Customer Reviews:
 Speed Train Your Own Bird Dog April 5, 2008
I returned this book the day I rcvd it. All it took is for me to flip through the pages and see the trainer recommending giving a knee to teach the dog not to jump up and then the very disturbing picture of him teaching "whoa" using a rope thrown over a tree while tied to the dogs neck while standing on a barrel.
I have worked around horses and dogs for many years and certainly advocate force when necessary. However, I feel that there are many more ways to train a dog than using the types of methods mentioned above-hence why I returned it.
 My favorite training book January 24, 2001
37 out of 37 found this review helpful
I purchased this book when I unexpectedly had a new german shorthair puppy to train. I purchased it because it had an extensive section on puppy training and I was anxious to get started. I also soon purchased several other bird dog training books, including some very famous ones, but I kept coming back to Larry Muellers book. I like his attitude toward dogs and his willingness to go against commonly held beliefs and techniques. He is a very obsevant man who incorporates the latest dog psychology into his obsevations. The emphasis is on avoiding mistakes or techniques which cause setbacks and cost you time to correct. This gives you a lot of insight into dogs minds and training in general. Most importantly every technique he recommended WORKED! I cannot say that about any of the other books. Also every thing that he said to avoid that I did not manage to avoid cost me time. He was right. I have repeatedly received compliments on my dogs performance and manners even by pros. The biggest factor in that was this book. This is an excellent book to purchase before acquiring a pup. His puppy training section(2-4months old) is extensive, excellent and effective. He also has techniques for selecting a pup which make a lot of sense.
 Well written and informative December 30, 1997
42 out of 45 found this review helpful
Larry Mueller offers his unique way of speed training a bird dog, however, I do feel that his techniques are stressing to a dog - especially a sensitive dog or a young dog (say six-months). Larry does offer some excellent ways to train your dog on the basic obedience/hunting commands, but his use of force training goes beyond my personal preference. If you are a first-time trainer, training your own dog, this book is excellent - if you approach training with love and patience. Remember, you are training a friend and companion, not a strickly business hunting dog.
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