This book tells the story of Pfaffenberger's search to develop test for puppies to determine which would ultimately become good guide dogs. There are pearls of wisdom throughout this book. I have not seen info on issues he brings up before. Understand this is a story of what he went through but he discusses the science of dog behavior at that time and where his work went wrong and where it went right. Did you know it is best that hunting breeds be allowed to hunt even if they will do work where , if they hunt, it would be a detriment to the work. Allowing the hunting dogs to hunt for a season increased their success rate in these breeds. One might think this was counter-intuitive, but Pfaffenberger provides info to the contrary. I recommend this book for people who want even more detailed info on puppy tests and producing great working dogs.

This is an excellent foundation book for anyone interested in dog behavior and/or training. This book explains how dog training/testing/methods came about as a result of the war dog effort, and how criteria was established for selecting dogs, inheritability factors, etc. It truly is a must for any serious dog trainer.