There are good hunting dogs who heard their first gunshot on the opening day of the season, were not upset by it, put everything together, and went on to become good dogs who love the gun. Others that might have become fine hunters, but who were neither so bold or so lucky, were made worthless by unthinking owners who failed to properly introduce their dogs to gunfire.

There is no reason to take this chance when it is so simple to assure the acceptance of shooting as an integral part of hunting, and thereby avoid ever having to worry about gunshyness. For once this fear is instilled, not one amateur trainer in a thousand is likely to be able to correct it. In fact, anyone fool enough to make a dog fear a gun is a most unlikely candidate to figure out the means of rectifying the error he has wrought.

Whether your dog is a spaniel, retriever, or pointing dog, before he is subjected to gunfire he should be nuts about retrieving and may even have been taken along in the field to smell and chase birds. Depending upon the individual dog this may be from five months to a little over a year in age. Probably the optimum and most common time would be between the ages of six and eight months.

All proper introduction to gunfire consists of is an extension of something he has already learned, retrieving. It is a matter of his associating what he loves to do with the gun's report.

Take your pup afield, out into the yard or where-ever you do your training and throw a dummy or two for him to fetch. Then let him cast around a bit and when he is investigating something 25 to 50 yards from you, discharge a .22 caliber blank. He'll look up and at you when the gun goes off. Immediately toss the dummy for him. The shot attracted his attention and he'll see you throw and spot the dummy in the air, a familiar and welcome sight to him.

He should race to it as you tell him to "Fetch!" He should pick it up and return it to you. You should accept it and praise him highly. I say should because if he is shaky about his retrieving or is an unusually spooky pup he might not. But if you've done your part and he is of sound temperament he will do this.

Give him no more than half a dozen more retrieves, under the same circumstances, each accompanied by a gunshot, this first session. Then repeat this procedure in subsequent training sessions or whenever you have the dog out. In no time at all, you will have him looking for a "bird" in the air anytime a gun goes off.

You can then step up to the shotgun and again the safe and sure procedure is to introduce this heavier report in association with retrieving. You may want to shoot the gun yourself or have an assistant shoot and throw. Just make sure the shotgun is handled and fired safely into the air, about 50 yards from the dog and aimed away.

Never take your first shots close to the dog or discharge the gun right over his head. Muzzle blast can be painful to a dog's sensitive ears and it can establish an unpleasant association between gunfire and game that can be detrimental or fatal to the pup's proper training and development.

If you've been diligent about taking your pup afield, and lucky enough to have him make a half-dozen or so actual contacts with game, but have been negligent about his retrieving training, you may introduce gunfire in another manner.

When your pup sees and shags any kind of bird, shoot your blank. Should the shot stop him, ignore him as though nothing happened and keep on walking. If you don't fuss over him he'll resume what he was doing. Shoot again when he is chasing another bird. Repeat a couple of times each field trip and he'll learn the noise isn't harmful and in time he'll connect that enticing bird with the bang.

If your pup should tuck his tail and come to you or run away, ignore this action and keep moving. But don't shoot again that day. Try again on another day and keep trying until the dog's desire to chase and catch overcomes his dislike of the noise. Such a pup will probably require extra care and caution in introducing him to anything new; it may not be worth the effort that it takes to train him. But, with good judgement and patience, you may be able to bring him around.

Just don't do anything unthinking or foolish. For example, some pups are startled, even frightened, when they first flush game. When this is exhibited, never shoot. The noise will only reinforce this apprehension and can result in a dog that is both bird-shy and gun-shy. Either fault makes a dog worthless as a hunter and no dog should be doubly damned.

Don't take your dog out with the idea of "testing" him to find out "whether he's gunshy" by shooting over him indiscriminately. It might do no harm, but why take the chance when it's easy and fun to integrate his introduction to gunfire into the training sessions? Shooting should mean something to him, a flying or falling bird that he can "catch" and that he'll hunt out if necessary.

And don't "get him used to shooting" by taking him to a trap and skeet range. It will make no sense to him and there is no reward, resulting in the placid dog ignoring gunfire and the high-strung one becoming agitated and fearful.

Once a bird dog has successfully undergone his introduction to gunfire he is ready to go hunting. No dog should be expected to go out opening day without this introduction. It is a good practice to hunt alone or with a companion who likes and respects dogs for that first season. This is particularly true if you haven't done a lot of shooting in your training sessions or your youngster is on the "sensitive" side. Senseless barrages by poor shots, with no fetching as a reward, can unsettle a neophyte hunting dog and may set back much of what you've worked to achieve.

Hunting for the Gun
Too often, a dog that is really a hunting genius is a source of exasperation and frustration when afield because he hunts only for his own pleasure. This results in spaniels and retrievers that flush game out of shotgun range and pointing dogs that run off and cause anxiety and waste time as the owner hunts them rather than birds.

Any respected hunting dog hunts for the gun. There are simple and easy steps that will assure that your dog will do just that. But, like everything else in the education of a gun dog, they should be taken at an early age and before the hunting season gets underway.

Spaniels and retrievers hunting before the gun should work basically what is known as a quartering pattern. That is, sweeping the cover within shotgun range (an extreme of 40 to 50 yards) across the front and to the sides of the hunter when the cover is uniform, and penetrating likely looking spots in broken cover. Many who hunt with the Continental pointing breeds and some who gun over pointers and setters also prefer a pattern of this type in preference to "casting" which is generally preferred in pointing dogs.

By the time your pup is four to five months old the casual strolls afield should have given way to imitation hunts. Don't wander aimlessly. Set a zigzag course that takes you into cover clumps and edges likely to contain birds. Because he is young and wants to keep track of you, the pup will investigate in a similar pattern.

As he gains strength and confidence, he'll start reaching out beyond gun range. When he reaches the limit you have set, change your direction, speak his name or blow a couple of toots on your whistle as you angle away from him. Unless something unusual has riveted his concentration, he'll turn and come with you, once again working to your front. It will soon develop into a habit, a busy bustling back and forth.

By the time the pup is about eight months of age, tie it in with the "Hunt 'em up" procedure explained in the BEFORE THE SHOT section. Stash those dummies or plant those birds and, properly using the wind, work him in his pattern so he'll wind them and drive in to pick up or flush.

It's all tied in. Having been introduced to game and to shooting, kill the flushed bird for him. Or, occasionally shoot and throw a dummy for him to fetch. All this provides variety and experience in putting it all together in a simulated hunt which will result in the proper response once the actual season opens.

So, you've got a hard-head who doesn't respond to your calls, whistles and turns but insists on punching out too far? Call him back to you when he lines out with no consideration for your position, and make him walk at heel. Keep him at your side for half a minute to a minute. Then send him out to hunt once more. As long as he does right, give him his head. When he kites off again, bring him back to heel. Repeat this as often as necessary.

In time, your youngster will figure out that as long as he stays within certain limits he is free to enjoy the sport of hunting. But if he doesn't keep touch with you he'll have to walk alongside. This is "punishment" for an eager hunting dog and should be all you have to administer to accomplish your purpose.

Should your dog miss a spot of cover you think should be investigated when you are hunting, your pre-season training will make it possible for you to call him to you and indicate the place you want checked out with a wave of your arm and the "Hunt 'em out!" command.

Pointing Dogs
It is natural and proper for a pointing dog to hunt well beyond the gun range of the biggest bore and heaviest load available since he is expected to hold his point on game until the hunter moves up and does the actual flushing. While much less control is exercised over a pointing dog that casts (reaches out to objectives like fence rows, cover clumps, etc., that are like to contain birds) than a flushing dog that quarters, it is of vital importance in a gun dog that he keep track of the man or men he is hunting with.

Because they run farther and faster than the close-quartering flushing dogs and should be allowed more independence, it is easier for pointing dogs to get carried away with the thrill of it all and virtually abandon the men they should be working for.

This can be avoided in almost all cases by starting (at the tender age of two to four months) on hikes in natural game cover. This will not only accustom a dog to the stage on which his role in life will be played but make you one of the leading characters in the play. Associating your presence with these enjoyable outings will make it inconceivable that he be out there without you.

About the time the pup starts to cast out boldly and independently he'll be ready to come to an understanding as to what you want in terms of range, pattern and response. With a few pups this may be as early as five months and with a few others as late as one year. But generally, you can start to get down to business with a six- to eight-month-old pup.

Daily worko uts are very much in order. Just don't make them too long. A half-hour to an hour may be taken as a general rule to avoid tiring the pup.

Where possible put your dog down in country of the type you'll be hunting. When your dog is moving out in front of you try to anticipate when he is about to change direction or break his cast—when he is just sort of running out there, looking for something to do, and not absorbed in something important.

Then hit him with a couple of whistle blasts or shout an appropriate command and, when he looks, be angling off your original course and wave your arm in that direction. Chances are good that when made aware of your change in direction he'll loop over to get out in front of you.

Don't give up if he doesn't. Keep at him until he gets the idea and when he does, croon out to him telling him what a "gooood dog" he is. Few dogs can be trained to do any one thing in a single day. Repetition is basic.

However, don't try to swing him back and forth in an open field just to see if he'll respond. Head him in a direction that will take him to a game objective. In time he will come to swing to those likely covers on his own, particularly after he finds scent and game in them.

There will be times when your dog is only 25 to 50 yards from you and he may decide to go off in a different direction than you've indicated. When he does, hit that whistle or shout and keep at him until he goes where you want him to. A dog's response to commands and handling usually bears a direct relationship to his handler's proximity. The farther away the less responsive he will be. So you'll do well to do your insisting when the dog is more likely to figure you can enforce your command than when he's out on the horizon.

Whistle and Hand Signals
There seems to be a cult that holds that response to commands given via blowing a whistle or waving a hand is brought about by some mysterious and complicated training procedure. However, whistle or hand signals have no purpose other than to replace or add emphasis to learned voice commands. And they should be used only for that purpose. Too frequent whistling or waving can be only meaningless or confusing to a hunting dog. Basic signals are easily taught.

Thus, one sharp blast on a whistle means "Stop, sit and pay attention!" (primarily for flushing dogs); a hard, long, "beeeep, beeeep, beeeeeep" means "Come to me you blankety-blank"; a sharp, distinct "beep, beep" indicates a direction change; and a trilling "beep, beep, beep, beep, beep" is encouragement to continue what is being done, like returning with a bird or coming to you.

The teaching of the basic commands like "Come!" and "Sit!" have been covered in the obedience section of this book. To teach a dog to respond to an unspoken command is simple and can be done at the same time the voice command is being taught or later in conjunction with it.

When ordering a dog to "Sit!", give the command, blow one whistle blast and raise one arm pointing skyward. Keep at all three until the dog will assume a sitting position when any one of the three signals is given.

When ordering a dog to come in no uncertain terms, add those three whistle blasts. In a short time he will respond to them as well, perhaps better than he does to the voice command. The two sharp blasts should be accompanied by your change of direction and a wave of the arm in the new direction. The trilling, done in conjunction with verbal encouragement to complete a retrieve, will in time replace a lot of conversation.

There are other gestures and signals in vogue or you may choose to add your own refinements. But the basic signals are about all a hunting dog should have to know and they are easily taught.

Benign Neglect
If there is one major cause for the failure of a dog to perform up to expectations in the field it is neglect. This neglect involves not only the failure to give the dog enough hunting opportunities but the failure to pay proper attention to him during the closed season.

This has nothing to do with the style in which a dog lives. Some are poorly kept. But, a dog can be well cared for physically—plenty of food, water and comfortable housing—and still be neglected. This is benign neglect.

A good hunting dog needs attention from people. Gun dogs thrive on it and are better field performers for it. A dog is a living, breathing creature and should not be figuratively stored in a cabinet or put on the shelf during the off-season like a shotgun or a pair of boots.

Nine out of ten hunting dogs would be better hunting dogs if they were house dogs. For the closer the association dogs have with their masters and their families the better they will be for it. Don't let anyone tell you a dog can't be both a fine hunter and an enjoyable family companion. The more familiarity that exists between a hunter and his dog, each knowing his place and responsibility, the greater rapport there will be afield. The greater the rapport, the more successful the training efforts of the handler and the hunting effort of the dog.

However, if a dog owner is at all conscientious and considerate, when necessity requires that he kennel or house his dog outside the home, he can have as good or even a better trained hunting dog than the man who keeps his dog in the house but doesn't bother to train in the off-season.
Aside from the feeding, watering, and cleaning up, the hunter who wants his dog to develop properly (even though he must be kenneled away from close and constant contact with people) should set aside a brief period each day or at least three or four times a week for "paying attention" to his dog.

It saves tune and results in a profitable return if this attention paying period is devoted to some training. The training for basic commands and preparing the dog for hunting outlined in this chapter can be accomplished with limited space and facilities if they are done repeatedly.

Frequently men do good jobs of teaching their dogs enough to make them satisfactory hunters and then forget all about training and workouts until a few days before the hunting seasons open. Once dogs have learned something, they seldom tire of doing it. But they can get rusty or forgetful if not put through drills to keep them sharp.

Repeating the things he has learned are some of the happiest times of a gun dog's life—he is doing things he has learned that please his owner. During these "brush up" and reminder sessions, he is the center of attention. It not only satisfies his craving but develops both respect and affection for the man who spends time with him.

While this sort of relationship between man and dog may not be an absolute necessity it certainly is a need if a hunting dog is to develop to his fullest; and man and dog are to get the most out of each other.

There is really no limit to the things an intelligent dog may be taught. With the aid of good books on the subject, and by paying the necessary attention to his dog, the conscientious dog owner is unrestricted in the refinements, finish and polish he can put on his dog.

To encourage this, a brief list of books is included to supplement this basic introduction.

Remember training does not cease once the hunting season is open. Hunting time is also training time. Nothing beats the real thing for developing a really fine gun dog and few hunters can offer a dog more hunting and more birds than are good for him. For many, however, a single pheasant or a lone mallard may be all that fall to his gun in a day. But by taking a few minutes time designed to benefit the beginning gun dog (or the older one who doesn't get much work) that one bird can serve for many.

After it has been shot and fetched, with or without another shot, the dead bird can be thrown for the dog to fetch one or more times. It can be tossed into a thicket or across a narrow body of water to school the dog in diligent search for a downed bird, water work, etc. It is simply a matter of using the real thing instead of a dummy thus resulting in a double or triple utilization of a game bird.

If the dog has been working hard and properly, but just hasn't encountered any more game, a bird already shot can be planted in cover and the dog worked in to his reward. It beats a dry run anytime and aids in keeping up a dog's interest. Off-hand and improvised training tricks are limited only by the trainer's ingenuity and his willingness to take a little time.

There is nothing that can take the place of actual hunting and a kill of game to produce a dog that is a proficient or superlative hunter. In years gone by, gun dogs achieved greatness simply by doing, more because of game abundance than because of formal training. And the enjoyment of hunting for most men was involved more in the size of the bag than the performance and ability of his hunting dog.

Today more sportsmen than ever train dogs, use them afield and find their greatest enjoyment in recounting not how much game was bagged but how their dogs did the job on what was available.

The way to get the job done right is to spend as much time with a gun dog as possible, a large portion of it being devoted to artificial and mechanical training techniques preparing the dog for actual field work. Then, when hunting season does roll around the dog should be given every hunting experience possible, as often as possible and with whatever time and game is available.

While no dog has been trained by a man who simply read the right books and articles, many have been successfully trained by men who sought published material for guidance and then went to work . . . doing. So dog training has become an extremely popular do-it-yourself endeavor and the emphasis should be on the do it.
And doing it consists of four steps.
1) Interest enough in a hunting dog to obtain a pup from the breed of your choice.

2) Finding a good book on dog training that will offer clear and easy to follow instructions and at the same time inspire you to take step three, which is:

3) Getting out regularly with your dog for training and workouts, doing the things you've read about. 4) Taking your dog hunting, for no dog ever became great solely through training. He was hunted hard and often.

This chapter has attempted to show you a way to train a hunting dog, not in a step-by-step manner— which few people will follow—but in a casual, interlocking method allowing you to take advantage of the spare time you spend with your gun dog.

It doesn't tell you "everything you ought to know about dog training" but it does show you where and how to start in a manner that should guarantee success. Since nothing succeeds like success, hopefully you will be satisfied with your accomplishments and perhaps intrigued enough to take the training even further and work at finishing a dog.

From now on it's up to you, the introductory training of your hunting dog pup. Get at it and good luck! -David Michael Duffey