Fran Ardley on dummy runs
Fran Ardley explains when and how to start using dummy launchers to train your dog to retrieve and, just as importantly, when not to
One of the most common questions I am asked by my clients is: “When can I use a dummy launcher?” It seems that everyone wants to start launching dummies long distances with loud bangs well before their dogs are ready and without really understanding not only the benefits of the tool but also the negative aspects. As with any piece of gundog training equipment, you need to think not only how you use it but also why you want to use it. Yes, I fully understand that using a launcher can be exciting and it can make the novice feel like a ‘proper’ trainer. But take it from me, by using a launcher incorrectly and at the inappropriate time, you stand a good chance of at the very least scaring the dog and, worse, creating behaviours that will be extremely challenging to overcome.
Why and when
The main use of a launcher is to teach the dog to mark at a distance and to associate the sound of a bang with a retrieve – and therein lies the problem. If you think back to your early steadiness training, when you sat your dog and threw dummies and balls all around it, the rule was that you would go and pick nine out of every 10 yourself and perhaps let the dog have the odd retrieve. This was all about not letting the dog think that every retrieve was for him. Bring in a dummy launcher that is going to shoot a dummy over a distance of 75m and without fail the handler will be sending the dog for every retrieve (because we don’t want to walk that distance to pick it up ourselves). The dog will very quickly latch on to the fact that every time it hears a bang it will get a retrieve. In no time at all, you have a dog that is running-in as soon as you fire the launcher, and then you have another problem that you will have to sort out.
You shouldn’t contemplate introducing your dog to a dummy launcher until it has heard the sound of a starting pistol and is confident with that. Starting pistols use .22 short blanks, which are quite loud and totally different to a shotgun being fired. A dummy launcher uses .22 long blanks and is substantially louder than a starting pistol. I would advise that you never fire a launcher without a dummy attached as the crack of the blank is enough to unnerve even the most experienced of dogs. You must gauge when you should be doing a particular training exercise with your dog as they all have different personalities but I would not expect you to be introducing a dummy launcher to any dog before they are at least a year old, preferably older.
How
Assuming that you have all your basic training in place and your dog is mature enough and ready for this step, you can consider introducing the launcher. Ideally, you would want someone else to fire it so you can concentrate on the dog and ensure it is not only comfortable with the bang but also that it is not going to run-in to the fall of the dummy.
Hold on
Believe it or not, there is a right and a wrong way to hold a handheld dummy launcher and, believe me, if you get it wrong it will hurt. I have known people to end up in A&E with severely sprained wrists. You can buy a so-called low-recoil launcher, but even these will still give you a good kick if held incorrectly. If you hold the launcher straight armed with your thumb at the firing mechanism end, the recoil will travel straight down your wrist into your arm and there is nothing to absorb the pressure. The correct way is to turn your hand so your thumb is at the back on the launcher and your arm is bent. This will help to create a shock absorber and therefore significantly reduce the recoil.
Shoulder mounted
My preferred option is to use an optional shoulder mount as this turns it into a gunlike launcher. I find this not only helps to absorb more pressure and recoil but it is also a great way of simulating a walked-up shoot, especially when training spaniels. Add a rubber dummy and you have the perfect tool for laying shot lines along the ground.
“The main use of a dummy launcher is to teach the dog to mark at a distance”