the shots are coming from till the dog gets abit on edge fined a marker a tree,rock,sign ect so that you can see the progress in the trainning . go back 100yds past the marker give the dog is toy to play with or rabbit something like that then make your way back to the marker and once past it make a note just keep doing this over and over . but don't just tie the dog up at a clay club its not fair to the dog and the more you put in to a dog the more you get out . hope this helps all the best russells