Customer Reviews

Training Retrievers for the Marshes and Meadows

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before, during and continuing with the training of my current yellow Lab, I have read quite a few books on the subject. I wish I would have had this one sooner! Easy to read and great instruction all in one book.

After 21 years training rare retrievers (The Curly Coated), I found this book to be the most helpful I've ever read. Spencer actually recognizes that there are differences not only in the retriever breeds but among individuals in those breeds. A very wonderful book full of practical, down-to-earth training methods written by an author who recognizes dog training is an art, not a science. Will someday be on the dog training classics shelf along with James Lamb Free and others.

Well thought-out, well presented and very comprehensive, this is a marvellous book for the owner-trainer of any breed of retriever who has the time and patience to work with his/her dog at their own speed. I have recommended this book to all my puppy buyers ever since I read it when it first came out. I am very glad that it is soon to available in a second, enhanced edition.

This book is the best single hunting retriever training book for the amateur trainer in existence. Unlike many other books, Spencer not only gives common sense easy to understand steps to follow, he also explains WHY steps must be followed in this manner and what pitfalls are possible if they aren't. Why is this book unavailable????

I found out about this book in 1991 shortly after I had gotten a Lab puppy that I wanted to train to be a working dog.

I had read all the popular books at the time, but none made it clear to me - what I needed to make clear to my dog !!

I met a man on Compuserve who raised and trained working retrievers in the Midwest. He highly recommended this book, but it was difficult to find, and in those days we did not have "AMAZON.COM".

Anyhow, I finally got the book and my dog Molly became the best working dog I have ever had the pleasure to hunt with. She was nothing short of amazing at spotting birds down, and she could easily blind retrieve the ones she did not see fall (almost always a double).

This book also taught me the concept and importance of teaching "force training" for retrieving, and it indeed works.

Molly is 15 yrs old now and is "retired", but if she was physically able she would hunt with me tomorrow.

So my strong advice here is get this book if you have a young dog that you want to be well trained and a pleasure to hunt with. Also, well trained dogs make MUCH better and happier pets!!

-- Cain

I have read three books and numerous articles on do it yourself retreiver training. This book is by far the best written and easiest to understand. It gives practical instruction in layman's terms. I reference it often in the training of my Lab, Jennie, who is retrieving ducks quite well in the south Louisiana marshes.

This book is excellent, well written and informative. Highly recommend you add this to your training library! This book was in excellent condition when I received it, and it was shipped timely

I am a big fan if Jim Spencer's writings, he writes in a very conversational tone about a topic that may seem simple but is much more complicated than many realize. He does a great job of breaking down a topic so that the reader understands the why behind each training element. This is a must read for all interested in learning the basics of training a retriever. There are many other books that are more in-depth or technical that are worth the money, but for a beginner this is the place the start!

James B. Spencer's Training Retrievers For Marshes And Meadows will hold a specific appeal for hunters who use retriever dogs in their work. Beginners are taught how to gain rapport and train dogs, from basic obedience to training for the hunt - and receive instructions particular not only to retrieving in general, but to the breed.

I have bought a lot of retriever training books, and trained three family/hunting companion Labrador Retrievers, and this book is the best I have found. James Spencer has a very seasoned and practical approach to retriever training, with just the right amount of explanation for each area, in a step by step format. If I could only keep one retriever training book, this would be it.