A gun shy hunting dog is no gun dog! You can be thankful, however, that this is not necessarily a permanent problem. You can, in fact, turn your gun shy pup into a real hunting hound. It’s however easier to accomplish this if the dog is not too old. An old mutt can become set in its habits, and this is why it is a bit more of a challenge for them to adjust for new types of situations and environments with any degree of effectiveness. For this reason, if your hound is an old house dog, you’re probably better off buying a second dog for your hunting purposes.

If your dog is frightened of the sound of a loud rifle, you might consider getting it accustomed to a less noisy gun first, and from there working your way up to the louder one. If you’re not looking to make a new purchase (and who can blame you), another alternative might indeed be to secure the prospective hunting dog a set distance from where you will be shooting your rifle and reduce this distance over a number of weeks.

Additionally, pleasant distraction can be used as a tool to help the pup adapt more quickly. If you’re able to get someone to give the hound some comfort while you’re firing this gun of yours, and perhaps even feed the hound treats, this will encourage the prospective hunting dog adapt sooner. When the puppy eats a snack, the dog’s stomach triggers a release of pleasure causing brain chemicals which can blunt the normal adrenal response.

Indeed should be noted, some animals simply come out of the womb more jumpy than others. These dogs will find it more difficult to adjust, and for the most part, may be a lost case! The type of gun shyness we’re addressing here comes from poor or absent early conditioning, and not a disposition . If you believe your gun dog may have this challenging disposition, the poor animal may be a bit of a lost case, unfortunately.

Earlier I emphasized the importance of the pup’s age. I want to re-emphasize this. A dog (and, yes a human for that matter) is truly most capable of cognitive adaptation when it is young. If you plan on conditioning a dog to be a hunting dog, it’s best that you get this prospective hunting dog exposed to the noise generated by a gun from a very young age. A dog really should not be turned into a hunting dog late in life… for the most part. There could be room for small exception, if you just happen to be a part-time dog whisperer. If you’re reading this, however, you are probably not!

Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more information, make sure to check out: gun dog trainers, and aluminum hunting dog boxes.

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Building a good dog box is not an easy task. If made of wood, it indeed must be sturdy, and far more importantly it should have no exposed sharp edges, nails, or screws on the inside that the poor dog will hurt itself on. Despite these important considerations fabricating a hunting dog box can provide you with fantastic savings that you would not get if you bought one of the numerous dog boxes on the market right now. A number of these can cost upwards of five hundred dollars.

Your number one concern, however, should be the safety of the dog first and savings last. Depending on your place of residency, dog neglect or abuse can be a serious legal offense, aside from being cruel. One significant safety consideration to take into account is making sure the box doesn’t slide around in the bed of your truck. If you intend on fabricating this box yourself, it might be advised that you utilize very thick wood.

Using dense wood allows you to secure the blocks with L-brackets, while guaranteeing that the screws will not protrude into the interior of the box. You should indeed double check this, of course. Ideally, also using exact measurements when cutting your wood will aid in guaranteeing ease of securing the box to the walls of your truck bed on both of the sides. The hunting dog box should provide ample ventilation, and allow the animal to look outside to prevent a strong fear response.

If you provide the hunting dog box with a place to hold food and drink it will help the dog to be more relaxed on its hunting trips as well. This is important, because if your hunting dog is highly anxious then it will, of course, be a bit more rifle shy than it otherwise would have been. What point is there to possessing a hunting dog that is fearful of the sound of a rifle, I ask you? The answer, of course, is: there is not a point. It is a sensible man’s responsibility to their dog’s comfort is high on the priority list.

One last component to be discussed to the hunting dog box is the portal of entry and exit. You should indeed implement a safe latch which has all of its mechanical components only physically accessible from the outside of the dog box. It is also important that it is relatively easy to get your dog or dogs in and out of the box itself. If this is challenging, you’ll find it frustrating both for yourself and the dog. Letting your pup become comfortable with the box while it’s still young, and before long trips can make it easy to get him or her into and out of it when the time comes for a new hunting adventure.

Interested in learning more about gun dogs? Check out the following: hunting dog training videos and gun dog books.

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Training a dog not to nip is an truly important aspect of training any new pup. Some pooches do this as a natural form of play, and others as an act of aggression. Whatever the individual case may be, it can be extremely disconcerting if that particular habit has taken a a hold of your dog’s psyche. Do not be too overtly discouraged however, with consistent application of effort, any bad habit can be broken.

Use of the teeth in both play and animal hunting comes quite natural to any four-legged animal. They don’t have hands to utilize, and a natural extension of this (albeit obvious) fact is that they utilize their mouth much more often for physical manipulation. Dogs can indeed be quite fond of gnawing on things, as well, and sometimes this can be a good thing as it can help them to clean their teeth. You would not want your hunting dog to get cavities, would you?

Taking a moment to remember that this kind of behavior comes instinctively to a dog can help you in dealing with the inevitable frustration. One suggestion for this behavior is to avoid promoting it with games like tug-of-war. Another such suggestion might include putting a bit of the substance known as bitter apple on your hands so that if the hound does happen to nip, at least it doesn’t enjoy the taste. Bitter apple can also be used effectively to break shoe chewing behavior as well.

Dogs are pack animals, and ultimately desire to please the alpha: you. The important factor is that they can connect your apparent displeasure with the highly specific action that they themselves took. While I believe by and large that reward based training is much better than using punishment, some behaviors can be problematic to disrupt through reward training exclusively. Jumping on guests is just one such example of highly problematic canine behavior that might not breakdown only using reward-based training.

It is really important, however, that you don’t punish the dog too harshly. Also important is that the punishment is immediately following the incident, so as to ensure that the mental connection of the punishment to the problem behavior is made. This is one reason you might consider the use of a remote citronella spray collar. These are only mildly irritating (instead of injurious) to the dog, but not genuinely harmful, and may be used from a distance so that the animal does not connect the punishment with the owner. Thereby averting an unnecessary fear response to said owner.

Thanks for reading this dog training tips article. You might also consider checking out: gun dog training videos and best gun dog boots.

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A gun dog can be like a friend to a man. When you are feeling depressed, that bird dog can offer level of companionship that is unlike that of man’s relationship with any other animal on this Earth. No animal, save for a gun dog, can read a human’s thoughts with such a small amount of effort. If a gun dog had thumbs and could cook, the womenfolk might be out of work! I jest, of course. There’s a genuine reason why they in fact call a dog man’s closest friend, though, and cultures around the world have totally embraced the canine as a help in hunting strategy.

A dog does not learn to be intuitive to its masters wishes on its own. Yes, indeed, a gun dog does have some natural inclination towards human-like intelligence, and even compassion or empathy. This, however, can only go so far. A hunting dog you intend to use as a hunting partner must in fact be trained, and trained particularly well in fact. As luck would have it there are a wide variety of instructional guides video and otherwise that are available that are capable of teaching you how to do that start to finish. I will speak of those in a moment.

A dog can be a big investment, both in terms of money to make the purchase of the young dog who’ll eventually become your hunting buddy, and also in terms of health care down the road as they grow older and sicker. If you are a real huntsman, though, the amount of time time you spend in the field with the accompaniment of a well-trained hunting hound will most assuredly be well worth the energy in the end.

I have myself owned six dogs, and the eventual loss of each and every single one pained me greatly. However, the legitimate thrill of having your pup effectively flush bird from their hiding places, or having it swim out and retrieve your that was shot down river isn’t just something worth giving it a treat over — it’s worth relishing over yourself! Let your hunting dog have its moment of glory, and when it performs wellmake sure to give it a solid pat on its head and rub its ears.

It is critical, though, that before you do make the purchase of a gun dog breed that you’re prepared for the initial investment in terms of time. Training isn’t too terribly easy. If you’re not prepared to personally take that energy and time out of your schedule, then it is advised that you decide whether you’re capable of purchasing the expert services of someone who is in fact able to. Dogs around the nation end up in families where they are neglected due to the fact that the pet owners don’t realize until they have already made their purchase that they may not have the personal energy to invest in a pet bird dog. Do not let this sorry state befall your hound.

Thanks for reading. If you have an interest in hunting and want to learn more, please checkout: dog training videos and hunting dog blog.

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Just like the English Cocker Spaniel, the American Cocker Spaniel is also a medium sized breed of gun dog. Originally, this breed was developed in the United Kingdom as a small game hunter particularly of the woodcock, which is where the term cocker came from. In the US, the cocker breed was further developed until it became a distinctly different breed called the American Cocker Spaniel.

In its native country the US, it is simply called the Cocker Spaniel. In other parts of the world such as Canada and Europe, it is called the American Cocker Spaniel. Before, this dog flourished as a gun dog but today it is more known as a lovable family pet.

Spaniels that came to England were actually brought in from Spain and then later on developed to become good hunters. In the early days, a Spaniel’s litter was composed of a cocker spaniel and a Springer spaniel and these two were only segregated in to types when they grew up. But with the help of the English Setter, a different breed for the Cocker Spaniel has been developed.

To know the difference of an American Cocker Spaniel from an English Cocker Spaniel, the size of the former is relatively smaller than the latter. The American version also has a long and low set coat while the English one has a shorter coat. The head of the American Cocker Spaniel is dome-like and the ears are floppy while the English variety has a rectangular head and shorter ears.

The height of the American Cocker Spaniel should be 15 inches and any dog higher than 15.5 is disqualified in shows. The average weight is also 25 to 35 pounds but the male can be a bit heavier. The average life span of this breed is up to 12 years, only one year shorter than the English Cocker Spaniel.

As a pet and as a dog show competitor, the luscious fur of this breed should be carefully groomed and maintained. The coat should be soft, smooth, long, flat and double coated. There are four categories that the coat colors of this breed fall under and these are: Black, ASCOB (Any Solid Color Other than Black), Tricolor, and Parti Color.

Describing this breed as a pet, one can say that it is affable, sweet and cheerful. As a gun dog, it is an eager worker, an obedient companion and a courageous hunter. This dog is noted for its gentleness, devotion and sensitiveness that’s why harsh reinforcement is not recommended.

The American Cocker Spaniel is fairly active and has an infinite stamina and so daily exercise should be given to it. Keeping the fluff healthy and beautiful requires daily brushing and shampooing. Additionally, regular nail clipping, coat trimming, and eyes cleaning should also be implemented.

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The Dogo Argentino is a huge hunter breed that shows off a white coat and well-muscled body and which came from Argentina. This dog is also fondly called the Argentine Dogo and Argentinean Mastiff. Around the world, the Dogo Argentino is known as an outstanding big-game hunter that hunts even cougars and boars.

Additionally, the Dogo Argentino does not only excel in fields of hunting but in tracking, search and rescue, drug detection, police and military, and family pet as well. Because of its unparalleled intelligence and reliability, this dog is also being used as a guide dog for the blind and service animal for other disabled people. In other countries where dog pitting is considered legal, the Dogo Argentino is also being utilized.

The Dogo Argentino is differentiated through its short and white coat, large smooth and muscular body, and powerful and athletic stance. It weighs 80 to 100 pounds and stands 23.5 to 27 inches in height. The ears are cropped, do not hang and are close to the skull while the tail is low, thick from the base and narrows down to the tip.

The Dogo Argentino without a doubt is powerful and massive looking but it is also a charming family pet and children’s playmate. It can be patient and tolerant with children because of its low body sensitivity and high pain tolerance. But as a general rule, no matter how friendly a dog is, children should never be left unattended to play with them.

The coat of the Dogo Argentino is single coated, easy to clean and does not have a doggy smell. This dog is sensitive to very cold temperatures and sheds a fair amount. The nails of the Dogo Argentino tend to grow rather quick and thus regular clipping should be done.

At a young age, the Dogo Argentino should already be trained in obedience and socialization. This way, he becomes friendly to other dog breeds and other animals. If not well trained, the Dogo Argentino may become aggressive and domineering towards other dogs and this will likely cause a conflict.

The Dogo Argentino is not intended to be kept in a small fenced yard because its natural instinct is to hunt. The activities suited for this dog are those that utilize his hunting urges such as tracking, trailing, and dog sports. Saying this, it is clear that the Dogo Argentino should only be kept by people who are active themselves and understands the hunting drives of this breed.

In 1930′s, the Dogo Argentino has been developed by Antonio Nores from the extinct Cordoba Fighting Dog and some other fine breeds. These fine breeds are the Boxer, Great Dane, Spanish Mastiff, Bull Terrier, Great Pyreneees, Pointer, Irish Wolfhound, and more. It was Dr. Zebellos of Las Pampas Kennels who introduced the Dogo Argentino to the US and until this day, this kennel is a prime breeder of Dogo Argentinos.

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The Vizsla is a Hungarian breed of dog that is well-known as an elite sporting dog and reliable household companion. As early as the 8th century, the Vizsla has been mentioned in some early wall paintings of the Magyar tribe, a group that lived in ancient Hungary. Centuries later, this prized sporting breed is still adored by legions of fanciers and breeders from different countries around the world.

For centuries, the Vizsla has accompanied many hunters in their hunting quests and continues to accompany the modern hunters of today. Moreover, the Vizsla is not only an excellent sniffer but a superb pointer and retriever as well. Together with being the smallest breed of its kind, the Vizsla is being considered as the smallest all-round pointer.

This dog possesses a robust yet lightly built body, lean and defined muscles, and distinguished expression and bearing. More often, however, this breed is mistaken for a Weimaraner, Redbone Coonhound or Rhodesian Ridgeback because they all seem to share similar qualities, especially in body build. The implication, however, that a breed is a Vizsla is when it has a reddish colored nose that blends with its coat color.

Moreover, the nails and eyes of a real Vizsla should also blend with the coat color. The standard coat color for this breed is solid golden-rust but there are some litters that are born solid rust-colored. Copper or brown, gold and dark sandy gold are some shades that are acceptable for this breed.

As the American Kennel Club dictates, the Vizsla’s coat “should be short, smooth, dense and close-lying, without woolly undercoat”. Because of the lack of undercoat, this breed tends to get cold easily so it mustnt be left outside for a very long time. Moreover, this condition also suggests that the Vizsla sheds less compared to other breeds.

The Vizsla is considered as a “self-cleaning” dog and so it only requires bathing once in a while. Moreover, the breed standard also requires for this dog to be docked as it is more desirable for its safety. An undocked Vizsla tail tends to experience splitting and bleeding that later ends up in more painful amputation.

In the dog sporting world, this breed is considered outstanding but inside the house as a pet, it is considered as magnificent as it is caring, affectionate, lively and loyal. It is the type of companion that always feigns for the master’s love and affection. Because of this, the breed was named as the “Velcro dog”.

This breed has also a protective instinct because it tends to fight back whenever it is provoked or threatened. It is also very smart and highly biddable but should not be handled using harsh criticisms and forceful physical corrections because it tends to get hurt emotionally too easily. It is also an avid swimmer and in fact would jump on a pool whenever it sees one; thus, it makes a good retriever not only in land but in water as well.

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Most people know what a cocker spaniel looks like but everyone should be aware that there is an English Cocker Spaniel and an American Cocker Spaniel. These two may look the same but they are different in a lot of forms and are definitely separate breeds. Both breeds are being used as hunting companions and as conformation show competitors.

There are two varieties of the English Cocker Spaniel and they are the field/working cocker and the show cocker. The working cocker is used as a hunting companion wherein it drives game towards the guns instead of retrieving it. The show cocker on the other hand joins dog sports in conformation shows.

One interesting fact about the English Cocker is that it is continuously wagging its tail as a sign of a merry disposition therefore many have called this breed “merry cocker”. This dog is also notorious for independent and stubborn disposition although it does not mean that it is difficult to train. The English Cocker is innately intelligent and alert and these characteristics show in its face all the time.

The body of the adorable English Cocker is sturdy, compact and well-balanced. The eyes should be dark and the ears should be floppy and long that it should reach the tip of the nose when pulled forward. The tail of this breed is docked except in those countries where this practice id banned.

The coat color of the English Cocker is restricted according to its purpose. For the conformation variety, some colors are only allowed but for the working or field variety, any coat color is allowed. English Cockers are found in an abundance of color varieties and may be found in solid color, tricolor and roan.

Solid colors may come as black, silver, tan, chocolate, blue, red, gold, copper red and white. Color combinations can be black and white, black and tan, blue tick, blue roan, chocolate and tan, lemon and white, orange and white, red and white, and more. Today, hunters prefer their field cockers to have a white color on their coats for visibility purposes.

The English Cocker is well-known for a domineering and stubborn disposition but it can also be extremely loyal, likes to be around people and loves to get close with just one member of the family. This dog is also known to be very affectionate, optimistic, flexible and intelligent. According to Stanley Cohen’s the Intelligence of Dog, the English Cocker ranks 18th in working and obedience intelligence.

Interestingly, studies by the University of Cambridge have shown that the temperament of the cocker has a relevance to its coat color. The studies conclude that solid-colored cockers are more likely to be aggressive compared to the others. Additionally, findings have shown that Red/Golden colored cockers are the most aggressive towards humans when it is being disciplined or sometimes when there is no reason at all.

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The elegant English Setter is one popular gun dog that’s been dominating the hunting scene for centuries. It is proven as an excellent bird game setter and is with the same family as the Irish Red and White Setters, Irish Setters, and Gordon Setters which are fantastic hunting dogs as well. This dog is called “setter” because of its sitting-like position when it finds a bird game to be hunted.

The English Setter is distinct for having a flat, silky and lightly wavy coat that gently wraps around its body. This coat is speckled with color combinations called “belton”. These are the blue belton (white with black specks), orange belton (white with orange specks), lemon belton (white with orange flecks and nose is light), liver belton (white with liver flecks) and tricolor (blue or liver belton with tan markings on face, chest and legs).

The long hair of this dog covers its pendant ears, legs and tail like a fringe. Its velvety coat wraps around its body to emphasize its slim and elegant body. This coat is just in perfect thickness to allow the dog comfort whether in a cold or humid temperature.

This dog has two types namely the field or hunting type and the bench or show type. The hunting type has a shorter length of coat and requires a little grooming while the show type has a longer and more flowing coat that requires regular grooming. This dog is an average shedder and needs dry shampooing or bathing when necessary.

The English Setter is a gentle and sweet-natured breed that is excellent especially around children. It loves to please its master; it is calm and friendly that people call him a “gentleman by nature”. This breed is very intelligent and can do tasks that other dogs can perform except maybe herding.

In Stanley Cohen’s The Intelligence of Dogs, this breed ranks 37th and it is proven indeed that the working and obedience ability of this dog is above average. This dog is highly active and should be placed in the care of a family that has active tasks to do as well or better yet, this dog can do very well with a hunter for a master. This dog is suitable to live in a house that has an ample-sized backyard because this dog requires daily jog or brisk walk everyday.

This dog may be highly trainable but it is mischievous and strong-willed at times, too. Never apply harsh criticisms or negative reinforcements in training the English Setter because it is highly sensitive. It is best to reinforce this dog with positive remarks only or else, it will refrain from doing tasks for fear of displeasing the master.

The English Setter was first developed in France in the 15th century and was only brought to England in the 18th century. This dog originated from the crosses of Spanish Pointer, Water Spaniel (large) and Springer Spaniel. It was Edward Laverack and Purcell Llewellin that made this breed better in terms of appearance and characteristics and in fact, there exists today a separate Llewellin and Laverack bloodlines for the English Setter.

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Most people know what a cocker spaniel looks like but everyone should be aware that there is an English Cocker Spaniel and an American Cocker Spaniel. These two may look the same but they are different in a lot of forms and are definitely separate breeds. Both breeds are being used as hunting companions and as conformation show competitors.

The gun dog English Cocker Spaniel has two varieties namely the field or working cocker and the show cocker. The working/field cocker is used during game hunting but rather than retrieving the game, this variety actually drives the game towards the guns. The show cocker on the other hand is used for conformation shows most often competing in agility and obedience competitions.

This breed has been nicknamed as the “merry cocker” because of its perpetually wagging tail in manifestation of its happy disposition. However, this dog can be stubborn although it is highly trainable, too. Moreover, the face of this dog should be a manifestation of intelligence and alertness.

It has a sturdy, well-rounded and balanced body. The eyes should be dark and the ears floppy and long enough to reach the tip of the nose when pulled forward together. In most countries, the cocker’s tail is docked except only for those places wherein this practice is prohibited.

The coat colors of the English Cocker come in different varieties but some are acceptable only depending on the cocker’s variety. For the show cocker, there are only some colors that are allowed but for the working cocker, all colors and combinations are practically accepted. The color variety for this dog ranges from solid, tricolor and roan.

Examples of the solid colors are black, silver, tan, chocolate, blue, red, gold, copper red and white. Other color combinations are black and white, black and tan, blue tick, blue roan, chocolate and tan, lemon and white, orange and white, red and white, and a lot more! In hunting, hunters prefer that their field cockers have color white in their coats in able to see them properly in the woods.

The adorable English Cocker may also become domineering and stubborn but it is also extremely loyal to the family, does not like to be left alone, and loves to get close with only one person in the family. This breed is also loving, optimistic, intelligent and adaptable. This breed also ranks 18th in Stanley Cohen’s the Intelligence of Dog as a measure of the breed’s excellence in working, obedience and intelligence.

Interestingly, studies by the University of Cambridge have shown that the temperament of the cocker has a relevance to its coat color. The studies conclude that solid-colored cockers are more likely to be aggressive compared to the others. Additionally, findings have shown that Red/Golden colored cockers are the most aggressive towards humans when it is being disciplined or sometimes when there is no reason at all.

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