Sometimes when I post training pictures, readers will notice “geese” in the background.
From a distance these may look like real geese, but they are actually decoys.
It is a good idea to train with decoys because whether the dog is hunting or hunt testing, they will spend a lot of time around decoys.
Decoys come in all shapes and sizes.
Sometimes they look like geese.
Sometimes they look like ducks.
Whatever the decoys look like, they can cause mischief.
So it is a good idea to put all kinds of decoys out in different situations so they ignore the dog and more importantly, the dog ignores them.
Decoys can cause particular mischief for young dogs as puppy Glory from Sand Spring Chesapeakes discovered in her first Started Test.
Thunder had his own experience with a decoy causing mischief when he was running a Junior Hunter test. Actually he finished his title the previous day, but since we had already entered him, we let him run an extra leg. The water series was set up so that one of the marks fell behind a strip of weeds in the pond. There were decoys all around and behind the strip of weeds. As usual Thunder went charging out and got the duck, but he was taking a long time to come back. We think one of those mischievous decoys may have got to him behind the weeds. We can’t be sure but we think he may have been checking out one of the decoys, may have even picked it up, and may have been considering bringing it back instead of the duck. We will never know because the weeds obscured our view of him. Eventually he brought the duck.
Decoys can be terrible mischief makers….
This is a Blog Hop. Thanks to Alfie’s Blog, Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Luna, a Dog’s Life, and My Brown Newfies for setting up this hop. Please go to any of the sponsoring blogs to find out who else has been mischievous.
Just like kids in a candy store!
I always thought they were real lol
Would have been funny to see Thunder coming back with a decoy.
That’s a lot of mischief. Torrey would never be that cooperative.
I think Delilah would be fine, if it didn’t smell like food she would pass it up. LOL
Although yesterday in the field there was a dead bird and I thought I was going to have a fight on my hands but I told her to leave it and she did. Of course, she got a piece of liverwurst for her reward. 🙂
LOL I noticed the geese figures in the background and just assumed they were real! 😀 I never new those inanimate figures could cause so much mischief. 😉
Hey brown dawgs, Jet here. Hi Miss Linda.
Wow, we TOTALLY thought they were REAL! Wow, that just makes us admire the dawgs more, since they can tell real from decoy… I think they should teach a class or 2 at Scooby Doo Academy – just saying…
The do look oh so real.
Blessings,
Goose
Some of those do look very real! That would of been a hoot if Thunder dropped the duck and came back with the decoy!
Woof! Woof! Those r great decoys Oh My! Happy MM! Lots of Golden ALOHA n Woofs, Sugar
http://www.sugarthegoldenretriever.com
Especially in that first picture, I never would have guessed they were ALL decoys! Sure, they seem to be pretty fearless geese, but go to the parks around our city and that’s exactly what they’re like! They may give you and your dog a couple feet of space, but they certainly won’t shy away.
Are the decoys scented for added distraction?
No they stay out all the time at the trainer’s place but no bird scent. It is more of a visual distraction and for some reason puppies are very interested in them.
Of course the decoys play a lot less mischief than the real thing, I bet. 🙂
I can’t wait to see what Titan does around decoys, something tells me it may not be good lol
That would have been quite funny to see Thunder bring back the decoy 😉
I think those decoys must just sit around plotting! LOL!
Hi Y’all,
I’m always a good boy about ignoring decoys or even real birds. At the shore our geese just keep on grazing on the lawn when I’m out and about because the Human won’t let me chase them. She wants to shoot her bird photos and if I chase them…well you get the picture. 😉
Y’all come by now,
Hawk aka BrownDog
Hey Thunder,
Were you having fun playing with the Ducks buddy? Tee Hee
I think my Mum might decide to put some Cat decoys in our garden so I’m less fascinated by them when I see them? I saw one up a tree this morning and it was hissing at me, pretty scary Dude!! 🙂
Wags to all
Your pal Snoopy 🙂
That is a lot of decoys. I hope you don’t have to store all of them in your own garage 🙂 As a fun side note, when I was cleaning out my Grandparent’s house I found an antique wood duck decoy.
That is cool. Some of those are worth a lot of money.
That’s interesting, but it definitely makes sense. There sure are a lot of decoys out there.
This is the first time i’ve heard about duck decoys! 😀
Those are really nice pictures. The decoys do look like real geese. Hugs and nose kisses
I’ve never hunted much over decoys so I’ve never trained my guys on them, which I’m going to do this year. The one time I took Dakota hunting over decoys, she kept retrieving them for me.
Oh yes and how Glory found out they can be distracting. She was only 6.5 months old went she ran her first hunt test and she retrieved 2 decoys! She had a blast!
Thunder was way older than 6 1/2 months when he was distracted by a decoy. lol
Great pictures!