Customer Reviews

Pointing Dogs Made Easy

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a remarkably fine book on the philosophical under-pinnings of all dog training, with emphasis on bird dogs. Humorous, well-written, interesting. Not a "how-to-do-it" book,this should be read (repeatedly) in conjunction with other more step-by-step books on dog training. Title is misleading.Mulak's approach isn't easy,but it is effective,rational, and fun. A mandatory purchase for all interested in the subject.

First, let me confess that I've quickly become a big fan of Steven Mulak. I like the cadence of his writing, the wisdom he shares, and his down-to-earth approach with hunting dogs. I LOVED "Pointing Dogs Made Easy." It's entertaining and insightful about some very general principles of dog psychology and hunting philosophy. But as I began reading the book, I had to adjust my expectations. When the subtitle says that it will talk about "How to Train . . . Your Bird Dog," I expected more training details. For example, he emphasizes the importance of a dog being under control in the field and responding to "whoa." That's fine, but he doesn't tell the reader how to accomplish that goal with a typical dog. I recently read "A Brief Autumn's Passage" (loved that one too), and actually picked up more training tips from that book. I was exceedingly frustrated by one chapter in which Mulak spends several pages telling the reader why he likes autumn. Thoughts about the joys of autumn are fine, but I bought this book to learn more about training a bird dog. If you're looking for a lot of detail to guide you in training your puppy, you're not going to find it in this book. But you WILL find a lot of folksy wisdom and interesting stories. The book doesn't deliver on the promises in its title, but I recommend it highly anyway!

I am not much of a reader. But I could not put this book down. Excellent stories!! I will continue to look for other books by this author!!

A very entertaining read with plenty of education on pointing dog training. Most of the lessons are anecdotal, but this book will certainly help anyone who's training a bird dog. He does admit that the best book he knows for training is Gun Dog by Wolters which I also recommend. Steven Mulak writes wonderful short stories on bird hunting and for those stricken with the upland hunting "bug", his books are a must for your library. Mulak is to bird hunting as Gierach is to fly fishing. There is a sense that these two authors understand why the reader is so obsessed with these outdoor activities and they are adept at passing this on to the reader. It feels as if you are accompanying the author on his hunting trips, experiencing the point and the flush. Mulak is able to pass his love for upland hunting to the reader. Pointing Dogs Made Easy is a must read for anyone who owns or trains bird dogs.

This book is an entertaining read and I certainly feel like I learned from it and will be a better dog trainer because of it. However I had expected to recieve a book that had less anecdotes and general ideas and more practical tips and instruction. I guess it alls comes down to what you're looking for; if you want to hear a story and pick up a few hints and ideas this is your book, if you want to take your dog out to the field and teach him to go hunting with you this book will help but there must be better ones out there.