Re: Dummies?? Hi Lois , a dummy or decoy as they are also called, is a canvas covered bag which is aprox the weight of a game bird , they come in different sizes and also come with feathers or fur on them . They can be hurled into undergrowth or even into water for the dog to retrieve . If you Google gundog dummies , you will see pics of them and a far better description than I`m currently giving Sam had his first one when he was just a youngster , he adores his dummy and goes into serious mode when he see it
Re: Dummies?? Charlie is not in the least bit interested in the canvas dummy, does anyone think a skin or feather one would be better and if so where would I get one from? Thanks Helen x
Re: Dummies?? Helen, have a look at www.gundoggear.co.uk they have rabbit covered dummies , might just spark more interst as Charlie has a high prey drive x
Re: Dummies?? Thanks TJ, believe me I would put a prime steak in a sock if I thought it would interest Charlie Kate thanks for the link, I think I will buy the rabbit covered one and see if that does the trick. Might seem like a silly novice question to ask, but it will it make him want to chase rabbits etc. even more? Helen xx
Re: Dummies?? Hummm , hadnt thought about that Helen and not really qualified to answer either, maybe Pippa is the best one to ask ? x
Re: Dummies?? I think as soon as Charlie realises what he's meant to do with the dummy you won't have any problems, except maybe getting him to give it back to you. ;D
Re: Dummies?? Stupid i may be .....I thought you were all talking about baby dummies!!!! Oops... Do you think this would be help me with Poppy walking on her lead instead of her playing tug of war??? Also while out walking with my husband this weekend she was as good as gold i followed from a distance to watch how he does it...no special method he does find it easier to give her a quick sharp jerk if she starts to pull where as i find it difficult to do that beacause she is quite strong and being on the little side my jerks dont seem to have much effect on her, also any suggestions as to what sort of lead to use? Thankyou.
Re: Dummies?? David, do you use fur or rabbit with Lady and does it encourage prey drive which obviously I don't need? Looking for something to interest this boy of mine Thanks Helen x
Re: Dummies?? Helen, here is another little clip of Murffi retrieving this afternoon. This time it is a with some distractions ;D in my field. It is a plain old plastic dummy and this is the dog that is not a natural retriever and wouldn't retrieve at all not that long ago . Shows you the power of the clicker trained retrieve. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=yaoUE-Yrvfo
Re: Dummies?? I like your distractions and I love that they just keep eating while a busy little spaniel hurries by
Re: Dummies?? [quote author=bbrown link=topic=1355.msg8999#msg8999 date=1364845955] I like your distractions and I love that they just keep eating while a busy little spaniel hurries by [/quote] Nothing distracts Christie and Burbet. They have seen too many spaniels dashing past and sometimes through their legs. Bombproof, those two. 8)
Re: Dummies?? Well eating is a serious business We met horses and a motorbike(!) out on our afternoon walk. Riley just wanted me to throw his ball again - yay! ;D
Re: Dummies?? I've used a rolled up (and tied to keep it rolled) piece of sheepskin (kind of like an off-cut from a sheepskin rug). I had the fur side facing in so it didn't get too manky. My dog was very keen on this. I didn't do any gundog training with him but he got to have his sheepskin as a reward for bringing back the ball in flyball.
Re: Dummies?? Great work Barbara, Riley is doing so well, really glad for you that all your hard work is coming together. Helen x
Re: Dummies?? Hi Rachael, just wondered if the fur dummy would work as Charlie really has no interest in anything when out and about other than the horizon! Have literally tried everything. Heidrun, Murffi is doing really well, just not sure we can take on any more training as we are pretty flat out with Charlie, really need him to get retrieving other than in a controlled environment and quickly Thanks Helen x
Re: Dummies?? [quote author=charlie link=topic=1355.msg9009#msg9009 date=1364854296] Hi Rachael, just wondered if the fur dummy would work as Charlie really has no interest in anything when out and about other than the horizon! Have literally tried everything. [/quote] Yes, I think that while some materials are inherently more attractive to dogs than others we still need to 'invest' the dummy with value. When I was trying to get my dog excited about his sheepskin we spent time making it 'an object of desire'. At first I just put it in a drawer. Then, later that day, I took it out and played with it myself, in front of my dog. I pretended to be having the most wonderful time. Then I put it away again. I did that a couple of times a day. Sometimes my hubby joined in and we did tug of war and threw the dummy to each other. Our dog was not allowed to touch it during this time - but after a few days he desperately wanted to! After each play session the dummy went in the drawer. Once he was dead keen to get the dummy, he was allowed to touch it briefly. The next day he was allowed to hold it briefly. The next day he was allowed a small, fun retrieve (but we still kept up the silly, happy playtimes with it when he was not allowed to have it). Anyway, that was what built up the value in the dummy and led to my dog having interest in it. While he was a dog who naturally wanted to always have something in his mouth, he was not a fanatical retriever. But he wanted to retrieve that dummy
Re: Dummies?? Rachael that sounds great, but do you believe that the rabbit fur could make his prey drive worse? Sorry if that is a silly question but this is his major problem. Helen
