Workinggundogs

Dead or Live Gamebirds are vital in the training of any gun dog for the shooting environment. But whether it's establishing fundamentals, brushing up after the season or polishing the retrieving requirements of a hunting dog, the only economical way to do the job right is to use bird substitutes “Dummies”.

Whatever their inanimate similarities or differences, the various ersatz "birds" that are thrown for Fido to retrieve represent a practical way to get a training job done. They can be utilized in-home, in the yard or in the field. They are readily available and can be used over and over.

The vast majority of gun dog handlers, even when they can afford to shoot, don't have a source, don't have a holding pen or can't find a convenient place to use them.

All of which is a very unfortunate fact of life. Everything in our world has become more artificial and contrived, including dog training. And hard as it might be to imagine, there may well come a time when gun dogs will be tested in field trials and acclaimed winners and champions without ever having had a mouthful of real feathers. Hopefully not in my life time!

That's the downside. The positive fact is that there's no shortage of objects that can be used in basic retriever training and result in turning out worthwhile gun dogs. Supplementation with as many real birds as you can manage is strongly recommended. This can be achieved by shooting vermin ( pigeons or rabbits) out of season or Gamebirds during the season on organized training days specifically for gundogs.

However, initially using dummies greatly reduces training cost and enables frequent, informal retrieving sessions that are invaluable in training pups or keeping fit adult dogs.

The quality of dummies used in training and the methods of utilizing fake birds varies. The designation "smart dummies" is not an oxymoron, although each trainer in the end determines what he considers suitable. So to aid in determining which dummies are "smart" or "stupid," we offer some practical guidelines for dummy selection in order to make learning easier for your gundog.

As a starter, let's touch on some non-dummies, items which were not designed for teaching pups to retrieve, but can be readily adaptable and may be available for spur of the moment opportunities when a made-for-the-job purchase is not.

Today, when the vast majority of personal hunting dogs are "in house" dogs (and must be started in the kitchen, living room or den) the tennis ball is a very "smart" dummy. It is the right size and texture, lending itself to being gently carried. Dumb" dummies, on the other hand, are golf balls and sponge rubber balls. Entirely aside from the danger of ingestion, both get the pup to start chewing. Virtually anything hard prompts most dogs to gnaw and virtually anything mushy incites squeezing and ripping. Chunks of golf ball can be passed, but swallowed whole can cause deadly obstruction, as can pieces of sponge rubber that swell and cause impassable blockage.

Don't tease and play with your dog and the tennis ball. Instead, incorporate it into your training routine. Require that your dog handle it with respect and deliver properly. Tennis balls can be used outdoors as well as indoors.

When you are outside with our dog, strangle any notion to fling a stick for your dog to retrieve, whether or not it's the only thing available. Also, don't permit your dog to pick up sticks on his own and romp around with them Whatever dummy you use, it can be "educated" to make it cleverer in getting the job done. If you haven't saved some wings from birds you've bagged, find the nearest gamebird farm or shooting preserve and acquire a couple of pairs. Tape these onto your dummies. Scent in the nose and feathers in the mouth go a long way to acclimatizing a dog to the real thing when it's finally encountered.

When your situation is such that you must use dummies exclusively to get in the necessary training, try stimulating as much as possible what will occur on an actual shooting day. Hide dummies in cover for your dog to find on his own. Use a starting pistol for shotgun simulation (after proper introduction to gunfire to insure against gun shyness) when dummies are thrown for the bird.

Have a helper do the dummy throwing. If your training has been limited to nothing but you throwing a dummy for your dog, a bird appearing out of nowhere and being shot "out front" can rate as a combination mystery, puzzle and "what should I do, Boss?" tentativeness for your dog.

A throwing motion in the direction of the fall (what the dog associates with retrieving) may get him to the bird. Teasing and tossing the bird for him, if he won't forthrightly pick it up, may flip his "on" switch. But some fun training that stimulates hunting, prior to the season's opening, will afford you more hunting time with a dependable dog.

Most of the training dummies being marketed nowadays are smart ones. So let's get the dumb ones immediately behind us. Some trainers have a distaste for artificial and mechanical extremes, which may prompt the conclusion that very hard plastic dummies are stupid. As previously noted, dogs seem driven to munch, gnaw and chew on hard objects, possibly an atavistic urge dating back to their bone-chewing days.

Many breeders in the US have abandoned efforts to produce inherently soft-mouthed dogs, it is believed that some of hard mouth problems have been exacerbated by rigid training dummies, wooden retrieving bucks and other hard objects.

While a force-broke dog should pick up a beer can if told to and should gently carry anything in his mouth, very few "shoe leather" dog trainers attempt force breaking. The exclusive use of hard dummies can cause hard-mouth in retrievers and contributes to difficulties in getting a gun dog to retrieve "naturally." There are semi-soft plastic dummies. Most of them (and the rigid ones) have knurls on them (the knobbiness you referred to) that encourage taking hold, unlike those with a slick, slippery surface. Being heavier than the preferred canvas covered, kapok-stuffed dummies, they can be thrown further.

Back in the "good ol' days" gundog trainers made their own dummies. You could still find a harness shop then that would stitch up short lengths of old fire hose that had some heft, texture and toughness. But nowadays, if you are looking for a decent, economical training dummy, it will come from a manufacturer of what is essentially a canvas-bound plastic bag containing sawdust/sand

They come in a variety of sizes. Get as many as you can afford of different dimensions and brands. In your training sessions, mix them up with previously suggested improvised dummies, like gloves, so you pup doesn't get to thinking there's just one bird he should deliver to hand.

Smart dummies for starting a pup are those commiserate with the pup's size and age, something he can pick up and handle without difficulties. Stupid dummies are anything big enough to discourage his efforts.

Anytime you are training a pup or adult to mark a fall, orange-colored dummies also are dumb. While it jumps out at us, orange seems difficult for dogs to see. On the other hand, if you are hiding wing-wrapped or scented dummies in cover for a dog to hunt out and find your ability to see the "plant" easily but your dog having to use his nose to find it, makes sense.

Dokken Dead Fowl Retriever Trainer. This is a good dummy, in all probability, because it was "invented" and developed by a genuine gun dog trainer, Tom Dokken. It looks like a duck (or pheasant or a number of other gamebird versions), The durable (foam) body of the Dokken dummy has a soft feel. The loose-swinging hard head and feet, which deter head and butt grabbing, condition a dog to taking the proper body hold and making the balanced carry natural.

Get at least one Dokken to supplement the less expensive and more durable canvas dummies. If you train heavily, between investing in a half a dozen bumpers and improvising with some pseudo-dummies, you'll condition your dog to retrieve anything you or your helper throw.

Practice makes perfect. Lots of it results in a smart dog. A smart gun dog handler is prepared with an appropriate aid, recognised or improvised. Use the right dummies and get the job done, in your own home and training ground, at minimal cost. 

Stewart North Professional Gundog Trainer, Northglen Gundogs 30th April 2009