construction and loud noises....

[WiskeyJaR]

the local city is replacing the sewer lines on our street. The noise they make are very loud, and some they use sounds like a shotgun on full auto My dog is scared to go out on the dog line because of the noise.

I am in the middle of exposing my dog to the shotgun, and used the 22 pistol enough around her she is used to it. Was going to start with shot gun the next couple of days, question is......
How the dog seems very nervoius with the construction noises, do you think this will affect her "shotgun training" in any way? Was thinking she may get nervious around the noise of shotgun?

Thanks, WiskeyJaR

[BigShooter]

Your dog is so young & it's early in the year so you have lots of time to get it done. If she's as nervous as you say personally I'd wait. It's a lot easier to prevent gun shyness than it is to fix it.

Remember one key is to have the dog so excited about something else (like birds) that they aren't really paying any attention to your shooting. Although not a requirement, it's nice if you can do this with two people, you with the dog and a friend is the shooter.

[WiskeyJaR]

I was thinking of holding off on the gun training, have already had to take a break due to pup "shutting down", just when she seems interested again in training, they start the construction
Have a NA test coming up the end of the month, was kinda hoping to have Dutchess at least exposed to the shotgun by then :/ From what I understanding, they only fire twice during the test, she seems to do ok with the little .22, so wouldnt think she have a problem with the bigger shotgun.

Talked to one of the work men, said they would be done in 7-10 work days. hmmmm wonder how the pup would do with earplugs... :roll:

WiskeyJaR

[coveycreek]

I have a dog that almost s***s himself with excitement when he hears a shotgun but is deathly afraid of thunderstorms and vacuum cleaners. It is all about the association of the sound to the birds. Please tell me you aren't just shooting around the dog or while it is eating or something and expect that to gun proof him... Do it with birds so the association of the gun shot is to birds. I bet in 7-10 days the dog won't bat a lash at the sound they are making but that sound is not gun fire no matter how close it sounds to you. Remember a dog's hearing is many times greater than ours. They know the difference.

[gar-dog]

I'd use the dog whisperer approach. Put your dog on leash and go out when noise is loud. Relax and have a conversation with your spouse or someone while totally ignoring the noise while holding your dog - laugh and smile. Then ask the dog to "stay" still for a second, maybe giving the dog a treat. This is distracting the dog by focusing on you as pack leader, and pack leader is totally immune to the noise. Just hang with the dog a bit while not allowing the dog's brain to escalate. pet it a bit. if you show the noise is no big deal and you are in "control" of the dog it could work. So the dog whisperer says.... I just saw this episode last night where the noise of an air compressor in the garage would freak th dog out. In 15 minutes the dog was cured - doing as I described above.

[GNS Shorthairs]

I think gar-dog hit it on the head. Pay no attention to the sound, treat your dog like you normally would and let the pup get used to the sound on its own. Treats or favorite toys in presence of the loud sounds could also help in your gun conditioning. The dog must have positive reinforcement when dealing with "negative" stimuli (like gunfire only when there are birds). Your dog could actually benefit from the replaced sewer lines. Take it slow.

[bobman]

I would keep him in the house and turn on a rock station up pretty loud to create "white noise" until they are finished

[whitedogone]

It seems like I am always starting a remodel project when we bring a new pup home. My 5mo Setter was home for just 2 days and only 8 weeks old when I started Demoing a bathroom in the house. Complete with jackhammers, hammerdrills, ramsets, Ect. Just like others have said. Just don't make a big deal of it. Anytime my pup got brave enough to come check out all the noise. I'd give him a small treat and a pat on the head then back at pounding away.