# Dog nervous of shot



## Hil Harrison (Mar 29, 2006)

Question here I'd like some opinions on:

One of our dogs is afraid of the shot during the IPO program. When she has to lie down while the other dog is doing the obedience part and the trainer shoots the gun twice she crawls on her stomach towards the handler. She was pretty messed up when the handler before us got the gun held the dog down and emptied it around her. She peed on the spot she was that frightend :twisted: Dumb action too if you ask me.. How can we build this back up again so that she gets used to it? We are trying so many different things. Using drift and the ball to distract her during the shooting. Anyone any usefull tips?


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Shot avoidance can be a real pain to overcome. The best advice I could give is to do TONS of drive work, with the shots far off in the distance. Initially, you'll have to determine how far with the individual dog. Take it slow, ignore the negative reaction, reward the positive.


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## Hil Harrison (Mar 29, 2006)

Thanks Bob for the reply. We are trying drive work and ball distraction while the shot is fired. Maybe an idea to start with the shot as far away as possible then move in gradually over a period of time then?


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## Elly Elsenaar (Mar 27, 2006)

We have the same problem with the mal of my daughter, I know it sound silly but we put him down on the opposite site of the field, and suddenly the gunfire is not anymore a problem.

So he combinated the shot with the place, may be he had to much pressure on the other place, we don't know what it is.

next thursday she will go training on an other field and wewill see what he is doing then, she wants to get her BH/VZH on the 19 th of april. I will let you know how things going on thursday!!


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## Selena van Leeuwen (Mar 29, 2006)

playing with ball or tug or something while shooting is on the other side of the field, the shooting person gets closer everytime you train it. Do it a lot in the coming weeks, then do ob whilest there is shooting. If that´s ok too, lay down and do the shooting far away and then get the shooting closer again. Takes a couple of weeks, but it works.


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## Inge Pero (Apr 1, 2006)

Selena van Leeuwen said:


> playing with ball or tug or something while shooting is on the other side of the field, the shooting person gets closer everytime you train it. Do it a lot in the coming weeks, then do ob whilest there is shooting. If that´s ok too, lay down and do the shooting far away and then get the shooting closer again. Takes a couple of weeks, but it works.


I did it that way :lol: , I teached her also different behaviour. When there was shooting, I let her bark, that was the easiest way to face her fear for Marouck.
And when she almost didn't react anymore, I went to the toy-store and bought a \"klapperpistool\" :wink: (sorry, don't know the english word but Hil will understand it) and used that during playtime. No reaction anymore.


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## Selena van Leeuwen (Mar 29, 2006)

I know you have been asking for a solution and I told this one, I knew it worked on Rouckie.


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## Hil Harrison (Mar 29, 2006)

Thanks folks for the suggestions, will follow them up and see if this helps.


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