How to Teach Your Hunting Dog to Mark a Bumper

When you take a hunting dog into the field, you must teach it to mark a bumper or kill. A dog marks an item by watching it carefully, so he can find the item in the brush and then retrieve it for you. Teaching a hunting dog to mark is one of the more fun tasks of dog training, because retrievers are excited and engaged when they mark an item.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bumper

1. Start the training session with the dog off lead. You want to throw the bumper or item farther than you could if the dog was on a lead to simulate real hunting action.

2. Choose a day with good weather to begin training the dog to mark and keep the training session short. The dog associates marking with being unhappy if she's freezing or exhausted after her training.

3. Begin the marking training in low brush with objects easy to see, not in tall weeds with camouflaged bumpers. The point is to help the dog use his eyes to find the object, not to trick the dog.

4. Lift the bumper into the air and say, "Mark." Wait for the dog to look at the bumper before you throw it.

5. Keep the dog at your side if she becomes distracted and looks away before the bumper falls to the ground. If she loses sight of the object, she uses her nose rather than her eyesight to find the object.

6. Say the dog's name as a cue for him to retrieve the bumper. Up until this point, the dog should be sitting at your side watching or marking the bumper.

Who Can Help:

• Tired of Being Tired? Fight Fatigue and Try FRS for FREE!