Force-Free Gundog Training: The Fundamentals for Success

As someone who has invested a lot of time, money and energy into learning and understanding dog training and behaviour…I honestly wish this book had been the first piece of training material I ever picked up. Most of this can be applied to good solid obedience training even if you never take it into gundog training. The information is crystal clear and engaging, it gives you a bigger picture understanding as to why things should be trained in certain ways and the benefits of doing so and it gives very clear sequences to teach the behaviours with troubleshooting along side which is invaluable. I am so so impressed and it has helped met to break down and plan how to achieve my training goals. You absolutely won’t regret this purchase. I would actually even recommend this book to anyone who owns a dog (and isn’t interested in competing or working them) and wants to improve their dogs ability to listen and engage with their owners above most other training guides

A fabulously comprehensive guide to force-free gun dog training! I bought for learning a solid clicker retrieve, not for a working dog, but for companion dog training. Everything is very well explained, a good range of cues, with helpful illustrations. There is a little about breed and genetics, also a clear and engaging introduction to the basics of learning theory - how a dog learns. There is a little on the ethics of why force free over other dog training methods. Jo Laurens is obviously very well read, freely sharing lots of useful knowledge. Her explanations on the importance of training methods are brief, pragmatic, not in a judgmental, or soap box stander way.A book that is accessible for whatever stage of your learning. Once read, it will gain a prestigious bookshelf place, already heaving with dog related books. 'Force Free GunDog Training' will sit next to my canine 'Bibles', of which there are only a few, it's far exceeded my expectations!

I have been eagerly awaiting the publication of this book and it has more than lived up to my expectations. There is no shortage of gundog training books, however finding one that wholeheartedly embraces training on a force free basis is a rarer find.Jo is a very experienced dog trainer and in this book she manages to convey her knowledge and expertise both clearly and concisely. The book starts from the basics and is structured in a logical and easily accessible format. It explains the reason behind doing things a certain way and the pitfalls to avoid. The training exercises are set out in detail and for additional clarity there are accompanying illustrations when required. Just as important, there are also sections on problem solving when things don’t quite go as expected. I know, from experience, that if you follow Jo’s training instructions step by step, the really do work.This book will provide inspiration and information for many hours of fun spent together with your dog, whatever the level of training standard your are striving for. Whether you have a pet dog or a working gundog, it is an invaluable resource and I have no doubt I will be referring back to it on many occasions.

What an absolutely amazing book! A must have for any gundog trainer. Firstly, as Jo covers very early on, force free is not synonymous with letting your dog run riot like a spoilt brat. This is not a preachy anti-traditional book. This is an excellent guide to training without needing to punish or intimidate the other half of your team. It’s about building a relationship, setting the dog up to win and preventing undesirable behaviours from becoming the norm. It’s an easy and enjoyable read and while some may think they are ‘past’ certain stages, there is always value in revisiting the basics and approaching things in a different way. The clicker retrieve training is the most in depth I’ve ever come across and it has made a world of difference in our delivery. For those already starting on the force free journey, Jo also gives a really interesting insight into treat delivery - what and how is appropriate - for each exercise. I simply cannot recommend this book enough.

I am in the middle of reading this book and am really impressed with how methodical and thorough it is. If you're the sort of person that likes a short book with lots of colourful pictures to break up the text, then this book won't be for you. It's quite a daunting size, but once you delve in every page is packed with information and very readable. You get your money's worth. Despite the content it's easy to navigate with some handy dividing pages which help when you want to jump to a specific section. The style of prose is forthright and decisive which definitely leaves me with a sense of confidence in the writer. As someone who wants to train their dog the fundamentals for fieldwork without using traditional methods, this is proving to be a no nonsense approach without any fluff.......although the little stick men and stick dog illustrations are worth the purchase alone!!

I am both a professional trainer and an owner of a rescue working cocker spaniel, who I would like to teach well enough, to pass gundog proficiancy tests.This book is exceptionally well written. It will appeal to interested pet owners and trainers alike, whether or not you want to train for working or just for fun.The opening chapters offer a well rounded introduction to training any dog. As such it will offer the completely novice dog trainer/owner everything they need to train their dog to a very high standard.The gundog specific chapters are easy to understand, laid out in a logical format and cover everything a budding gundog enthusiast would need to learn to teach their dog.I am looking forward to reading Jo's next book!Buy this book, you won't be disappointed :-)

I've read a lot of books on dog and field training. I think it's best to listen to multiple points of view and take what works for you from each. If you want to get into field or gun dog training, you should include this in your list of books to read.You can skip the parts that get a bit preachy about force-free and get right into the basics and move through to the retrieves. It's all great and can get you to look at training a bit differently or think of new ideas.

There's not that much out there on positive training for hunting dogs. I've read a couple other books, and so far this one has been my go to training book. Pair it with some basic obedience training, and you'll have an amazing all around family/hunting companion.My puppy is 5 months old and my neighbors and friends are always complementing me on how well behaved and responsive she is for being so young.The book does seem to lean more towards upland game hunting. But for the duck guys like me, the training is pretty universal. I just teach everything but the upland bird hunting training.I also recommend the work book. It's a great way to keep track of your progress in an organized way.

Very well written. Gives you the basic for starting your gundog to allow you the perfection that you need for testing and trialing. A must for those looking for other than traditional training methods I love not only that she spells it out but she highlights all the possible pit falls of your training and how to aviod them . She credits all the great educators that she has derived thIs method from . A good forever book!

Excellent read! This book reinforces my instincts that this is intuitively far, far superior way to train a gun dog. It give concrete instruction on how to proceed. There is theory on operant conditioning and then examples with clear instruction on how and why each step along the training program is being done. I didn't find myself experiencing gaps in steps and wondering, what? This IS the dog training textbook I've been looking for. Both me and dog are having a great time along this journey of training both of us the fundamentals of this sport in a way I can go to bed at night knowing both of us are having a wonderful time. Can't wait for Jo's next book on more advanced gun dog work!