I am serious. Has anybody ever used a loyal pooch to fetch the rockets that land in the tall grass? How? Did you tie a piece of beef jerky to the shock cord? I am seriously considering this with our new dog. He loves fetch.
Rocket Fetch Dog?
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When I want a single use rocket, I just shove a big motor in it. Can’t imagine a pooch not perforating the body tube, or breaking a fin or three.
I could be wrong as mine is a heavy chewer. Only toys that survive more that a day are solid rubber.
I've had a dog grab a rocket on the field once. By the time we got it back there wasn't much left of it. Dog owner gave me a burger and we called it even. It was a really good burger 
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ThirstyBarbarian
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Some dogs really do NOT like rocket flights. Too loud and scary. Others aren’t bothered.
I’d be worried about rocket damage. Even if the tube was not crushed, I can’t imagine the dog would be too careful about the chute, shock cord, shroud lines, etc. I’m sure the recovery system would be trashed.
I’d be worried about rocket damage. Even if the tube was not crushed, I can’t imagine the dog would be too careful about the chute, shock cord, shroud lines, etc. I’m sure the recovery system would be trashed.
NTP2
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Mine hates rockets (they are in cahoots with the cats).
hcmbanjo
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We had a retrieving dog, he'd chew up quail my Dad would shoot down.
To break the dog of chewing, he wrapped a bird with barbed wire. That made the dog stop "tenderizing" the quail.
I know, it sounds cruel. It was an old-school tip from an outdoorsman magazine.
To break the dog of chewing, he wrapped a bird with barbed wire. That made the dog stop "tenderizing" the quail.
I know, it sounds cruel. It was an old-school tip from an outdoorsman magazine.
For a while we worked on training my wife's dog to look for the smell of black powder; we had to go with her to do the actual retrieval. Unfortunately, she had to be downwind of the rocket before she could smell it...
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What a sweet pooch!
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yep..I had (put him down about 3 years ago) a yellow lab named Rocket. As a pup I trained him to find thing,,my car keys, wallet etc. It was more of a ..something to do with the grandkids sort of thing.
I do a few rocketry STEM things and one of them is with a local high school and deployable electronic payloads. We saw it come down in an alfalfa field but they could not find it.
I had Rocket with me... got a different payload ..went out in the general area..Held the payload to his nose...find, find, find
He found the payload in less then 2 minutes...true story!
my wife has a new pup..about 7 months old and he has a long road ahead of him...
Tony
I do a few rocketry STEM things and one of them is with a local high school and deployable electronic payloads. We saw it come down in an alfalfa field but they could not find it.
I had Rocket with me... got a different payload ..went out in the general area..Held the payload to his nose...find, find, find
He found the payload in less then 2 minutes...true story!
my wife has a new pup..about 7 months old and he has a long road ahead of him...
Tony
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We just had to send our Lab back to heaven where she OBVIOUSLY came from. Labs make wonderful friends. Lucy is sorely missed, as I am sure you miss Rocket.
mh9162013
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I look forward to recovering rockets...great exercise. I only launch LPR, though.
Now that I think about it, would there be a market for a "rocket runner" at some of the more popular or busy launches? Like someone who's willing to go recover a rocket for a flat fee (exact amount would depend on how far away it was...a few hundred feet or a few miles, for instance).
Now that I think about it, would there be a market for a "rocket runner" at some of the more popular or busy launches? Like someone who's willing to go recover a rocket for a flat fee (exact amount would depend on how far away it was...a few hundred feet or a few miles, for instance).
Rocket Runner? That’s what 8 year olds at the club launches are for! ;-)
I suspect the cost is higher than that.
Rschub
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Hmm. This makes more sense than my suggestion. Don’t have the dog fetch the rocket. Have the dog use his / her sense of smell to lead you to the lost rocket! K-9 Rocket Finders, Inc.
Also thats basecoat with 2k clearcoat.
A "rocket dog" sometimes shows up at one of the venues that I launch at. He runs out to the rocket, sits beside it, and just barks. Very handy, easier to use than a Marco Polo.
Hans.
Hans.
Now that would handy as a pocket!
A “pointer”! That would work!
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If you drag race and launch two rockets simultaneously does he
a). Pick one at random
b) know which one is yours by instinct
c). Go crazy trying to recover both of them
d). Look at you like you must be crazy?
He seems to preference his owner's rocket first, barring that, he chases down anything. Can't figure out how he finds them in moderately tall grass.
Hans.
I was at one event and a rocket hit the dog, they found it several days later thank goodness. She freaked and pulled a table with her for a few feet until her leash broke. And one thing is that dog will destroy your rocket on the way back, unfortunately...
But the one above that goes and sits by it and barks, is cool....
But the one above that goes and sits by it and barks, is cool....
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How about a bloodhound or other good nose dog as a rocket finder, rather retriever, dog? I mean, once you are in the general vicinity, a dog with a good nose ought to be able to smell that burned black powder easily. The sulfur odor is powerful. The dog finds the rocket in the tall weeds and you pick it up before the dog tears it to shreds.
(Would this work with composite rocket motors? I am LPR. I don’t know what burned ammonium perchlorate smells like. Is it a strong odor?)
Idk? All my dogs run away so I'm not any help...lol!!!! It should work, its like chasing a ball maybe for them. They just keep running runout they see/smell it again? I have never trained a dog that way....Yet. Nice idea..
Sadly, can’t take credit. @JoePfeiffer ’s idea!
Remember, most people use black powder ejection charges. So go ahead and train on black powder.
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