Family Dog | Game Dog | Gun Dog | Water Dog | Top Dog
Top Dog II | PC Game | Top Dog Book

Family Dog
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The Washington Times says, "how-to videos that practically deliver individual instruction" "Family Dog," the fourth in a series of tapes generated by America's favorite dog-training author, Richard Wolters.

 Wolters is no longer with us, but family and friends have brought his hugely popular books, "Game Dog," "Water Dog" and "Gun Dog," to life carefully in crafted videos that will help any dog lover accomplish the proper training of retrievers, setters and pointers. Now, "Family Dog " has been added, completing the cycle, along the way providing a fine service for owners of family dogs who just want to be around humans, not necessarily wild game.

The step-by-step instructional video uses the proven techniques from the master, Wolters, featuring Roberta Norcia and Sally Glei.

Take 15 minutes in the morning, another 15 in the afternoon, and 16 weeks you'll have a well-trained, superbly behaved animal. You'll learn how to choose the right puppy, how to housebreak a dog and how to teach it all the necessary commands. The producers promise you'll notice a difference after only one lesson.

Richmond Times - Dispatch says, "Fetch a copy of this dog-training video! View!"

The new video, "Family Dog," distills the best of the Wolters training methods. It illustrates in great detail the basic commands, which many videos and books for working dogs ignore. That's one reason this video is tailor-made for the family that wants to motivate both puppy and adult dog in everything from house-breaking to heeling.

In the video Family Dog, trainer Richard A Wolters offers a foolproof, time-proven training guide to make any dog a first class member of the family. By following the simple steps in this video, taking fifteen minutes in the morning and again in the afternoon, an owner can have a well-trained dog in only sixteen weeks. This video includes tips on everything from choosing the right puppy, to house breaking, to all the basic commands. These methods will work for all breeds and any age of dog. - Pet Business

Ian Dunbar one of the worlds most respected dog trainers says, "Family Dog is a highly entertaining and instructive video that every puppy owner should have. It's extremely unique and over flowing with useful tips for every dog owner."

Video Librarian says, " This is the mother of all dog-training videos, complete with professional actors, wardrobe changes, comic subplots and disobedient dogs, and omniscient narrator giving our family canine counsel.

Gun Dog
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Richard Wolters' training books have sold in the hundreds of thousands because they work as promised-quicker and easier than anything else. This is the video that shows the "average" dog owner how to end up with a really good, dependable working retriever. I'm "average," and have used the Wolters method and have had a few fine dogs as a result.

Ian Dunbar one of the worlds most respected dog trainers says, "Family Dog is a highly entertaining and instructive video that every puppy owner should have. It's extremely unique and over flowing with useful tips for every dog owner."

 This film shows you how in simple lessons, and it also covers those common problems that come up and how to deal with them. It's the best video I've seen for the hunter who wants a reliable working dog...and the pleasure of training it for himself. - Gene Hill, Field & Stream Magazine

"Game Dog" is a video version of Richard Wolters' now-famous dog-training books. Wolters died, but his uncanny understanding of hunting breeds continues to win an almost universal acceptance for his training methods. Among other essentials, you'll learn the importance of buying your puppy at precisely seven weeks, why you shouldn't reward a retriever with food, and explanations for puzzling dog behaviors. A good video is still considerably cheaper that a dog psychiatrist.
- Sports Afield

Gun Dog

The Washington Times says, "a winning video".

To dog trainers and bird hunters, the name Richard A. Wolters means the best there is and was. Wolters, who died in 1993, authored "Water Dog," by many considered to be the best ever training book on retrieving breeds and in his time revolutionized hunting dog training techniques. To this day he amazes students of upland game hunting and waterfowl shooting in the proper use of pointers, setters and retrievers.

Recently. the work of the man who founded the North American Retriever Association, was put on tape in a fast-paced, easy-to-follow dog training video, "Game Dog." The tape was a whopping success and Mid-Carolina Media, Inc. (operated by one of Wolters' longtime friends) now follows it with the "Gun Dog" training video, the film version of a Wolters book by the same name. If you have an unruly pup or want to buy a pointer puppy, stop everything and get the "Gun Dog Video!"

A Wolters protege, Charlie Jurney, is the instructor on the 61-minute "Gun Dog" video and it shows that he isn't a hired actor, but a dog trainer, kennel owner and hunter. Gene Hill, the author of many books that deal with dogs, said, "Without a doubt, this is the most popular [dog training] method ever filmed because it works and it's easy."

...it might save you thousands of dollars worth of headaches and waster time with people who aren't skilled enough to paper-train a dog. Interested?

While natural instinct makes a good dog hunt and point, controlling the instinct with proper training makes a dog a good hunter partner. Beginning with puppy selection, this video of Richard A. Wolters' classic methods of rapid dog training takes the owner throughout the five critical training periods of a dog's life. It says that dog owners should not wait until the dog is a year old; they should begin teaching basic commands clearly, concisely, and consistently at 12 weeks. Training requires only 20 minutes a day-ten in the morning and ten in the afternoon. Recommended for public libraries where hunting is popular.
- Library Journal

 Gene Hill of Field & Stream says

"Gun Dog, the video is the easiest and quickest training system I know. Just a few minutes a day and you'll have a field dog you will be proud of!"

Carolina Adventure says of "Gun Dog", "A top quality video that is a step by step guide to rapidly transform a seven-week old puppy into a talented hunting dog".

Water Dog
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For 35 years, trainers of gun dogs have been realizing that Richard A. Wolters was something special. Bushy-haired, pipe stuck in mouth, he looked more like a sea captain than a student of animal behavior.

 Ducks Unlimited exclaims, "Proven Winner".

Charles Jurney delivers a hands-on, step-by-step training program that begins when a retriever pup is 49 days old. Based on Richard A. Wolters' book Water Dog, this video provides both novice and experienced dog owners alike valuable instruction on how to develop the complete retriever. The premise is quite simple - teaching the pup what the owner wants. The desired response is then conditioned by repeating the training drill over and over. Training sessions are kept short, and range from basic obedience and introducing the pup to water to obeying hand and whistle signals - and everything in between. For the person who is seeking the satisfaction involved with molding a finished retriever, this video will be an invaluable training aid.

The words of the late Richard A. Wolters, founder of the North American Hunting Retriever Association, have long guided both professional and amateur dog trainers in their quest for the perfect field companion. Now, two more of Wolters best-selling books from the '70s and '80s, Water Dog and Gun Dog, are available on video to hunters hoping to shape their own retriever of upland pointer. Another Wolters' classic, Game Dog, has been available on video for a couple of years.

Many sportsmen are hesitant to undertake the daunting task of training their own dog, convinced that they have neither the time nor the patience to help shape a young pup properly. These videos prove otherwise. Professional trainer Charlie Jurney, a Wolters disciple, walks the viewer through the earliest considerations and step in selecting a puppy and familiarizing him to his new surroundings. Step-by-step guidance is offered from teaching basic commands on up to the advanced instruction of a finished dog. Just 10 to 15 minutes in the morning and the same in the evening everyday is all that is required to train your dog using Wolters' proven methods.

Both videos cover the basics of training, but Water Dog goes on to teach the specific methods needed to develop a retrieving dog, while Gun Dog focuses on shaping pointing and flushing breeds for upland use. I am currently using what I have learned from Water Dog to train my five-month-old Labrador retriever (my first such endeavor), and am quite pleased with our progress thus far. Though I did not purchase my dog as young as the video recommends, the principles were easily adapted to my situation. With time a precious commodity for many sportsmen, the videos offer concise, quickly understandable strategies for getting the trainee to do what you command, something that is sorely needed when you have a dog running wild through the house and testing everybody's patience but the birds'.

 Retriever Field Trail News

The video version of the well known training book by Richard Wolters, contains the same basic techniques for training a hunting retriever, but has been updated to include a few newer methods, which have come to light since Wolters wrote his book. Completely missing is the use of a dummy launcher - added is the double "T", swim by and other drills.

Trainer Charles Jurney progresses pups through each step, illustrating the lessons with mostly "rookie" pups, so that the viewer has an idea of what to expect and how to correct their dog.

The video is straight forward, and easy to follow with humane, effective lessons. As with the book most novice trainers and their dogs will benefit from following the techniques in the video.

At first glance, the decision looks like a no-brainer: Spend $1500 to $2000 to have your dog professionally trained, or $50 for a video and book?

But a hasty answer to this one can leave you feeling brainless later on.

There is no doubt that almost all dogs can be successfully trained by their owners using one of the many fine videos and books on the subject, if they invest the time and patience.

For hunters who qualify, the video "WATER DOG: The Hunter's Retriever for Waterfowl" is among the best on the market.

That shouldn't surprise hunters. The video is based on the book of the same name by the late Richard Wolters that gave hundreds of thousands of sportsmen the confidence to train their own dogs. Wolters' success sprang from his ability to communicate his major themes: Early-age training, keeping things simple and fun, and a step system that leads to a finished hunter able to respond to whistle and hang signals. More than 700,000 copies of the book have been sold.

The instructor on the video is Charlie Jurney, a North Carolina trainer with a successful kennel who has a special affection for WATER DOG.

"I trained my first dog with Richard's book, when I was still a pharmacist," Jurney said. "So, I know it works."

Over the course of its 82 minutes, the video covers every step of training, from socialization of the young pup, to a finished hunter at age 10 months.

Although videos are great because you actually can see the lessons taking place before you attempt them, I would recommend buying and reading the book before starting. That way you'll have a thorough understanding of the principles that guided Wolters' training system, and you will be more likely to accept what each lessons is designed to teach.

My only complaint about this video is the same I have for all instructional videos: It makes the process look too easy. While Jurney does discuss how to handle some of the problems that crop up, this tape, like most, makes the process look like a stroll in the park.

But be forewarned, training a dog takes time and patience. You must have an ironclad commitment to the daily schedule, to the almost endless repetition and patience that are the true keys to success under any system.

If you do, WATER DOG will be the gateway to one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.

If you can't make that investment, then $1500 for a professional trainer will be a bargain.
- The Times-Picayune

 Train your Lab - If you're a fan of retrieving dogs and a serious waterfowl hunter, another fine video is "Water Dog," the film version of the best-selling Richard A. Wolters book.

"Water Dog" is a nicely done 82-minute tape that provides owners of recently purchased retrievers every correct step to train the pup.

If the viewer follows the professional trainer's method as shown on the screen, he or she will have the perfect, well-behaved retrieving dog that can do everything except dance the Texas Two-step.

The complete training cycle from clumsy puppy to smoothly retrieving adult is shown and you can do it in 10- to 15-minute daily training sessions.

"Water Dog"...(is) a lot cheaper than sending the dog to school a for couple of months.
- The Washington Times

Gene Hill of Field and Stream says of "Water Dog", "This one does it all!!! Here's the film version of the most famous training book ever! A simple, effective and complete method giving you a finished working dog afer just a few easy minutes a day. I can't imagine a better training video. It's easy, practical and effective. Thousands of trainers swear by the book -- now, the video makes a finished dog even easier".

Grays Sporting Journal calls "Water Dog" an excellent video produced by the Wolters' estate."

Top Dog
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"Top Dog is an easy to follow guide for the do-it-yourself retriever trainer. It's also the best video I've ever seen on the proper use of electronic collars. This sequel biulds on training techinques espoused in Water Dog and Game Dog, instructing the trainer how to strengthen a retriever's lessons learned from those videos with reinforcement training using electronic stimulation. Correctl applied, these lessons will, as the video claims, elevate the well-traind retriever to the status of top dog!!"

Chuck Petrie,
Executive Editor of Ducks Unlimited Magazine

A video Intro to E-Collar Training

This latest Mastermind production expands on the video library of dog training instruction using the methods of Richard A. Wolters. As the next step in a dog's continuing education, Top Dog picks up where the basic commands of "sit," "heel," and "here" left off in Water Dog and Gun Dog.

The entire series provides time-tested tips to help make the dog owned by a 9 to 5 regular Joe a capable, working animal without the expense of a year's boarding. Top Dog teaches its lessons with the use of an aid many novices are afraid of the electric collar. Professional trainer Tony Hartnett provides the how, when, where an why of e-collar reinforcement, reinforcement being the keyword. Hartnett repeatedly points out the e-collar is a reinforcement to commands the dog already has been trained to do. It is not punishment and it isn't effective unless the dog already knows what's expected of him. Through reinforcement of the e-collar, Hartnett demonstrates advanced force-fetching and the commands of "back," the remote "sit," and over and angled-back directionals.

This tape does admit that there's pain involved in such training. But it's also clear that minimal stimulation is used to get the job done - no yelping, writhing dogs as so many fear.

It's easy for viewers to see how the building blocks of good training stack up to produce a biddable and happy working animal. And in case you're wondering what a finished dog should be, the long water-blind in the opening footage is the perfect example of what quality training can do to make your dog a "Top Dog".

Jennifer L.S. Pearsall
The American Hunter Magazine
September, 2000

"Top Dog" the video

The elements of teaching a student a complex task remain remarkably similar whether the student in question is a young surgeon learning to remove an appendix or a young Lab learning to handle blind retrieves. Midway through this highly instructive video, I realized that its producers were using the same teaching techniques on me that they were using on their dogs: establishing basic principles, reinforcing them through repetition, and building upon them to produce gradually more sophisticated responses. The result should be improved performance and satisfaction for dog and handler alike.

Top Dog presumes a bit of knowledge on the part of its viewers (and is quick to point out appropriate resources for novice handlers who haven't yet learned to teach their dogs to sit.) The video is intended for an audience of trainers who want to take their abilities - and those of their charges - past entry level performance. The narrative emphasizes the skillful use of electronic training collars, and it provides a remarkably clear and concise explanation of this frequently misunderstood subject. Mercifully free of the "infomercial" tone that frequently mars such productions, the text remains appropriately focused on teaching you to use your collar properly rather than trying to convince you to buy a new one from a sponsor.

The excellent cinematography provides a logical illustration of training principles that should give the viewer new confidence in his or her ability to ask more of a dog in training - and get it. I heartily recommend Top Dog to any serious trainer interested in developing a method calculated to turn good dogs into great ones.

E. Donnall Thomas Jr.
Editor-at-Large
The Retriever Journal

Top Dog II
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The American Field Magazine says, "Top Dog II is a great instructional aid that helps break those bad habits without interfering with the dog's eagerness to please, turning trainer and retriever into close-working hunting partners".

"Top Dog II" is an advance training video that builds on techniques shown in MasterMind Entertainment's first video, "Top Dog".
Beginning with a real hunting situation in which trainer Tony Hartnett uses the techniques taught in the video, the viewer can see the benefits of Rich Wolters' techniques to train even the most head-strong retriever.

Hartnett explains these simple exercises which take only minutes each day to help the do-it-yourself trainer get the results that professionals achieve. He explains and showcases the correct use of electronic collars. This is great for those who aren't sure how to use this device for maximum results, as well as when NOT to use the collar - minimizing confusion and fear in the student companion.

"Top Dog II" shows the amateur how to teach even difficult tasks such as angled entry and locating cold blinds - while helping to build the trainer/retriever bond to work as a team.
Hartnett's instructions focus on the use of hand signals, voice commands, the electronic collar, and bumpers. He also teaches how to correct dogs' bad retrieving habits: running the bank instead of taking the most direct route; or picking up the most recently downed bird instead of his mark (which can "poison" the chance of winning a field trial or hunt test!).

"Top Dog II" is a great instructional aid that helps break those bad habits without interfering with the dog's eagerness to please, turning trainer and retriever into close-working hunting partners.

The American Field Magazine
March, 2001

The Retriever Journal

As a writer, I hate to admit that a picture really can be worth a thousand words, but a well-executed video can be a powerful teaching tool. With the release of "Top Dog II", Mastermind Entertainment - producers of the acclaimed Richard Wolters training videos makes another valuable contribution to the lexicon.

As the title suggests, this video builds on the foundation established by it's predecessor, "Top Dog". Using the same logical, step-wise technique, this advanced version presents a series of a dozen drills designed to refine the dog's performance in the field. A red dot in the corner of the screen allows the viewer to see exactly when electronic stimulation begins and ends. Trainer Tony Hartnett uses the e-collar judiciously, and some of the video's best advice concerns when not to use it.

All the dogs shown have already mastered the basics. As the title suggests, this is not a video for beginners - retrievers or their trainers. These techniques are meant to make good dogs better, and viewers needing more elementary instruction are appropriately referred to earlier videos in this fine series.

Running just over an hour, "Top Dog II" contains a wealth of useful instruction. The photography is excellent, and the talking heads and sponser infomercials - two of my pet peeves in outdoor videos - are kept to a tasteful minimum. Seasoned trainers looking to take their charges to the next level will find plenty of new ideas presented logically and clearly.

The Retriever Journal
E. Donnall Thomas Jr.
May/June, 2001

PC Game
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Vulcan Outdoors says, "Top Dog: Hunting and Retrieving Ducks offers diehard waterfowlers an intense, realistic duck hunting experience!".

Top Dog: A Virtual Duck Hunting Experience

Sportsmen can choose from six authentic hunting preserve locations from Alaska to Mississippi. Next, it's important to select an adequate number of decoys and the appropriate shotgun and camouflage, including Mossy Oak, for your location. But wait! You're not ready to hunt yet. Players must also choose a retriever and train the animal in the essential commands. Both professional dog trainers and beginning waterfowlers will appreciate the live-action training videos, which demonstrate the proper methods used to train the animals. Once your dog is properly trained, it's time to go hunting. After bringing down a a mallard or ring-necked, use your commands to guide your dog to the fallen duck. Remember to rest your dog after retrieves, or he will have trouble obeying your commands. Scores are based upon the number of birds shot, the distance and number of retrieves and the time it takes to retrieve each bird. Top Dog: Hunting and Retrieving Ducks makes a great gift for waterfowlers of all ages.

Vulcan Outdoors
Chad Nichols
December, 2001

Richmond Times-Dispatch - Garvey Winegar

It was just a matter of time before someone came up with a computer game that lets us go duck hunting when... well, when we couldn't go duck hunting.

I ordered a copy of the new "Top Dog - Hunting and Retrieving Ducks." The CD game is based on the late Dick Wolters' book, "Top Dog."

Wolters, you may remember, lived near Studley, northeast of Richmond. He died in an ultra-light plane accident several years ago near his home. His books - "Water Dog", "Gun Dog", "Family Dog" and "Game Dog" - sold more than 1 million copies and changed forever the way dog owners train their pets and hunters.

Joseph Middleton of Raleigh, NC, was a friend of the Wolters family. Middleton has converted most of Wolters' books into instructional videos. Now he has spent two years turning out a cracker-jack of a computer game based on one of Wolters' popular waterfowling books.

It's uncanny. Some of the things you can do with "Top Dog" include selecting and trainging your retriever; choosing from one of six duck-hunting locales in North America; calling birds and shooting at them; and finally, guiding your dog to the fallen ducks.

And that's where things get interesting.

Everything I know about dog training, I learned from Wolters' books and videos, as well as precious time spent with this world-traveler after he moved to the Richmond area from Westchester, NY.

Still, some of us have it in the dog-training and duck-shooting department, and some of us don't. Perhaps our higher talents lie elsewhere. In mumblety-peg or truffle-finding, lets say.

I did all the right things. The game insists that you chose the decoys, then the gun (10-gauge, 12-gauge, or 20-gauge), pick the camo to wear, choose between various retrievers, then train the dog per instructions.

Can you believe it? This computer dog gets tired - tired mind you - and backs off the job if you work him to hard. I even tried to fool him into retrieving a duck that I thought should have come down but didn't.

Smart dog.

Then there was the shooting. I chose a 20-gauge, then must have fired 40 times before the first duck fell - and I was shooting in the "beginner" category.

And when you fire and miss, the sound of the gun causes these virtual ducks to flare and take off out of range. You have to call them back, just like real ducks. Maddening.

But I can see that "Top Dog" is going to be addictive. This thing's a real hoot.

After dinner tonight, I shall change tactics. I'll choose the blunderbuss 10-gauge. I will train the dog a little better so he won't be swimming aimlessly in circles. And I will wait until those darn ducks are almost cooling off a hot gun barrel with their wing beats.

But best of all, I will no longer have to push a wheelbarrow of extra shells through the mud, knowing for a certainty that I'll probably need them.

Top Dog Book
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Now having the perfect hunting dog is easy with the new "Top Dog" Book from the producers of the Richard A. Wolters' " Water Dog" video series!

Since 1964, the classic "Water Dog" book has been the "Bible" for training retrievers. Now, "Top Dog" contains all the wisdom of "Water Dog" plus the newest training techniques from some of the best professional dog trainers in the world! Whether the dog owner wants a well behaved family dog or a good hunting dog or a field trial champion, "Top Dog" does it all!

Take only fifteen minutes per day, follow the book's simple steps and have the dog you've always wanted. Learn the five tests that help you select the best pup in the litter, discover one of the best kept secrets of training basic obedience and master the proper use of the electronic collar.

Chuck Petrie, Executive Editor of Ducks Unlimited Magazine exclaims, "Top Dog is the most comprehensive book on the proper and humane use of the electronic collar. It covers everything from basic obedience and force-fetch training to blind retrieves and advanced drills. That's everything you need to transform your dog into an advanced hunting retriever."

"Top Dog", the book, is a companion guide to all of the Richard A. Wolters' videos, "Water Dog", "Game Dog", "Family Dog", "Top Dog" and "Top Dog II". It trains retrievers for both upland and waterfowl hunting.

According to the books author, William Field and Tony Hutnett, the master trainer featured in the book, "You never, ever use the electronic collar to train a dog; however, used properly, it is a wonderful and quick way to reinforce the commands the dog already knows." Combining the proven methods of Richard A. Wolters with today's time-tested training techniques, "Top Dog" goes beyond "Water Dog" and makes training a hunting dog easier than ever before!

"Top Dog" is a hard cover, 179 page book that is fully illustrated with 100 photographs and illustrations.