Technology and the bird hunting dog
Now & future

Most bird hunters with dogs know the electronic beeper locator and the GPS collar. Furthermore, while training pointing dogs it is possible to use three remote-controlled devices: bird launchers, dog silhouette and dummies launchers. For the benefit of those who do not know these devices, lets describe them briefly.

The electronic beeper locator is usually used in conjunction with a bell hung on the dog's collar. Thus, the hunter, listening to the variations of the bell can know the position of his dog and how fast it moves. When the dog points a bird, the bell stops ringing that's when the electronic electronic beeper locator emits an auditory signal, a repetitive "beep" allowing the hunter to find his dog and flush the bird.

Some electronic beeper locators are remotely programmable: ringing  only on dog’s point, ringing regularly whatever the dog does, or ring when we press a button on the transmitter.
(Dogtra 2500T&B : http://www.dogtra.com/?mnu_num=2010&category=2150&num=30
D.T. Systems BTB : http://dtsystems.com/products/beeper-locators/btb )

I admit I would not hunt nor train without this last feature: in addition to the remote electronic beeper locator, I usually put a bell around the neck of my dog while in the woods. So when I do not hear the bell because the dog is too far away or the wind grows louder and the noise covers the bell, all I have to do is to press a button to page the electronic beeper locator and thus know where is my dog. Finally, some models also have a low intensity buzzer or a vibrator that allows contacting the dog (sound or vibration thus produced can be used in various ways according to the handler’s desire).

The GPS collar is a two part system: one part looks like a GPS normally used by hikers and hunters, the second part is a linked tracking collar so that we can see at any time, on an electronic map, where we and our dog are. It also informs us at any time if the dog is moving or stationary. It is possible to combine several collars to the same GPS unit so that the user may follow simultaneously the movements of many dogs. There are several other features, including the possibility to define the boundaries allowed the dog. So when the dog comes out of these boundaries, his handler is notified by a ringtone. (Garmin Astro 320 : http://www.collarclinic.com/product/Astro320T5.html, SportDog Tek 2.0: http://store.sportdog.com/tek-2-0llt, DE Systems Border Patrol TC1 : http://www.borderpatroltc1.com and many others: http://www.innerwolf.co.uk/gps-dog-trackers

One could also use the information from the GPS dog collar and GPS weared by the human.  As an example we could use this information to study the relative movements of the dog to his master while searching for birds, just as did Hungarian researchers to study the movements a group of dogs (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24929-canine-gps-vests-reveal-dog-social-network.html). To do this, it would suffice to use two small GPS data loggers (see: http://www.canadagps.com/CanmoreGT-730FL-S_SiRF4.html) but we lack a good simple software that could represent the movements of both GPS on a map and produce some statistics (ex: maximum distance, mean distance, a quality index of the field searching by the dog, etc.)

The remote-controlled bird launcher is a cage that releases a live bird. When the cage is triggered, it frees the bird, or rather ejects it, so that it usually has no choice but to fly. It is used to make the dog search and point the bird by preventing the dog to catch the bird (Dogtra RR Deluxe with QL Launcher: http://www.collarclinic.com/product/RR5A.html, SportDOG Remote Launcher System: http://www.collarclinic.com/product/SD-Launcher_Kit.html, see also pages 21 to 23 of my text Oiseaux d'élevage et chiens de chasse, Guide pratique d'utilisation d'oiseaux d'élevage pour le dressage de chiens d'arrêt, leveurs et rapporteurs http://www.louiscimon.com/Chiens/Articles/Oiseaux%208r%20300dpi.pdf).

The remote controlled dog silhouette is used to teach the dog to point when he sees another dog pointing. It is simply a dog silhouette that is lying on the ground and that raises vertically using remote-control (LCS Remote Backing Dog: http://www.lcsupply.com/LCS-Remote-Backing-Dog/productinfo/RB100/).

Finally, the dummy launcher consists of a mechanism which ejects a dummy using an rubber band, a blank cartridge or a gas explosion triggered by remote control (D.T. Systems Super Pro Remote Dummy Launcher http://www.collarclinic.com/product/SuperProDummyLauncher.html
Thunder Equipment 500 Dummy Launcher
http://www.gundogsupply.com/thunder-500-launcher.html
http://www.thunderequipment.com/products/T500.php)

One can thus enjoy various retrieving scenarios without help form somebody else.

 

Imagine the possible

From these devices and from existing technology, lets imagine new devices.
Imagine a collar and a "transmitter" (the device used by the human) that communicate together not one-way ("transmitter" -> collar) but bidirectional ("transmitter" <-> collar), so the collar can also "talk" to "the transmitter" like the GPS collar is able to do so.
First, I would like to know at all times what is the level of the collar batteries and be notified by a tone or a visual signal in the device I have in hands before the batteries reach a critical level.

It would also be possible to know at any time if the dog is moving or pointing, to know whether the dog is moving away or towards me without even using GPS technology. The "transmitter" simply has to regularly send "pings" that the receiver sends back to the “transmitter” and the device measures the round trip time of  those "pings".

By adding a set of three microphones in a triangle (that could be placed around the hunter's cap) and, using an amplification and a filtering system listening to dog beeper or the dog bell, the system could calculate some more information about the dog's movement: the distance between the master as well it’s direction.

Now add GPS functionality. It would be possible for example to determine a virtual radius around the hunter so that the device warns the hunter when the dog comes out of this radius.

It would even be possible to determine a virtual space of any shape at any location around the hunter. For example, while hunting windward I probably would prefer setting a rectangle that would be 2 to 20 meters in front of me and about forty meters wide. While I walk, this virtual rectangle would progress in front of me and the device would warn me if my dog gets out of this rectangle; then it would be up to me to decide what to do to bring my dog back in the space I want it to be.

In case of loss of the GPS signal, the collar would be equipped with an inertial navigation system using the electronic accelerometers which could take over from the GPS and estimate movements and the relative position of the dog. Such accelerometers are commonly used since several years in game pads as well as smart phones.

Such a system could inform me, in real time, not only about the position of my dog, but also about its speed and let me know if it moves away or toward me and, regardless of reception of the GPS signal. This information could be communicated by visual signals on the screen of my "transmitter", by sound signals in a Bluetooth earbud or on a small display fixed under my hat brim like this:

Here we learn that the dog is at 125 meters and it is straight ahead. If the dog was on point, arrowheads would flash ; if it was right or left, the points of the arrows would indicate the direction. Finally, if the batteries were near a critical level, BT (batteries transmitter) would blink to indicate that the transmitter batteries are low while flashing BD (batteries dog) would indicate a weak dog collar batteries.

The display could appear directly into wireless glasses (such glasses exists and are used by athletes to display their physiological data in real time or by sniper instructors to see in real time the firing parameters of their student’s shooting situation (ReconJet glasses: http://www.reconinstruments.com/products/jet/, Tracking Point Shotglass: http://tracking-point.com/products/shotglass, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TrackingPoint)

Here we display in addition, to the left of the screen, if the dog is moving toward us or away from us.

Some information could be communicated to the hunter by micro vibrators (like cell phones do in silent mode). A belt equipped with some vibrators in its periphery could, for example, indicate to it’s user which direction (front, right or left obliquely forward, etc.) is the dog (such belts are experimented by the american armed forces to indicate, silently, a direction (eg a course to follow or direction of the enemy) to a soldier in action.

It would of course be possible to activate various functions of this equipment, by pressing a button or micro keyboard clipped to the shotgun, this mechanism could communicate with the system by Bluetooth (some electric collars already have this), by a verbal command (this already exists in smartphones) or by a system controlled by the eye of the person wearing dedicated glasses (such systems already exist) a bit like we do with a mouse or touch pad.

We could also be informed of certain physiological parameters of our dog, including its internal body temperature, which can be vital during intense work in hot weather. Some US police canine squads already use such systems. A temperature sensor is implanted under the dog's skin and a small device placed in the dog's harness regularly measures its body temperature, transmits it to the dog handler and sounds an alarm if it exceeds a predetermined value (Implant to protect policy dogs from overheating: http://www.gizmag.com/blueforce-dog-temperature-monitor/31377/). The sensor implanted under the skin of the animal does not need a battery as it is powered by the small device in the harness (in the same way as RFID cards are energized). There are already various collars that transmit data via WiFi to a smartphone that collates and converts data in graphic form that can be communicated to the veterinarian who can use them for diagnostic or preventive purposes (Voyce Pet Health Monitor: http://voyce.com). The WiFi link has a short range. We could use a longer range module.

When I leave my dog alone in my car, I am often a little worried, especially when it is hot because it could quickly suffer heat stroke. I'd love to have a system that would maintain a suitable temperature in the vehicle and would alert me if the temperature inside the vehicle exceeded predetermined values. There are already several systems like this, for example:
Monnit Wireless Sensors :
http://www.monnit.com/solutions/k9-temperature-monitoring

Rally AllenF4 Series Heat System:
http://www.rayallen.com/product/f4-series-heat-system/K-9-Transport

K9 HEAT ALARM PRO: http://www.radiotronics.com/index.php?p=catalog&parent=3&pg=1

About HALO Pet Safety System:
http://sistersofinvention.com/about-halo-pet-safety-system/

Animalarm:
http://theanimalarm.com/product-details/

The three remote-controlled devices for pointing dog training, the bird launcher, the dog silhouette and the dummy launcher, should use a bidirectional remote control that would warn me when the batteries are low. They would also include a remote buzzer making it easier to find these devices at the end of a training session. One could design a small single transmitter that would control several units of these devices.

The bird launcher could be triggered either by remote control or automatically by a motion sensor, if the dog approaches it too much.

The dummy launcher could simulate a shot report or not, to the trainer’s choice.

I would add a device that does not yet exist: a remotely controlled bird to train sight pointing. This silhouette (this bird could be 3D or a even stuffed bird) could also move and emit the same sounds of the bird it imitates. This device would also have a low battery warning as well as a buzzer to locate it.

Some pointing dog trainers use a toy ornithopter  (a mechanical bird that flies by flapping its wings) to train their dog to stay put to the flush and fall of the bird. Some of these objects are radio controlled, while others are in free flying (see :  http://www.ornithopter.org or http://www.birdkit.com or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k34rVuu8N-c) If I dream a little more, I would like to have such a bird that would take off on command, would fly in the desired direction and altitude and land out of reach of the dog automatically. Navigation technology could be borrowed from small drones that are capable of performing preprogrammed flights and land autonomously in a specific location. Thus, the dog could search for the bird and if the four-legged hunter got too close to it, forcing it to flush, the bird would fly out of reach; fall or "drop dead" if the dog pointed, remained motionless on the flush, the shot and the fall the bird. This can be achieved using a bird made of expanded propylene (that is a material looking like "Styrofoam", but which is extremely tough. It is used to make almost indestructible remote controlled planes), adding electric propulsion and a mini UAV navigation system. It would be possible to build such a bird sufficiently tough and safe that it could be retrieved by the dog.

Some remote-controlled systems lack range, it could probably be increased so that it would no longer be a problem. Indeed, there is a miniature remote control technology offering sufficient range, such as the XBee Pro 900 RPSMA (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9099) having a range of six miles in open terrain: while XTend 900 1W RPSM (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9411) having a range of 40 miles. Either of these modules should provide more than enough range in woodland.

What about an electronic hunting dog drone? Forget it: I still love the wet dog smell in my car, having a happy dog welcoming me when I come home and some dog air in my scotch.

All these devices with these capabilities are achievable at a reasonable cost using current technologies. Presumably they will eventually be available on the market.

A completely different technology component is emerging for dog training: dog behavioral problems treatment using systems based positive reinforcement. This is the topic of an upcoming text.

In short, I believe we will have nice technological surprises in the near future.

Louis Cimon
Novembre 2015