Introducing a dog to gunfire

What is the best way to introduce my dog to gun fire?

Graham says: I start by firing my starting pistol in my game bag while the puppy is running about and some distance from me. I don’t ask the puppy to do anything and if there is no reaction I will fire again, this time asking for the sit. If all goes well, I repeat the exercise — this time with the starting pistol out of the game bag.

If the young dog shows no sign of being worried, get someone to fire a shotgun 100m or so away in an open space and watch the puppy’s reaction. If the dog is unfazed, get the shooter to move closer, but only fire one shot at a time. Repeat this exercise over several sessions until you are able to shoot close to the dog. Take it slowly, though, and always watch for any adverse reaction.