taxidermy dave Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 I finally got myself a dog today hes got a bit of greyhound,deerhound and collie in him,what i was wondering is, what sort of age do you start training and how old before you put a gun over them,we've had dogs in the house all my life but ive never had one to work so im a bit lost on it! dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul in North Lincs. Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 What exactly do you want to use the dog for?....... Sounds like a classic runner to me..........there is a thread on the top of this section on breaking dogs to gun shot which maybe well worth a read, courtesy of our resident dog training guru NTTF!! collies and greys are quite skitish and can be nervous around loud bangs.............so whatever 'end use' maybe I would suggest that you take it very slowly and gradually A frightened lurcher will run.......................and keep on running..........and keep on running :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Start his obediance training now, and getting him use to load noises. Start by taping a wooden spoon on an empty feed bowl when he is fed lightly at first and then increasingly harder. I usually am fireing a blank pistol at dinner time around 4 months of age and never had a problem yet. Before I get to the blank pistol I use a childs toy cap gun and a 20 guage with just primmers in it. Both of these give a much softer bang than .22 cal blanks. Just be sure to take your time with it and not to move forward until the pup is comfortable with whatever stage you are at. NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxidermy dave Posted March 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 yeah i got him more for running but i thought i might take him on my local pheasant shoot to beat, ill have a read of that and see what becomes of him,hopefully hell be fine in both areas but time will tell! do you reckon id be able to get him to retrive if i work hard enough at it or is he the wrong sort of dog? cheers for the replys dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 After just reading Pauls post I think I would advise going about the gun breaking differantly. Believe me Paul has a lot more experiance on the running dog front then I will ever have. Because this cross is prone to skittishness from load noises I would suggest that you get a copy of StarFires Curing The Gun Shy Dog. this is an audio cd that was designed for curing dogs but works fabulous for introducing noise sensitive dogs to the gun. It is available from Stephen C. Rafe at http://www.starfire-rapport.com I use this program on gun sensitive dogs that I get in and it works a treat. Be sure to follow the instructions and you should have a solid dog at the end. NTTF The retrieving part is easy...just start him now wit an old knotted sock . Sit on the floor with him and get him excited about the chasing the sock by dragging it back and forth in front of him. As he starts to chase it give it a little toss no more than 3 feet to start. When he picks it up praise him and tell him good puppy when he gets back to you with it let him hold it for a bit before taking it from him but pet him up and praise. NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul in North Lincs. Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 yeah i got him more for running but i thought i might take him on my local pheasant shoot to beat, ill have a read of that and see what becomes of him,hopefully hell be fine in both areas but time will tell!do you reckon id be able to get him to retrive if i work hard enough at it or is he the wrong sort of dog? cheers for the replys dave A dog which is '2 thirds' sighthound has an imprinted instinct to chase.........its built and wired-up that way with a peception of movement that is unrivaled. When I train runners, I only consentrate on basic obedience.................the rest is pure instinct ................and only time will tell if it will have the balls to hunt well and hopefully make the grade.. As a runner the chasing is praised, nurtured and deemed accpetable......I would have thought therefore that to then try and settle such a dog to beat, bush and pickup...forgetting about its natural; (usaully praised) behaviour could prove rather difficult......................they are just not designed for that Usually gun dogs have to be taught to hunt to sight and scent, quarter, hold game in cover, flush game, move left, move right, pickup warm game, differentiate between dead game. Perhaps there are loads chaps with multi tasking dogs......but I've never met one.....I have though heard of folk using lurchers as peg dogs.......................but I'm a firm believer of having the right tool for the. job.............. A 1000cc Susuki Yoshimura, may get to the corner shop for a loaf of bread.......see what I'm getting at?? hope all goes well............and I hope he makes the grade for you :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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