Rating: 
Summary: Classic Training Text for Any Animal
Review: I first read this book when I was a teenager in the late 1960s. Now I am giving it to my father in-law as a Father's Day gift.One of the other reviewers said that this was an outdated book about training a field trials dog. I don't know how dogs have been updated in recent years, but I do know that field trials are the graduate schools of dog training. It is true that this isn't the book for you if you have a wild or stupid dog. Mr. Free believed that some dogs just were not worth trying to train. You give the bad dog to someone who would love it and care for it (did this happen to you?); then you get a dog with potential. That said, this is the finest animal training book I have ever read. Don't get lost in the field trials stuff; try to concentrate on Mr. Free's principles. I think you could train anything based on Mr. Free principles. Oh, and most importantly - it's a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just For Retrievers
Review: I first used this book to train a retriever. At the time I had no prior experience training a dog. I applied Mr Free's rules and in two weeks the dog knew the bacic commands--sit, stay, come, heel, and quiet. Since that time, I have used Mr. Free's rules to train a Springer Spaniel and a Beagle. The latter had been to school and the owner could not walk the dog because of it pulling. I took the dog for a 15 minute walk applying Mr. Free's rules and returned the dog to the owner holding the leash with just two fingers!
Rating: 
Summary: Average book - seemed outdated
Review: I guess the book would be okay for someone training a Lab strictly for a hunting companion. As a general guide for dog training I found it lacking. The author spends alot of time talking about his experiences with Labs in the past and seems like a pretty miserable, ornery sort of guy. He has a few short drills concerning obedience training for your dog but then jumps into selecting a dog, training using field trials and gives references to friends in the business of breeding and training dogs. Problem is, the book was first written around 1940 with the last revision around 1977. Not too current. Again, for the hunter concerned with getting a top-quality Lab for field work, proabably a good book. For the average owner who wants a well-trained, loving pet around the house this book is not worth anything.
Rating:
Summary: Average book - seemed outdated
Review: I guess the book would be okay for someone training a Lab strictly for a hunting companion. As a general guide for dog training I found it lacking. The author spends alot of time talking about his experiences with Labs in the past and seems like a pretty miserable, ornery sort of guy. He has a few short drills concerning obedience training for your dog but then jumps into selecting a dog, training using field trials and gives references to friends in the business of breeding and training dogs. Problem is, the book was first written around 1940 with the last revision around 1977. Not too current. Again, for the hunter concerned with getting a top-quality Lab for field work, proabably a good book. For the average owner who wants a well-trained, loving pet around the house this book is not worth anything.
Rating: 
Summary: Vicious and Outdated
Review: I have trained dogs of many breeds over the last fifteen years. Some for obedience trials, agility trials and also I have trained my certified Search and Rescue dog, as well as having taught obedience classes for several years. This book needs to be taken out of circulation. I am horrified that this book, which describes to the novice exactly the best method to best beat their dog, and also to pick it up off the ground and shake it without being bitten, and then often telling the reader that if the training and beatings don't work then get rid of the dog. It is obvious to me that this man never trained anything other than patient, kind retrievers. It is amazing he wasn't viciously bitten many times. It is a credit to the Labrador breed that he wasn't. If you are a good trainer, there will never be a moment you will need to be guided by Free's advice, quoted here: "Most retrievers can take, and *like* (emphasis mine) a lot more punishment than they ever need, without any danger of being cowed. But if you should be unlucky enough to get one who (emphasis his) can't take as much as he needs, and shows signs of being cowed - then you'd better get rid of him at once..."
Rating:
Summary: Vicious and Outdated
Review: I have trained dogs of many breeds over the last fifteen years. Some for obedience trials, agility trials and also I have trained my certified Search and Rescue dog, as well as having taught obedience classes for several years. This book needs to be taken out of circulation. I am horrified that this book, which describes to the novice exactly the best method to best beat their dog, and also to pick it up off the ground and shake it without being bitten, and then often telling the reader that if the training and beatings don't work then get rid of the dog. It is obvious to me that this man never trained anything other than patient, kind retrievers. It is amazing he wasn't viciously bitten many times. It is a credit to the Labrador breed that he wasn't. If you are a good trainer, there will never be a moment you will need to be guided by Free's advice, quoted here: "Most retrievers can take, and *like* (emphasis mine) a lot more punishment than they ever need, without any danger of being cowed. But if you should be unlucky enough to get one who (emphasis his) can't take as much as he needs, and shows signs of being cowed - then you'd better get rid of him at once..."
Rating:
Summary: Training your Retriever-By James Lamb Free
Review: If I could I would give it NO stars. I found some of his training advice to be horrible! Just to name some things... talking about how to beat your dog. No dog should ever be hit/beat it does not make him a better trained dog. It just makes him a sad, hurt dog. You should train your dog with love... praise, NOT BY HITTING HIM! All dogs should have a loving home, NO dog should EVER be hit. Also, talking about having him in the kennel all day, only take him out to work, it's mean and doesn't make a good dog... just a sad dog, a happy dog who gets a lot of love will be a better worker! You CAN'T keep a dog in the kennel all day, and only take him out for work, or to beat him! Dogs need someone to love them, they need to be played with, taken on walks, someone to pet them... hold them... love them.......
Rating:
Summary: This is the best book of its kind!
Review: If you're even just thinking about owning a retreiver, you need to read this book--and more importantly follow the author's advice. My father and I have trained several labrador retrievers over 30 years in accordance with Mr. Free's philosophy; it works. The book reads well; is not overly complicated in scope--and provides practical strategies and "fixes" for most dog problems. Although oriented primarily to training big water dogs, it's also an excellent reference for training dogs of any breed. You'll probably want to keep this book on your nightstand through your dog's formative years-- and refer to it often.
Rating:
Summary: The most practical and reader-friendly dog training book
Review: If you're even just thinking about owning a retreiver, you need to read this book--and more importantly follow the author's advice. My father and I have trained several labrador retrievers over 30 years in accordance with Mr. Free's philosophy; it works. The book reads well; is not overly complicated in scope--and provides practical strategies and "fixes" for most dog problems. Although oriented primarily to training big water dogs, it's also an excellent reference for training dogs of any breed. You'll probably want to keep this book on your nightstand through your dog's formative years-- and refer to it often.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Retriever Training Book Of All Time
Review: Mr. Free's book is for those who want a HUNTING dog. If you're looking for a book to train Fido to do cute tricks for your friends like retrieve the paper go elsewhere. He trained dogs for field trials and intended them to be 1-owner dogs. I plan to train my next dog to be a more serious hunter than prior dogs I've owned. Even if you want a family dog that you can take in the field without being embarassed in front of your hunting buddies you can get several great methods from this book. Mr. Free stresses the importance of getting a good pup from exceptional pedigree to save yourself a lot of heartache down the road. I plan on using about 90% of what he recommends in this book. I own about six different retriever training books and this is by far the best. BTW if you plan on training anything other than a labrador retriever you may be put off by his obvious prejudice for this breed.
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