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Several years in the planning, Retrievers … From The Inside, Out is the product of Butch Goodwin’s nearly three decades of retriever training and breeding experience. The result is a complete, all-breed retriever course explaining the breeding, selection, care and training of multi-purpose hunting retrievers. There has never been a resource that is as thorough nor as innovative as Retrievers…From The Inside, Out. Available both on a CD-ROM in a format similar in appearance to a website for ease of navigation in your computer, and as a soft cover, 'lay flat' spiral bound book with an accompanying DVD of video clips. Both the CD-ROM and the printed book include more than 500 pages of text, diagrams and photos, and more than 20 minutes of full color video. Retrievers … From The Inside, Out gives you the tools to develop a confident, dependable and well-trained retriever gun dog that works under control, handling nearly every situation you could possibly encounter while waterfowl or upland hunting. Along with the CD or book, all purchasers will receive a unique “Username” and “Password” that allows access to a restricted website with updates and tips from other readers, and a discussion group for answers to all of your hunting retriever related questions. Jake Smith, Managing Editor of Retriever Journal magazine says about Retrievers … From The Inside, Out : “Butch Goodwin has finally put his many years of experience training hunting dogs … into one of the most comprehensive pieces of training material I’ve seen.
This guide is perhaps the way most training books and videos will begin to move, and Butch certainly has set a high bar for others to reach. If we had a ‘Training Guide of the Future’ header, I’d probably put it under there.” Part One:
“The breeding and the training of all breeds of hunting dogs are so entwined that to limit one’s self to being only a breeder or to being only a trainer is a disservice to the breeds and to hunters searching for a dog. If all breeders were hunters, I would guarantee that the dogs would be easier to train! Successful training starts with good, well-planned breeding and both must be clearly thought-out if the dog is to be developed into a confident, hard working hunting retriever.” Do you understand the difference between “developed natural abilities” and “trained abilities” – and why both are extremely important qualities to look for in hunting dogs? Can you recognize differences in physical structure when you look at a hunting dog and do you know how conformation affects his performance in the field? Does all of the information that is shown on a retriever’s pedigree make sense to you and do you know how to look beyond the pedigree? How would you go about locating a breeder who produces the kind of dogs that would make good hunting companions? And, once you find that perfect litter, how do you select the right pup for you? All of these questions and many, many more are answered in PART ONE of Retrievers … From The Inside, Out. Part Two:
“Good kenneling and its relationship to how your pup is raised is a major step toward successful training. Kenneling is more than simply security for your dog, to keep him from being stolen or chasing neighborhood cats or killing the farmer’s chickens. Sure, it keeps him from being poisoned, avoids unwanted breeding, prevents fighting, eliminates the possibility of him getting shot for chasing wildlife or getting run over chasing cars but perhaps just as importantly, confinement is the first step in good training and, how his kenneling is managed is a key aspect in his learning to be attentive to his training lessons. Remember, restriction in the form of kenneling provides security, especially when it prevents your puppy from learning bad habits, protects him from more powerful adult dogs and avoids creating a reason to have to scold him.” Did you know that your pup should actually be rotated between his THREE homes? And, that he should feel equally comfortable in each? Everyone has heard the myths about why a hunting dog should not be allowed to live in the house. In PART TWO you are going to read about how raising a pup in the house requires him to begin focusing on pleasing a human rather than being forced to be relatively self-reliant, as he would be if he were raised strictly in an outdoor kennel. And, by learning how to please a human, he is learning cooperation and behavior interaction, which is what we call socialization. PART TWO of Retrievers … From The Inside, Out answers all of your questions about kenneling, housebreaking and how to keep your valuable hunting dog safe and secure. Part Three:
“As each dog is an individual, so does each dog and the particular task asked of him, require somewhat individual tools to carry out his training. And, this can make for the possibility of gathering a lot of training gear! But before we dive headlong into a discussion about the variety of training paraphernalia available, it is necessary to begin with unquestionably the most important tool of all – THE TRAINER.” Do you know that there are advantages and disadvantages to using plastic training bumpers? What about canvas bumpers? Do you know why bumpers come in an array of colors and what each color is used for? How much do you know about remote control devices for throwing birds and bumpers? And, since you are going to be training a bird dog, what kind of birds are you going to use, where are you going to find them and how are you going to house the birds once you have them? Have you ever thought that two of the major reasons that professional trainers are so successful is because they always have a steady supply of birds for training their dogs and because they keep training records; training record forms are here for you to print out and use or modify as you choose. And, if you have ever wished that you could have a coach to teach you the correct commands and casts, in PART THREE of Retrievers … From The Inside, Out the Section titled “Training the Trainer” will teach you, through the use of text, pictures and video, the correct commands and casts for training your retriever.
Part Four:
“If you expect to gain control of a dog’s mind, he has to find his place in the hierarchy of the pack. He has to understand the pecking order or the order of domination. And, you must be at the top of that ladder: the pack leader. You must be the “alpha dog.” I get many dogs in my kennel for training, and I characterized the training that the owners expect of me, as physical control or physical discipline. “Putting the control in them” is what they want me to do. And, I honestly believe that, although genetics always figure into the equation, the majority of dogs with which I have problems throughout their training process, are dogs that have grown up with owners who have not established a clear understanding of the human leadership role.” Do you know that all pups look to a human or to another dog for leadership? If his owner doesn’t show him that leadership – that he is the “leader of the pack” – in a language that the dog understands, then the pup may well assume that HE is the leader of the pack. Learn to speak a language that your dog understands and start him on a road to being a well-adjusted bird finding machine. “Building” a hunting retriever is not much different than building a house. If the foundation is not solid, the structure built above it will crumble. PART FOUR of Retrievers … From The Inside, Out gives you the tools to start working with your pup correctly, from the very beginning. Part Five:
“Everything we will do from this point forward will depend on the preparation that you have done and on the basic training we are about to do. Just like a house, everything above is dependant on everything below; the strength of the structure depends on the foundation.” Are you ready to get into the “meat” of the training? Athletic coaches preach about and continually review “fundamentals.” They know that when the team or particular players are having problems, it is time to back up and review and reinforce basic training – i.e. fundamentals. Do you know what the term “yard work” refers to and how it is an essential part of a hunting retriever’s advancement? In PART FIVE of Retrievers … From The Inside, Out we will begin with your dog’s basic field training, in addition to learning to recognize the body language signals that your dog is sending, to let you know if he is catching on to the lessons or not. Plus, you will learn to maintain mental contact with your dog! Does this sound like some kind of “hocus pocus” retriever training? You’ll change your mind when you read PART FIVE!
Part Six:
“How much forcing or intensifying of the fetching or retrieving abilities should be necessary for a dog from one of the retriever breeds? Retriever trainers were among the last to embrace any form of force fetch training. Many of the old time retriever men, even today, will still echo the beliefs of the past, that if a retriever needs to be forced to retrieve, he is worthless to begin with! Likewise, many long-time retriever enthusiasts and trainers were slow to accept (or maybe didn’t recognize) the reality that the spin-offs of force fetch training include strengthening the dominant position of the trainer, reinforcing pecking order and boosting the dog’s self-confidence. Not to mention the resultant positive influences on the dog’s future training, causing him to perform many tasks without question and with enthusiasm and style.” PART SIX is an in-depth description of the “how and why” of “mouth conditioning” and the “force fetch” process. Do you cling to the view that “force fetch” is unnecessary or that it is brutal? In some cases perhaps it is, but you should read about how “force fetch” really is more than simply teaching a dog to fetch on command. Learn why most professionals feel that “force fetch” is the “springboard” to all of a retriever’s future training. Do you know why a training table is, perhaps, the most valuable piece of equipment you will ever use? And, how does it figure into teaching self-confidence – which is an extremely important segment of a hunting retriever’s training? PART SIX of Retrievers … From The Inside, Out thoroughly describes “mouth conditioning” and “force fetch” through text and photographs. And the numerous video clips allow you to watch the entire process develop. Part Seven:
“Who isn’t impressed by a retriever that can “handle”? Long-range casting is the ultimate in retriever training sophistication. Blind retrieve training is what “separates the men from the boys.” When the shooting gets “hot and heavy,” it is not uncommon to have a dog mismark the fall of a shot bird or watch only one bird out a flight drop and, perhaps, miss the others that are shot. The fact is, in a true hunting situation, most handling occurs when a dog has mismarked a fall or when the bird is seen swimming off or floating down a river. Unlike in trials and hunt tests, there are no ribbons or titles to be won and no gallery of spectators to judge the dog’s performance - the only reward is recovering a dead or crippled bird.” Do you know how to line your dog up like looking down a gun sight to point him precisely in the direction that you want him to go? How ‘bout teaching your dog to stop, turn and look back at you for directions when you blow your whistle? The majority of hunting retrievers never learn to reliably run blind retrieves and “handle” – not because they aren’t capable of understanding the training – but because their trainers are scared off by this advanced level of training. Or, they think it is difficult to teach. In PART SEVEN you will learn that blind retrieve training and casting is not only easy to teach but it is also a lot of fun – for both you and your dog. Does a dog impress you that will run or swim in the direction that he is sent and take casts like he is on remote control? You can have a dog that will do all of these things and more if you will follow and teach the drills described in PART SEVEN of Retrievers … From The Inside, Out. Part Eight:
“Before we can proceed with any of the upcoming upland drills, it is imperative that you begin to make yourself aware of the signals and the actions that your dog demonstrates when working a field for birds. You need to learn to concentrate on “reading” your dog. Concentration is the key to control in all training, fieldwork and hunting. A dog working in the field gives off signals and it is up to you to learn to recognize what he is telling you. And, learning to recognize his actions gives you the ability to anticipate a situation before it happens.” Do you hunt upland birds? Have you ever been forced to try to keep up with another hunter’s dog because he was flushing birds out of range and out of control? Would you like to have a dog that is a bird tracking “machine”? Would you like to teach your retriever to “whoa” and stand steady or even possibly “point” birds? Or, how would you like to teach your retriever to “quarter” a field like a spaniel? What about teaching him to remain steady or even sit when a bird flushes or a gun goes off? Would you like for your dog to remain under your control even when he is out of your sight? Do you think that this kind of control is difficult or impossible to achieve? PART EIGHT of Retrievers … From The Inside, Out will give you the skills to develop your dog into an exceptional upland hunting “machine” regardless of what kind of upland birds you are after.
Part Nine:
“Among the more important aspects that I have tried to convey throughout this course are that training a hunting dog should be fun – both for you and for your dog, that you aren’t necessarily obligated to always follow conventional training “rules” and that not every dog fits into a “prepackaged” or “assembly-line” training regimen. But, the most important advice that I have tried to emphasize throughout is that you should never do anything that will undermine your relationship with your dog. As I have repeated over and over, you are always walking that fine line between maintaining a position of leadership and control, and yet, building a hunting dog’s self-confidence to handle situations where he is out of your immediate control and must think for himself.” How many retriever training books have you read? Did any of them show you how to teach your dog to “crawl” along beside you while sneaking up on birds? Did any of them talk about the “hunt dead” whistle? How many of them talked about boat training or teaching a dog to watch the sky by following the swing of a shotgun? Did any of them even mention teaching a dog how to handle diving cripples? PART NINE of Retrievers … From The Inside, Out is about “coloring outside the lines.” If you don’t understand what this means – you will when you read it!
Part Ten:
“If you have followed this course from the outset, I have given you the skills to train your retriever hunting dog to a higher level of ability than most will ever attain. That training expertise is what is most important, not whether you choose to use an electric collar or not. An electric collar is simply another tool - like a lead, check cord, prong collar or a bumper. And, it is a tool that is only as smart as the person pushing the button. The trainer is still the most important tool. In other words, I guess what I am trying to say is that if you can’t train a dog without an electric collar; you sure as hell can’t train a dog with one. Holding a transmitter doesn’t suddenly transform someone into a retriever trainer - he must have a level of dedication, the skills and good judgment, regardless of his choice of using a collar or not. Without this know-how, all of the technologically sophisticated electric collars in production today can’t transform someone into a successful trainer. Have you given thought to training with an electric collar? The electric collar or e-collar as it is being called now in an effort to sanitize its image is the finest long-range correction device ever invented – without a doubt. But it is not a panacea, as some would have you believe. And, it is certainly not a “quick fix” for problems that are the result of inadequate foundational training. Read PART TEN of Retrievers … From The Inside, Out before you jump headlong and whip out your credit card to buy an electric collar. And remember: The trainer is “the tool” - if you can’t train a dog without an electric collar, you can’t train one with one! Part Eleven:
“You must learn to train with your head, keep an open mind and try to keep the communication flowing back and forth between you and your dog for each particular situation that arises. Part of keeping an open mind is to stay mentally focused and concentrate during training sessions, closely watch your dog’s actions and learn to anticipate what he will do before he does it; think well ahead of your dog’s actions. To do this you must teach yourself to think from where he is coming from rather than solely from your own perspective as the teacher. And, when the training isn’t working, stop your current line of thinking and try a different approach. Trainers recently, have been sold on step-by-step training programs and, when problems arise, won’t or don’t know how to deviate from the structure of the program; they aren’t capable of seeing the challenge presented by the drill from the dog’s point of view. As a result, trainers are training strictly the outside of the dog while never even considering what’s happening on the inside. And, everything that is bothering a dog on the inside, will eventually, in some form, show itself on the outside!” Dogs do not lie; their body language and their eyes always tell you exactly what they are thinking and if the lessons you are teaching are sinking in. All a trainer has to do is learn to recognize what they are trying to tell him. “If you take care of the inside of a dog and learn to communicate with him and understand what he is telling you, training will follow along much more smoothly and he will work more cooperatively.” PART ELEVEN ties together the entire CD. It plants some seeds for thought and discloses my reasons for writing this text. I hope that it will give you some insight into where all that I have written is coming from. PART ELEVEN of Retrievers … From The Inside, Out may be the most important chapter in the entire book. I hope you agree. Epilogue:
“It’s difficult for me to remember just one dog - so many great ones have come and unfortunately, gone. They say a man deserves one good dog in his life, and if that is true, I have lived several lives already. I have been privileged to have known more great dogs than most people should be allowed. The ones you will read about are gone, but will never be forgotten - at least not by me - and, that’s all that counts. One of the lines that you will read from the story about “Clipper” asks the question, “Do you think that dogs understand that they are getting old?” I wonder about this a lot as two of my current dogs are on the downhill side of life and I can begin to see them slowing down, almost on a daily basis. It’s painful to watch. And then, when they are gone, all that we have to remember them are pictures. And memories. Frozen images of their successes don’t allow you to remember the failures. I like having a wall-full of photos because they will always be here with me - as they were, back then.” This book would never have been written had it not been for three great dogs from my past; each taught me so much. You can read about these three in the EPILOGUE to Retrievers … From The Inside, Out.
About The Author Butch Goodwin’s long awaited all-breed retriever course , Retrievers … From The Inside, Out is the result of his nearly three decades of retriever training and breeding experience. Besides writing his regular columns in Retriever Journal magazine since 1996, Butch Goodwin’s training and breeding programs have been featured in Ducks Unlimited magazine, Field & Stream magazine, Big Sky Journal and four retriever training books.After some terrific quail shooting over pointing dogs while a student at the University of Arizona, Butch moved to Colorado and worked for many years as a sales rep in the firearms and sporting goods industry. This afforded him the opportunity to co-author two local history books and pursue his passions for training his retrievers, hunting Canada geese and leading a packhorse or two around in the Colorado mountains chasing Elk.Butch Goodwin later worked for a retriever field trial pro and now lives in the Payette River Valley of western Idaho where he maintains his own successful retriever gun dog training kennel, breeds a few litters of Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and spends as much time as the law allows hunting upland birds and waterfowl. A Note From The Publisher Butch Goodwin is a personal friend. I watched him isolate himself from the world for over a year as he dedicated himself to writing his book. I feared that his results may not warrant such a sacrifice, but I couldn't have been more wrong! His book is, in a single word, AWESOME! I have new respect for my friend, and I am excited for you, the retriever trainer. You now have the quintessential retriever training program available to you in an extraordinarily useful and understandable format. No longer will you have to interpret difficult instructions - you just watch the video clip, and understanding happens. I suspect that many trainers will purchase a laptop computer just so they will be able to take the full interactive version right along with them into the field. Jake Smith’s Review From Retriever Journal Magazine “I wasn’t exactly sure where to put this review – in the “book” or “video” section. If we had a “Training Guide of the Future” header, I’d probably put it under there. “Retriever Journal columnist Butch Goodwin has finally put his many years of experience training hunting dogs – Lab, Goldens, and, what he is best known of, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers – into one of the most comprehensive pieces of training material I’ve seen. “Retrievers … From The Inside, Out is packed with exactly the kind of material you’ll need to make your dog into that valuable hunting partner you need – everything from picking a pup out, reading a pedigree, to teaching advanced waterfowl and upland skills, to his tributes to the dogs and trainers who have impacted him the most. “Without being confined to page counts nor word limits or the requirements of pure printed material or pure video footage, this CD-ROM contains the best of all worlds. Butch packs onto this disk an amazing mount of text – outlined conveniently with a Table of Contents and a nifty navigation bar along the side that lets you jump to various chapters, or sections within chapters. Quite clearly a labor of love, and it would have been an accomplishment had he just left it at the text. “But the versatility of the computer world shines through in this package. You can print out diagrams of training drills and setups; you can take his little pop quizzes that are scattered throughout; and you can also be taken to video links in which Butch talks to you and shows you exactly what he means. The video clips are very smooth, usually start up in their own little pop-up window, and are usually only a couple of minutes in length. “ Those of you familiar with Butch’s writing through this magazine will be glad to hear that the personal tone he uses in his column, the one that speaks of vast experience as a hunter and dog trainer, is maintained in his manual. You feel like you’re sitting down discussing dogs and dog training. “With the purchase of the CD-ROM or book, you are also given a unique username and password that allows you access to a dedicated website. This site has all of the text and drills that the CD-ROM and book have, and includes a discussion group, where you can post your hunting retriever related questions. The video clips, however, can only be found on the CD or on the DVD included with the book, which is – a function of limited server space on the website. “ This guide is perhaps the way that most training books and videos will begin to move, and Butch certainly has set a high bar for others to reach. Breaking free of the constraints of pages or the length of videotape, with the CD he’s found a way to combine both into a neat and easy-to-follow (and use) package. And it’s something that you’ll keep finding new things in every time you pick up the book or fire up the computer.” Comments From Readers From Cy Lesser, Maryland
I
know that putting together your training CD took a huge amount of work
and time. But it was sure worth it! I wasn't sure how I would like the
CD format at first. After all training books are ... well, books. But I
agree with you. The format is more flexible and lets you go into
far more detail than would be possible in a book. I am amazed at how
well you can get inside the dog's head to analyze the situation from his
perspective.
Hi
Butch, Butch, I especially like the movies and pictures all in color. I remember never really understanding how you were using a rubber band on a pigeon's wing from talking to you on the phone and email, but when I went to your house it was clear; your CD makes it clear immediately. The pigeon dizzying video is another great example. I also like all the breeding stuff. That CD is a major achievement. I can hardly imagine the effort that
went into it. You should charge more for it! Butch, Butch, Butch, Hey
Butch, Hi
Butch, Hey
Butch, Hi
Butch Butch, Butch, Butch, Hi
Butch, Hi
Butch, Butch, Hey
Butch, Butch, Hi
Butch - Butch, Butch, Butch, Butch, Butch, |
