Janet Menzies has, on this occasion, absolutely hit the nail squarely on the head. The book is very obviously aimed at the new owner who wants to work their spaniel and she delivers on every aspect, from the preparations you need to take before bringing your puppy home to competing in field trials. Each chapter is well structured and she has covered each topic in detail. A lot of training books make the assumption that the reader has some understanding of the end goal or that they have been a previous dog owner, which is often not the case. Janet makes no such assumption and covers everything that the new owner needs to know step by step.Not every new working Cocker owner wants a peg dog, or even to take their spaniel shooting, so the inclusion of other activities such as heelwork to music and obedience competitions are a welcome addition. Probably one of the most helpful sections of the book is at the back and this is the A-Z problem solver. Covering everything form attention seeking to yapping, she has some very innovative ways of solving any problem that may occur during and after training.

Overall, it is probably one of the best books I have read for the new working Cocker Spaniel owner.