How to Act As a Gunner (Person Who Throws Birds or Bumpers):

Make sure your bumpers have rope on them so you can throw them further! To throw a bumper, you'll want to hold the end of the rope and toss it underhanded. You may want to practice some bumper throwing before you start training with dogs. Don't be embarrassed if your throws aren't always perfect because I don't think anyone can say they've never had the bumper (or bird!) land behind them or almost hit them in the head! Practice throwing by using a target. (Surveyor's tape tied to a few blades of grass is usually used in tests.) You want to keep your throws consistent so the scent isn't spread all over the place if you're training with multiple dogs.

Make sure when you throw the bumper, you throw it so the dog can see it in the air and when it hits the ground. You want to get a good arc on the bumper, and you want to make sure you throw the bumper a good distance away from you. You want to get the dog used to going past the gunner, so you angle your throws back about 45 degrees. There are usually excellent throwers with good arms (or mechanical wingers) in tests, so you want to make sure your dog doesn't get used to thinking that a bumper is going to land within a couple feet of the gunner station or they'll be lost in a test!

When you throw a bumper (or a bird) for a dog, you need to wait for the handler to signal you that they're ready for you to throw. When you see their signal, most people say, "Hey, hey, hey," and then toss the bumper as the dog is looking at them. Other people use duck calls or shots from starter pistols to get the dog's attention in their direction. When you're starting out with a new dog, you want to make a lot of noise out at the gunner station so the dog gets really excited about what you're throwing. You can even add a few, "Woo woos," in with your, "Hey, hey, heys"! As the dog gets more seasoned, you can tone it down a bit.

Okay, you've thrown the bumper and the dog is now on its way out towards you. If all goes perfectly, the dog will go straight to the mark (where the bumper fell), pick it up and head back to its handler. But, as we know, life is not always perfect! So what do you do if a dog heads out to you but gives up before it gets to you? Make some more noise, "Hey, hey, hey," and see if the dog comes back in your direction. If the dog still isn't sure, say, "Hey, hey, hey," again and take a few steps towards the bumper. With some dogs, you may actually have to go all the way to the bumper, pick it up, make some excited noises, and give it a little toss (trying to keep it close to you this time so the scent stays in that area). Give the dog as much of a chance to figure it out on their own as possible, but try to avoid the dog going all the way back to the line (where the dog was sent from) if you can. Ideally all help should come from the gunners in the field, not the handler. Only use the dog's name to get it to come out towards you if it's totally ignoring you.

What do you do if the dog comes to visit you or tries to pick up a bumper or bird that you may have at your feet? Ignore it! Look away from it (and towards the mark) to try to direct its attention that way. You should always have your extra bumpers or birds in a bag (preferably a dark one!) at the gunner station so make sure you step on the bag opening if you need to so the dog can't go shopping. If the dog is really persistent about visiting, the handler can tell the dog to, "Find it," or, "Fetch it up," again, and if you need to, you can take a few steps towards the mark as described above. You definitely do not want to reward a dog for visiting the gunner station! Usually they learn that visiting is no fun once they've been ignored a few times.