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Beth Ann Amico’s Training Clinic
Acclimating a Dog to Gunfire
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As a professional retriever trainer, one of the most frequently asked questions I receive concerns acclimating a dog to gunfire. As an example, P. Waits of Indiana wrote: “I have a female, 1 ½ year old black lab. I took her this weekend for the first time and exposed her to my shooting clay pigeons. All she wanted to do was stay hidden either under the truck or up in the bed under the camper shell. I did manage to call her to my side a few times prior to shooting and she would sit there obediently. But as soon as I would shoot, she would want to go away. Please give me some advice.”
Answer:
 The safe way to introduce a dog to gunfire is by developing an association of the report of a gun with birds. We start by having a birdboy stand about 25 yards away from where the dog is placed, getting the dog’s attention by “hupping” him up, and finally throwing a live clipped–wing pigeon in the air in a high arcing fashion, landing 15 to 20 yards away from the birdboy. The dog handler holds the dog until the bird hits the ground and then releases it for the retrieve. Repeat this procedure until you see the dog develop a high level of interest in the flight of the bird. Then have the birdboy throw the bird and fire a 22 blank pistol when the bird is at the top of the arc. Gradually, over a period of training sessions, move the birdboy/gun closer to the dog. If you see any hesitation or apprehension in the dog whatsoever, get the excitement level back up by moving the sound away from the dog until the dog acclimates to the sound and associates it with the bird. The key to this procedure is the development of an association of gunfire with flying/shot birds. A side benefit from this method of training is that the dog will always look out and forward when it hears gunfire. Other methods where loud noises are used such as banging on pans, taking the dog to the gun range, or shooting a gun over the feed bowl accomplish little or nothing and run the risk of gunshying the dog because there is no association with something pleasant.
Want to have your training question answered? Just email me at beth_ann@womenhunters.com. I’ll select the most commonly asked questions and answer them here on this page. Check back often to see you and your fellow hunting retriever enthusiasts’ questions!
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