"Ken Fortenberry" wrote

a throwing device, a slingshot, do you have massive upper bodies
and arms like Bob Gibson ? I seriously don't know if I'm going to
be able throw dummies tomorrow my shoulder is so damn sore.



The launchers that use 22cal long nail gun blanks ( JT links ) for power
work OK ... tossing maybe 100 yards with the streamlined dummies, (dry ..
they work poorly when already wet ) and heaviest loads, but may get you
landed in jail if you try to use one in the downtown park, it will attract
exactly the same people that shooting a gun would.



From a dog trainer POV ... why are you throwing dummies? If it's just to
exercise Ms Mutt than there are better ways, ways that will not harm her
owner, go for walks and let her be a dog, she'll cover lots of ground. If
it is to somehow teach her to mark, you can't do that to any standard worth
the effort with hand tossed dummies while she sits near you, you can't throw
far enough to be meaningful. Lots of hand tossed marks from your side will
actually make her a weaker marker over time, not a better one.

People training retrievers to mark to a high standard traditionally have
human helpers that toss the retrieving objects, so maybe you could create
jobs and hire a couple, I always hired college kids as I wanted the money to
help those trying to help themselves. G


Baring that, teach her how to do 'walking singles' ... i.e. leave her on a
sit/stay, walk out a ways, throw the dummy so that she can see it's arch,
send her to retrieve on her taught command, when she gets the dummy she
brings it to your new location, you leave her there on sit/stay and the
process starts over gradually increasing distance and terrain difficulties
..... it's simple with any obedient dog to get them doing single tough marks
out to a couple hundred yards this way .... and you get to walk off some
Budweiser G BUT, the dog must be steady and obedient, of course.