GUNDOG TRAINING. By James Douglas.

1983 1st edition. 8vo (141 x 222mm). Pp144. B/w photographs, line illustrations.

"There is no mystique in training a gundog and, given correct guidance, anyone with dedication and patience can achieve excellent results". Chapters include: Choosing - rough shooting, wildfowling, moorland shooting, the all-rounders; Choosing the puppy - parasites, worms, fleas, lice and ticks, inoculations; Your new puppy - house-training, naming the dog, chewing, feedin, three to six old, early retrieving; From six to nine months - first steps in retrieving, walking to heel, introduction to water, quartering; Nine to ten months - steadiness to the dummy, jumping, introduction to shot, gun nervousness, whistle control at a disctance, dropping to shot; Ten months to one year - further water work, advanced dummy retrieving, directional hand signals and 'go back' command, use of the dummy launcher and blind retrieves, scents and scenting; One year to eighteen months - bringing out the gun, introduction to cold or dead game, taking a line, live game, pointing; Eighteen months to two years - going shooting for the first time, picking up, advanced water retrieving, wildfowling; Field trials - spaniel trials, retriever trials, trialing with hunting, pointing retrieving dogs; Bitches and breeding - seasons, false pregnancy, spaying, mating, bitches, youngs puppies, weanings, selling the puppies; Your dog's futures. James Douglas was the pseudonym of Douglas Mitchell, a well-known archer who died in 2002 following a freak accident with a bow.