Building a Retriever Fourth Edition by Carol F. Cassity

Over fifty drills and a section of best training practices and principles.

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Copyright 2025, 179 pages, softcover, color photos and illustrations

With over 50 drills and a section on best training practices and principles, Building A Retriever Fourth Edition is a book that will help any retriever trainer develop their dog to his fullest potential. Each drill includes step-by-step directions, a diagram, problem/solution chart, materials list, and a rational description. Particular attention is paid to selecting drills that are within the means of most amateur trainers.

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments

Introduction

MORE: A collection of practical advice and principles of dog training

Teach, Not Test
Other Training Tidbits
Puppy Stuff
Explanation of Levels: Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced
A Quick Word About E-Collars

DRILLS:

Phase One -- Obedience, Line Work and Team Building
1. Holding Blind Drill
2. Clockwork
3. Remember Me?
4. Where's Waldo
5. Swing With The Gun
6. Head-Swinging Drill
Phase Two -- Marking
1. X Marking Drill
2. Split X Marketing Drill
3. Walk-Away Marks
4. Ontario Ten-Step
5. Diversion Mark Drill
6. Depth Perception Marketing Drill
7. Depth Perception Drill Two
8. Double Drill
9. Creamsicle
10. Inline Marks
11. Wipe-Out Marks
12. Channel Marks
13. ABCD Marking Drill
14. Slot Marks
15. Two-Along-The-Shore-Marks
Help Guidelines for Marks
Phase Three -- Handling
1. Ladder Blinds
2. Wagon Wheel
3. First Look
4. Push-Pull
5. Pile Work - Problem and Solution Chart
6. Pile Work - Baseball
7. Pile Work - Back Pile
8. Pile Work - T Drill
9. Christmas Tree Drill
10. Straight Back
11. Back vs. Angle Back Drill
12. Come-In Whistle Drill
13. Progressive Blinds - School Blinds
14. Swish Drill
15. Interrupted Double Drill
16. Four Phase AKA Blind Diversion Drill
17. Cast Off
18. Looking Glass
19. W Drill
20. MW's Influential Lining Drill
21. Three In A Row
22. Zig Zag
23. Bird Boy Blinds
24. Over Parallel To Shore
25. Holding Blind Blinds
26. Back Parallel To Shore
27. Cast Over Into Water / Through An Obstacle
28. Poison Bird
29. Chair Drill
30. Tune Up Drill
31. Split or Bucket Drill
32. Tight to the Gun Handling Drill

MORE MORE:

List of Drills by Level of Difficulty
NEVER STOP DOING THESE DRILLS--LIST
Training Group Etiquette
The Best Stuff
Sample Log
About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Review Summary

5.0

49 Reviews

97.96% (48)

2.04% (1)

0% (0)

100% Recommend this product (49 of 49 responses)

By Nicola

Chicago, IL

Building a Retriever - Drills and More

August 14, 2023

Great book tons of drills, easy to follow instructions and tips.

Pros

Love that it is a paperback so I can mark up pages and make notes

By Tony

San jose, CA

Great drills for teaching you retriever to handle

December 30, 2023

Well lady out illustrations and directions for all drills.

Pros

Great tips for problem-solving fore each drill. Great concepts for teaching handling. I can run the S drills in my local park, so you do not need a lot of open space to teach these concepts

By Morris C.

Madisonville, Tx

Great Resource

September 12, 2023

This is a great resource and Gun Dog Supply has been nothing but wonderful to work with!!

By Marty G.

Must have in you Library

July 14, 2023

I love this Book!! A great compilation of so many retriever drills. Easy read and I love the diagrams. Makes understanding the drills easy and clear. This is a must have for your training library.

By Victoria C.

Vienna, Va

The tools I need to train my retriever

October 26, 2022

This book was recommended to me by my retriever club and is just what I was looking for. Contains lots of training drills with detailed explanations. Highly recommend !

By Paul

North Carolina

Have a plan

October 19, 2022

I had a judge recommend this book of drills after chatting with him after an HRC test. It is gold. Great drills for all levels and ways to build on each skill. Helps to have a solid plan before your training sessions. This book is a must have.

Pros

Simple and drills that can be built on as skills progress.
Drills for specific areas to work on

By Zach

St Charles, Missouri

Absolute requirement for advanced retriever training

July 30, 2022

This book give you lots of practical drills to advance your retreiver at home. Every drill has diagrams and is well detailed.

Pros

Simplifies training plans

By Shawn

North Carolina

Available and in stock.

January 19, 2022

Gun Dog Supply was the only place I was able to find it in stock and available.

Pros

In stock and fast delivery.

Cons

None.

By Leslie S.

Wonderful resource

December 7, 2021

This was recommended to me by a friend. I'm new to field and I have enjoyed reading this very informative book. I would recommend it to anyone.

Pros

Very easy to follow

By Scott

Indiana

Drills for Dummies, a Step by Step guide to training your retriever

August 12, 2021

This has to be one of the most in depth, descriptive training manual on the market. The manual is full of drills and how-too's. You will not be disappointed.

Pros

Numerous, descriptive, step by step drills

Cons

I wish Carol would write a book specifically on pressure conditioning. When to use and how to use the eCollar effectively and Humanly. Most books on the market shy away from this.

By Biff E.

Butte Montana

great drill book

August 10, 2021

This is my retriever training Bible. Very detailed drills and how to run them.most of the drills have 3 levels of difficulty which allows you to tailor your training session to your pups level.

By Deb

Recommended by many as the must-have training book

July 5, 2021

The drills in particular have been cited by many in the Toller community and beyond. We look forward to using these for our amazing bird dog :-)

By Customer

seattle

book

June 26, 2021

very good book i didn't know you needed a second person to throw birds have not got poppers

By Wendy

Great layout

April 27, 2021

This book has so many great drills. I love how it is laid out with a purpose of the drill, drawings, what to do if it's not working, etc. Every waterfowl handler should get this, especially dogs that do hunt tests!

By John

Virginia

Great Book

January 29, 2021

I was looking for new things to teach my dog and this book had wonderful new things I could work on with him, we both are learning!

By Glen

Arkansas

Awesome training tool

January 29, 2021

Very detailed instructions covering pretty much every aspect of training a hunting dog!Easy to follow with pictures, and diagrams in abundance.

By Pat

Michigan

Building a Retriever - Drills by Carol F. Cassity

September 6, 2020

Love this book! Has so much information and easy to use.I spiral bound mine to make it easier to fold open.This is my third book for this 3rd edition.

Pros

Love the book.

By Ian N.

Charleston, SC

Great!!!!!

September 3, 2020

Very easy to follow along!! Some training books that I have purchased in the past have left me more confused than prior to buying the training books!! This particular book is perfect in regards to being informative, fun and easy to follow along. Regardless of how far along your dog is there is something for him/her in this book.