Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction: Meet the Guinea-pups

Part One: Training your Spaniel from Puppy to Eighteen Months

1. First Principles
2. Early Learning
3. Puppy Assessment
4. How to Hunt
5. The Right Road to Retrieving
6. Ready, Steady, Steadiness
7. Dog About Town
8. Putting it All Together

Part Two: Training and Working your Young Dog in the Field

9. Rough Shooting with No Rough Shooting
10. Picking-up Without Tears
11. Beating But Not Beaten
12. Paw Perfect on the Peg
13. Facing up to a Field Trial
14. Buying or Breeding the Next Dog

Appendix 1: Other Spaniel Breeds
Appendix 2: Glossary
Appendix 3: Useful Contacts

Index

About the Author

Janet Menzies is a professional author and journalist who breeds, trains and works cocker spaniels. She is a gundog and shooting correspondent for The Field magazine and writes about gundog training for the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC). She has had success with five Field Trial Champions, the majority of which she bred herself. The best known is FTCh Gournaycourt Ginger, one of the most consistent cockers of recent years.

Reviews

If you are going to train your own working spaniel - especially if it is to be your first - get Janet Menzies' invaluable book and read it from start to finish first.

The author's knowledge and experience at the highest level of the discipline comes across clearly in the detailed guidance and easy-to-follow explanations.

Janet Menzies is a very experienced gundog trainer but unlike some other experts she can see things from the novice's point of view, covering many of the little worries that are often neglected while remaining absolutely sound on the basic principles. And her troubleshooting tips at the end of each chapter are welcome. She is also well aware of the difficulties which face today's gundog trainer in an increasingly urbanised world and has thoughtfully included a valuable chapter on the urban gundog, showing that you can have a working spaniel in the city. If you are thinking of training a spaniel this book really is worth reading.

She [the author] is very good at recognising that all dogs are different and that you need to be aware of your own dogs' abilities. I like the fact that she emphasizes that when things start to go wrong, go back to basics and make sure that they are solid before pushing ahead. Each chapter has a useful troubleshooting section which covers problems that may arise. The book is well illustrated with colour photos. I thought it was an interesting book and should be very useful to those training their spaniels for the field.

While focussing on cockers and springers there is also plenty of information on rarer breeds, like clumbers and Brittanys. It is a thorough guide to getting the best from your spaniel and will be of great use to the existing or wannabe owner.