Books

By Bill Rath

February 2003

Training Your Retriever, by James Lamb Free (1949, 336 pages) is the

classic guide to retriever training. I have the sixth edition published in 1977, so you can see

that the book has some permanence. Free writes from a hunter’s perspective and explains

each step in the training process very clearly. There is a section on field trial statistics if

you are in to this kind of stuff.

Water Dog (1964, 179 pages), Game Dog (1983, 203 pages) and Family Dog (1963,

150 pages) all are by Richard A. Wolters. They are part of his series on dog training and

are written for the person with a limited amount of time for training. These books assume

everything goes as planned and offer very little help when things go astray.

At first glance, The Working Retrievers (1983, 257 pages) by Tom Quinn might be

considered a “coffee table” book because of its large format. In addition to being an

accomplished trainer, Quinn is also a very good artist. Quinn covers the entire range of

training, from puppy selection to advanced competition. There are also chapters on health,

buying and selling dogs and hunting and habitat.

Training Retrievers to Handle (1979, 133 pages) by D. L. and Ann Walters gives you

the A to Z of training to retrievers to handle. The Walters begin with a chapter on

“Training Yourself as a Handler” and then move from simple to complex handling drills. Each

step is clearly described and illustrated. This book is a must for the serious trainer!

Training the Retriever (1970, 183 pages) by J. A. Kersley is a book that I bought

used from who knows where. Kersley is a British writer and the book was first published in

London. This book approaches training a little differently. There is the normal “know your

dog” introduction, but the next subject covered is “scent and scenting”. This book gives you

a little different slant on retriever training.

While not a dog training book as such, the Dog Owners Home Veterinary Handbook

(1992, 423 pages) by Delbert G Carlson, D.M V. and James M. Griffin, M.D. is a required

book on any trainer’s bookshelf. The book is clearly written with lots of illustrations. There

is also a great index, both by subject and symptom.

If you want to get into your dog’s head, then The Body Language and Emotion of

Dogs (1986, 283 pages) by Myrna M. Milani is for you. A quote from the inside cover

summarizes the book: “A practical guide to the physical and behavioral displays owners and

dog exchange and how to use them to create a lasting bond.

While not a “retriever” training book, Bill Tarrant’s Best Way to Train Your Gun

Dog-The Delmar Smith Method (1977, 186 pages) has a good section on force breaking.

Although the book is written for bird dogs, the section on force breaking is universal and

applies to retrievers.