By using dummy with different colors or different color combinations you can get a good opinion of how the dog scans the area, and which parties the dog have not yet sought off. Suggested in to use three to five dummy of each color combination and to have has three to five different such sets.

Then placed these dummy in different bands at different distances to get a very good overview how the dog searches and which parties have not yet been scanned.
For example, we can place a dummy just a meter from the beginning of the free search, four dummy on 10-20 meters, just remember to throw them as far away as possible from you so the dog not be given the opportunity to track them down, the next string at 20-30 meters, another at 40-50 meters, and finally, at 60-70 meters.

Go straight along the middle of the free search and throw two dummy to the left and two to the right and you will get an even distribution of them throughout the free search. It often appears that the dummy, which are the furthest out, or those who are very near, are the hardest one to find, We can then help the dog by gently moving ourself towards these dummys when the dog does not see it. As a result of that we drive the dog towards these searchareas and further outwards.

Another way to refine it, is to also number the dummy, so that there is a continuous series of numbers, beginning at the dummy closest to the start and ending with them dummy use at the end of the search.

When I train the free search I always have my dummy numbered and place them so that when I stand and look out towards the free search area ytey are in numerical order from left to right, 1 to 4 is closest, 5 to 8 in the next band and so on. In this way, I know exactly where the dog has found the recently retrieved dummy. On this way I have precise control over which areas the dog scans and the order in which it occurs and can thus concentrate the training of the dog of what the dog is in most need of. Suggested throwing the lowest number to the left of each band.


By placing the retrieved dummy in that order they have been retrieved, instead of placing them in total disorder, you will get a perfect overview of how the dog scans the area. It often appears that most dogs relatively late in the free search retrieves those dummy which is very near and those that are furthest out in the corners of the field. The dummy lying far to the left or far to the right is usually more difficult to retrieve as well as dummy placed in the reeds, on the water, or in trouble and bushy terrain can also be retrieve relative late in the free search..

If you want to get the dog to search more in the outer edges ensures that you place the most of the dummy far out towards the edges and has very few or even none at all toward the center, so the dog can see that it really pays off to search outwards edges. Similarly, you can concentrate the dogs search far out by placing a lot of dummy here and relatively few in the shorter distance. Another advantage of this method is that as a handler rather exactly know where to look for the remaining dummy if you choose not to let the dog retrieve all dummy from the free search.

I always try to have some dummy very close, because it proves that many dogs would like to first rush out to visit the areas most far away on the free search. To teach the dog that it pays off to start using their nose directly, I very much prefer to have some dummy really close.

If you have any questions concerning retriever training or want to buy directly from me, you are always welcome to contact me by phone or by mail:

Bengt-Göran Landin
Skånegatan 14
441 57 ALINGSÅS
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