9 week Old Chessie

jeff kakaley

jeff kakaley

Member
Picked up a Chessie pup last weekend from a breeder in Michigan. The pup is great but one trait seems to be more evident as time goes by. The pup seems to be really noise shy. I know that the particular area where we got the pup from experienced a pretty good thunderstorm last Saturday, although I'm not sure how that might have affected the pup. Today while my wife and pup were out in the garden she heard what might have been a gunshot or firework going off, the pup immediately ran for the back door. My wife said the pop was not loud to her seemingly a distance away but could these factors ( storm last week and shot today ) produce a gun shy dog? I have not started her on birds yet so maybe when the time comes the distraction will allow her to overcome her apparent fear of noise. I know with spring here already, thunderstorms are on the horizon anyday which will only complicate things. Anyone experience anything similar?

Thanks
Jeff.
 
When the noises go off scare her, don't coddle her...shes gonna learn its something to be afraid of if you hide her, pick her up etc...its reinforcing the negative

instead throw her a toy, feed her, etc

instead just carry on like its no big deal or you didnt even hear anything...

Also remember too, gun shy and thunderstorm phobia are two different things...both the girls I had, especially this one were horrified of storms. Although my current girl has more reason than any of the other pups...we were walking inside the house and a bolt of lightning hit the ground less than a 100 yds from us....now when a storm comes she tries to jump in the bed with me lol

but neither had gun noise issues i think your issue will correct itself with time and patience on your part
 
Just to add to what D. has said if someone in your house is afraid of thunder storms try not to have them around the pup during the storm. My 8 year old boy chessie could care less about a thunder storm when he is out with me and gun fire is just plan fun. But if you put him in the house alone with my wife during a thunder storm it is a coin toss on who is more bent out of shape by the storm. He is up on the couch all worried etc. Probably just protecting mom but they do pick up on what others are feeling.

Probably the easiest way I have found to introduce gun fire is to make sure it is shotguns not handguns or rifle ( totally different sound ) and to work them into it. We have taken gun shy dogs up to the clays range and worked them on obedience and play on a long line in the field behind the modified five stand starting at about 100 yards and moving closure over several weeks. This has always worked in the past even when dealing with work dogs who actually have to attack into gun fire.


Also I wouldn't worry about it much at 9 weeks everything is still very new and scary. Good luck with your new pup.
 
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Jeff,

Your pup is just trying to get it's feet on the ground so-to-speak. It's trying to figure out everything about it's world all at once. Expose her to your world a little at a time and as she gains confidence, less and less will bother her. At the moment she knows she gets food and water everyday and has a place to sleep. Just about everything else is a new experience including your expectations, give her time to get used to her new life with you. If she still has noise issues in 4-6 months you 'might' have a problem, at this time in her life, not so much.
 
Get the pup around one or more dogs that are not gun shy. Drag a bird,scented bumper or other fun activity to associate the fun with the impending sound. Shoot a 209 popper from a distance, at least 100 ft. The pup is going to follow the lead of the other dogs call them all to the sound giving praise. Don't get upset if the pup doesn't get it right away. Decrease the distance over time. I whelped my pups right off the kitchen,banging pots and pans and a lot of activity got them use to sound . I always introduced pups to sound around" the pack". Good luck!
 
Noise sensitivity can be tough to deal with. Working on building your pups confidence in general. She may react differently with you than with other family members.

How food oriented is your dog? Some people have worked on loud sounds while feeding there pup. Wait until they are eating and then add the noise at a distance/volume. Slowly increase volume/decrease distance. If you can shoot a gun where you are start with blanks, 209 primers work well. Ideally, your pup will not even pay attention as you move closer.

I had a friend who had a chessie we would pheseant hunt with, along with my dog. This dog had never been introduced to gun fire. At first he would just chase after my dog. But, once he figured out there were birds in the field that we were after he would hunt on his own. But, when a burd flushed he woudl start running back to us in anticipation of the gunfire. Once the shooting was over he would either retrieve the birds or go back to quartering.

Have fun with your pup,

Tom
 
All of the above is good advice. Just remember this pup is still an infant at nine weeks, so go at it gradually, with a lot of patience and love. I hate to say this, but I have been told that some dogs are just prone to this. My 9 year old chessie female is deathly afraid of thunder storms, hates 4 th of july, but has produced two boys for me, out of two different litters and sires, that are absoloutely unfazed by gunfire or thunder. best wishes Rich
 
Jeff, there is a critical time in the puppys developement, where they can become scared of certain things, and it can be a lifetime trying to overcome this. I don't remember off the top of my head but I seem to remember 8 to 10 weeks...

One of the socialization efforts I made with all litters was plenty of noise while the pups were in the whelping box. I would crash the feeding bowl on the floor, and then feed them... I purposely make loud, harsh noises and associated them with pleasant experience. When the pups heard the bowl crash they headed toward the sound. When I introduced gunshot, I was methodical and worked up from a capgun at distance, to a shotgun overhead slowly, over a few months during the summer.... never had a dog that was afraid of gunshot, fireworks, or storms.

I would not push anything new on your pup. Right now, you should focus on bonding and trust. No corrections. Any "mistakes" are your fault. Certainly don't do anything to startle the new pups, and don't shout or make a loud noise to stop them from doing something. After 3 or 4 months, and you have taught some basic obedience with lots of positive reinforcement, you can go back and introduce noise distrations.
 
PS congrats on the new puppy! How about a pic of the girl?

I was a little loopy with meds last night, so sorry if some of that came through garbled.

Im looking forward to my new chessie pup next spring
 
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Noise is a funny subject. My Chessie Gus has retrieved 1000's of geese and ducks so the shotgun doesn't bother him going off right next to him he loves it. But open the dishwasher door and he runs into the bedroom. He doesn't like fireworks but seams to tolerate them. I lost a six month old pup to fireworks when the *** behind me set off an explosion and she panicked and ran into the street and was hit by a car.
 
Thanks everyone for the great advice. I am in the process of making noise during feeding times and Sage is unfazed by the commotion. She is too interested in food so that's a good thing. I am also trying to make a big deal clapping as loud as I can when calling her. I agree that everything here is new to her. I was thinking how I would feel if everything I was used to and comfortable with was different one day. It would certainly turn me upside down. On a training note, yesterday I thought I would bring out a wing for her to check out. We'll at first I was really concerned. Sage had zero interest in the wing, as a matter of fact she was scared of it. I was disappointed but I kept trying to entice her with it . After some teasing she finally walked over to it, smelled it and then grabbed it. The pics I took tell the story from there. I think the training process for me is just a collection of small but important steps . To me yesterday we traveled miles. New to posting pics but I will try. Thanks all for your help and suggestions.
 
Good luck with your pup, Jeff. You have received much good information. I,too, would really like to see some pictures some day.
Al
 
Jeff, you know all of us Chessie lovers are just dying to see your pup's picture. I am just trying to prime the pump with a picture of my boy Marsh about two years ago. These two are still best friends. Rich







 
Rich;

I would post pics but I tried to resize them on an app from my phone but it still did not work out. I will have to try on my desktop.

Jeff.

Marsh looks great.
 
So speaking of thunderstorm phobia ....my girl has even more legit reason to have it.... We were in the band of tornadoes.... House got hit, minor structural damage... We all ok

She always wakes me up panting ... If that doesn't work... She noses me... That doesn't work.... She jumps on the jewels...

Now after this storm ....I foresee many sleepless stormy nights in my future lol
 
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