Testimonials
Jill and I have received numerous positive comments from our customers since launching our business in August 2008. Many of these relate specifically to our new exclusive design of training dummy, the Partridge and Pheasant, whilst others have thanked us for the level of service we have provided. It is always satisfying to know that our hard work is appreciated and gratifying that our customers find the time to thank us. Equally satisfying of course is receiving praise from professional gundog trainers and journalists. We have added this testimonial section to the website in order to provide evidence of our commitment to both excellent service and innovative design. We believe that customer satisfaction is our greatest advert. We welcome all customer feedback so please contact us. Your comments are important to us.
On one occasion when my usual dummies were sodden after water training work I decided to give it a try. I was immediately surprised at how far I could throw them with accuracy and liked the way they rolled and bounced to leave a line of scent.
At the time I also had a problem with one young bitch that had some delivery problems, I found that the shape and feel of these dummies helped tremendously to overcome the problems and the bitch now holds the dummy just as I would expect and demand.
I am pleased to say that the Working Dog Company™ dummies have become an important addition to my retriever training bag."
George Ridley
Professional Gundog Trainer and Handler 'Shadowbrae Gundogs'
Andrew Cullen MBE of Laochin Gundogs writes about our purple dummies:
"The working dog company have worked very hard in trying to provide gundog owners with another training aid and have brought out new dummies for us all to try, the easy mark, the red and the purple dummies. Like most things new we are all sceptics to a point unless proven differently. In fact my dummy bag was getting more colourful by the week! But more importantly, did they work? In a straight forward answer I have to admit that yes they do, and once again I cannot fail but to promote and encourage the use of these dummies by the gundog community during training sessions.
I am not an expert on what dogs do or do not see colours wise and have heard many contradicting theories over the years on this very subject. All I can and will say are the facts, after talking with Ian he told me his reasons for the purple dummies and about a little test he conducted.
So armed with a range of different coloured dummies I carried out my own test to analyse the theory as follows: I used a purple dummy with a variety of other coloured working dog company dummies and placed them in a corner of the field. Unsurprisingly the dogs always brought the purple dummy back first, every time! Each time I took the dummy back and placed it in a different spot amongst the other dummies, the results with a different dog each time was the same.
Click photos to enlarge
In conclusion I can only agree that dogs must see the purple dummy well, meaning that it can become a very useful tool for the trainer when teaching a dog to retrieve. I am pleased to say that Purple dummies in my little test proved to be a real winner with my dogs and have become a useful addition to my bag in improving a dog’s confidence and competence to retrieve."
Andrew Cullen MBE
Laochin Gundogs
Andrew also said the following about our dummies:
"As a Professional Gundog Trainer I often get retrieving problems with
older dogs that Clients have started to train themselves and hit problems
with, this is when we generally get a phone call to help sort it out. Like
most things, once sloppy retrieving is learned behaviour it can be very
difficult habit to correct, at the same time trying to maintain the dogs
enthusiasm and confidence.
As a trainer I use various methods and equipment to correct retrieving issues, both the Partridge and Pheasant dummies / training aids designed by The Working Dog Company™ have certainly proved to be winners in our training of the type of gundogs mentioned. In addition I recommend the Partridge dummy, in my view it is ideal for that all important confidence building in bringing on youngsters to retrieve, we have found the dogs love to carry these training aids around and so do I being able to get more into my bag than the larger more commonly used canvas dummies.
In summary I am delighted to promote theses training aids and to be associated with The Working Dog Company™ and its products."
Andrew Cullen MBE
Laochin Gundogs
In the Shooting Times of 13th November 2008, David Tomlinson the weekly Gundog Columnist wrote:
Revolutionary New Dummy
"Innovation in the world of gundog training is as rare as a golden retriever winning the Retriever Championship. It happens occasionally, but not very often, so when it does it is newsworthy. So I was fascinated when Ian Clinton told me he had designed and was marketing a revolutionary new retrieving dummy. Ian, together with his wife Jill, runs the Working Dog Company. They both train and work their own Labradors.
Like all good ideas, the new dummy is very simple but totally logical.
It has the gently rounded shape of a real bird and its soft, firm filling
is much more likely to encourage a dog to retrieve gently than the sawdust
filled, canvas-wrapped sausages we all take for granted. It’s easy to throw
and bounces on landing leaving a scent trail for the dog to follow. It
also floats, so is perfect for water work. Attention to detail in the design
ensures that the toggle is small, so that dogs won’t be tempted to pick
the dummy up by it.
It is such a sensible design it makes you wonder why nobody has thought
of it before".
BASC Shooting and Conservation Magazine Nov/Dec 2008
Product Reviews page 79:
Dummies for the not-so-dumb
"Launched at the Midland Game Fair the new era of gundog dummies has arrived. Have you ever wondered why conventional dummies have the right weight for game but never the right shape? Well, the Working Dog Company™ wondered the same thing and came up with two new dummies, the pheasant and partridge. Shaped and weighted like these two game species, they encourage correct carriage of the dummy and require the dog to open its mouth a little wider, as it would have to with game.
Other quirks are that they bounce slightly when they hit the ground, as
game often does, and also float in water, meaning a dog really has to grip
it correctly and not bite as hard. This versatile dummy really is a welcome
addition to the training bag and although slightly more expensive than
the traditional product, helps considerably with the transition from dummies
to game".
"Hi Ian, I would just like to say how impressed
I have been with your service and products, especially the dummies. I
have fed this information through to a number of people that come to
me for training and also on a few forums, so I hope you have seen an
increase in business during the economic slow down. When I am thinking
of replacing equipment especially dummies I always think of The Working
Dog Company first and recommend you to all my friends, because you offer
great products, good prices and supply 1st time every time. Which is
more than you can say for your competitors."
Ian
Mitchell
Eshiels Gundogs
"Order received very efficiently - thank you."
Liz Ingram
Gundog Trainer and Field Trialer
"I would just like to thank you for your prompt and
excellent service. The goose is fine as a replacement for the pheasant
and thank you very much for the complimentary lanyard, it will be put
to good use! I look forward to doing business with you again soon and
wish you all a happy Christmas and an excellent 2009."
Lisa Macsmith
"Many thanks for your prompt delivery, at long last
a sensible training aid. She is in her second season and is still reluctant
to really get hold of and carry a cock Pheasant, I hope these will help
to solve the problem. Initial response looks very promising!"
Alan Collen
"Hello Ian & Jill, I met you at the Bedfordshire
Country show and at Belvoir in October where you kindly provided me with
two dummies. (I do the gundog demonstrations in the arena at these and
other shows). Just to let you know, I am impressed with the dummies,
they bounce, roll and float better than other dummies."
John Cavana, Patanavac gundogs
"Dear Ian and Jill, thanks very much for the items that I ordered and
the quickness that you dispatched them. The personal note was very kind
too. I've added a few photos of Billy playing with his new dummy. Thanks
again."
Mike and Abby Swann
"Thank you very much for the speedy despatch of the two dummies
I ordered which arrived safely this morning. I tried them out on one
of my young dogs this afternoon and they are brilliant. The best ideas
and subsequent new products are the ones you realise you have missed
having and that description certainly fits the bill with these. Living
on Exmoor there are numerous hills and valley and the dummies roll beautifully
thus creating the perfect introduction to taking a line. In short, I
am delighted!"
Sheila Neary, Hon FT Secretary - Flatcoated Retriever Society
"Re
pheasant training dummy: I know I have already thanked you for the dummy
and said it was solving my 8 month old Golden puppy Dylan (Merryway Osprey)
delivery problem, but just an update. He came first in what was only
his second working test yesterday, delivery was fine thanks to the training
with his new dummy, will recommend to friends. In the photo he is on
the far left. Thanks again."
Jim Heelis - Pitlochry
"Thank you for the fast response to my recent order, I have used the dummies today for the 1st time and can tell you they are excellent! I run a training centre for gundogs and am happy to pass on details of your dummies to my clients"
Gary McCarthy -MAP Working Gundogs
"Many thanks for a prompt despatch, waistcoat arrived today."
J.P
"Received my order today, many thanks for your prompt and efficient service and the complimentary lanyard. So nice to have, very rare these days."
Jean Robertson
"Hiya guys, i have been really pleased with your ultra fast service, and great products, just wanted to say thanks, keep up the great work,
people these days are so quick to criticize bad service, but very slow to praise good service, this is the second time ive ordered goods from you and they were delivered within two days, Awsome, and yes you are listed in my favourite group!"
Mark Hodgkinson, Achouffe Gundogs
"Many thanks, order received today. Your efficiency is very impressive!"
Caroline
"As a breeder and trainer of Field Trial quality labradors, for more than 15 years, I have used many training aids - some good and some not so good. The oval shaped dummies supplied by the Working Dog Company™ I have found to be superb for many reasons. It is not uncommon to find an otherwise good dog to be shy of opening their mouth wide enough to accommodate a good grip on a large freshly shot pheasant. The skin on such a bird is often loose and the dog needs to extend its jaw to the maximum to accommodate a good grip that will hold without having to put the bird down half way through the retrieve, and readjust while returning to the handler.
The rugby ball shaped dummies manufactured by the Working Dog Company™ are excellent in acclimatising such a dog to use the full gape of their mouth. They are supplied in two sizes, thereby enabling a trainer to avoid the problem mentioned above from very early puppy training.
Additionally, I find that giving young dogs seen retrieves using the oval dummy, encourages the young dog to hunt an area, because the dummy - being shaped as it is - bounces erratically in any direction and does not stay where it has fallen, as does the conventional retrieving dummy. This encouragement to hunt an area to find the rugby ball shaped dummy which has not stayed in the place it fell, but bounced away from the fall area, is invaluable."
Ken Byron, Copperwheat Labradors
(Ken Byron breeds and trains the Copperwheat Labradors at Wyboston, Bedfordshire - further information can be obtained from www.copperwheat.net.)
"Just wanted to say how much I like your range of patridge and pheasant dummies. They were recommended to me by Andy Cullen of Laochin gundogs and are much preferred to normal dummies by my working cocker spaniel Krumble.
I thought you might like this picture of him with one of your dummies taken at a gundog training weekend in Perth that I was at recently.
It was total coincidence that the dummy was positioned perfectly!"
Joanne Drysdale, Edinburgh
"Pheasant Dummy arrived this morning, thank you for prompt dispatch. My youngish GSP Buffle is very impressed and did a very short but stylish retrieve on it this morning! I intend to adorn it with wings/tail feathers, and think that a better alternative to the foam/plastic "birds" on the market. "Buffle” is generally a very steady bitch and quite an enthusiastic retriever, but the first time I threw down the Pheasant Dummy on the edge of the wood the enthusiasm was such that she almost ran in on it. I then sent her on away from the dummy as usual, calling her in after about 100yds. She was very much "on the edge of her seat" and when told to Hi Lost went away like a rocket and returned carrying the dummy beautifully. We have owned GSP's for 36 years, predominantly for work (picking up/rough shooting) but have also shown and run them in field comps."Alex Stammer
"Received this morning! well impressed , will be ordering some pheasant size next. great product, super efficient service... well done!"
Rachel Herbert
"Just received my partridge dummy and Henry my lab has retrieved it every time... so far! Uup to now he has only retrieved tennis balls and not a canvas dummy despite several weeks of trying. Thank you."
Freda Farnworth
"Order received today. Thank you very much for superb service."
Wayne Tyler, Radnor Timber Company
"Thanks for the prompt service,
it is the best thing I have bought for ages! Nearly kissed the postman as I was on way out with dogs when it came!!"
Claire Egglestone
"Yesterday I recieved my order as promised and I just wanted thank you for a good service and quality items.
I will for the future contact you whenever I require dog training equipment."
Kevin Turner
"Just wanted to thank you for the speedy delivery again, new dummies received today in post only ordered yesterday. The personal hand written note on the compliment slip is a very nice touch and much appreciated. I look forward to using the new pheasant dummies with my two cockers, who already love retrieving the partridge ones I started with on your recommendation."
Andrew Otter
"Just want to thank you for your superb service. Goods ordered yesterday, get home from work today and parcel waiting for me. The dogs have already had fun trying out the new dummies, and I love my new purple whistle."
Lorna, March 2011
"As an experienced dog trainer, specialising in gundogs, I am delighted to have an opportunity to endorse the dummies manufactured by the Working Dog Company. I find them of excellent quality, good in water, and even the most reluctant dogs are keen to retrieve them. One of my clients had failed to get his visla to retrieve a traditional dummy. The dog picked and retrieved both the partridge and pheasant without hesitation, and has continued to do so. I would strongly recommend their use for training."
Debs Sutton MAPDT 00694, APDT Assessor, PAT Assessor
"To the Team at Working Dog Company:
Thank you so much for your prompt customer service - I shall be returning to you in the near future to pick up another training dummy I am sure - our dogs love the Pheasant one. Many thanks."
Victoria Copas
"Workinggundogs.co.uk provides structured gundog training through residential, group or 1:1 training courses. Gundog Trainers are always being challenged with retrieving problems, across a number of different gundog breeds, such that we are constantly trying a variety of techniques and inducements to overcome these difficulties. The Working Dog Company™ provides a very useful training aid for this purpose, which we now use on a regular basis with great results, the purple pheasant works very well with some hunting dogs, that are not keen retrievers. Although it costs 3 times the price of a normal sawdust dummy, it is proving to keep its shape and very durable, we never seem to lose them, may be the price has something to do with this! All good products come at a price, but this little gem is certainly worth it."
Stewart North Professional Gundog Trainer
Workinggundogs.co.uk
"We were having problems with my springador puppy retrieving (she is a hunter!), and were recommended your dummies. These along with a good gundog trainer have sorted the problem. Now she loves retrieving and delivers to hand everytime. The result speaks for itself! Once I had found The Working Dog Company I ordered other items, and delivery has always been super quick. What a delightful company to deal with, thank you."
Julie P, June 2011
"Order arrived this morning. Thank you for such a prompt delivery. Brilliant."
Valerie, June 2011
Hi, many thanks for the prompt delivery of my purchases. (Tilley) my
flat coated retriever thinks they're fabulous.
John. Nov, 2011
