Read Steve Snell's dog training collar reviews & more See Steve's Hunting Dogs
Gun Dog Supply's Hunting Dog Store
 
Shopper Award 
FREE SHIPPING on Orders $89+

You are here:  > Dog Training Equipment > Dog Training Books > Item # 3081

Building a Retriever Fourth Edition by Carol F. Cassity Book

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


popular
49 Reviews
$24.95






Usually ships the next business day.

Code: 3081
No risk to you. Your 100% Satisfaction is Guaranteed with our 30 Day "No Questions" Money Back Guarantee. Hassle-free returns & exchanges.

Building a Retriever back cover

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
  1. Teach, Not Test
  2. Other Training Tidbits
  3. Puppy Stuff
  4. Explanation of Levels: Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced
  5. A Quick Word About E-Collars
DRILLS:
  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. Help Guidelines for Marks
  4. 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:
  1. List of Drills by Level of Difficulty
  2. NEVER STOP DOING THESE DRILLS--LIST
  3. Training Group Etiquette
  4. The Best Stuff
  5. Sample Log
  6. About the Author




Smart Fetch Book by Evan GrahamBrowse Previous Product:
Smart Fetch Book by Evan Graham		Retriever Troubleshooting: Strategies & Solutions to Retriever Training Problems by John and Amy DahlShop Next:
Retriever Troubleshooting: Strategies & Solutions to Retriever Training Problems by John and Amy Dahl




Customer Reviews

 
Review Summary
5.0
49 Reviews
5
98% (48)
4
2% (1)
3
0% (0)
2
0% (0)
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.
MT
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.
SC
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
PA
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
NJ
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.
By Cindy O.
WA
Review for Building a Retriever -- Drills and More by Carol F. Cassity Book
October 25, 2018
As a novice retriever trainer it give many good suggestions for drills.
By Patricia R.
OH
Review for Building a Retriever -- Drills and More by Carol F. Cassity Book
October 18, 2018
Haven't read it all yet but looks good. Good pairing with her Master seminar that I attended this summer.
By Ron K.
MI
Review for Building a Retriever -- Drills and More by Carol F. Cassity Book
October 11, 2018
Great help in training a retriever. Lots of drills and info.
By Jimmy
IA
Review for Building a Retriever -- Drills and More by Carol F. Cassity Book
October 28, 2016
Good read!
By Bennett E.
CA
Review for Building a Retriever -- Drills and More by Carol F. Cassity Book
August 2, 2016
A great source to set up training drills.
By Douglas C.
CA
Review for Building a Retriever -- Drills and More by Carol F. Cassity Book
June 21, 2016
Great book for beginning and experienced dog handlers. The book is full of excellent advice and drills.
By Matthew S.
IL
Review for Building a Retriever -- Drills and More by Carol F. Cassity Book
June 17, 2016
Well organized book with easily understood descriptions/diagrams of the drills.
By Don G.
NJ
Review for Building a Retriever -- Drills and More by Carol F. Cassity Book
June 17, 2016
Building a Retriever is an excellent source for expanding traning drills while providing a cLear explanation. I train weekly with several friends and their gun dogs of various breeds. All enthusiastic waterfowl hunters and several of us handle our dogs guiding hunts during the upland season. Thanks for an excellent training resource.Building a Retriever - Drills and More by Carol F. Cassity is a valuable source of information to us help train and continue to improve our gun dogs.
By Larry H.
ID
Review for Building a Retriever -- Drills and More by Carol F. Cassity Book
April 21, 2016
Great book.
By Rick S.
PA
Review for Building a Retriever -- Drills and More by Carol F. Cassity Book
April 20, 2016
Great book with lots of useful drills. Author explains some dog behavior in a different way. Interesting read.
By Phil S.
MI
Review for Building a Retriever -- Drills and More by Carol F. Cassity Book
March 22, 2016
There are a lot of great drills to keep your dog sharp, and also to keep dog training fresh.
By Odette F.
NY
Review for Building a Retriever -- Drills and More by Carol F. Cassity Book
February 17, 2016
I love how the drills are ranked beginning, moderate, and advanced. And also ranked by how many helpers you need to do the drill. I'm a rookie retriever trainer, many times working by myself; so I can focus on the drills that are for my level and I can do by myself. Also the explanations of the early drills are understandable.

1-800-624-6378 shipping-map free-shipping
GUN DOG SUPPLY - "Serving Hunting & Field Dog Owners Nationally Since 1972."
Order online via Secure Server or call 1-800-624-6378 to order! GDS Warehouse, 17645 U.S. Highway 82, Mathiston, Mississippi, 39752 USA.

gundogsupply

Gun Dog Supply's Facebook | Gun Dog Supply on LinkedIn | Gun Dog Supply on YouTube
Gun Dog Forum sponsored by GD Supply | Reseller Ratings: GunDogSupply.com | Gun Dog Supply on SHOPPER APPROVED ‎

All words & pictures are copyright © 1997-2024, Gun Dog Supply or their respective owners. All rights reserved. Buy online with confidence when you order discount retriever hunting dog supplies, canine training equipment, k-9 accessories, and training products for your gun dog, bird dog, or working retriever. Your on-line purchase is protected through secure server ordering. Review our 100% satisfaction guarantee. Shop our canine closeout items, best bargains, k9 discount prices, good deals, cheap stuff and other values for sale. Compare our products in reviews, reports, comparisons, and buyers guides.


Customer Priority Number:



privacy policy | terms & conditions