Gun shy means that at the sound of a gun the dog hightails it for the next county maybe hiding under your pick up along the way, but certainly not staying with you to hunt. To me, not introducing your dog to the gun properly is one of the cruelest things you can do to him. Not to mention how all your dreams and aspirations of hunting with a dog just went up in gun smoke.

There is no excuse for it, but it happens too often.

Whenever a friend tells me he got a hunting dog, I always say, “If you do nothing else with your dog, bring him to a pro for proper gun introduction.”

I don’t know why, but few of them follow that advice. It baffles me because even if you do not train your dog on any of the other skills I talk about in this website, you could still (gulp) take him hunting. But if your dog is gun shy you no longer own a hunting dog and you can never hunt with him.

And I can’t tell you how many times I see those guys down the road and they tell me they can’t hunt with their dog because he runs away at the sound of a gun. It breaks my heart. Mostly for the dog.

I know all the theories about starting with a blank gun at a distance from the dog while he is eating, or banging pots and pans (yes it’s been done) to create loud noises, etc. etc. But why chance it?

For full disclosure, yes I have heard that some pros, in some cases – but certainly not all – can work with a dog to reverse being gun shy. And if you have a gun shy dog it is certainly worth your making some phone calls. But why would you take such a bold risk in the first place? Would you drive into a wall to prove your doctor can MAYBE make you whole again?

And whatever you do, never ever take your dog to a gun club or a range with shooting of all kinds going on all over the place thinking this will help him get used to gunfire.

A big consideration for gun introduction is your dog’s maturity level. Not his age, his maturity level.

I recall boarding a young Ember with Dave Trahan when Ruth and I went on a vacation and Dave and I decided he would introduce Ember to the gun. When I picked her up, excited that gun introduction would be complete, Dave said he started but stopped. His reason was simple. After spending some time with her, he didn’t feel she was mature enough to deal with it. I will always be thankful to him for that discretion.

All my friend’s gun dogs who were unwittingly turned into house dogs are enough accumulated reasons for me to urge you go to a pro for gun introduction.