What constitutes a failure on the stay on gunfire during NPCA obedience?

• A. The dog barks
• B. The dog ignores gunfire
• C. The dog licks the handler
• D. The dog fully comes out of the 6 foot circle

Answer: (D)

Staying on gunfire is about holding a position while a loud distraction is present, and the dog must remain inside a defined area around the handler. In this drill, that area is a 6-foot circle. The real, unambiguous failure is when the dog leaves that boundary—fully stepping out of the circle. That shows the dog could not maintain the stay under distraction, which is exactly what this exercise is testing.

Barking, licking the handler, or not reacting to the gunfire can indicate other issues, but they don’t demonstrate breaking the stay boundary. The key measure here is whether the dog stays within the 6-foot circle despite the gunfire.