Can Dogs Overcome a Fear of Guns?

[Jaeger's Boy]

Hello everyone,

I stumbled upon this forum today, and it looked like the right place to ask a few questions. Ah, a little background information, I suppose. I have a twelve-year old GSP who is the love of my life. He's been my companion and closest friend for my entire adult life. I'm 22 now, and I've also lived in the big city for as long as I can remember. I take him out daily, and he's in remarkably good shape for his age (I used to work at a dog daycare, so I know that most dogs his age are immobile). He still as has much energy and vivacity as he did when he was a puppy, and I take him hiking and running with me all the time. I got him from my grandfather when he was a puppy. My grandfather was an avid pheasant hunter and used to breed Pointers. My dog's father was an excellent gundog, as I recall.

I've also within the last year discovered my passion for firearms. I acquired an old Winchester '94 a little while back, and I love it. I'll take it to the local range a couple times a week after work and I just love how it feels in my hands. I have a friend who lives out east (our state has a very fine line between the City and the Country) and every now and then we'll meet in the mountains and just shoot targets for a little while.

Now here's the problem. My Pointer is absolutely terrified of guns. His first experience with a loaded weapon was back when he was just three or four. My grandfather and I drove out to the Country to test my dog around guns. We found ourselves in a large field, we let him out, and he started running around looking for a tennis ball. My grandpa fired a shot from his .308 into the distance, and my dog froze, confused. My grandfather fired another shot, and my GSP took off running. It took us an hour to get him back. Ever since then he's been scared to death by anything that even hints at the idea of being a gun. Toy guns cause him to cower beneath my coffee table.

I guess this is all a very roundabout way of asking if there's any way to help my dog overcome this fear. I'd love to be able to drive out east, meet my buddy, shoot some cans, and have my dog run around with us all at the same time. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Jaeger's Boy

[Cajun Casey]

Dogs don't hunt cans. At twelve, I wouldn't bother with trying to work him through gun fear. Get a pup if you want to hunt, but I still don't recommend just having a gundog hang out around target shooting until they are fully experienced in the field.

[birddogger]

It is tough, time consuming and sometimes impossible to break a young dog that has been made severely gunshy and given the age of your dog, IMO, it would be a total waste of time.

Charlie

[birddog1968]

It is tough, time consuming and sometimes impossible to break a young dog that has been made severely gunshy and given the age of your dog, IMO, it would be a total waste of time.

Charlie

+1

and to add just a thought, I wouldn't even have my most experienced dog/s around a mess of target shooting (especially rifles) if avoidable. Proper Intro to guns is a pretty simple process.......

Search Gun Shyness or Gun intro on this forum, alot of info.

[Buckeye_V]

I've worked young dogs through it, but not older dogs.

It takes lots of patience and lots of birds.

I've also worked 2 horse through it as well. Funny how the process is the same, but using different stimulants.

[gonehuntin']

It is tough, time consuming and sometimes impossible to break a young dog that has been made severely gunshy and given the age of your dog, IMO, it would be a total waste of time.

Charlie

+1. My exact sentiments.

Plus, you picked a really lame way to test if he was gunshy. Some have been made gunshy by just such a method.

[rinker]

I think that there is a way to take your dog shooting. Leave him in a crate in the car/truck while you are shooting. Park some distance from where you will be shooting.

[Buckeye_V]

I wouldn't do that. I would expose your next dog to loud noises while eating. Then I would transition to a pop gun in the field while they were in full chase of a bird. I would hold the gun behind back or away from the dog. Gradually start firing closer and closer to the dog. I would repeat the same process with a shotgun.

Starting with a large calibre rifle is not what we would call best practice

[Benny]

There's also quite a bit of a difference between a .308 and any size shotgun. Dog's have exceptional hearing, and the best way to think of it is the difference between trebble and bass. Centerfire rifles are extremely ear piercing for dogs compared to a 20 or 12 ga shotgun. Although I'm sure a ton would argue with me, I've even read that .22 is one of the loudest for a dog. Keep that in mind.

Sadly I do think you should just give your best friend the best years of his life and keep running and hiking in the outdoors. I think there's no wrong in exposing your dog to birds and seeing what kind of interest he has. I mean, why shouldn't a retired guy be able to take up bunjee jumping if he wants? But work into it without a shotgun and see if the interest is there. Then if it's a very strong interest, you have weeks if not months of training similar to what Buckeye_V has described above.

All the best!

[DonF]

You need a puppy and lesson's in introducing the gun. You don't introduce the gun with any centerfire rifle!

[rinker]

The way that I read the original post is that the poster is looking for a way to take his 12 year old gun shy dog to the shooting range with him. He said nothing about exposing this dog to birds, he said nothing about taking it hunting, he said nothing about his next puppy. I have been wrong before but I don't think this is ever going to safely happen. I think the only answers are to leave the dog at home while shooting, or leave him in the car/truck/crate some distance away from where the shooting is happening. You could get him out for a walk/hike/jog after the shooting is over.

I obviously agree with every one that this dog was improperly(at best) exposed to gun fire, but it is too late to worry about that now.

[DonF]

The way that I read the original post is that the poster is looking for a way to take his 12 year old gun shy dog to the shooting range with him. He said nothing about exposing this dog to birds, he said nothing about taking it hunting, he said nothing about his next puppy. I have been wrong before but I don't think this is ever going to safely happen. I think the only answers are to leave the dog at home while shooting, or leave him in the car/truck/crate some distance away from where the shooting is happening. You could get him out for a walk/hike/jog after the shooting is over.

I obviously agree with every one that this dog was improperly(at best) exposed to gun fire, but it is too late to worry about that now.

Your probably right but gun fire is gun fire. Centerfire rifles just have a much sharper crack. I don't recall anyone saying anything about birds but they probably dsid, birds are usually mentioned at the same time as gun introduction.

[Sharon]

I've worked young dogs through it, but not older dogs.

It takes lots of patience and lots of birds.

I've also worked 2 horse through it as well. Funny how the process is the same, but using different stimulants.

Never thought of that. What stimulant do you use for horses?

[Buckeye_V]

What do most horses love? FOOD! While they are eating I take my blank gun down to the paddock with me and put feed down and then walk back towards the house and fire the gun. Every day i got a little closer. Then eventually I fired the gun within feet of the horse and all they would do is jerk their head at the surprise.

I ride my horses to judge at field trials so being gunshy was not an option. In fact, my one horse hated te shotgun and would walk backwards away from the gunners. She is past that now, but it took months and LOTS of patience.

There are a lot of similarities between dog and horse training - or at least how I do it. I watch and learn and try what I think will work for me and my animals.

[Benny]

The way that I read the original post is that the poster is looking for a way to take his 12 year old gun shy dog to the shooting range with him. He said nothing about exposing this dog to birds, he said nothing about taking it hunting, he said nothing about his next puppy. I have been wrong before but I don't think this is ever going to safely happen. I think the only answers are to leave the dog at home while shooting, or leave him in the car/truck/crate some distance away from where the shooting is happening. You could get him out for a walk/hike/jog after the shooting is over.

I obviously agree with every one that this dog was improperly(at best) exposed to gun fire, but it is too late to worry about that now.

mmm, yeah I just re-read the last paragraph, you're definitely right on.

Leave the dog at home! 4/5 people with labs and good old ranch dogs will tell you their dog doesn't mind a bit when they take them out shooting, but I don't care, it's a terrible thing to do to a dogs ears. That's like taking an infant to a rock concert every weekend...yeah sure he doesn't cry