Surefire Ways to Prevent and Cure Gun Shyness

Surefire Ways to Prevent and Cure Gun Shyness

By Chad Hines with Willow Creek Kennels

Problems with the Gun

It is that time of year again. Hunting season has begun. We receive many calls regarding gunfire issues during this time. This is most commonly caused by young dogs that are taken hunting without proper gunfire introduction.

Guns are loud and intimidating for most young dogs. If you were to walk through a field and suddenly someone shot a gun over your head, it would probably startle you. Fortunately, as human beings, we recognize gunfire as part of the hunt and would realize fairly quickly that everything was okay. A dog with no prior experience, however, can respond very poorly and develop an unwanted association with the gun.

A common misconception is that being gun-shy is genetic. This is only fiction, as gun-shyness is a man made issue. Some dogs will have a harder time with the gun than others depending on how bold and well socialized they are, but they can all be properly introduced. Socialization plays a major role in the boldness of a dog and is vital when starting out with a young puppy.

Desensitize and Build a Positive Association

Next, we would progress to louder noises before feeding. We have to remember to keep some distance between us and the dog when using loud noises. This is most easily accomplished by placing the dog in a crate. We then walk away from the dog, shoot a blank pistol and walk back to feed them. We will usually use some excited chatter and clapping of hands while returning to the dog after the gunfire. We start about 75 yards away and progressively move closer each feeding as long as the dog does not show any signs of fear (shaking, not eating, hiding in the back of the kennel, etc.) Dogs learn at different rates, but generally five yards closer to the dog each day is a desired progression.