The 10-Minute Retriever: How to Make a Well-Mannered, Obedientand Enthusiastic Gun Dog in 10 Minutes a Day

This book is going to be used a kindling in the fireplace. Never before have I read a book on training a dog that left me feeling as bad as this one did. Let me make perfectly clear that I am not new to dog training, nor to hunting. I have trained an Akita to UDE, and I have field trained an American Water Spaniel for upland bird hunting.
The techniques described in this book are utterly inhumane. I was actually enjoying the book until I got to their section on forced retireve. Basically the philosophy here is that you create pain and stress in the dog, and the only resolution to this unpleasantness is the retireve. There is not reward for a job well done, just the relief of pain. As you progress in the training, the more pain and stress you put on the dog.
Some of the specific things that upset me in the book are:
1) Using a switch on the dog
2) Tying a dogs moth shut around a retireving dummy
3) Ear pinch (being sure to dig your thumb nail into the uderside of the ear according to their directions).
4) "Burning" (their term) the dog with an electric shock collar (I am not agains proper use of an e-collar, I just think that "burning" is a bit far).
In a nutshell, this book explains to the trainer that in order to have a good field dog, you must completely break its spirit, and individualism. Thus creating a dog that is a machine just spending its life looking to relieve pain and stress.
I will never recomend this book to anyone. I can see by the other reviews that I am in the minority. The decision must be yours.

How B. Blazer's review was determined to be Spotlight material baffles me. His review makes it patently obvious that he knows precisely nothing about training dogs, has never spent time with professional trainers and has never run a dog in a field trial or hunt test.

Force fetch is an essential part of training retrievers. It is the foundation upon which advanced training is based and all competitive retrievers undergo force fetch training. Yes, you create stress in the dog through the ear pinch or toe hitch because competing and hunting yield stressful situations for the dog as he works through terrain, challenging wind conditions, cold and dozens of other factors that come into play during a retrieve. A dog not trained to handle that stress will exhibit major performance issues when the going gets tough, from popping, ignoring handling or, worse, a total no-go.

To address B. Blazer's little numbered list:

1.) At no point do the authors of Ten Minute Retriever call for the use of a whip. The tool is called a heeling stick. It is never suggested that the heeling stick be used to abuse the dog. It is merely a way to extend your reach to deliver taps and swats for immediate correction of issues like breaking.

2.) At no point do the authors suggest "tying the dog's mouth shut around a dummy". For a dog who chronically spits the dummy during hold training, the authors suggest that a lead may be looped about the dogs muzzle while you reinforce the hold command verbally.

3.) I just explained ear pinch, which is one of the most common practices in retriever training, only slightly less common than...

4.) ... the electronic collar. B. Blazer seems to take exception with the verb "burn" but then goes on to claim that he is not against the "proper" use of the e-collar. The ONLY purpose of the electronic collar is to deliver an electric shock or burn unless Tri-Tronics has a new Rainbows and Unicorn Ponies model I am unaware of.

B. Blazer's conclusion that the training methods outlines in this book serve only to break a dog's spirit is one of the most pathetically laughable statements I have ever seen in an Amazon review. This books methods are straightforward, basic retriever training of the type one can find from top trainers like Danny Farmer or Mike Lardy. There is a logical progression from puppy yard drills and basic obedience through refinement of line manners, multiple marks and basic handling. The information in here will yield a solid field dog or provide a foundation for Derby work in field trials.

Like any training program, steady progression, intense repetition and, most importantly, PATIENCE are what is required. If it were impossible, as B. Blazer foolishly suggests, to both instill desire and passion for retrieving in a dog while also applying direct and indirect pressure during training, every competitive retriever in the world would be an empty husk of a dog - an assertion so baseless and without merit as to be laughable.

This book is one of the better ones I've read (and I've read just about all of them).... There are a lot of good books on training retrievers. I'd rate this one in the top 5. Yes, it does suggest using some force at times, but it also discusses the fact that every dog is different and different dogs require different amounts of force (not unlike children!). It doesn't advocate beating a dog or anything like that. It would be wonderful if we could completely train a dog never using any force at all, but that's rediculous.......just like never spanking a child regardless of the circumstances. Sometimes a degree of force is needed. I'll leave it at that.

The primary focus of this book is that training sessions need not be (and should not be) long and tedious. As the title suggests, anyone can train a dog to a high level in daily 10 minute sessions. The books makes for nice reading as there is a nice mix of actual training methods along with several good anecdotes.

The book is presented in a logical, chronilogical order. If you follow this book from beginning to end and do as it instructs you to do, you'll have a very well trained retriever when you are done.

We lost our Chesapeake Bay Retriever last fall due primarily to old age.

With a focus the incedible memories from our deceased Chessie, we proceeded to bring home a Chessie pup in Jan/2019.
I wanted to be up to date on latest training methods and purchased this book plus other manuals and a CD, all different trainers. This manual wonders around telling stories about their dogs and other parts on training. After trying to pick out the nuts and bolts of basic command training, I soon set this manual aside in favor of the CD plus one other manual, both of which take you step by step through the series of commands, i.e. how to do it. We are now at 4 1/2 months with our Chessie. For the most part, all basic commands are in plus such as SIT, STAY, DOWN, FETCH, HEEL, HERE. PLACE, All with combination of verbal, hand signals and/or whistle. We do train daily. I would not recommend or buy this manual again.

I bought this book after reading several smaller articles written by the authors, John and Amy Dahl. I am in the process of training one retriever and have trained others in the past. This book takes a common sense approach to retriever training and spells out several of the lessons I previously learned the hard way and simplifies or adds to other training that I had not done in the past. I appreciate the lack of a specific training timeline (i.e. at 86 days, your retiever should be doing this...etc.) and the recognition (and training geared towards the idea) that different dogs learn at different rates. The book does, however, offer guidance and reasoning on the order in which some training should occur. This makes it very easy to move faster with a dog that is quick to learn and to move slower with a dog that has trouble overall or with specific skills or lessons. This book also has a deep focus on training a well rounded, happy dog that is eager to learn. So far, the concepts seem sound and my puppy is progressing nicely into a skilled retiever using the methods presented in this book. This book would make a nice addition to any trainer's library and would also serve well as the only reference book for the beginner, if you were forced to choose only one.

I thought this book was quite good. It doesn't contain alot of fluff, and it's clearly aimed at setting the basis for serious training with the potential for highly difficult tasks like those found in modern retriever field trials. You won't find a lot of feel good advice about having your dog sleep in bed with you. (On the other hand, I don't think it hurts to emphasize what can happen to a kennel blind dog).
I bristled at first at the grounding in Skinner and behaviorism as my own feeling is that the application of behaviorism to human psychology has had destructive effects in that arena, but actually it is very well thought out and sound. This book will definitely have an impact on my own training, including with adult retrievers. I'd recommend it as a solid, solid book on training retrievers from two people who obviously know how to train dogs.

If you have a busy schedule as myself but still want a good gun dog without sending to a trainer, this is a very good book to follow. I highly recommend.

I have a 6 month old black lab puppy that isn't going to be used as a gun dog, but we were hoping that he would be an eager retriever to play with. Maverick was interested in a tennis ball, but not crazy about it and if there were any distractions around, he would ignore it completely. Between getting a training bumper that he was much more enthusiastic about and utilizing this book, we now have a well-behaved, enthusiastic retriever. The book is full of helpful, practical tips and for the most part it's focused on positive reinforcement. A great resource!

Great training book so far. Some of the descriptions of training methods aren't as precise and detailed as I would like and seems to be written for those who have had more experience training retrievers before. It gives a great overview though but as a layman, and for the layman, I prefer a training program that is more intuitive. I would recommend this as a backup book and reinforcement for the book "Training Retrievers for the Marshes and Meadows" by James B. Spencer. This is how I am using "The 10 Minute Retriever." It works as a great supplemental tool and has a few alternate methods that might be helpful if a dog were to be unresponsive to the plan presented in the former book mentioned. Good quality book over all though and I would definitely recommend this for any retriever trainer from the beginning trainer, as I am, to a more experienced trainer.

I coupled this with Water Dog by Richard Wolters. While 90% of what I did was from Water Dog, this had some nice tips and ideas to sprinkle in and add to some of the other methods. Some of the principles helped me from overdoing it with her. Highly recommended