The American Beagler Forum

I need some advise on how to train pups to the gun. How is the best way to start shooting around them without making them gun shy? Should I wait till they are running a rabbit and then shoot my .22 pistol or what? I have some really good running pups and sure don't want them gun shy.

I usually start with a 22 I shoot when just walking with the dog,and watch the reaction to the shot. If no bad reaction I will shoot more shots and watch for any bad signs. If they show no bad reaction then later I will shoot a shotgun around the dog, again watching for any bad signs. If at any time the dog shows fear or shyness then I shoot while they are eating, But not real close,again watching for a reaction. Sometimes I put them with another dog who they know will eat the food if they don"t and they adjust to the shot. First you may just want to make some loud noise other than shooting while eating or doing something they enjoy. Most important thing is not to over do it and make them gun shy.

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If you want to scare the crap out of pup then shoot over it when your just walking it. I never shoot over my pups untell they can run a line. Then when they can, I take them out with the pack and when they are on a rabbit real good and driving it I will shoot over the pack while they are out a good 50 yards, I then will do the same when the season is in while the pup is driving a rabbit but I will shoot a few rabbits over it but only when the pup is on the line and opening up. When a pup is real young and not running I do clap my hand when calling them or when feeding just to get used to some noise but no shooting untell they are actually running a line....DH

I agree with what deerhost said and he gave you good advice.As a mater of fact,the advice from fatboy is more likely to make the pup gun shy. Think about it,if you and I were walking together and I surprised you by letting loose with a firearm,would it scare you ? Common sense goes a long way when training your pups to the gun.

we wait untill season. Like DH said, when they are smokeing a rabbit with the pack on the line.
when the rabbit comes around and the dogs ARE NOT right up on top of it. one shot
let them trail it up to you, and chew the crap out of it.
dont have a bunch of people with you, you dont want it to sound like a war going on.
they will assosiate the gun fire with a dead bunny.

now DO NOT call the pup off the line to see the dead rabbit always let them trail it to the end.
i found out the hard way. i had a dog once that soon as you shot she was at your feet wanting that rabbit.
which was ok by me untill i missed it then she would hit the line and was wayyy out front.
and that a mess.

I agree with all but fatboy. Only difference is I use m-80 type fireworks when my dogs are running a hot rabbit only. It conditions the dog to the shot while they are doing something they love.

Everyone has their own idea on how to do this and I have tried each one mentioned. I have a 10 month old pup that will pay no attention to the shot because he has had a bunch of fireworks shot close to him during hot rabbits. This method works and will never do anything else.

Dave

I've raised 4 or 5 litters. Most Pups I've got started and sold them cheap to local guys and friends, with the exception of three that went down south. When I am feeding the female after the Pups are about one week old, I shoot a kids cap gun. I do this about every feeding until I start weaning the Pups on soggy sportsmix. When the Pups are eating good and running around, I take the food bowl across the yard and my son puts the Pups on the ground. As the Pups come the the bowl I shoot the cap gun behind my back. Eventually I can shoot the cap gun right over there head while they eat. I have never had a pup to be gun shy. When the Pups get gun hunted and someone shoots they automatically come running, and if you miss the rabbit they are close to pick up the track.

Same here, I agree with all but fatboy. The only think I would add you could do is to use the capgun when you are running the dogs and season is not open. I have found that a good cheap way to get a few shots over them when you wouldn't normally be carrying a gun anyway. Plus they get used to hearing me shoot without actually killing the rabbit which is generally what happens when I go out hunting!!.

Sorry , but so far this has worked for me. I haven't had any gunshy dogs yet , that I have raised. I did have a seven month old pup that I bought that was gun shy, the owner said he shot around her with a 22. It took about 3 weeks to get her over the gun shyness.Most of these guys probably have more experiance than me and I did like their advice. Also I try to start when they are 6 to eight weeks old with the 22. Good luck with your training.

I use a blank pistol (uses shotgun primers) at feeding time. In the evenings the hounds are all pretty well watching the backdoor for me to come feed up. When I step out the door they usually start barking some. I whistle a little tune and start firing off rounds as I start walking their way. I don't fire but a few rounds the first time, but after a few days I'll fire all the way until I get to the kennel. Being the kennel is over a 100 yds away I have enough distance to gradually warm them up to the shots. I whistle a friendly little tune so they don't mistakenly think I'm shooting to get them to quiet down. Unlike shooting over them while they are out of sight running a rabbit, I'm also able to watch their reaction to each shot. Pretty soon they think the shot is nothing more than me ringing the dinner bell.

BiL

I have an old piece of barn tin hangin out near the dogs. When I feed them or when they're just runnin around, I'll bang on that tin with a stick. I also use a starting pistol sometimes. They soon associete loud noises with me. (My mom told me she did too!)

I start getting pups used to loud noises very early.
I beat wood blocks together when the pups are still nursing, just outside the crate, several times a day.
Later when the pups are eating solid food I bang the metal bowls around before feeding them.
They get excited when they hear the banging and run up wanting fed.
When I first shoot around them, I have them with experienced dogs or pups and I wait until they are actively trailing or are barking at a caged rabbit to shoot.
Most don't even look for the noise.
I also think it's good to have them around a lot of household noises such as a tv and stereo from birth, so that they learn that noises don't hurt them.
Keith

Keith C. wrote:I start getting pups used to loud noises very early.
I beat wood blocks together when the pups are still nursing, just outside the crate, several times a day.
Later when the pups are eating solid food I bang the metal bowls around before feeding them.
They get excited when they hear the banging and run up wanting fed.
When I first shoot around them, I have them with experienced dogs or pups and I wait until they are actively trailing or are barking at a caged rabbit to shoot.
Most don't even look for the noise.
I also think it's good to have them around a lot of household noises such as a tv and stereo from birth, so that they learn that noises don't hurt them.
Keith

i like to know what im working with before i put the time in them , if their shy im not even messing with them

Gun training is the last thing I have done with my dogs. I have my two beagles and a black lab. I took them out to the woods and for my beagles I went off a few hundred yards and had my son shoot the .22 once every 20-30 secs. while I graduly got closer. While doing this I gave the dog an ocassional command. Sit, stay, here, and rewarded with a treat until we were right next to the gun going off. I then repeated with a shot gun. In less then 15 minutes the dog would sit next to you while you shoot a 12 gage. For the Lab I had my son, who "owns" the dog handle him while I fired the shots. Has worked for me 3 out of 3 times.

By the way I read about this method in a book. I think it was in Beagle Basics-training of the hunting beagle by Bill Bennett