Recommended Reading

Training the Pointer – Retriever Gundog – Michael Brander

Pelham Books, 1983, ISBN: 0 7207 1481 8

Sure to be a book that’s been used to train many an HPR for the field. A detailed and structured approach to training the HPR for work, tests and trials. There is also a very useful chapter on “Training the Mature Dog”. An excellent practical handbook for working HPR handlers.

Gundog Sense & Sensibility – Stephen Wilson

Swan Hill Press, 2001, ISBN: 1 84037 261 1

Written by long term editor of the “Field”, FT judge and competitor, this book discusses training and handling by considering the man-dog communication system – this is not about what to do but importantly how to do it by understanding the gundogs senses and how they learn. Packed with information and ideas and very readable.

The Versatile Gundog – Guy Wallace

Sportsman’s Press, 1995, ISBN: 0 948253 75 4

A clearly written introduction to basic HPR training and field work. There are chapters on the more specialised areas of falconry and stalking. It has been superseded to some extent by the author’s later book “The Specialist Gundog”.

The Specialist Gundog – Guy Wallace

Sportsman’s Press, 2002, ISBN: 0 948253 82 7
A practical and down to earth guide for novice HPR handlers that considers the full range of working activities of the HPR in the British Isles. There is particular emphasis on choosing the right breed of gundog for shooting wild game. This book complements his earlier work “The Versatile Gundog”.

Total Recall – Pippa Mattinson

Quiller Publishing, 2012, ISBN: 978 1 84689 149 6

Many HPR owners struggle to manage their dogs by letting them hunt before they have complete control. This useful book gives an insight into the dogs mind and explains how to work through a step by step programme of effective training techniques to achieve total recall.

HPR: The Continental Gundog – Tony Jackson

Ashford, Buchan & Enright, 1989, ISBN: 1 852531894
An interesting book on HPR’s from a past editor and current contributor to the Shooting Times.

Working Pointers – Derek Knowles

Pentland Press, 1998, ISBN: 1 85821 561 7
Not a training manual, but a thoughtful and therefore personal view on the work of pointers and HPR’s on a wide range of quarry from a man who was a Kennel Club “A” panel HPR judge for around twenty years. A thought provoking book and something different and valuable for both beginners and more experienced handlers of HPR’s.

All-Purpose Gundog – David Layton

Dalsetter Designs (Wakefield), 1989, ISBN: 1 87185 600 0
Much of the book from this widely experienced breeder, handler and kennel club “A” panel judge of HPR’s, concerns the background, history and training of GSP’s, much of which is applicable to other HPR breeds. The sections on training and hunting contain clear practical advice.