RetrieverTraining.Net - the RTF banner

Books - Wolters, Milner & Dokken - if you could pick 2?

7K views 21 replies 13 participants last post by  Scum Frog 
#1 ·
If you could pick 2 out of these three books, which two would it be?

Wolters - Game Dog
Milner - Retriver Training: A Back to Basics Approach
Dokken - Tom Dokken's Retriever Training: The Complete Guide to Developing Your Hunting Dog

I have trained a Labrador hunting companion in the past and I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself.
I'm older and hopfully wiser now just starting with my second Lab ( she is 7 weeks!)
 
#3 ·
#5 ·
Several threads on training materials, just do a search. The most popular are Mike Lardy Total Retriever Training articles & DVDs (my personal choice), Evan Graham's Smartworks, and Rick Stawski's Fowl Dogs DVDs. These are geared more toward the hunt tester/field trailer but I wouldn't train any other way even if all I wanted was a hunting dog.

Out of the three you mentioned I am only familiar with Wolters and Milner's books. Both have their really good tidbits of information but Wolters is very outdated and perhaps the same can be said about Milner. I do like Milner's book. It is simple and it I think it will produce a fantastic hunting dog.

Why limit yourself to these three books though? There's a lot better material out there IMO. For puppy stuff I used Bill Hillmann's "Training a retriever puppy" and "Fetch Command" and for advanced stuff I have used Mike Lardy's TRT. Both of those are sponsors of RTF so just click on the ads at the top of the page. However, I tend to read everything I can get my hands on from Milner's current "positive only" stuff to old school training books.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the feedback. Lardy seems to be a popular choice. I'll have to check him out.
I try to collect as much reading material as I can both hardcopy and softcopy to apply various techniques and points of view to my training.
 
#10 ·
The advice I got (and didn't follow at first) was to soak up as much knowledge as you can from various sources but stick with one training program and follow it to a tee. From a new trainer to a new trainer, I am giving you the same advice. Pick one and stick with it.

Thanks for the feedback. Lardy seems to be a popular choice. I'll have to check him out.
I try to collect as much reading material as I can both hardcopy and softcopy to apply various techniques and points of view to my training.
 
#15 ·
Scum Frog,

All Raymond was trying to state was that it is best to train a dog sticking to a program and following it as closely as possible, until you reach your training destination.

Although there are many programs out there, not all combinations of steps will mesh together well.

You are correct that there are many variables when training a dog and not all dogs will respond the same to the identical set of conditions. But when you introduce even more variables by mixing and matching, it can be a formula for a very confused dog.

Raymond's point was that it is best to stick to one primary building plan to build your first full structure (or 10). After you have successfully built some structures, you can begin to augment and experiment, bringing in other variations of the building plan that make sense. To do so prematurely is to introduce variables that may create a weak foundation, or a faulty finished product.

That's all he's saying. I agree.

Many are having luck doing the Hillmann puppy stuff, transitioning to Lardy's material after. Good luck...have fun. Welcome to RTF.

Here's a suggestion, take the gems and nuggets of freebie value gladly. Leave the sand and shale that you have to sift through here, and don't let it bug you. Don't take it personally. Just take the value and move on. When you have time, feel free to pay it forward and help build a bridge for the next guy that comes along and may need help spanning the tide.


Chris
 
#20 ·
Scum Frog, I have and continue to mentor 5-6 young guys who only wanted"Meat Dogs" but didn't understand exactly how to get there on their own. Many of us started out with preconceived ideas about training, myself not withstanding. I tried the "Soup Sandwich" training program and it didn't work. TRT had just come out on VHS and it revolutionized the way dogs were trained. I have memorized the "Flow Chart" Lardy uses over the course of 15 years but now skip steps or jump around depending on what kind of dog I have in training. Oh, I train those "Meat Dogs" so please don't take the terminology as a slight.

Welcome to RTF
 
#22 · (Edited)
Thanks for all the feedback guys!

Pup is doing well in her first week home. Crate training, housetraining and getting socialized are the order of business and she is doing great.
She is responding well to the limited puppy retrieves using a 4 " paint roller :p
.....and she slept through the night lastnight!

We have a couple Retriever clubs locally I plan to hook up with.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top