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All,

I've got a French Brittany coming from Matt Keller Kennels. Pups were born this past Saturday. This is my first gundog and I'm looking for recommendations on books and DVDs on the subject. Went to Amazon and there were quite a few. Not sure where to start. The breeder is busy with a new litter of seven pups and I don't want to be a PIA.

I live in North Central AZ. Pursuits will be quail, dove and jump shooting ducks on stock ponds.

What do you guys recommend?

Thanks,

Dave

Probably better stuff out there now. But I used Richard Wolters gun dog training methods. Read his books and his methods worked for me. Hasbeen

There really is no single best book or video, they are like teachers where some are better than others at teaching a given aspect. I have a couple dozen books and even more pamphlets and articles on dog training of which some go back a few centuries. There are some that get referenced more often than others though.

One of the more often referenced is NAVHDA's "green book" which is their training manual. I particularly like it for tracking, water work, steady to flush, and especially the use of the training table. Another book I use is Ken Roebuck's book on training pointing dogs. It is one I often refer to for staunch and steadiness. I combine it with Larry Mueller's book, "Speed Train Your Gun Dog" for bird introduction. I came into Bob Wehle's "Wing and Shot" after I developed my training regimen but it would be a good resource for someone starting out.

I don't know of any videos that are comprehensive enough to use as a sole source of training but they do help give a visual for what one reads. I have several from Gun Dog magazine mostly featuring Bob West. As mentioned, they aren't great for teaching a concept but they help visualizing.

The best source of information is joining a training group. My favorite is NAVHDA as they are pretty big with many chapters. There is a wealth of knowledge and information available in the group with plenty of minds and hands to help with the problems that will crop up. Between weekly training sessions, larger chapter sessions p, and seminars one has a lot of resources at their disposal including birds. I'm also a member of a couple local groups as they meet on different nights than NAVHDA. The caliber of dog work is not as high as NAVHDA locally but it is what one puts into it. It is a good group of people One of the others is a retriever group where I have access to good training water and people and equipment able to help with the demands of water work. It can be a good alternative to land work during the hottest part of the summer.

As a recap, pick a couple of books and read them. Do not be afraid to try others if something is not clear to you. Add videos specific to a given aspect of training as/if needed. Best of all, join a training group for invaluable help.

Richard Wolters never trained a dog...himself. Jack Jagota did all his training which he wrote about as his own.


Goggle up "Total; Retriever Training" by Mike Lardy. Mike training program is for the retriever breeds for field trials and AKC hunt tests what you can take from him program is the yard work and force fetch methods of which is the foundation all other future training builds upon.

Haven't read Mike Lardy's force fetch method. I will say that doing it has been instrumental in my last dog being my best though.

Guys,

Thanks for all the suggestions! It looks like I've got some reading to do, which I really enjoy anyways.

Thanks,
Dave

When I thought I was getting an FB I purchased Perfect Start/Perfect Finish. It comes highly recommended by people with pointing dogs. I have since put a deposit on an English Cocker Spaniel so if it’s something you would like I’d be willing to sell it for a reasonable sum. Congrats on the upcoming addition to your family. Dave

Excellent DVD set.

Lots of good books out there and you can pickup something from all of them. I have several of Wolters' books and also liked 10 Minute Retriever by John and Amy Dahl. I was just out to make a good gunning dog and wasn't looking for ribbons so take it for what it is worth. Just as important as solid reference material is a good e-collar and most importantly patience. Good luck with the pup.

Oh boy no you didn't say e-collar! Hell is about to rain down on you.

I use an e-collar but not at this point in the game. The dog must know commands and what you want and expect from first. But you can certainly start collar conditioning the dog now.