Dog hard of hearing after dummy launcher

[chrisjd2]

She is very alert and ready to mark a fall. I havnt noticed any hard of hearing with the shotgun.

This morning she is better but still not 100% but now I think she knows that I'm worrying about her and asking her to come to me or sit all the time so I can gauge her hearing, which will be strange in her eyes.

ill give a break from the launcher until I see john Cook with the new pup.

[Rascal]

I think it has more to do with being nervous of the launcher TBH rather than anything to do with her hearing. I'd stop using the launcher period and stop trying to "test" her hearing and just be normal with her, you are as you've identified probably making it a whole lot worse...

Rascal

[trekmoor]

I too would stop using the launcher or at the very least I would not fire it myself, I'd have someone else fire it from some distance away.

My Brittany reacted badly to a starting pistol I fired about 5 weeks ago yet she has always been fine when other folk fired launchers at 50 or so yards away and did her first shooting season with shotguns going off all over the place and loved it.

By the sounds of it your dog is not yet gun shy, try not to make her gun shy with launcher shots.

Wullie

[Springfield Pointers]

The dummy launcher uses a .22 blank. The report of which is far more intrusive for a (young) dog than a shotgun. Especially if you're firing it over his head. I would agree with Trekmoor, give it a rest and gave someone else handle the hardware for now. I think your dog may be getting a little shot sensitive, deal with it before it gets any further.

[trekmoor]

I have a suggestion. If you fire the shots yourself try using a Party Popper instead of a starting pistol or dummy launcher. It won't fire off training dummies but it will make a loud enough "pop" at spaniel hunting ranges to help train stop to shot.
Take the ribbons out of it first !

Wullie

[Rascal]

Judging by the dogs reaction to Chris last night I'd think very carefully about how I went about making noise near the dog for now. She sounds like she's already steady to shot and maybe this has been overdone? I would take her to John and let him have a look, someone who can actually see her would be best placed to advise I'd say...

Rascal

[Judy]

I have a suggestion. If you fire the shots yourself try using a Party Popper instead of a starting pistol or dummy launcher. It won't fire off training dummies but it will make a loud enough "pop" at spaniel hunting ranges to help train stop to shot.
Take the ribbons out of it first !

Wullie

Spoil sport!

[Naj]

Be very careful with party poppers & the like. Had a similar problem with a young springer bitch. Perfectly OK with the sound of gunshot but pop a bottle of fizz & she became a quivering wreck. Cured it by giving her a drink every time I had a glass. By the end of the bottle she didn't give a damn but always insisted on a final, excruciating rendition of 'I will survive' before I carried her back out to the kennel. hic!

[Merlin]

[Megsdad]

Be very careful with party poppers & the like. Had a similar problem with a young springer bitch. Perfectly OK with the sound of gunshot but pop a bottle of fizz & she became a quivering wreck. Cured it by giving her a drink every time I had a glass. By the end of the bottle she didn't give a damn but always insisted on a final, excruciating rendition of 'I will survive' before I carried her back out to the kennel. hic!

Excuse me, this is supposed to be a serious gun dog training forum.
Not for youse with champagne cockers! Come round and I'll punch yer lights out. BeechesIam