Sporting Saint baby blue puppy canvas dummy - 45g lightweight soft canvas gundog training dummy for first retrieves soft-mouth development and early marking exercises in young spaniels and retrievers

SS Puppy Canvas Dummy | Soft Fill | First Retrieve Training

Baby Blue
£6.65
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Sporting Saint baby blue puppy canvas dummy - 45g lightweight soft canvas gundog training dummy for first retrieves soft-mouth development and early marking exercises in young spaniels and retrievers
  • Sporting Saint baby blue puppy canvas dummy - 45g lightweight soft canvas gundog training dummy for first retrieves soft-mouth development and early marking exercises in young spaniels and retrievers
  • Puppy retrieving Sporting Saint pink puppy canvas dummy - lightweight 45g soft canvas training dummy encourages confident first pick up correct central hold and delivery to hand in young gundogs
  • Sporting Saint puppy canvas dummy range with Kirkbourne Spaniels logo - lightweight soft canvas gundog training dummies as used at Kirkbourne Spaniels for first retrieves and early foundation training in young dogs
  • Sporting Saint puppy canvas dummies with Kirkbourne Spaniels logo - purpose-built 45g lightweight training dummies as used at Kirkbourne Spaniels for building confident retrieve foundations in puppies and young gundogs
  • Sporting Saint baby blue puppy canvas dummy - 45g lightweight soft canvas gundog training dummy for first retrieves soft-mouth development and early marking exercises in young spaniels and retrievers
  • Puppy retrieving Sporting Saint pink puppy canvas dummy - lightweight 45g soft canvas training dummy encourages confident first pick up correct central hold and delivery to hand in young gundogs
  • Sporting Saint puppy canvas dummy range with Kirkbourne Spaniels logo - lightweight soft canvas gundog training dummies as used at Kirkbourne Spaniels for first retrieves and early foundation training in young dogs
  • Sporting Saint puppy canvas dummies with Kirkbourne Spaniels logo - purpose-built 45g lightweight training dummies as used at Kirkbourne Spaniels for building confident retrieve foundations in puppies and young gundogs
SS Puppy Canvas Dummy | Soft Fill | First Retrieve Training

SS Puppy Canvas Dummy | Soft Fill | First Retrieve Training

Every dog starts somewhere.

Before the 1lb canvas dummy. Before blind retrieves and directional work. Before any of that - there's this. A soft-fill dummy small enough for a puppy mouth, light enough that the instinct to pick up and carry isn't interrupted by something too heavy or too stiff to hold comfortably.

45g. Soft canvas. No throwing toggle. That's the point of it.

The Puppy Canvas Dummy isn't trying to replicate game or build carry strength - that comes later. What it's doing is simpler and more important at this stage: it's getting the retrieve instinct firing in a consistent, repeatable way. Short throws. Confident pick-ups. The dog bringing it back because it wants to, not because it's been pushed into something it isn't ready for yet.

No toggle - deliberately

A toggle is for distance. At puppy stage, distance is the last thing you want. Keep throws short, keep sessions short, keep the dog coming back to you rather than working out how far it can get from you. The toggle comes later with the ½lb canvas dummy. For now, hand-thrown short retrieves are exactly right.

Soft fill - deliberately

Hard canvas can put a young dog off. The soft fill sits comfortably in a puppy mouth - no resistance, no awkward shape to negotiate. The dog picks it up, carries it, brings it back. That habit, repeated consistently, is the entire foundation everything else is built on.

The colour is the training decision - even at puppy stage

Same principle as the rest of the range. Dogs see in the blue-yellow spectrum. Some colours stand out clearly at range; others fade into natural ground. Even at puppy stage, picking the right colour for what you're trying to train makes a difference.

Sight - dog can see these clearly

For early retrieve work where you want the puppy tracking the dummy visually and driving confidently to it:

  • Baby Blue - clean contrast against grass and typical ground
  • Green - visible in open ground, reliable for early retrieves

Marking - high visibility on the fall

Colours the dog can distinguish clearly at distance. Use for short marked retrieves - the puppy marks where it lands and goes:

  • Blue - strong visibility, solid for marking work
  • White - high contrast in most light conditions
  • Pink - stands out clearly from natural backgrounds
  • Lilac - good contrast against green ground
  • Black/White (two-tone) - maximum contrast, one of the clearest marks in varied light
  • Black/Orange (two-tone) - high-contrast two-tone, orange visible to the dog at puppy stage

Hunting and nose work - colours that fade for the dog

Red and orange sit in a wavelength range dogs struggle to distinguish from surrounding greens and browns. Even at puppy stage, throwing one into light cover means the dog has to get its nose working rather than driving straight to a visual mark - a useful early habit:

  • Red - hunting, nose introduction, fades into natural backgrounds
  • Orange - hunting, low visual contrast for the dog at range

BIRD prints - game realism from the start

The bird prints use high-definition feather patterns that mimic real game bird colouring. Good for introducing the dog to game-style retrieves early - and the mottled earth tones mean the dummy sits in cover the way a real bird would, encouraging the nose rather than the eye:

  • Cock Pheasant - game introduction, cover search
  • Hen Pheasant - game introduction, earth-tone nose work
  • Mallard - game introduction, darker colouring
  • Partridge - game introduction, mottled ground cover pattern

Where it sits in the progression

Stage Dummy Weight
First retrieves Puppy canvas dummy ~45g
Building the carry ½lb canvas dummy ~225g
Not ready for 1lb size? In-between dummy 1lb weight, ½lb size
Full training weight 1lb canvas dummy ~450g

 

Most dogs move on from the puppy dummy within a few months. Some handlers keep one in the bag longer if the dog needs a confidence reset - going back to something familiar and easy is a legitimate tool at any stage, not just the start.

The details:

  • Weight: ~45g
  • Fill: Soft fill
  • Toggle: None - hand thrown
  • Colours: 14 variants - see colour guide below
  • Manufacturer: Sporting Saint - handcrafted in the UK
  • Use: First retrieves, puppy retrieve introduction, instinct building, short-distance hand-thrown work, game introduction (FLIGHT variants)
  • Suitable for: Puppies and young dogs - any breed, any size
  • Important: Not a chew toy. Do not leave unattended with your dog.
  • Price: £6.65

COLOUR GUIDE - QUICK REFERENCE

Colour / Print Style Dog sees it? Best for
Baby Blue Solid ✅ Yes Sight, early retrieve work
Green Solid ✅ Yes Sight, standard retrieves
Blue Solid ✅ Yes Marking drills
White Solid ✅ Yes Marking, low light
Pink Solid ✅ Yes Marking drills
Lilac Solid ✅ Yes Marking drills
Black/White Two-tone ✅ Yes Marking - maximum contrast
Black/Orange Two-tone ✅ Yes Marking - high contrast
Red Solid ❌ Not well Hunting, nose introduction
Orange Solid ❌ Not well Hunting, nose introduction
FLIGHT Cock Pheasant Print ❌ Not well Game introduction, cover work
FLIGHT Hen Pheasant Print ❌ Not well Game introduction, nose work
FLIGHT Mallard Print ❌ Not well Game introduction, cover work
FLIGHT Partridge Print ❌ Not well Game introduction, ground cover

£6.65
£6.65