 FAQ -- Dog Bumpers, Dog Training Dummies, Retriever Dummy Training, Retrieving DummiesRob: Here are some Dog Bumpers and Training Dummy Questions for Steve. So why are they called bumpers in the first place?
Steve: Dog Bumpers originally came from boat bumpers -- the rubber or plastic floats that keep a boat from bumping into the dock. Retrievers are water dogs, so it makes sense that they'd be around boats. I guess someone threw a small bumper for a retriever to fetch, and realized what a great retriever training tool they were. Dog bumpers float, the white bumpers are easy to see, and with a rope and little water in them for weight, you can throw retrieving dummies a pretty long way.
Rob: What brands of bumpers and retriever training throw dummies do we carry?
Steve: SportDOG / Lucky Dog, Flagman, Neuman & Bennett, E-Z Rotational, Dokken Dog Supply's Deadfowl Trainers, Hallmark, DT Systems, Scott Dog Supply / Winchester, PAC, and Real Duck.
Rob: What is our most popular training dummy?
Steve: Lucky Dog dummies regular-sized.
Rob: Why are our Lucky Dog dummies our best selling retrieving dummy?
Steve: Quality. These dummies are consistently well-made. And price. They're very competitively priced. And folks on our email list get a special deal from time to time.
Rob: Why are these all different dog bumpers available in different colors? Why are some black & white, some orange, some just black, and some are just white?
Steve: Different colors are for different levels of retriever training. Some color dummies are easier for dogs to see than other colors. Dogs see contrasts, they don't see "in color." Retrievers can see some shades of color, but they don't see color the way humans see color.
Rob: So in other words an orange dummy looks like gray to a dog?
Steve: It depends on what background the orange dummy up against, but for the majority of backgrounds the orange disappears. The orange is for you, the human dog handler, to be able to see it. Orange retrieving dummies don't have the contrast that, say, a white retrieving dummy has against a dark background, or that a black training dummy has against a light background. The white/black dummies are really popular because you get the best of both worlds.
Rob: So if you throw it in on a dark background you have the light contrast, if you drop it on a light background you have the dark contrast?
Steve: Exactly, and you also have the advantage that if you throw it in the air against a light sky the black will show up and when it hits the ground the white will show up. And on water the black part of the dummy will disappear, but the white will show up.
Rob: Okay, so why do retrieving dummies have knobs on them?
Steve: Because it is easier for retrievers to pick dummies up. Kind of like treads or grips. You don't want a training dummy slipping around in a dog's mouth.
Rob: Okay, so these Lucky Dog dummies also have air valves on them. Why do you want to have an air valve or water valve on a rubber trainer dummy?
Steve: The rubber valves allow you to add water to weight to the dummy. Water makes the dummies heavier so you can throw them farther, too. Most dog dummies or bumpers with water valves will sink if you put too much water in them, but if you put the right amount in them they will also float a little lower in the water, making them harder to see. It's for advanced retriever training. Lucky Dog recommends that you test them before you throw them out in the lake for your labrador or chessie!
See all our retriever training dummies & bumpers here. © 2013 GDS
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