Hunting Dogs: Tips to accustom your hunting dog to shooting.
When it comes to hunting dogs we must always keep in mind that even if the instinct to hunt is a natural instinct for them, dogs must still be trained and trained. It often happens that it is also necessary to train them to shoot the rifle. The sound of the shot is a very loud noise that dogs are not used to hearing and it can happen that they are afraid of it. When a hunting dog becomes frightened it may freeze and stop hunting. Precisely for this reason, if you realize that the dog is particularly hypersensitive to loud noises, it is necessary to gradually accustom him to the noise of the gun.
The dog must first get used to hearing loud noises even near our home. For example, try making noise while eating or running in the garden. In this way the dog will not be able to recollect the presence of loud noises to a foreign place and therefore will begin to hear them as something natural. Then you have to start making sure that he hears loud noises even in the countryside.
Don't make the mistake of taking him on a hunting trip right away. Take him to the open countryside for some walks and during these walks start working on his fear. You can use firecrackers or blanks to help him with this type of noise. Blank guns in particular are very useful for this type of training.
The important thing is that the dog does not realize that you have the gun in your hand and that the noise caused is at a safe distance from the animal. You can also use pistols with different calibers in order to accustom him gradually to louder noises. The important thing is to give him some satisfaction when he behaves the right way with a noise so that he can associate the noise with something positive. During these outings in the countryside, let him stop some animals so that the idea can form in his mind that noises and hunting go hand in hand.