This one has limited interest to non-obedience people, though. I was placing an order from Amazon.com for some Rally-O books to help me plan my upcoming classes, and I discovered some books by a gentleman named Willard Bailey. Now, unless you're an obedience nut like I am, and have read a zillion books and articles, you might not know who he is. But as a past subscriber of the obedience magazine Front & Finish, I recognized his name.
His first book is called "Remembering To Breathe" and it's about his journey from Novice A (the beginner's class, if you will) to earning an OTCh title, which is the highest obedience title you can earn with the American Kennel Club. It takes a lot of work, patience and training to earn an OTCh, and not very many people do this with their first obedience dog. The book is wonderful - full of anecdotes, hints and tips. It talks about the changes in training methods (from force to reward-based) and the various kinds of people you meet when you spent any amount of time in a competition ring. It also illustrates the beautiful relationship that Willard has with his Golden Retriever Honeybear.
I didn't cry at the end, but I came close a few times. It's a great book, and if you're interested in obedience competition, then you'll enjoy it.
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2 comments:
I was thinking of reading "Hup" before getting my next dog. What do you think?
That sounds like a great read. I'll keep an eye out for it.
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