( 15 reviews )
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Posted: Jun 4 2009
I had been told that this is the "Bible" of dog training. The people who told me this are correct. Plain spoken, easy to understand instructions that will be a great help when I get my new puppy on Saturday.
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Posted: May 12 2009
I just got my dog and now i'm fully prepared to train her. This book is old, but its funny and very practical.
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Posted: May 5 2009
admit it: since this book was written in 1964, many talented trainers have put out some awesome retriever training books & DVD's. This one belongs in the past. The problem is, I do agree with some of what Wolters writes. But when I disagree, and it is OFTEN, it is about important stuff. Now, I am not an all-positive, never-correct trainer. But Wolters' attitude seems to be to assume the dog "knows better". His approach is just awful, and for the life of me I don't know why it still gets recommended so much. I have been told by field people with more time in dogs than I have that this book has ruined more nice dogs than any other. But don't take my word for it: talk to some serious retriever/hunt test/field trial people, and ask what THEY think of it. Look online for a list to join, a bulletin board, etc., and ask. I mean really, even with "classics" in any given subject, a book nearly 50 years old has GOT to have some shortcomings. No matter what the subject, If we haven't learned any more about it in 45 years, then nobody has been doing anything in that field. Knowledge always grows, expands, except in the dark recesses of Wolters' books. In 1964, the field of animal behavior and learning theory was just getting it's chops. And YES, we have learned a TON since then about how dogs learn and the best ways to teach them. If you want to educate your retriever AND build a trusting relationship, PLEASE, look at some other options: 10 Minute Retriever by Amy Dahl Hey Pup Fetch It Up (an older book, but really good) by Bill Tarrant Mike Lardy's stuff--all of it! Keep looking!
