Introducing Puppies to the Gun

It's important that your puppy learn about the sound of the gun in the most positive way possible. Many a good birddog has been ruined by improper gun training.

There are many dogs who will simply ignore the loud noise without much fuss and require very little in the way of introduction to the gun. Others need to have this introduced slowly and carefully so as not to spook them and put them off their birds. Remember you are working with a puppy, not an adult dog, so no matter how outstanding their temperament is, you don't want to give the puppy a poor first experience.

You will want your puppy to have seen birds a few times, and be very interested in the birds and eager to hunt and find them. If your puppy has not reached this point, it is not yet time for gun training.

Some important DON'Ts:

1) Do NOT fire the gun while the puppy is eating

2) Do NOT fire the gun directly over the puppy for the first time

3) Do NOT take your puppy to a firing range (unless you can have playtime at a sufficient distance that he can be hearing the noise without it frightening him.)

If possible, it can be helpful to have a trained adult dog with your puppy the first time the gun is fired around him. Puppies learn a lot by example, and seeing the adult react in a postive way or not at all to the gunfire can help prevent him from becoming concerned about it.

It's useful to have a low-calibur blank pistol to begin with. A .22 is perfect. We have also used a .32 blank pistol. Both are available from dog supply catalogs and online.

You will also need some birds - the more the better. It's also useful to have a second person to fire the gun so you can work near the puppy and the other person can fire the gun on your signal (a raised arm usually works).

What you want to do is plant a few birds for your puppy. Allow him to hunt and find them (you might want a checkcord on your puppy so you can control him). Have your gunner ready at a good distance away (20 yards is not a bad distance, further if you will be using a shotgun or larger calibur gun) and make sure that person knows when to fire.

Once the puppy is pointing, you may go in and flush the bird (make it fly). Or, if the puppy has jumped the gun and flushed his own bird, this is the time to fire. The gun should be fired shortly after the bird has taken off. Have the gunner point the gun away from you and the puppy, and fire once. Hopefully, the puppy will have no reaction, or simply look around in surprise. Whatever his reaction, DO NOT SAY ANYTHING and DO NOT become concerned if the puppy spooks. Just pick up the checkcord and move on to the next bird. If the puppy has had little or no reaction, it's fine to fire again on the next bird, as it is flying. If the puppy has had an extreme reaction such as bolting or cringing, do not fire the gun this time. SImply allow the puppy to find his next bird and watch it fly away. You might do this a few more times until you are sure the puppy is again enjoying his birds. IF he is not up and going quickly, tail up, ready to hunt, leave off the gunfire for this day. Let him have the positive experience of the birds in his mind when you quit for the day.

If his reaction has been mostly positive and unconcerned, you can continue firing the gun as each bird flushes while the puppy continues to hunt. Let the puppy begin to connect the birds with the gunfire without becoming worried about the noise. There is NO RUSH to work your way right up to the puppy on this first introduction to the gun. Plan on 3-4 experiences combining the gun and the birds before reaching a point where the gunner is close enough to have actually shot down the flushed bird. It's useful to work your way up to the puppy with the blank pistol before moving on to the shotgun. We normally progress to using a .410 before going on to a larger calibur shotgun. It's important when moving "up" in calibur (and therefore noise level) to have your gunner begin again at a distance to the puppy with the louder gun, working his way closer so long as the puppy continues to work without concern. Don't be afraid to stop firing and allow the puppy some birds without the noise if he begins to worry even after some progress has been made. Make sure always to put the puppy away after a positive experience.

Sometimes you might have a reaction you were not expecting and have to dispense with the gunfire for the day after several positive sessions without incident. Don't react - just use your head and make sure that day ends on a good note. Usually on the next session, working at a greater distance will bring the puppy back around. Often a few days to reflect on a training session will lessen a negative experience and you can move forward.

One of our early dogs was gunshy. She spooked and cowered at the sound of the gun and we had to work very hard to repair the damage we had done by rushing her gun training. It took about 2 months of weekly sessions, birds and blank pistol at a distance, to bring her around. A good deal of patience and time were required but she finally understood that the noise was not going to hurt her. Gunshyness can be fixed with many dogs, but it is time consuming and doesn't always succeed. It is best to avoid having to correct a problem. Do not be in a rush due to upcoming hunting season or upcoming field trials or hunt tests. The time you spend in the beginning will be far less than you might have to spend if you rush too fast for your puppy and ruin his desire to work.

Ideally no pointer should be gunshy, but the reality is that individuals vary and puppies can go through periods of less confidence as they are learning. You want to take your time and be sure your dog progresses with confidence and always enjoys his work. Remember never to react to your puppies fears by coddling or being upset. Ignore his worries and think carefully about each next move so as to build his confidence, not burden him with your concerns.

Happy hunting!