Bill Tarrant is a dog trainer who knows how it is done and who has himself, done it very well for years. Yet Bill writes in a style that makes the reader think he is sitting at his kitchen table over a cup of coffee, just talking dogs with them.Bill introduces you to many people like Doc Dick Royse, a modern day James Herriot, and Delmar Smith, world renowed gun dog trainer. Again, Bill invites you in to sit at his kitchen table and partake of the sound advice these men, and others give out. You are incuded in the discussions like an old friend.
Bill shares information for every dog owner....from picking the puppy, to training the pup, to the geriatrics of the same puppy as he is a puppy no longer. Bill shares information regarding what to look for in a puppy and discusses the power of safe and sane training methods, be they for the household pet or for the dog whose owner aspires to make a world class field champion. He discusses canine nutrition in simple and thought provoking terms. Hunting dog or family pet, the information Bill provides is simple and concise. Amazingly easy to follow. Bill's examples will have you seeing, in your own minds eye, exactly what he is describing with his words.
Having read and owned tons of dog books on similiar topics, as well as being a golden retriever breeder since 1972, I can honestly say that Bill's voice makes it all fresh. There is no flash to Bill's writing because there doesn't need to be. As he says, "I know dogs. I live dogs. I love dogs. Those are my credentials and I want to give all I've learned and felt and sensed to you." And what a wonderful gift Bill gives.
An excellent book which will make you laugh and cry. It will make you wonder and question and even get a little angry when Bill discusses the tradgedy that is the Arizona Board of Veterinary Medicine and the death of one of his beloved pets. And in the end, you will close the book, reach down and hug that most precious of gifts, your beloved dog.
