The Labrador Retriever: From Hunting Dog to One of the World's Most Versatile Working Dogs (K9 Professional Working Breeds)

Everything you need to know about one of the world’s most versatile working dogs

Learn:

• Training methods and techniques specifically for the Labrador Retriever
• How to keep your dog healthy and in shape
• The fascinating origins and breed standard of the Labrador Retriever

Anyone who owns or works with Labrador Retrievers knows they are a special breed. Originally bred as a hunting dog in the nineteenth century, the Labrador Retriever is renowned for its intelligence, gentle ways, and adaptability. The same traits that allow the Labrador Retriever to excel as a hunting dog make it a versatile working dog. Its friendly disposition makes it one of the most popular family pets as well.

Expert trainers Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak take you on a deep dive into the origins and history of the breed before exploring the traits and characteristics that distinguish it. Then, they provide training basics for the Labrador Retriever to get you started, and they examine the wide range of service and detection tasks the dog is ideally suited for. If you work with a Labrador Retriever or want to start working with one, this book offers a valuable guide to the many possibilities this breed offers.

Dr. Resi Gerritsen, a psychologist and jurist, is an international judge for the International Rescue Dog Organisation (IRO) and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI). Along with her late husband, Ruud Haak, and other colleagues in Austria, Resi developed a new method for training search-and-rescue dogs that revolutionized the field after producing stellar results in disaster zones around the world. She still trains her dogs for search and rescue, detection work, and Schutzhund.

Ruud Haak was the author of more than 30 dog books in Dutch, German, and English, and for over 40 years he was the editor-in-chief of the biggest Dutch dog magazine, Onze Hond (Our dog). Ruud travelled the world with his wife, Dr. Resi Gerritsen, teaching their unique methods to police departments, search-and-rescue organizations, and other dog trainers. He passed away in 2023.