DF Woodcock | Lifelike Gundog Training

Most dogs can retrieve a canvas dummy. That's the easy part.

What catches handlers out - on a shoot day, in a competition, in the moment that actually matters - is the pick-up. Wings that shift when the dog mouths the bird. A floppy head that isn't where the dog expects it. A tail that gets in the way. A dog that's only ever carried a cylinder has no idea what to do with any of that. It hesitates. It mouths. It drops. It brings the bird back wrong.

That's not a training failure. It's a preparation gap. And this dummy closes it.

The Dog & Field Original Clone Woodcock is as close to the real thing as a training dummy gets. Full body. Head, wings and tail - all present, all adding to the challenge of a correct pick-up. Ultra-HD feather print canvas that doesn't just look like a woodcock, it behaves like one in the dog's mouth. The scent-holding fabric does what a game bag does - carry it with your kit and it starts picking up the smells your dog will associate with the real retrieve.

Sight, smell and touch. All three working together, all in training, before it costs you anything in the field.

The woodcock is a brilliant choice for this work. Compact, awkward to carry correctly, unpredictable shape - it asks more of the dog than a pheasant or mallard. If your dog can pick a woodcock up cleanly and deliver it properly, the rest of the bag takes care of itself.

Use it as a thrown mark, a static retrieve from cover, or - because it falls like a bird when it leaves your hand - as a visual marker in the air. The long throw toggle and ball grip make it easy to send at distance. The dog sees it fall. The dog marks it. The dog figures out how to carry it correctly. That's the habit you're building.

Every session with this dummy is a session that gets your dog closer to the real thing, in conditions where mistakes don't matter.

The details:

• Bird: Woodcock - full body with head, wings and tail
• Print: Ultra-HD photographic feather pattern canvas
• Fabric: Scent-retaining, real-feel material
• Throw: Long throw toggle and ball grip included
• Use: Thrown mark, static retrieve, visual marker - land use
• Also available in: Cock Pheasant, Hen Pheasant, Partridge, Pigeon, Grouse, Goose, Teal and Snipe
• Ideal for: Transitioning from canvas to cold game, correct pick-up and delivery training, pre-season preparation, intermediate to advanced dogs

Stocked at Kirkbourne because the pick-up is where most dogs fall apart on a shoot day. Train it properly, in advance, with something that actually challenges the dog - and it stops being a problem.