THE WORKING SPRINGER SPANIEL. By Keith Erlandson.

1995 1st edition. 8vo (160 x 241mm). Ppx,242. B/w photographs, illustrations. Laminated boards in matching dust-wrapper.

A practical and well-regarded account of training, working, breeding and trialling distilled from forty years' experience. Chapters include: Origins of the Springer; The relationship between dog and man; Obtaining a Spaniel puppy; Why we must dock; Spaniel size and efficiency; Hips and eyes in Spaniels; Pre-training procedure; Training equipment; Dogging guns and ammo; Early obedience lessons; Steadiness to dummies and retrieving; Introducing the gun; Retrieving real game; Hunting and steadiness to game; A breakdown on game scent; Perfecting the hunting method; Dropping to shot; Working on blind retrieves; Jumping fences; Water work; Walking to heel; Artificial lines; Punishment; His raison d'etre; The importance of a good mouth; The principles of breeding good spaniels; Breeding a good litter of puppies; The working cocker today; The fall and rise, and rise of the Cocker; Woodcock and 'Cocking' Spaniels; The changed face of field trials; Spanmiel trials in Europe; Spaniels - a continental sportsman's view; Transatlantic Spaniel trials, USA and Canada; Spaniels today; A review of Spaniel Championship winners. Essential reading for anyone who owns or is thinking of owning a working Springer or Cocker Spaniel.