Invariably when one finds oneself in the companionship of a bona fide bird dog, one feels immediately inadequate for the job at hand. The job of which I am speaking is bird dog training. It’s not until much later on that you realize that said bird dog has mostly trained you the owner. There is much written on the subject of gun dog training, but I find myself often drifting to the elder authors. Arguably, not much has been discovered in the last century about training dogs for hunting upland game. The sport is ancient and we can benefit much by studying writings from decades ago.

One such tome that I enjoy studying very much is the book entitled “Wing & Shot” by the late Robert Wehle. Not only was the book published before I was born (1964), thus making it old by my reckoning. It is still one of the most respected books and Robert Wehle himself one of the greatest students of bird dogs. He was most noted for his creation of the powerful line of english pointers – the Elhew Pointer. His knowledge and life studies of bird dog genetics make him an expert in the broadest sense. When you take a look at the list of champions from his kennels, you can see the proof is in the pudding.

In this age of DVDs and YouTube videos I highly recommend taking a winters eve or two this year to review some of these great bird dog training books. Bob Wehle is just one of many worthy authors on the subject. A recent search on eBay revealed many more bird dog training books for sale than I knew existed. Many of which are out of print and hard to find. The best example for my learning style I feel is still getting out and spending time with birds and bird dogs. There is no replacement for the real thing, the going and doing. But, there is always time for a good book by the fire perhaps after a fine hunt or long day. You will find new ideas and answers to your questions if you simply take the time to read a book.

I’ve been reading this great dog training book by seasoned bird-man Ben O. Williams. He lives in the heart of upland game hunting heaven in Montana and has logged more days in the field than I can even dream of. He’s also a Brittany dog breeder and famous gun dog trainer. Google has an electronic version of the book online for free – check it out. If your like me you’ll find that it’s a worthy addition to your book collection and swing over to amazon.com and order the real deal. Better yet, you can mail a check to Ben at P.O. Box 628 Livingston, MT 59047 and he’ll send you an autographed copy of “Bird Dog”. He has authored several other great titles about bird hunting and brittany dogs that I can’t wait to check out in the near future. Ben also writes some great articles for the good folks at “The Pointing Journal” if you subscribe to that great magazine.

After reading several Dog Training books I have identified this gem by Bill Tarrant as my very favorite. Besides the priceless knowledge and dog training experience that Bill brings to the subject, his easy writing style was a joy to read. The main thing that rang true with me was his humane methods and the common sense training with an emphasis on having fun with the pup. In a day and age of “train your dog in one night” schemes and speed training videos it’s not hard to get off on the wrong path. Bill Tarrant keeps you well-grounded and teaches you the basics about pack order and the natural instincts of your dog. By building on your dogs natural abilities Bill shows you how to bring a dog along without whips and shock collars.

I am still training my German Shorthair pups and a finished dog seems like a far off dream, but Bill’s methods have gotten me well on my way to a brag quality dog. One of my favorite games to play with my pups is the scent training drills where I drag a small peice of hotdog across the grass and teach the pup to use his nose to find the treat. There are many more great training drills in this bird dog training classic by Bill Tarrant. You can find it at most major bookstores or you can order it online at Amazon.com like I did for $19.95 with FREE shipping.

Having failed once to successfully train a new German Shorthair pup, I knew I needed to do a lot more research before I tried again. As I begin any research project I started online. I spent many hours lurking in the hunting forums and numerous dog training websites and even phone calls to reputable kennels. From all this research I compiled a list of six books that were recommended as required reading. I am sure there are many more great books out there, but this is my starting point.

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