Training Bird Dogs with Ronnie Smith Kennels: Proven Techniques and an Upland Tradition

by Reid Bryant, Ronnie Smith (Contributor), Susanna Love (Contributor)

With its combination of informative instruction and beautiful photography, this is the only training book you'll need to raise a great dog for home and field.

Ronnie Smith Kennels provides trainers, owners, and dog handlers with the most refined, developed, and proven methodology for training a pointing dog. The Smith family has spent two generations working thousands of dogs through a stair-step method of replicable techniques that result in a bird dog that is well adjusted, confident, and driven to fulfill its potential. Training Bird Dogs with Ronnie Smith Kennels shares that tradition of excellence and insight with a broader public.

A great bird dog is a combination of great genetics, optimal exposure to game, and proven training. This book provides clear, concise lessons that enable owners and trainers to see their dogs as individuals and maximize those individual talents. Yet the lessons go deeper too, illuminating frequent mistakes and the process for correcting them. Written with a keen understanding of how owners go astray, this book allows even a first-time owner the opportunity to work through the phases of training a bird dog. From developing a confident puppy to introducing live birds, this book is an essential reference for both bird dogs and their owners.

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2019

Reviews

[M T White · Rating 5 out of 5]

After ending up with a high bred german shorthaired pointer whose parents hold the highest titles dogs can earn in germany, as a gift for use in falconry, I was at a loss as I had never owned anything remotely resembling a hunting breed. Pretty much only shar pei and border collies the last 20 years. At my wits end I reluctantly shelled out $41 for this book on Amazon, more than I've paid for any book since college. 😆

Anyway, the summation of my review is 5 stars, 100% worth it, breeders should just include them with the puppies when they're sold.

I have many training books because between shar pei and border collies you have a lot of stubborn and or aggression, and a lot of neurosis and need for direction. However nothing seemed to be working on my puppy. 6 months old and still wailing in a crate, jumping our fence (thankfully we live on 25 acres so he wasn't jumping right into traffic), and frankly not speaking my language at all. This book turned everything around for our kiddo and we are both happier for it.

[Christina McDonough · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a GREAT book! My husband used it as a tool to train our brittany spaniel how to pheasant hunt. They did great together. There are a lot other great tips and concepts for all dog owners to glean.