DF Dummy Ball - 9 Bird Variants | HD Feather Print Gundog Training

A standard canvas dummy lands where you can see it. Most of the time, that's fine.

But there's a kind of training session where visible isn't the point. Where you want the dummy to go - properly go - and then disappear into cover. Where the dog can't just run a straight line and pick it up. Where it has to stop, drop its head, and actually hunt.

That's what these are built for. And the shape is why.

A ball carries through the air differently to a tube. You can really wang one. Get proper distance on it without a launcher, without a helper, without any kit beyond your coat pocket. It'll arc cleanly, punch through the top of rough grass or light bramble, and sit tight where it lands. That's your retrieve. Invisible from the retrieve line. Dog goes, marks the area, hunts it out. A proper rep, not a walk and pick.

These are the Dog & Field Original Clone Dummy Balls. Nine bird variants. HD feather-print canvas. A genuine favourite in the Kirkbourne training bag - and once you've thrown one properly, you'll understand why they stay in there.

Why the ball shape matters

Tubes bounce and roll. A ball drops and stays. In rough cover that's the difference between the dog marking a fall and having something to actually hunt for. Combine that with the flight - the distance and arc you get from a shape you can really throw - and you've got a dummy that does two things at once. It reaches the ground you want it on, and it stays where it lands.

Nine variants. One for every training scenario.

Pick the print that matches what you're working towards. Run a mix for variety and to keep the dog honest across different visual stimuli.

• Teal - compact duck pattern, cracking all-rounder for land work
• Mallard - bigger duck profile, bold marking pattern, great for double-marking work
• Grouse - mottled brown, sits perfectly in heather and rough moorland cover
• Pheasant - the classic game bird print, familiar stimulus for most working dogs
• Hen Pheasant - subtler colouring, slightly harder mark, good for pushing an advanced dog
• Goose - the biggest ball in the range. Larger, heavier, buoyant - suited to land and water work. Bold feather print for long-distance marking. £9.99
• Partridge - compact, realistic, drops into cover and barely moves. Makes the dog earn it
• Wood Pigeon - grey-blue feather print, brilliant for driven bird and rough shooting preparation
• Snipe - the smallest ball in the range. Mottled brown feather print, tucks into cover better than anything else here. If you want to make a dog genuinely hunt, throw a Snipe ball into rough grass and watch what happens

They work from the very first session. Small enough for a young mouth, light enough not to put a pup off carrying. Get the feather print in early and the dog grows up associating that look and feel with a retrieve. When the real thing arrives in the field, it's not a new experience - just a better version of a familiar one.

They go in your pocket. Half a dozen, easy. No game bag, no kit, no planning. Just you, the dog, a walk, and enough dummies to run a proper session whenever the moment's right. Off-season training done properly, without making a production of it.

The details:

• Shape: Ball - aerodynamic flight, drops cleanly into cover, stays where it lands
• Print: HD photographic feather-pattern canvas
• Variants: Teal | Mallard | Grouse | Pheasant | Hen Pheasant | Goose | Partridge | Wood Pigeon | Snipe
• Throw: Throwing toggle included
• Use: Hunting pattern work, long marks, cover retrieves, puppy introduction, off-season pocket training
• Goose variant: Buoyant - suitable for land and water training
• Snipe variant: Smallest ball in the range - maximum cover concealment
• Ideal for: All stages - first retrieves through to advanced hunting and marking sessions

Stocked at Kirkbourne because the best training session is the one you didn't plan. Stuff a few of these in your jacket and go. The dog won't know the difference between a training session and a walk. That's the point.