GUN SHYNESS is the #1 thing you want to avoid with a gun dog puppy. And it's almost ALWAYS preventable.

If you skip gun conditioning work and something goes wrong -- car backfire, unexpected shot, anything loud at the wrong moment -- you could be dealing with gun shyness for the rest of the dog's life.

Start with NOISE conditioning. You want a puppy that is comfortable with unexpected noises.

Start slow and work your way up. Clap your hands. Drop dog bowls. Slam cabinets. Play the radio in the kennel (lots of sudden volume changes).

Like any conditioning, start slow and increase volume over time. I start exposing my pup to noises the day I bring it home.

Next INTRODUCE BIRDS.

Once the dog is excited about birds and in full prey drive, allow them to chase the bird. Only when your dog is excited about birds, do we start to slowly introduce gunfire from a distance.

I prefer a .22 caliber blank pistol because you can use different size/volume blanks.

Have a helper start with a quieter acorn/crimped .22 blank 100 feet away and slowly move in closer. Then back away and repeat the process with louder blanks. Finally, you can move up to a shotgun over time.

The goal: your dog hears a shot and looks up for birds. That's the association you're building.

It takes time and patience, but you're setting your dog up for success.

Steve Snell