Positive Gun Dogs: Clicker Training for Sporting Breeds (Karen Pryor Clicker Books)

I bought this for a neighbor who was "training" his new dog by tethering it to the leg of his trampoline in the back yard so tightly that the dog couldn't even stand up all the way. The guy left him alone out there for a few hours, and I heard such pitiful, desperate barking and crying from a block away. Long story short, this guy was told by a gun dog trainer at the Dixie Deer Classic expo at the NC State fairgrounds that this was the way to train the dog to "come." Umm, what???It's long, long, long overdue for us to start using positive reinforcement training methods for our companion animals, whether it be horses, dogs, goldfish, whales, lions, or amoebas. I'm an animal-loving treehugger, but most of my friends are grumpy ol' rednecks who hunt and fish, and I think we'd all agree on this.If you were taught to train dogs using traditional methods, you may want to buy a couple other more general positive-reinforcement books along with this one. No clicker necessary; you can use a short word or a sound just as easily. The "click" or word is just a marker pinpointing the precise moment when the dog started doing what you want him to do, so he remembers why you're rewarding him in the long moments it takes you to dig a treat out of your pocket!A couple other really great books: "Don't Shoot the Dog" by Karen Pryor, "How Dogs Think" by Stanley Coren, and "The Other End of the Leash" by Patricia McConnell. If you read all three of these books, your dog won't just be a gun dog; he'll be a superhero! More to the point, he'll think *you're* a superhero!Oh, and also, it'll really impress your gun-dog friends when you can do things with your dog that they could never do with theirs. And then when you do it with *their* dogs too!

A little disappointed, it's an excellent starter book for someone new to positive reenforcement training in general but I was looking for a more in depth guide to gun dog training. Has some great information that I've been able to incorperate into my training. Great book to be able to pass to less experienced dog friends! Glad I bought it but look forward to there being more detailed guides in the future.

There are other R+ gundog books out there - you don't want those. You want this one. I've recommended this to so many people! It clearly explains both the how and the why in easily understandable terms. The gundog community is very much still pushing the traditional training methods (force fetch, use of an e-collar, etc.) so while training using the methodology and concepts in this book will put you in the minority at a hunt or trial, this is THE resource you will need to accomplish training a solid gundog that will perform or be competitive - and be happy while he's doing it.

This book does help open the door to training gun dogs with the clicker, which I am very much in favor of. However the book could be a little better organized and less theory oriented. I found the chapter that addresses the conditioned retrieve to be a bit weak, and I have yet to be convinced that the clicker will ever be a truly reliable replacement for electronics. I belive that it is a great tool to introduce cues to a dog, and that many behaviors can be shaped with the clicker. But let's be realistic here; A field full of wild pheasants will always be much more enticing to a gun dog than a piece of hotdog.

I have never been more disappointed with a how-to book than this one. The reason is there is much theory and nebulous how-to. This book was obviously written by behavioral scientists for behavioral scientists. I found their assertion that their methods "should work" to be laughable. Maybe they "should" have more evidence that this actually works for hunting dog training. Perhaps if I took the next few years off to pursue advanced behavioral science degrees, I could follow their methods inan organized way. I'm no dummy. I have advanced degrees myself but, alas, in practical a practical fied - engineering. The authors have missed the point that ultimately the trainer must grasp the process if the training is to be effective. The discussion is much too wrapped up in their own brand of arcane, technical jargon and vague, ill-defined concepts. It simply disorganized and fails as a  Positive Gun Dogs: Clicker Training for Sporting Breeds (Karen Pryor Clicker Books)Positive Gun Dogs: Clicker Training for Sporting Breeds (Karen Pryor Clicker Books) useful training guide.

Extremely disappointing. Decide for yourself, but in my opinion, this book is useless if you are looking for real positive clicker/gun dog training techniques, solutions and instruction. I was left wondering if the author had actually trained a GUN DOG with a clicker. It is an okay book for learning how to train your gun dog puppy to do basic obedience. The positive gun dog concept is great and one I encourage, but the book certainly does not live up to its own title.

I bought this book at the recommendation of dog trainers that said e-collars weren't necessary for a bird dog. The author states in several places that he hasn't tried these new techniques, but they "should" work on a dog. Come on, do some research before you write a book. Then give examples of how it "did" work rather than how it "might" work. The book also has some annoying printing errors. In some places the letters "ie" didn't print. So Field becomes f ld, etc. I ordered a replacement book for the printing error, but it had the same problem so I sent both books back for a refund.

This is a text book. It has so much great information on each page that I found that I could not read this sitting on the couch, I had to be at a table - studying what it was saying.

A present, disappointed, more like a magazine than a book. No colour pictures/photos, not what was expected.

This book is an excellent reference, having read it cover to cover I now go back and check it when I need to - it is set out extremely well so you can find the parts relevant to the stage of training you are at and it explains the training techniques beautifully - It's time we all moved on and trained our gundogs using positive methods isn't it! Well this is the book to take you there!

Clearly maps out a plan for gundog owners who want to use positive training - acknowledging and adapting best practice from traditional methods but using a route that makes complete sense, is in line with up to date thinking on how dogs learn, as well as ensuring both owner and dog enjoy the process.

What an absolute load of rubbish! There was nothing useful in this book, just reels.

A good structured an guided book for the positive build up of dummy traning! Very good for beginner as also advanced dog trainers!