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Is possible to break him of bein gun shy?
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Author:  arachyd [ Fri Apr 28, 2006 8:47 pm ]
Post subject: 

One way is to take your dog to a local shooting range when people are practicing there. I did this with one of our mixed labs that had a problem after some local punks threw lit firecrackers in her face a couple of years ago. She suddenly became terrified of all loud noises. Park away from the shooting range so that you have to walk the dog some distance (on a leash of course) to get to where people are shooting. Bring treats. The dog will start to realize that the sounds are getting louder but not hurting him. As you walk keep telling the dog how good he is and petting him up and give treats. It doesn't hurt to have the shooters expecting him and prepared to pet him up and make a fuss over him when you finally get him close to the shooting. This way allows you to have your attention on the dog instead of trying to hold him and make noise and praise him all at the same time. You might have to do this a few times but soon he will learn that loud noise can be a very good thing. Our lab still doesn't like thunder storms but it isn't nearly as bad as it was before I tried this and she has really improved. She doesn't hunt (house pet/couch potato :roll: ) but I can target shoot with her right next to me and she will be a little nervous but not try to run away or pull at her leash.

Author:  ZaCk22 [ Mon May 01, 2006 7:40 pm ]
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Thanks for everything guys... ill definately try these methods and let you know how it goes... hes 1 yr and half old... i hope itll still work

Author:  bluecoonhunter [ Thu Dec 16, 2010 9:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Is possible to break him of bein gun shy?

ZaCk22 wrote:
I just got a new 1 yr and a half old walker male. . . hes a good dog that will bark trail and tree good... until the shot fires from the rifle... hes so terrified he lays on the ground or runs off, even to the point of not wantin to fight the coon... is it at all possible to break this dog or should i not waste my time? ... id love to keep him if i can break him, id love to hear some advice from some people who have dealt with this same problem themselves or who know what i could do.... and do you think he will want to fight the coon after hes broke of the shyness? Thanks a whole lot


leash the dog up and shoot a gun around him... just shoot a 22 a couple times a day every other day or bang metal pans around when u feed him

Author:  chuck88 [ Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Is possible to break him of bein gun shy?

well maybe a dumb question on my part but why are you so worried about him having to fight the coon? I hunt for hides so I tie my dog back when he trees and shoot the coon out. the only way I let my dog fight the coon is if its a kitten coon which I don't intentialy shoot out if I know its a kitten. just me but if he's a good dog who tracks and trees then he'd be a keeper in my book. just tie him back after he tree's, shoot the coon out, love the dog up until he calms down then go find another one.

Author:  youngmiller [ Sun Jan 02, 2011 12:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re:

hillbill162 wrote:
i had a bluetick that was gun shy so what i did is put a choke chain on him and a short chain then shot a round out the gun after that i let him smell the shell and it worked real well and he was never gun shy again also after you shot tell him good boy that also helps

i did the same worked for me, i feel like its more so a fear of the unkown when it comes to that then they smell the empty casing and see its no big deal

Author:  billy d [ Tue Jan 25, 2011 1:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Is possible to break him of bein gun shy?

Using all these methods to aquaint a pup or young dog to loud noises are well and good. But, you don't know whether or not that the dog is gun shy till you tree a coon and shoot. So, after all the aforementioned has been tried it is still best that you pay close attention to your dog when a coon is being shot out the first time. A lot of dogs still get jittery when they hear the gun pop. Until I know that my dogs are not gun shy I always like to let somebody else do the shooting and I will take my dog and squat beside him and hold him close and talking to him and try to be close to where the coon will hit the ground. A couple times like this will soon get the message to him that gun pops, meat hit ground. Most of the time if they have never been in the situation before and the gun pops, they will naturally jump, and then if like most of the time the auto starts working in rapid sucession he gets jumpier each time and most of the time if not tied up, after all the fracas is over you look around and your dog is gone. In situations like this is when they need some good TLC and some up close hands on attention. Nothing beats that. Good luck with your gun shy dogs, but nothing beats on location training. You can't just walk up to a tree with a dog doing a good treeing job and start popping the 22 shells if he hasn't been around it before. Sometimes my buddies do so much shooting, I get jittery...........

Author:  silentstalknc [ Tue Sep 18, 2012 11:45 am ]
Post subject:  Fixed my gun shy female....

Finally got her to wait around for something to fall out. She is only 11 months and runs and trees by herself but didnt like gun shots at all so I took a frozen coon with me to the tree and tied her tight so she couldn't pull out of the collar and shot twice in the air and my girlfriend thew the coon as soon as I shot and it was on for her. So I let her go to another tree and didn't tie her to see what would happen and boom she was wanting it to hit the ground. Gave it to her again.

Don't know if anyone else has had this luck

Author:  easttntrapper [ Wed Sep 19, 2012 2:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Is possible to break him of bein gun shy?

I cured my dog by firing a 22 100 yards from the kennel every morning. After I shot I would go a feed her. I added a couple strips of bacon a few morning of this and she was going crazy when she heard the shot. I can now fire it right next to her and she will start looking for the bacon...lol

Author:  younghunter43 [ Sun Jan 06, 2013 1:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Is possible to break him of bein gun shy?

While my dad was shooting the coon out I would pet my pup up like crazy! I'd rub the fur off of her! After about 2 weeks she didn't budge anymore.

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Author:  ING 194 [ Sat Jan 12, 2013 9:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Is possible to break him of bein gun shy?

Try using a BB gun to get a gunshy dog use to a gun in general. Have treats for rewards and only shoot it once you get the dog excited about anything.One or two shots a day starting out.It should come around in 2 to 3 weeks.When you see the dog changing his attitude about the BB gun get care free then try a .22 one shot only daily for while and so on.This is my proven method and it takes patients around 2 months.

Author:  Nightstalker2A [ Sat Jan 12, 2013 10:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Is possible to break him of bein gun shy?

When I got my pup, I was wondering about how to break him from being gun shy. I got him just before July 4, and he was 2 months old. The 4th came and I had him with me at my buddies place, shooting fireworks and he was a little jumpy at first. I just petted him up, and loved on him. He just sat next to me and watched the fireworks the rest of the night. About a month later we were at my cousin's house and we decided to shoot some targets, well I ended up putting him in the house after we started shooting. Because he was going after the targets we were shooting. An this new years, I took him to the woods and was running him. Then we went to a bonfire, well my cousin lite the fire with a 12 gauge and used a shell called dragons breath to lite, he shot and my pup took off after the magnesium ball trying to catch it. I ended up putting him up because he was chasing the balls out of the roman candles. Easiest pup I've ever seen or broke from being gun shy, but this pup is weird and goofy. Never seen or heard of a dog being like this! Has anyone had a dog act like this?

Author:  Redtick_97 [ Sun Jan 13, 2013 12:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Is possible to break him of bein gun shy?

i shoot around my pup all the time so he just gets used to it

Author:  redneckcooner88 [ Wed Mar 20, 2013 12:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Is possible to break him of bein gun shy?

i'm new too the training world so if this doesn't work or doesn't sound like a good idea please someone tell me i have a gunshy bluetick that i got at one year old about two months ago and what my more experienced coon hunter friends told me to do is leash the dog and sit with him on the ground while someone else shot a 22lr near by and every time they shoot toss him a treat this is supposed to make him understand that the gun shot means reward they said do this until they no longer pay attention to the gun fire

Author:  ING 194 [ Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Is possible to break him of bein gun shy?

That will work just start at about 50 yds. and work your way up should be easy if he's not already gun shy.

Author:  DrBradHenson [ Fri Mar 22, 2013 7:10 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Is possible to break him of bein gun shy?

I recommend buying a high power target pellet rifle. They are quiet and equally powerful to a 22 rifle. They are also nice when you need to shoot a coon near a home and don't want to startle a sleeping family.


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