Customer Reviews

Top Working Dogs: A Training Manual--Tracking, Obedience, Protection

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
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I 've raised and trained German Shepherds for the past 25 years, and am really impressed with the book TOP WORKING DOGS: A TRAINING MANUAL. I highly recommend it to anyone who plans on training a puppy or dog in tracking, obedience or protection work. Whether you're a person who just plans to train a pup basic manners and obedience for around the house, or if you're a top trainer, - I suggest you read this book! It covers all the phases of training and explains how to start puppies at a young age (which I thoroughly agree with) . The book is very easy to understand for a young or inexperienced trainer, yet it provides a lot of very good information for the experienced trainer or someone who wants to make a top working dog. Not only are problems that you may run into confronted, but several good solutions are given for each problem. All three areas of training- tracking, protection and obedience, - are thoroughly covered and are well illustrated. There are a lot of methods talked about in this book which I have never read before and that are very good. You can use this book to start training your puppy and it will take you through advanced training. It is refreshing to read a top training manual that is not heavy or boring - there are even some cute jokes in it! I like the author's psychological principles , too, - and if you follow his instructions you'll not only have a top tracking, obedience and protection dog, but will have a very meaningful relationship with your dog. On top of that, the whole training process will be enjoyable for you and your dog. I've learned some good training methods myself from this book and I always recommend it to anyone who buys my puppies, if they're interested in training.

I have owned this book since shortly after it was published, except for the short period of time when a local police dog-man "borrowed" it. I ended up repurchasing it! This book is solid and sound in content, and has information that will appeal to beginners and experts alike in the fields of tracking, obedience and man-work. I review it as a resource book whenever I need a fresh training idea for a dog or a group of trainers. I no longer loan it - I recommend you buy your own.

After purchasing many dog training manuals and finding them not quite up to snuff, I was very pleased to finally find a book which was comprehensive and authoritative. It breaks each area of the sport down and is easy to follow. The book is intelligently written.

Found the font size small, not that easy to read. However, the content is superb, if there is an updated version (training methods etc. change)I would be first in line.
It is so good to get a book from a pro, someone who's been there, done that, got the T shirt at the very highest level.

This book covers many different possible 'occupations' of a working dog, and is written clearly. Not many pictures, it is full of information. If you are considering raising a working dog, this book outlines the various levels and certifications you (the handler) and the dog will need to complete. If you are interested in learning about a particular aspect more, this book will provide a description of that occupation and what that occupation entails.

The 3rd edition (1994) of this book is VERY HARD TO READ. The font set is about 5 or 6 points, single spaced, very tightly packed. You need great eyesight and still must be ready for eyestrain. I can read anything up close, but this is the worst book, PHYSICALLY, I've ever had to read. Still, you can't fault the quantity of information and the first (brief) perusal makes me want to read more. I was dismayed when I opened the book so I'm giving you a heads up. I'm going to buy a magnifying glass.

I own an older copy of "Top Working Dogs", but this revision of 2012 makes a great book even better. I have not found any other guide for Schutzhund that is more useful than "Top Working Dogs". I think that all will benefit from it: the serious dog owner, the novice trainer, the seasoned competitor, the professional instructor, even the apprentice judge.
This book is brilliant, sound, well organized, and easily understandable, and the larger print makes it more readable. The author shares with us his intimate knowledge of dog behavior, and his communication, guiding, instructing and trouble-shooting skills. He gives the "how" and the "why", offering expert advice and explanations on teaching methods and problem solving with reference to psychological principles. Tracking, obedience and protection work are superbly described. I also like the new chapters on agility, learning, temperament, selection/care/maintenance of the Schutzhund, "Schutzhunding", etc.
So detailed and interesting, this book has helped me more than anything else I ever studied. In my opinion, this is the only book that can be called a Schutzhund Training Manual.

This book was very detailed and organized well for someone who is at least somewhat experienced with training dogs and the goal of schutzhund training. Not a good book for beginners with no experience in either.

Not a good for you if you intend to look at pictures. There are a few illustration but jam pack with information to train your dog. Nice book

This is an early release copy and I have no idea whether the official release will be any different, but this book has the worst formatting I've ever seen.

The book is laid out in two column format, with no spacing whatsoever between the paragraphs. Some paragraphs have indentations, some do not, the font and headings vary throughout the book. After p. 126 the format changes to the usual book format for about 10 pages and then it goes back to the two columns. It feels as if the publisher was trying desperately to save money and paper.

It is packed with wealth of information and maybe there are people there who won't be bothered by the layout, but for me it was a MAJOR hurdle. It took about 3-4 readings of the book to get over it. That said, this is the kind of book that I would hesitate to lend, because I might never see it again.

Update: I've been reading this book for a while now. It is definitely my favorite and the one I go back to the most. The author goes over everything one needs to know, even from a beginner's standpoint, starting with training and learing theory. He clearly spells out the "how-to" in each discipline, for example in the tracking section, he goes over weather conditions, exactly what needs to happen, how to lay down the track, what to take into consideration and so on. He outlines the issues that may arise when training your dog with practical suggestions on how to remedy the situation. On top of that, there are sections devoted on imprinting/starting to train your puppy in each discipline, which is very relevant to me right now and following that there are sections on beginner level training and advanced training. Once you get past the format, it is actually very engaging and easy to read. I also happen to own "Advanced Schutzhund" and I've had no desire to open it again after I finished reading it over 10 months ago.