Using a treat dummy: simple, versatile and together with your dog
A feeding dummy is actually very simple: you fill it with kibble or small snacks and use it during training, searching, or playing with your dog.
It's precisely this simplicity that makes it so versatile. You can use it at home, take it with you on a walk, or turn it into a complete scent game.
How do you use a feeding dummy?
Fill the treat dummy with kibble or small snacks that your dog can eat quickly. If you use snacks from our range, depending on your dog, snacks with ChewScore 1 or 2 are particularly practical. The goal here is to reward and move on, not extensive chewing.
Throw or hide the dummy and let your dog find it and bring it back to you.
We find the latter important: the dummy comes back to you.
Then open it yourself and reward your dog directly from the dummy. This way, it remains a game you play together, and you prevent your dog from learning to open the dummy themselves.
Start close and simple. Once your dog understands the intention, you can slowly increase the distance and difficulty.
Hide-and-seek
Of course, you don't always have to throw a training dummy.
Have your dog wait while you place the dummy somewhere and then send him to search for it. Later, you can hide it in a more difficult spot or place the dummy without your dog seeing where it is.
This way, you can use the same dummy in different ways.
To create a drag trail
When Chase was young, he couldn't stay in the same spot long enough for us to hide a retrieve dummy.
Our solution was simple.
We attached a long line or rope to the dummy and walked it around trees and through the grass. By then pulling on the rope, we could make the dummy move along the ground and create a longer scent trail without having to walk alongside the trail ourselves.
After that, Chase was allowed to search.
A simple way to make the search game a bit more interesting, without your dog having to wait somewhere for minutes.
Take it with you on a walk
A training dummy doesn't have to mean a separate training session.
Put it in your jacket pocket or bag and use it on the go. A few retrieves in a quiet spot, hiding it in the grass, or a small search game in between is already enough.
You decide how elaborate you make it.
After searching: double-check
Has your dog searched through tall grass, bushes, or other vegetation? If so, take some time afterward to check them.
Look for ticks and grass seeds, for example, between their toes, around their ears, armpits, and other places where something might get caught in their fur.
This is unrelated to the feeding dummy itself but is, in our opinion, a good habit after playing and searching in nature.
Playing together remains the most important thing
A retrieve dummy doesn't have to be complicated.
Fill, search, retrieve, open together, and reward. From this basis, you can vary endlessly yourself.
And sometimes the most fun exercises arise precisely by getting a little creative along the way.
Want to get started yourself? Click below for our retrieve dummy: