# I need some tramendous HELP!!!!



## Mally-Mal (Sep 1, 2007)

Hey guys, ok i got this black lab like 5 months ago. She was an awesome dog at first and loved the water and did the basics like sit, stay, come and fetch. But now she wont fetch and hates gunfire and wont come worth crap. My dad was out shooting like the second month we had her so i think that scared her. But i tried it out anyways like 2 days ago and she just went back to her pin. So i have this dog that wont do anything for me now really except for sit. What do i do? Im getting so frustrated with it to tell you the truth. Thanks for any help you can give me.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

Boy this issue come up over and over.

You or your dad screwed her up so you owe it to her to try to fix her.
Getting FRUSTRATED is not allowed in dog training.

SO first go buy a good video on training retrievers ask one of the other guys on here for a recommendation about that. Watch it at least three times before you do anything.

NEXT 
AS for the gun shy part 
*I never shoot around any of my dogs, even the 11 year old hunted a million times ones, unless there are birds in the equation.

loud noise without an assocaition to game will scare many dogs. Consider how much better their hearing is than ours and the fact they dont wear ear plugs. *

the solution...

Bring her out and get her enthusiatic about retrieveing dummies once again once happy again usaully after 4-5 short training sessions without a gun 

Then, 
start to intro the gun a 22 rifle not hand gun with mild blanks,

let her break and chase ( thats easy to fix later you have a bigger problem)

throw the dummy in a high arc so she will be right on top of it when it hits the ground

shoot right before it hits the ground when shes really focused on the dummy.

do this for a few sessions and gradually bring the timeing of the shot closer to the timeing of your toss, do it slowly over a week or so at least

if she shows any fear bring the timeing of the shot back to right before the dummy hits the ground.

You would be a fool to hunt this dog with anyone but you shooting until she understands the relationship between the shot and a goose fall.

Do not bring her with a bunch of your friends opening day.

If she was mine I would be the ONLY person hunting over her this fall.

Make your first shot count( practice your shooting skills without the dog around) when you do take her hunting.

ANY shortcuts and you risk a permanently gun shy dog, I have a lot of experience fooling with gun shy dogs.


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## Mally-Mal (Sep 1, 2007)

Thanks, i have this dvd called the game dog. Its good but i dont know what to do so i came here. It says introduce a gun far away from a friend throwing a dummy and making some duck calls. But well iono im screwed. Even when i clap my hands loud she gets scared.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

so quit clapping your hands, shooting guns ect and build her prey drive and confindence back up with something pleasant to her like retrieveing.

then gradually bring the gun back doing it the way my post reads.

Never ever shoot around adog if they are not after something either a dummy or a live bird.


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

After your dog is like 14 weeks old, GAME DOG can go in the garbage :wink:

BobM has given some good advice, i'm sure it will take lots of time and patience to undo what has been done.

Look into Evan graham and the fowl dawg dvd's for a more helpful approach other then trying to get a dog to do everything just to please you.


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## mdaniel (May 2, 2007)

Boy this is a Hot topic, as we see where dawgs have been condition to new things. As Bobm stated it back to square one building the drive. 

When I start with gun fire, I take someone with and they are about 75 yards from me. I throw a bummie and they shot light loads. This allows me to control the dogs excitement and his fear level. If I see feat I say It's ok, where is the bird. When he is confortable with the shot bring it in at 5 yrd incerments, till you are 25 yards from the dog.


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## gonehuntin' (Jul 27, 2006)

How old is the dog and is she from a line of well bred Lab's and by that I mean Field Trial Lab's?


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