This may be a question that I should post on another forum, but I figured I's start here. How should I expose my pup to gunfire & when? I am a frequent shooter and want the pup to be ok with shooting. Thanks!

Start with banging pots when he is eating. Not to close, and Lightly at first till you see that he doesn't react. If your in an area where you can fire off a 22cal, so much the better. Once I knew my pup wasn't at all bothered by the noises, I started having him fetch his kong from about 100yards from where my son and friends were shooting clay birds. I tossed it closer each time. No reaction, so within 6-7 throws, I was within 10 ft of the shooters. He paid no attention whatever to the guns. Pace yourself on how the dog responds. If the genetics are there, it's no big deal.

Derek, Bob is right but please note that the dog isn't just sitting there. He is feeding or playing fetch with the dog throughout the desensitizing process. Taking your time at far distances would be the way to go. And as Bob mentioned a 22 cal or starter gun would be the best place to start. But if I recall, Ed has also mentioned in his tape to use two 2x4's and bang them together to simulate gun shots. As the dog does better you can work your way up in caliber. Just be careful not to push your dog into avoidance, if you do it may take a long time to recover. Ages 6 to 16 weeks would be optimal age for this. Dogs can also associate gunfire with retrieving a bird/bad person as a desireable sound hear.

Thanks for your help guys!

I live in rural Bama on a cattle farm so there is no problem with shooting out here.

When starting out I think I'll go with a sub-sonic 22 load & work up.

Have you guys heard of or read anything on the medical affects of gunfire on a dog's hearing? I know that in humans exposure to supersonic fire causes more damage than subsonic fire to an unprotected eardrum. I will eventually want her to be comfortable with highpowered rifle rounds going off, so its probably a moot point anyway.

Aki, which video title had Ed talking about slapping 2x4s together as gunfire conditioning? I've bought a few of his videos already and I'm currently going thru "Basic Dog Obedience".

Thanks again guys. This site is great.

It has been my experience over the years that anything that you do normally (such as shooting a firearm) usually ends up being a positive socialization experience for a pup that goes everywhere with you anyway. My 14 mos old GSD goes absolutely everywhere with us, and nothing rattles him. It has amazed me how quickly that they catch on to what is good, and what is a little questionable. They are so intuned to your body language, as to them it means so much more as a means of communication. Voices might not really tell what is going on, the body rarely lies.
Luke figured out enough about fishing inside of 3 hours to know that if the bobber goes down then we might have a fish, and that my smaller kids don't always watch the bobber well enough. This has turned into his job while fishing, he watches the kid's bobbers and lets them know when they are not watching. As for shooting around him, he goes to the skeet club w/ us, usually off lead, and he will just watch and hang out w/ the kids. He even knows that there are meat snacks in the refrigerator in the clubhouse and will nudge one of the kids towards the frig if they are inside and haven't gotten him one.
Like I said, if he sees anything as "positive" to you, then you probably will not ever have a problem with him on it. Just my experience though.

Derek,
It is in the Bite Training for Puppies video. In the chapter, “Puppy Testing.” Ed called it a radio test. Now this WAS NOT Ed’s way to condition dogs to gunfire. It is a way to test puppies for gun shyness in a pinch at the breeders house. But I can imagine that it could be a great way to start socializing your puppy to such noises. He also mentions that gun shyness is a genetic trait. And if any dogs in that litter show signs of shyness should be written off. So when my dog was young we went everywhere where there were strange noises. Hospitals with helicopter pads 10 feet away. Street sweepers, airport runways, anything I can think of to condition him to these noises.
Since you live in a rural area I would start at far and move in closer as long as the dog is comfortable. You are going to have to learn your dogs body language to see if he is under stress, and if he is you are moving too fast. But since Ed mentions that it’s genetic, you may have it in a flash or a long road ahead of you. To be on the safe side I would suggest taking you time.