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Copyright 2016, 228 pages, softcover, b/w photos, and illustrations
Training The Versatile Hunting Dog, which is autographed by author Chuck Johnson, shows you how to develop a great hunting dog with Chuck's new approach. This approach emphasizes letting your young dog develop his natural abilities, desire, search, pointing, and tracking first. Then, after his first season, putting on the controls, force breaking to retrieve, and whoa training. The versatile breeds also love water, and there are detailed chapters showing you how to train your dog to be an outstanding water retriever. This is a revolutionary book written for many of the popular versatile hunting breeds including German shorthair, wirehair, griffon, vizsla, and Weimaraner, among others. Each training chapter has a detailed explanation of the training techniques along with numerous photos.
Training the Versatile Hunting Dog is a book written for the amateur trainer and hunter. If you are interested in owning a dog that will hunt for you and will become a part of your family as well as a hunting buddy, then this book will help you in training your dog. Training the Versatile Hunting Dog is different than any other training book. We will not only cover the training methods for hunting upland birds, but we also cover how to train your dog for waterfowl hunting and retrieving. The ability of your dog to track and retrieve wounded game is very important. We will show you how easy it is to train your dog to become an excellent tracker.
-- Chuck Johnson
Johnson has owned and trained versatile hunting dogs for 25 years. He and his wife, Blanche, have been hunting together for over 40 years. They have been breeding, training, and hunting German wirehaired pointers since 1979.
He is also the Versatile Gun Dog Department editor of Pointing Dog Journal and Blanche is the photographer for his column.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Do-It-All Dogs
What to Look for in a Versatile Dog
How to Select the Right Puppy
Setting Up a Home for Your New Puppy
Dogs Learn by Association
Puppy Training and Socialization
The First Eight Weeks
Eight to Sixteen Weeks
Basic Obedience and Good Canine Citizenship
The Proper Introduction of Your Puppy to Birds and the Gun
Who Is the Leader of Your Pack?
The Importance of Reading Your Bird Dog
Training Your Young Bird Dog: A New Approach
Natural Ability vs. Trained Ability
Camas
Bringing a New Pup Home
Socialization with Us and the Other Dogs
Introduction to Retrieving
First Introduction to Birds: Sixteen Weeks Old
First Wild Bird Hunt - Learning to Track: Seventeen Weeks Old
Camas' First Track on a Wild Pheasant: Seventeen Weeks Old
First Contact with Sharptail: Eighteen Weeks Old
Camas' First Pheasant Hunt: Twenty-One Weeks Old
Second Pheasant Hunt: Twenty-One Weeks Old
Third Pheasant Hunt: Twenty-Three Weeks Old
Sharptail
Thanksgiving Hunt
Camas: Range-Search-Cooperation
Your Dog's First Year in the Field
Use of Nose
Desire and Cooperation: The Balancing Act
Developing Your Dog's Ability to Search
Introducing Your Dog to Birds and Developing the Pointing Instinct
Waterwork: Introducing Your Young Pup to the Water
Developing Your Dog into a Natural Retriever
Tracking: Dog Work After the Shot
Advanced Training Methods: Training Your Dog to be a Brag Dog
Advanced Training - The Essentials
Using a Professional Trainer
Proper Use of the E-Collar for Training and Communication with Your Dog
The Trained Retrieve:
Phase One
Phase Two and Three
Whoa Training:
Phase One
Phase Two
Phase Three
Phase Four
A Versatile Hunting Dog's Comfortable Range
How to Handle Your Dog in the Field
Training Your Dog for Water Retrieves
Finishing Touches: Healing, Steadiness by Blind, Honoring Point
How to Develop a Slow-Starting Dog
Conditioning Your Dog for the Upcoming Hunting Season
First Aid Essentials in the Field
Hunting the Older Dog
The Quail Pen: It Takes Birds to Make a Dog / Quail Pen Plans
Pigeons: The Ideal Bird for Dog Training / Pigeon Coop Plans
Epilogue
Appendix One: Gun Dog Training Supplies
Appendix Two: Versatile Hunting Dog Associations
Dog Kennel Plans
Steve Says: Johnson: Training the Versatile Hunting Dog
Bonus features include easy-to-build plans for a quail recall "Johnny House," Pigeon Coop, and Dog Kennels. This is also a great book for folks that participate in NAVHDA events.
A very novel approach for the first year. Basically let your dog be a dog and allow him to learn without any interference. I think this is a good way to put a great attitude in a pup that will last a lifetime. Good read from a guy that knows his dogs and is not worried about being a control freak over their dog.
Pros
Unique and novel approach over most training books.
Cons
Could stand a little more depth on some chapters.
By Andrew
Missoula, Montana
Great read!
December 9, 2021
This book is thoughtfully laid out and very helpful in thinking through how to maximize the potential of your versatile hunting dog.
By John
MN
Good info, not so much on instruction
August 4, 2021
I bought this book to gather more info and hoped the chapters were more organized vs Bob Farris's book. All in all great general tips and info on versatile hunting dogs; has a different philosophy for hunting your pup young on the 1st year then starting to put control on the dog during the 2nd year. This books seems to miss the basic obedience and how to's, not a problem if you've already trained a previous dog. Alot of chapters repeat the same info, alot of anecdotes. All in all, still has valuable info but I was hoping there was more of a clear directive
Pros
Good info on versatile hunting dogs
Offers different perspective on training/hunting with your pup
Cons
Repeated info, book could be shorter
Chapters in book could be organized to fit dog's timeline
By Kimberly
Indiana
it is good book
December 22, 2020
I learned alot from reading this book.
Pros
It gives good source information for further study
Cons
It could be clearer on some of the words used. I am new to this and some of the terms were not familar to me. I did find some later in the book. This is very minor.
By K w.
Oregon
Good advice
December 22, 2020
Had good information just wish the pictures were colored and they had better visuals
Pros
Info
Cons
No colored pictures
By Larry B.
Texas
Great Resource
December 20, 2020
This book can take new born pup to a full fledged hunting companion. Also very useful tips and training strategies for older dogs. A must read if you doing any dog training.
By Ec
Silver Spring, MD
Gun dog Book
September 2, 2020
Good advice, well written. Going to be very helpful as puppy matures.
By Jonathan L.
NC
Review for Training the Versatile Hunting Dog Second Edition by Chuck Johnson
February 29, 2016
Great book for Griff owners. Recommended by the breeder I'm buying from.
By Robert W.
ME
Review for Training the Versatile Hunting Dog Second Edition by Chuck Johnson
February 20, 2016
Great reading book there are a lot of helpful tips for training.
By Brandon C.
NC
Review for Training the Versatile Hunting Dog Second Edition by Chuck Johnson
January 29, 2016
I am an avid waterfowler and well versed at training a retriever but I am extremely new at training a versatile gun dog. This publication/instruction book on training this type of hunting dog has proved to be very helpful. I have not used the training methods listed in the book yet as my new puppy won't be home till march 2016 but prereading this has given me a better understand of training my new addition. Would recommend this read to anyone who trains dogs to hunt versatile or retriever.
By David S.
CA
Review for Training the Versatile Hunting Dog Second Edition by Chuck Johnson
October 2, 2015
This is a great book with great tactics for training.
By John R.
NY
Review for Training the Versatile Hunting Dog Second Edition by Chuck Johnson
July 12, 2015
This is a well written book. Very clear and to the point. Recommended to me by a well known breeder of Pudelpointers, and I'm glad I asked him for his leading on a training system. Chucks system of training just makes sense.
By Nknolan980
Review for Training the Versatile Hunting Dog Second Edition by Chuck Johnson
May 1, 2015
There is a lot of good info. Author has years of experience training versatile hunting dogs. Don't follow it verbatim, but you can pull many good snip-its.
By Steve D.
MN
Review for Training the Versatile Hunting Dog Second Edition by Chuck Johnson
April 15, 2015
Gave me a few new ideas to try while training my started 3rd shorthair. Would have been better with an index of a more descriptive table of contents.
By Skyler L.
ID
Review for Training the Versatile Hunting Dog Second Edition by Chuck Johnson
December 19, 2014
It's a very good book, not overly detailed, but it has enough information in it and is a great baseline to follow. Would definitely recommend the book.
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