Gun shots and thunderstorms.

Yesterday whilst out on a walk, Pennie heard her first gunshots. She looked a little worried at first, but everytime she heard one and looked at me I gave her a "Yay good girl" and a treat.. and she seemed to then take the next gun shots she heard as a marker for coming back for a treat. For now that will do, I want to build up a positive association with gunshots. Eventually I will just ignore that.. but for now it's OK.

And today she experienced her first storm, now I love thunderstorms but this one scared me. It seemed literally above my house and my raw food delivery driver said in some parts driving through Nottingham the lightening was touching the ground. Louie was a bit shook up and ran into the other room to bark, but settled down eventually and Pennie had her worried face on but remained on the sofa next to me.

So all in all my wimp of a girl who at first I thought, due to her timidity (is that even a word) she was going to be a difficult one to train up as a gundog - she's took it all in her stride.

Yay

My first springer was always worried with thunder and fireworks but fine with gunshot.

Helen

My ''old'' girl is terrified of fireworks, only because she went missing for 3 days while she was younger on new years eve... thank god we found her but since then, any fireworks, even miles away and she hides in a corner of the living room or bedroom, shaking like a leaf and panting.. my 2 young ones, just bark and ignore it as well...

None of mine (even the cat) seem bothered by any of it - we get through fireworks month (it's not really a night now - more constant bangs for weeks on end) no problem, any gunshots they've heard haven't phased them and that insane thunderstorm yesterday didn't bother them - apart from Nancy who looked at me to make sure I wasn't going to make her go for a walkies in it (greyhounds being water-soluble apparently) and then went back to sleep.

I do often wonder how the dynamics would change if I got one of them who WAS afraid of loud bangs - I think a lot of the fact none of them care is to do with the fact none of them SEE any other creature in the house being bothered by it.

To be honest if they can endure some of the pops and bangs from the baby breaking wind they can endure anything!

That is seriously good training, well done you!!!

I used to do this with my BSD when she was a little unnerved by noises from bird scarers etc - I brought out the kong on a rope and she started to look for it when the noises happened .

Wys
x

good girl penny my lot are fine during thunderstorms, they just sleep mylo on the other hand mine her gunshots quite regularly, because we have shoots, and also clay pigeon near on every week, they just ignore them now.

poppy looked really annoyed yesterday when thunder woke her up, she likes her naps then she just sighed & went back to sleep. she's ok with gunshots if she hears them when she's in the house, not so keen if we're out walking but doesn't completely freak out. old terrier doesn't bother at all

well done Pennie, and well done mum! Good job.

Phoebe gives a little jump at gun shots and crow scarers. But when the thunder or fireworks come she turns in to harry potter and moves in under the stairs.

Well done penny for being so brave

I have to be alert when we're out and about - if there's any gunshots or fireworks Angus takes off - towards them. He can't bear the thought of something exciting happening without him.