Training the Working Spaniel

This is a very well written book. I refer to it often.

Perfect book to start a Spaniel toward being a solid field dog. Great insight for the handler just getting into training a flushing dog. I recommend this book the first time trainer, as a refresher course for the occasional trainer and a guide book for starting to train a new breed of dog.

Good comments about cockers

I really wanted to like this book but I’m sorry to say it is so old fashioned. This book is so out of date it is scary to think people think this is the way to train dogs. If you do get this book or have this book please please do not ever grab your dog by its scruff or ever hold it by the skin under its jaw and shake it. You might not be physically hurting your dog but mentally you will and you will never have a happy dog. Just think how you would feel if someone was speaking to you and then they grab you by your collar and shake you because they think you aren’t listening. In future you would make sure that they think you are listening, but you wouldn’t enjoy being around them.I’d recommend “Absolutely positively gundog training” by Robert MilnerI’m a keeper and train happy gundogsPS you don’t need a rabbit pen to train your dog!

If you want a book to help you train you're dog in detail buy a Ed Martin DVD. This is very much a broad intro into dog training.Liked:-Good overview of how to progress from pup to FtCh- novice friendlyDisliked:-lots of wasted time reading stories about her dogs, with no real point.- mentions her background alot working for papers, went to Cambridge University and name dropping all over.

Generally a good book easy read and easy to follow training. Only gave four stars as sad to say that the author trots out the usual myth about Clumber Spaniels that they are unhealthy and can’t work, crediting the Zurick’s with ‘rescuing’ the breed. The foundation bitch for the so called working Clumber came from the top ‘show’ kennel. As for health focussing on one aspect, in this case hip scoring does nothing to improve the breeds overall health. A considerable number of longstanding Clumber owners have done much to improve the health of the breed in different aspects and continue to both work and show their dogs without trying to make them into a Springer.

Author has put lots of effort to put her knowledge about training working spaniels into an easy to read and follow book. It focuses on training a dog from puppy to taking it to fields trails or rough shooting. It still takes some knowledge and experience to follow her steps though. Prior hunting and dog training experience is helpful while reading this book, although not mandotary.I also wish that hunting aspects would be covered in more details. As it happens such training books tend to stop at you training your dog and then taking it for first hunts or trails for the first season. It somehow fells a bit short on advancing your dog in future seasons to come and avoiding difficult situations for a young god.Readers outside of UK should also take a note that part of the book is discussing high pheasant shooting type of hunts mostly relavant to UK hunting. Although this reading does give quite a few advices on how to avoid spoiling young dog training in rough shooting and other wild game hunts.

As a total beginner to Gundog training, I ordered this in the hope it would shed light on the basics; with a clear definition of terms and training techniques. I wasn't disappointed! The writing is clear, informative and written with a sense of humour; something I like seeing in training guides. Would reccommend.