Training retrievers – best bumper/dummy to use
Retrievers, by nature, love to retrieve. You can pretty much throw anything for them and they will go out and get it. But if you are planning on using your retriever as a duck dog or gun dog, or if you are hoping to compete your retriever in tests or trials, the bumper or dummy you use to train does matter.
Here at Otter Tail Kennels, we use a lot of live and dead birds for training. But there are retriever training drills, especially as the dog advances into handling, that require the use of bumpers or dummies. I also like to have a bumper or two with me when working dogs on obedience. Throwing a few “fun” retrieves is a great way to lift your retriever’s spirits.
As a professional retriever trainer, I have used and tested many training products over the years. Some good, some not so good. In this post, I share what we use for our training and products we believe are a good value or good investment as you train or maintain training for your retriever. When possible, I include links to the product. Some of these links may be affiliate links in which I am paid a small commission, but all opinions and recommendations are my own. Learn more.
What kind of bumper should I use to train my retriever?
If you look at dog training bumpers and dummies online or in stores, you might quickly become overwhelmed by the selection. There are literally hundreds of options. But basically, the differences can be broken down to material they are constructed from, color, and size. In my 30-plus years of training retrievers, I have personally tested a vast assortment of bumpers. And while almost any bumper can work for training, some brands and designs stand out and have survived the test of time.
Types of bumpers or dummies
There are basically two types of bumpers, canvas and plastic.
Canvas bumpers for retriever training
Canvas bumpers are usually a foam core wrapped in a canvas material. A puppy sized canvas dummy is great for teaching a puppy to retrieve. They are light weight and easy on a puppy’s developing teeth. For ongoing training, once a dog has his or her adult teeth, I do not use canvas bumpers. They are difficult to dry and can become very musty smelling after a while. In addition, over time the canvas can and does break down and holes and rips in the canvas will appear. For this reason, the only time I use canvas bumpers is for puppies.
Plastic bumpers or dummies
For all dogs age 6-months and older, I use plastic bumpers. Plastic bumpers hold up well over time. They work great for land and water retrieves. There is one caveat though, in the winter or on very cold days, plastic bumpers can get extremely hard and icy, making it difficult and uncomfortable for retrievers to hold them. For this reason I often use dead fowl or dead bird trainers in the winter months.
Dead-fowl or dead bird trainers
While technically not dummies, these bird shaped trainers are perfect for many training scenarios. Their larger size and swinging heads encourage the dog to pick them up properly and discouraging shaking. There are two companies that make good dead fowl or dead bird trainers – the Dokken Dead Fowl Trainers and the Tanglefree or Avery Dead Bird trainers.
If you plan to hunt geese, it can really be helpful to have a Dokken Canada Goose Dead Fowl trainer available for training. These are great to get your retriever used to the size and weight of a real goose.
Lastly, as previously noted, these work well in the winter since they do not absorb saliva like the canvas bumpers can or get as wet and icy as a plastic dummy can.
Size of bumpers
While there may be off-size products out there, there are basically two sizes of dummies – roughly 2 inch by 12 inch or 3 inch by 12 inch. I, personally, own a mixture of both, but 95% of the time I use the 2-inch version. The only time I use the larger ones are for long distant marks, or anytime I am trying to make it easier for the dog to see the bumper.
Puppy bumpers are usually smaller versions of the large ones.
Color of bumpers or dummies
When it comes to bumper colors, your options are almost endless. When I began training back in 1989, I had a choice of white or orange. However, today it seems you can get bumpers in any color you want.
I still prefer white or orange, however I do find value in the black and black/white versions. The black and white bumpers offer a nice contrast in the sky and if I am training in the winter, with a lot of snow on the ground, black ones are easier to see.
I have found the black and white ones are not always the best when used in water. Depending on how the bumper lands in the water, there may not be enough white showing and the black tends to blend with the water color. This can be a problem when you are working on developing confidence for young dogs.
What bumper/dummy should I use and when?
I select the type and color of bumper I am using based on the drill I am working on and the concept I want to teach.
With most drills, I use either white, or white and black bumpers. I want the dog to easily see the item I am sending them to retrieve.
If I do not want the dog to see the bumper, such as when working with advanced dogs on blind retrieves, I use orange bumpers. Dogs are not actually color blind, but they do have a difficult time seeing orange.
If you are trying to teach your dog to mark, or if you want to build confidence in a young dog, be sure and use white dummies.
Do my dog training bumpers/dummies need scent?
There are many products on the market today that have been designed to work with or require scent. I, personally, have never found a need to scent my bumpers, dead fowl, or dead bird trainers. A dog’s nose is an amazing thing. They can smell the bumpers or trainers just fine without additional scent. And when I need them to learn a duck or pheasant scent, I use a duck or pheasant.
I am not convinced that using scent really helps the dog. After all, consider this:
- How do you know how much scent to use?
- If you are scenting everything, will your dog only hunt for the scent instead of the real birds?
- How do we know that the scent is actually the scent a dog smells from the birds. It could be a completely different scent since we cannot say exactly what a dog smells.
These are all questions I cannot answer so I stay away from scent.
How many dummies do I need to train my retriever?
As for me, I believe you can never have too many bumpers/dummies. But this question really depends on how far you intend to take your retriever in training. An amateur trainer, just starting out with one or two dogs can probably get by with six to twelve dummies. But if you plan to continue to advance your retriever in his or her training, you will likely need far more. Handling drills can get very tiresome if you constantly need to be replenishing your piles with a few bumpers.
Bumpers or dummies are one of those things you can continue to accumulate over time.
Hunting dog training supplies
Bumpers or dummies are just one of the supplies you need to train a duck dog, gun dog or competition dog. For a more detailed list of supplies read Essential equipment for training a duck dog and 6 vital tools every gun dog trainer needs.
Does it matter what brand of retriever training dummies?
The number of companies selling bumpers seems to be growing daily. I am sure that there are many new features and improvements being made. However, it is often the product that lasts and stands the test of time and stands out.
When I began training back in the 1980’s, I used Neumann and Bennett bumpers. They were made in America and were the best bumpers available. They were also reasonably priced. I still have some of these bumpers and still prefer them.
Unfortunately, they are no longer being produced. So I have had to make concessions in this area.
I have tested and will continue to test new brands as they come on the market.
One product I have tested is the Avery Regular HexaBumper . These are sized a little different, 2 inch by 10 inch, but they seem to be working well with the dogs. They are not great winter training bumpers as the plastic will crack when it hits the ground on very cold days. I also am not crazy about their black and white bumpers. The horizontal lines of black and white mean that depending on how the bumper lands, the dog may or may not be able to see it.
Another product we have testing is the SportDog Lucky Dog bumpers. These are a reasonably priced option, but they are made in China, which is not something I love. The colors are bright, almost neon when they first arrive and they do fade over time. They hold up well, even in the winter and are a good option when you need to purchase in larger numbers such as for teaching handling work.
I have also heard good reviews regarding the AirFlow Bumpers®, however, I have not personally tried them yet. They are more expensive than both the Avery, but they may be worth the price.
Here is a list of our top picks. To get pricing information and more details, click on an image below:
Final thoughts on the best bumpers and dummies to train my retriever
As with almost any task, having the right equipment is important. Retriever training is no different. Having the right retriever training equipment will make the task of teaching your dog easier. It can also keep your retriever from developing some bad habits along the way.
Remember, if you really want your retriever to grow and progress in his/her hunting this year but doing the training yourself sounds overwhelming or maybe your schedule is just too busy to get it done, I’m here to help! You can email me (ottertailkennels@gmail.com) or just give me a call (651-303-6459). I would be happy to discuss your goals for your retriever and tell you about the programs I offer.
Until next time happy retrieving.
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