I hate to think of what would happen if I fired a shotgun near my dogs. They will tolerate loud noises if I insist, but they don’t like it. Of course, they don’t believe in retrieving either. They seem to figure, “If he WANTED the ball, why did he throw it away?”
But a good Lab is a thing of beauty to watch, particularly in motion.
Leila wasn’t exactly a switch dog. She would tour the house, checking on each person and every room. Then she would check again. And again. And so on, until we went to bed.
Then there was the time she got loose during a kid’s soccer match...
My older dog was disinvited from a no-cage boarding facility because she insisted on herding all the other dogs into the pond. Trying to get them to swim, I suppose.
I started my dogs with a cap pistol and worked them up to a Remington 870. Of course they associate shotgun blasts with FUN!!!! so they're not bothered at all.
In fact, we were all working in the garage when a summer thunderstorm blew up and there was a tremendous clap of thunder right over our heads. Shelley (the older dog) immediately dashed outside and stood at attention in the rain, looking for the duck ("It must be a REALLY big one!") Ruby, taking her lead, went outside and started helping her look.