KB Mallard Dummy | Full-Size Rubber Foam Duck | Floating | Realistic & Marker Versions

A round canvas dummy doesn't move when a dog picks it up. A real bird does.

If you want something a little different to the bird canvas dummies, which 100% floats and still has more of a 'real' feel for your dog to retrieve, these may be the next option. The head shifts. The weight distributes unevenly. The dog has to adjust its grip mid-carry - and if it doesn't, the retrieve falls apart. That's not a problem with the dog. It's something the dog has never been asked to deal with before, because the dummy in its mouth has always been the same rigid shape from the throw to the delivery.

The KB Mallard changes that.

Full-size rubber foam duck - twice the size of the KB Baby Mallard. Approximately 200g. The head sits on an independent rope, separate to the body. When the dog picks it up, the head swings. The dog has to find its grip, settle the carry, and bring it back cleanly. That's game preparation. Not a simulation of it - the actual physical challenge of carrying something that doesn't stay still.

Floats fully. Works on water. Kirkbourne exclusive.

Two variants. Two different training jobs.

Same duck. Same weight. Same swinging head. The colour is what changes the session entirely.

Realistic Mallard - for game introduction and hunting work

The realistic version is painted in true mallard colouring - the iridescent green head, the chestnut breast, the speculum. It looks like the bird it's meant to prepare the dog for. More importantly for training purposes, those natural colours sit in the blue-yellow spectrum the way real game does. The dog can't pick it out at range visually the way it can a bright canvas dummy. It has to use its nose. That's the point.

Use this for game introduction, cover work, water retrieves, and any session where you want nose-led hunting alongside grip and carry training.

Black/White Marker - for marked retrieves and directional work

Maximum contrast. The dog can track this in flight, mark where it lands, and drive to the fall. Same physical challenge on the pick-up - the independent head still swings, the grip work is identical. But the visual signal is clear, which means you can use this for distance marking, memory retrieves, and handling drills without the nose work element interfering.

Use this for marking, blinds, directional work, and any session where the retrieve is the focus rather than the hunt.

The swinging head - why it matters

Most dogs that have trained exclusively on canvas dummies have developed a carry for a static, evenly balanced object. The moment a real bird arrives - wings, head, shifting weight - the carry that worked perfectly on a dummy can fall apart. The KB Mallard introduces that challenge before the shooting field does. The dog that has been retrieving a swinging-head dummy for months doesn't think twice when a real mallard lands in front of it.

Where it fits

This sits alongside and beyond the KB Baby Mallard - the same concept, a larger and heavier bird. A young dog starting on the Baby Mallard can progress to this as grip strength and carry confidence develop. Both float. Both swing. This one asks more.

The details:

• Weight: ~200g
• Size: Full-size mallard - approximately twice the size of the KB Baby Mallard
• Construction: Rubber foam body, independent rope-mounted head
• Toggle: Throwing toggle fitted
• Buoyancy: Fully buoyant - floats
• Variants: Realistic Mallard (natural colouring) | Black/White (marker)
• Exclusive: Kirkbourne Spaniels - not available elsewhere
• Use: Game introduction, water retrieves, marked retrieves, directional work, grip and carry training, hunting and nose work (realistic variant)
• Suitable for: All breeds, young dogs through to advanced - any dog progressing toward game work
• Important: Not a chew toy. Do not leave unattended with your dog.
• Price: £12.50

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