Force-Free Gundog Training: The Fundamentals for Success Paperback – September 10, 2019

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.

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!

This truly is one of the best force free gun dog book around. What makes it so good is the thorough coverage of hunt training. The retrieve training is priceless and I attribute my dog's success to training with this method. I look forward to advancing my dog's skills as we make our way through the numerous exercises. Don't hesitate to get this book it is a winner and a keeper. All the methods and reasons make so much sense.

I've read almost every book on positive, reward-based gun and hunt dog training. This is the best. Too many force-free training books concentrate on the why of force-free training rather than giving step-by-step practical methods that help you and your dog achieve success.This book is well organized, a good read, and the methods worked really well. If you can buy just one book to follow for force-free gun dog training, buy this one.

Jo Laurens provides step by step clicker training and "free shaping" that will give your dog good basic obedience training as a foundation for gun dog training. Her explanations are clear and concise and help you to understand the science and theory behind what you're doing when you're working with your dog. I highly recommend this book for anyone training dogs for gun work or just as a pet.

This is a well thought out book that makes force-free dog training a digestible topic for anyone seeking the information! No matter where your current dog training/bird dog training is at, This book will greatly benefit you! Jo does a wonderful job explaining dog learning behavior in the weight translates into the hunting world.

Very easy to read and understand. The examples used are very helpful and I have gained many ideas about how to improve my training plans. She also answers and explains material and concepts others don’t!

Good ideas like not letting the dog chase and self satisfy when you are not ok with correcting them for this behavior latter. However there is too much of the book dedicated to heeling, recall, and fetch which is available from other sources. It would have been better to spend more time on gun dog specific tasks.