Best Hunting Dog Training Books (2024 Updated)

Richard Wolters changed the bird dog training world forever with the publication of Gun Dog. This tome is still useful all this time later. Should be on every birders bookshelf.

I was so glad to find a copy of this book. I have a friend that has a pup and I highly recommend this book in order to train his dog. I have used it on two of my own and they were both great dogs and very easy to train with the instructions in the book.

I had loaned my copy out to someone years ago and never got it back. I bought a copy for myself and another for my friend with the new pup. Absolutely the best book I have ever seen with great results.

SHORT AND SWEET! BEST BOOK WRITTEN ON TRAINING A BRITTANY PUPPY (IF YOU WANT A WELL TRAINED DOG). I’VE HAD 5 BRITTANY’S IN THE LAST 30+ YEARS, USED THE BOOK (FAITHFULLY) AND IT WORKS! GOOD LUCK!

I have not trained a puppy since 1994, things have changed! This book had some great ideas examples and pictures. Some of it is complicated or difficult to do. This trainer is a stay at home person, I dont have time to hand feed every meal of kibble.

Its hard to retrain old habits, like only use the dogs name for good, not when they are doing something bad. So got a good start w puppy but will be going to a live trainer to help train me.

Easy to understand and follow training for a dog. Our border collie quickly picked up on all the skills outlined in this program and it really worked. The closer you follow the plan the better your dog will be.

No ‘constricting’ collars are physical/verbal reprimanding a very gentle approach to training your dog.

It’s been 8 years since I reared a puppy and I was looking for a “refresher. ” I’m not interested in the extensive narrative, I want concise instructions for the basics. I had to dig too long to get the information I needed.

This book was recommended to me by a trainer whom I respect. I immediately ordered it then read some reviews which were not exactly glowing recommendations. Now that I have been using it for a couple of weeks the training is going well and the results are starting to come.

It may have been written a couple of decades ago but the techniques remain totally valid and Spaniels brains havent changed a lot in that time.

An excellent read for anyone who is training their spaniel to work in the field. Simple clear concise directions and do’s and dont’s. Perfect whether you are an experienced spaniel handler or just a beginner – the book is primarily aimed at dogs that will be worked in the field however but is ideal for training even the pet spaniel.

Joe fully explains the drive and natural hunting ability spaniels have and need to use to keep them happy dogs so techniques can be adopted accordingly. There is nothing complicated and its one step at a time.

A great book to dip and out of if you have a problem training or want to start from scratch.

Its a bit old but the basics do not change and he is quite right about a lot of things you wouldnt think about.

It works! I’ve been using the techniques in this book to train our 6 month old Labrador puppy to come to a whistle since she was 4 months old. I am a petite woman with a small voice, and want to be able to recall her at the beach where it’s loud and she can get far away from me.

I bought an Acme dog whistle which I love. I’m proceeding very slowly and using treats like roast chicken, just like Pippa says, and I am so pleased with the results. Takes patience not to progress too quickly! Worth it.

Having bought Pippa Mattinsons The Happy Puppy Handbook, which has recently become my reference and instruction bible after my Cavapoochon arrived, I needed to expand and continue learning so that I can make sure my puppy has a solid recall, and comes to my signal whenever I need her to.

I read reviews on this author’s book on the subject of recall, and once again I found that it’s very highly regarded, and even though I’m only two chapters in to Total Recall, I too think it’s brilliant.

She has such a style about her writing that makes you feel as if she were there talking to you, with practical, calm advice tinged with a bit of humour. always a good sign. Whenever I’ve had problems with my puppy, and I’ve had lots, I’ve looked to Pippa’s books for advice and every single time she has covered the subject in depth and guides the reader to realise what went wrong and how to correct it.

because it’s never your dog at fault, simply the owner!! I can heartily recommend this book.

very well written – easy to understand and makes perfect sense. very good explanations for situations where people normally go wrong (and why). dispelled a lot of myths.

Zak George is so relatable as a dog coach that you can’t help but love him, You feel you can actually do this stuff and it will work and then magically it does. He doesn’t act like he’s perfect and never gets it wrong either so it takes a lot of pressure off.

I love the methods he uses, they work and they are kind both to the dogs and to us. So glad Zak came along and proved all those alpha wolf believers wrong and gave us a new way to move forward in training our beautiful dogs.

This book is a great resource for any dog parent wanting to ensure they can successfully train their dog in a respectful way and get great results. I used this book from the first day our new pup joined our family, he is now 18 months old and I receive so many compliments on how well behaved he is and how smart he is.

Great book, would use it again with any new pups or older dogs that join the family.

Zak’s videos are great, yet having a book you can study or quickly reference really helps pull it all together. Playing and pausing the videos with a dog in training mode looking at you means you spend more time looking at your phone or laptop than with the dog, which makes a really crappy training session for you and your dog.

I found myself taking notes from the videos to have beside me when working on the various training exercises. This helped but as Zak always promotes the book as a way to help support his excellent free videos I thought why not.

It is a great book and whilst the internet is great and pretty much all the points and lessons in the book can be read online in some form or another. I found having a single collection of collated information from a person who continuously demonstrates he knows what he is talking about to really help focus my efforts and get results.

Plus, even if you don’t read it, it is a few bucks Zak’s way to help him continue making his free videos :).

My entire family loves Labs, but–as most people who own Labs know–this breed requires an iron hand in a velvet glove when it comes to training, whether you want a housepet or a hunting dog. I originally purchased this book new from a bookstore in 1965 and have used it to train every Lab puppy to cross my threshold since then (five in all).

The last Lab we owned came to live with us when she was 13 weeks old. She’d lived with a littermate until then, and had some habits (like excessive barking) I’d never encountered in my six-week old puppies.

Since she grew to be a very large Lab (90 pounds of solid muscle), it’s a good thing I had “Water Dog. ” Like most Labs, she was eager to please and within three weeks we’d cured the barking and she was obeying the commands: Sit, Stay, Come and Down.

She became a beloved housepet and was my youngest child’s most faithful companion for more than 12 years. Over the first six months, this wonderful Lab learned an impressive variety of commands, including “Wait, Hide, Seek, Back, Shake and Over.

” I credit “Water Dog” with creating such an absolute joy out of a Lab who could easily have become a problem dog. If you own a Lab (or any large breed, in my opinion), do yourself and the dog a favor and get your hands on this book.

When the Lab I mentioned above passed away two years ago. I still miss her. I loaned my original copy of the book to my married son who had just been gifted with a Lab puppy. I ordered this second copy for my son-in-law who also owns a puppy from the same litter.

If I ever own another Lab, I’ll buy another copy of Water Dog for my own use again.

I have used the book Water dog to train 4 labs. It is unbelievable how easy it is using this book. It really brings out their intelligence and their need to please. The book even has humor. I have also trained rottweilers and German shepherds using the methods in this book.

I bought this book years ago to train my first Lab and gave it to a youngster to have to train his dog. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has intentions on hunting your dog. It WORKS!!!

Mike explains in simplistic understandable terms. things that dog owners need to know and do. I’ve started retraining my 3yr old Deerhound Lurcher and his RETREIVE methods are ” spot on ” Cheers Navy Seal.

I’m about 1/3 of the way through the book. Mike is a great trainer and it is good to get to see his views and learn from his experience.

Easy to read, clear instructions

I purchased this book to brush up on my training techniques. I’ve trained two Labs in the past and have been without a dog for about six years now. My last dogs were great to hunt with but after reading this book I realize how much I was missing.

This without doubt, is the go to book for training your Lab to hunt waterfowl, it is difficult to put it down once you begin turning the pages. I can’t wait for my new friend and hunting companion to arrive and to put the principles gathered from this publication to the test.

Thank you, Richard Wolters, for taking the time to “Train” me.

My dog is 5 months old now and already a great duck hunter. I read 3 other recently written books and none touch this one. It is the bible of dog training- every duck hunter I know that has trained their own dog has read this and used its methods.

I adopted a 2 year old Boarder Collie and found that he’s had some training. The advice and technics described in the book is very helpful in teaching him more. Things look good as this breed is known at the smartest of all and he’s proving it.

Explains training activities clearly to all levels. I have 2 chihuahuas & they love the training exercises & are progressing well. Not only good for training but helps you to understand dog behaviours.

Makes trsining fun for owners as well as dogs.

It was easy to find and it has helped with my dog. This is written in English and everyone can follow it step by step. The one thing I wish it could do is train the dog for me but seeing it is just a book it gives me great ideas instead.

My five month old Australian Shepherd Grady has his whole life in front of him and I bought How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend to make sure I can give him the best possible start. In a very well written and interesting way the author s (The Monks of Skete/Mark Goldberg) makes the case about the importance of understanding the true nature of dogs.

By balancing praise and correction dogs are happier as they learn to respect you as a fair and just pack leader. I particularly like the many personal, first hand examples of the dogs the author has trained, including those dogs with problems that have been re-trained.

Haven’t finished reading this book yet, but can hardly put it down and know it will be a great reference for the future. If there is any downside, I do wish the black and white photos were color and of better clarity.

Don’t be fooled by the title, this is not positive reinforcement based training manual, it fits squarely under the traditional choke-chain methods. The monks don’t believe in using treats for training and advocate physical punishment.

There is some good information within, but their attitude toward discipline ruins it for me. Because of the controversy this edition no longer recommends the alpha roll over, but still the recommended ‘shakedown’ and the ‘chin cuff’ leave more than a bad taste in my mouth.

How hard should you hit your dog? According to the monks “. a good general rule is that if you did not get a response, a yelp or other sign after the first hit, it wasn’t hard enough. ” they also state that you need “surprise and a flair for the dramatic” If you feel comfortable with this sort of thing then you may like this book, but if like me you don’t want your dog cowering in the corner or obeying just out of fear, then steer clear and spend your money elsewhere.

Although some of the training techniques may not necessarily work for every situation, if nothing else you will gain incredible insight into how the dog mind works. I keep buying this and giving it to friends who adopt new rescues, just to get them off on the right foot.

Clearly the Monks are successful not only at raising top-notch GSDs but also rehabilitating all sorts of family canines. I would love to go visit one day and see things in person.

I bought this book as a gift for my son who is considering an upland pointing dog. Gun dog was published before he was born but I remember it as the single gun dog training guidance in my home as a young hunter.

My father trained setters and beagles using this book and I know the straight-forward methods decribed in the book work! For anyone starting a dog training program I believe this book has the right guidance not only to to begin but to maintain a sensible and effective approach throughout the life of the gun dog.

After reading part of it, I realized Family Dog, by the same author, was what I actually wanted. This guy knows and loves dogs.