Are gundog training dummy launchers worth it?
![](https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/gundog_training_with_dummy.jpg)
Gundog training
PETER BLATCH
When gundog training dummy launchers have definitely got their uses and one of them is being able to teach a dog how to mark retrieves at a distance.
Not everybody is blessed with a cricketers arm but a blank-firing launcher can easily throw a dummy around 80 yards.
Furthermore, when held at arms length, a dummy launcher can also simulate the gun and can be used more easily when youre training alone especially when you are trying to manage a gun and a dummy and a dog at the same time!
I still think throwing dummies by hand has its place in training and combining the two is the best way to get the dog to mark short or long distances.