If you are training your retriever to hunt, you may wonder if you need to use scent on your retrieving bumpers or dummies. This is a topic that will draw many competing opinions. Some people are convinced that scent is necessary to teach the dog to find the birds, others think that scent is just a way for companies to make a quick and easy buck selling something that is essentially unnecessary.
As a professional retriever trainer who has trained thousands of dogs, I have a strong opinion on this subject. I have never used scent to train a dog to hunt and do not find that scent is needed. In fact, I advise my clients against using scent on their retrieving bumpers.
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Does your retriever need scent to find the bumper?
A retriever’s nose is an amazing thing. They can smell things we can’t even dream about. Consider this, they now use dogs to detect cancer in a human body. Can you even imagine what it would be like to have a sense of smell that could do that?
In my personal experience, I have seen the power of a retriever’s nose. I can take a 5-gallon bucket filled with bumpers, take one out and hold it, and then dump all the bumpers in a pile including the one I held. Without fail the dog will seek out the one I held in my hand. Their sense of smell is that good!
Now, with a nose like that, do you think you need to scent your bumpers?
If you are still unconvinced, here are some other considerations:
How much scent is enough or too much?
If you believe that your dog does need scent, how much scent should you use? Since we cannot even detect scents that a dog can detect, I fear that using scents may lead to some unexpected problems.
Too much scent overwhelming your dog
If you use too much scent, will that smell overwhelm your dog in the field, making it impossible to smell anything else? It seems likely that an overuse of scent will hinder your dog’s ability to smell other things.
Building scent dependency
If you use scent on your bumpers, will your dog become dependent on the smell of the scent and only look for that scent? This also seems likely and may make it difficult for your dog to transition to a scent-free retrieving experience.
Does bird scent even smell like the bird it represents to dogs?
Since we have no way to know what a pheasant smells like to your retriever, using a man-made scent may be causing more problems than help. What if a real pheasant smells completely different to a dog than the scent, will your dog avoid the real pheasant because it doesn’t smell like the bottle of scent you have been using?
It has been theorized that dogs can differentiate between the scent of a female verses male birds. If their sense of smell is that great, it seems like scent can only cause problems or at least, confusion, for hunting dogs.
Alternative to Scented Bumpers
I have found the best way to teach a retriever to find the birds, is to use birds for training. So instead of using pheasant scent, I use a pheasant. In fact, the very first step we use to teach a dog to quarter or upland hunt is to drop a few dead pheasants in the grass and teach the dog to hunt them up. This method has been very effective for us, and it uses only actual bird scent.
But what if you don’t have access to live or dead birds?
If you don’t have access to live or dead birds, it can make training a hunting dog extremely difficult. But there are options for you:
- You can go hunting and shoot down a bird and then freeze it for training use.
- You can work with a professional trainer or training group that has access to birds.
- You could work with bird wings and attach them to your bumper (not as good of solution as the previous two, but a better option than scent).
Final thoughts on should I use scent on my retrieving bumpers?
Given the many downfalls that could be associated with the use of bottled scent, I advise strongly against using it. I don’t think it is necessary since a dog’s sense of smell is extraordinary and with proper training, they will naturally smell out the birds. Don’t try and take a short cut when it comes to your dog’s hunting training.
If you are still struggling or need additional 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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