Intro to gun fire - puppy development

intro to gunfire-puppy development...training pups to gunfire is easy for me but I have been around hunting dogs for over 50 years...I do not put too much emphasis on any training mainly because I only care to have dogs that meet my minimum requirements. if I were in it for competition then I would take it to that level.

Intro to gunfire is important to me in that I do not want my dogs to run a mile to the truck if I were to shoot over them...or leave the hog right when I am showing up to the bay...I was wanting to explain a little more on this subject but have been very busy here lately...

I can see how a person without much experience can create gun shy dogs by making a few mistakes while trying to break a dog to gunfire...
however, I can say that I don't have dogs that need breaking because I break them as pups...

it is fairly easy to do and there is no secret to it...as I have said many times I use hunger to my advantage...I train/expose pups to winding/finding and trailing at a very young age for two reasons...and that is to expose them to these sessions so they can learn to use their senses and mainly for me to see who is born to do it naturally...this information I use to select as best I can and also for breeding natural's...

when I turn the pups out in the morning it is always before they eat for several reasons...during this time I clean their kennel while I observe them do what pups do and by this time they will really have an appetite...

Once I am done cleaning I let them play until the edge is almost off of them...I then go inside to the fridge and find and cut up some left over chicken or liver chunks...I then go outside and call them to me clapping my hands...I also exaggerate my calling as if I were calling my dogs out of the woods...might as well take all these opportunities to train as I use their momentum to my advantage...they come running and they are milling around me because this is about the third time I have done this...I have conditioned them to focus on the treats...

conditioning them to the treats is key...that will become their primary focus and that is what I want...once that is established I then know it is time to train to gunfire...

the next morning I will use the same routine...except this time I will have my cap pistol ready...

when I call and they are coming to me I shoot up in the air once or twice as I watch them closely...I will call and they will come and mill around...I will pet them up real good so their focus returns to the treats and the gunfire becomes minimal to them...

about the forth time of this I shoot high over their heads a time or two and pet them up real good...

the next session or two I will shoot down close to where they are milling around...and of course I pet them real good...I start shooting once or twice to get them coming to me during each session...I just add to it as they progress...

The key as I mentioned is being very observant of how the pups are reacting and making adjustments as needed...

If I really want these pups to be totally broke to the gun I would do this every 3 months or so until they were about ten months old...the first session being the most critical...after that would be once or twice per session..

but like I already mentioned I do not care to totally have them broke...I just want them to not run away at the first time I shoot...after a short while they will learn to stay because it is more fun to do so...

didn't mean to get long winded but I felt the new guys might need the detail so they can be successful...I can't say this is the best way but this works for me...