Training your gundog to stop to shot
Once you have introduced your dog to the sound of shot, if you plan to work your dog in the field, you will want to move on to the concept of stop to shot.
Whether you’re working a retriever, spaniel or HPR, out rough shooting, beating, or picking up, stop to shot is not only a safety precaution but an essential part of your gundog’s job.
A reliable stop to shot is built in stages. First you must have introduced your dog to shot. If you have not yet done that, click here for advice.
Once you have done this, your dog also needs to learn how to respond to shot, beyond retrieving and depending on their role.
Beating dogs, usually (but not always) hunting retrievers and HPRs, need to stop and remain steady, waiting for the cue to continue hunting or return to their handler.
Picking up dogs, typically (but not limited to) retrievers, need to stop to shot at heel in a walk-up scenario or acknowledge the shot but stay focused on the retrieve they have been sent for on a drive.
In this article, we’ll cover how our gundogs should react to shot depending on the job they’re doing and how to train hunting dogs to automatically stop on the sound of shot without needing to be cued by you.
It is crucial that you have already introduced your dog to shot before trying any of the recipes.
Stop to shot when retrieving
For all breeds, retrievers, spaniels and HPRs, when retrieving, the objective after hearing the sound of the shot is the same: they should stay focused, acknowledge the distraction shot, mark the falling dummy or bird if there is one, but complete the retrieve they have been tasked with.
In the real world, e.g. if you were picking up on a shoot, it is likely that you would only be sending your dog during the drive to retrieve a runner or injured bird that needed to be despatched quickly.
With ethics in mind, our dogs’ reaction to the sound of shot during a retrieve should always be to finish the retrieve they were initially sent for so that they can deliver the injured game to hand as soon as possible. We never want them to drop whatever is in their mouth in pursuit of the distraction, especially if they had been sent on a runner, which could easily be lost if dropped.
NB: Even if you don’t plan to work your dog, if you have an interest in competing, it is common in working tests to have an exercise set which replicates this real-life scenario.
While you could be forgiven for thinking that it would be easier to teach our dogs to ignore all distractions, including the sound of shot, during the retrieve, it is actually crucial that our dogs still acknowledge the noise. This is so that they can mark the fall, ready to retrieve if needed.
Our dogs need to learn two things. The first is to acknowledge and honour the shot without deviating from the original retrieve or being tempted to abandon the retrieve they have been sent for. The second is to mark the fall as something that might need to be picked later.
Stop to shot when hunting
If you are rough shooting with a hunting breed, such as a spaniel or HPR, when hunting the desired objective when shot is fired is for them to stop and mark the fall of the bird.
While there is an ethical consideration for gundogs out on a retrieve, here there is also a safety aspect. When out rough shooting (or beating which we will cover later) if a gundog runs in towards the shot, there is the potential for them to be injured or even killed.
When out shooting with your hunting dog, the overall pattern you are after is for your hunting retriever to flush or your HPR to point and flush a bird, then to ‘stop’ and watch it go away or be shot. If shot, your dog should mark the fallen bird and, finally on cue, go out and retrieve it.
Technically, in this context, the flush should really be the cue to stop. However, automatic stop to movement and stop to flush can be incredibly challenging to train unless you have access to birds on a regular basis.
As most gundog training is done with dummies, the process while hunting therefore is to stop to shot and fall of the dummy.
NB: If you don’t plan to work your dog, but have an interest in competing, this is the concept that will be used in working test scenarios.
How to teach your hunting dog to stop to shot
With puppies and young dogs, you can begin to introduce the idea that they can be interrupted while hunting.
This can be done by setting up some hunting games and then clapping your hands together while they are engaged in searching for food, toys or balls. When your dog looks up at you, click, and then reward them by casting them off to hunt again, making sure there is still something for them to find.
Once they are older, you can begin to use the process of new cue, old cue to transition the stop cue from the whistle (or sit cue) to the sound of shot.
If you have not yet introduced the stop whistle, click here for advice.
Find a suitable hunting area that is not too scented or challenging for your dog. You will probably need a helper for this at first as there is quite a bit to manage but it is not impossible to do yourself. If you do not have an area where you can fire a starter pistol, just use party poppers, or a cap gun as they will work just as well for this exercise.
Cast your dog off to hunt and let them settle in. Fire the shot. If you have introduced your dog to the sound of shot properly then they are almost certain to pause because by now the shot will have some meaning for them.
Top tip: If you are concerned that your dog may not respond in hunting mode, then you could alternatively send them off to 'Bumble' using your normal cue.
Capture the pause behaviour with your stop whistle, click and then pay them. While we can eventually use the continuation of hunting as the reward, initially, you will want the reward to come from you if you are firing the shot.
Gradually start to take a pause between the shot and the stop whistle. If your dog stops on the shot, click this and then pay from you.
Do not repeat this step too many times unless you are firing the shot, as your objective is for the dog to orient towards the shot but remain still.
If someone else is firing the shot and your dog is beginning to look away and back to you for the reward, you will need to change where the payment comes. If your helper is firing the shot, they can also throw the reward (food, ball, dummy) after you have clicked and released your dog using a “get it” cue.
Once your dog is stopping to shot more than the whistle you can begin to fade it out. At this stage, you can introduce a retrieve. Start with low animation, e.g, just placed on the ground and build up to a full-blown throw.
Remember to always release your dog using your ‘get it’ or your retrieve cue to maintain steadiness.
Do not repeat this exercise too many times in one session.
Stop to shot when beating
Stop to shot gets a little tricky if you are intending to go beating with your gundog.
While you are working, there will be lots of flushes and multiple shots going off all around you.
In this context, you might want your gundog to keep working, or you might want them to stop if there’s a request to hold the line.
This is where your stop whistle and recall whistle are key, as instead of stopping to every gun shot, you ideally want them to keep hunting until you give them another cue.
If you would like to put your stop to shot training to the test in a controlled environment, then Helen offers 121 private shoot experiences on the Kemble’s Field shoot. Click here for more information: https://kemblesfield.co.uk/products/private-shoot-experience-for-gundogs
If you are looking to take your gundog beating and would like to test that they can continue hunting amongst the distraction of birds flushing and shot being fired, Kemble’s Field also offers Group Shoot Experience Days for gundogs. Click here for more information: https://kemblesfield.co.uk/products/group-shoot-experience-for-gundogs