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How sensitive to gunfire is a dog's hearing? Gunfire doesn't bother my Lab. In fact I have to make her sit and stay behind me, or she will sit right at your feet looking at the muzzle.

TIA,

Paul

Great question. I've thought about that myself. It must damage their hearing - given that their hearing is so much more sensitive then ours. I wonder if anyone has ever studied that.

Def a good question. I have wondered this myself.

Having had a number of English pointers that actually were deaf I'm sure hearing protection is a good idea. Seems that the first shot at a bird on the first training day just destroys their hearing. They can't even hear the whistle after that. Funny thing tho. They can hear the refridgerator door open from outside! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Having been in the ear protection business for 16 years, I learned a bit about animals and noise.

They sell earplugs for horses, mainly for the guys who shoot the "Mounted Cowboy" events at SASS.

I was asked on several occasions to make custom earplugs for dogs. Never did, because I always insisted on the dog being anesthetized by a vet during the process, and the added expense was the deal breaker.

BUT, our headquarters did fit a very expensive field trial dog with $1500 electronic earplugs. The dog's owner said that he paid more than ten times that for the dog and that he had no desire to shorten the dog's field trial career due to hearing loss.

My own gun dog went deaf in his last year. Hard to say how much that was due to gunfire versus pure age, but he did.

I think that something not being concidered here is that dog's are nowhere as close to the gun going off as the shooter is. Weather a dog goes deaf for old age or what, it usually doesn't happen while they are young. My old springer went deaf but not till about 8yrs and he was never near the gun when it went off. Otis is a pointing dog and he's pushing 15 and still hears well. Hannah another pointing dog never went deaf but her daughter did, at 12. A friend of mine had a lab that was not steady in a blind and it went deaf. The shot when in it's right ear and out the left. Just though I'd get in a punch for broke dog's but it is a true story.

Dog's don't have to hear well be good field dog's.

A good dog looks at you for hand signals, or hears a whistle.

Spot

My lab is with me all the time. She is exposed to gunfire on an almost daily basis. I make her sit stay behind me most of the time. She hasn't exhibited any ill effects so far. Just trying to figure out if I should do more to try to insulate her from the noise.

Paul

Hearing loss from gunfire is accumulative, so the best course is to limit the exposure as much as possible. Which is one reason I do not run HRC where the gunner is always firing next to the dog.

My old lab is circling the drain with bone cancer at 13 yrs old and can still hear fine. This after many cases of shells detonated in close proximity, both over his head on the chukar hill and beside him in the marsh.

Hunt the crap out of her while she can, they just don't live long enough........