outdoorslife89
New member
Im a new gundog owner myself but have learned a ton this past year. Just what I experienced and whats worked for me so far...
The best thing I ever did with Remi (11 month old lab) in regards to proper gunfire intro was, go slow and always associate the noise with live birds. Just birds first. A few times. Then slowly, from a distance add the 22 starter pistol. We actually started with a loud clap, then cap gun, then the pistol. Do this repetitively. Its not a sprint, its a marathon. My pups temperament is weird. Shes tough, but soft. Hard to explain. I had concerns going into it with how she responded to loud noises initially. I knew if I had a gunshy dog, I didn't have a gundog. By going slow, starting far-far away, not firing over her, I now have a dog that when she hears the gun, shotgun or 22 pistol, she marks EXCITEDLY for a bird or bumper in the air. I probably had her on at least 100 birds, at least 15 plus days out with the gun before I went to our next step and threw her a mark with gunfire. But when we did that, we started all over again. The gun being 100 yards away even though we could get as close as we wanted with the shotgun associated w/live birds by the time we got through a bunch of the quail. Shes the one who taught me that its a marathon over the long haul. She takes a while to get used to new things and I learned to slow down as well. Slow, long transition is what I'd keep telling myself. I learned from a few on here, a few local to me and many books where I noticed one thing they ALL had in common(no matter their training style), was take your time and do not rush gunfire intro. All is not lost, just take a step back and you will get your two leaps forward.
The best thing I ever did with Remi (11 month old lab) in regards to proper gunfire intro was, go slow and always associate the noise with live birds. Just birds first. A few times. Then slowly, from a distance add the 22 starter pistol. We actually started with a loud clap, then cap gun, then the pistol. Do this repetitively. Its not a sprint, its a marathon. My pups temperament is weird. Shes tough, but soft. Hard to explain. I had concerns going into it with how she responded to loud noises initially. I knew if I had a gunshy dog, I didn't have a gundog. By going slow, starting far-far away, not firing over her, I now have a dog that when she hears the gun, shotgun or 22 pistol, she marks EXCITEDLY for a bird or bumper in the air. I probably had her on at least 100 birds, at least 15 plus days out with the gun before I went to our next step and threw her a mark with gunfire. But when we did that, we started all over again. The gun being 100 yards away even though we could get as close as we wanted with the shotgun associated w/live birds by the time we got through a bunch of the quail. Shes the one who taught me that its a marathon over the long haul. She takes a while to get used to new things and I learned to slow down as well. Slow, long transition is what I'd keep telling myself. I learned from a few on here, a few local to me and many books where I noticed one thing they ALL had in common(no matter their training style), was take your time and do not rush gunfire intro. All is not lost, just take a step back and you will get your two leaps forward.
Last edited:
