Based on a rescue operation during the Angolan civil war in the deeply divided African continent in the 1970s, Task Force Retriever - Out of Angola explores love, war, the politics of hate, apartheid, international intrigue, the involvement of Cuba in African affairs and one man's sense of duty when his country is under threat.

Nationally-recognized retriever trainers John and Amy Dahl (The 10-Minute Retriever) tackle advanced training methods and problem-solving using a dog's innate strengths to compensate for its weaknesses. They discuss how dogs learn at an advanced level while encouraging readers to tailor their training so the dog keeps progressing. Training topics include: how advanced training applies to hunting and to competition; blind retrieves; achieving range and multiple blinds; handling; hazards and formidable obstacles; more disciplined lining; marking; and the use of an e-collar in advanced field work. Problem-solving topics include: the challenges of training high-drive dogs; controlling excitement level and related problems (creeping, breaking, vocalizing, crushing birds, freezing); mouth problems (too rough, eating birds, dropping birds, unwillingness to handle cripples); pace issues (keeping training moving and the dog challenged); inhibitions; problems related to pressure; lack of response at a distance; line manners; and hunting problems (poor perseverance, unwillingness to enter cover). The authors also discuss good general practices and individuality in training, along with specific real-life dog training stories that help readers see how the experts deal with unique problems.

Teaching the obedience retrieve is one of the most challenging tasks in dog training but teaching it with a clicker is the best no-force way to succeed. Learn the language and mechanics clicker training for basics and advanced skills.

Combining terrific suspense, only-in-New York characters, and first hand knowledge about how an international terrorist incident is investigated, The Protectors is Dan Mahoney at his best. In the mountainous north of Spain, on a quiet Sunday morning, a Basque terrorist group kidnaps the country's wealthiest woman after a violent ambush along a winding country road. At the same time, in New York City, a murderous shootout alongside Central Park leaves two dead and Spain's ambassador to the United Nations held hostage. NYPD Detective First Grade Brian McKenna and his partner Cisco Sanchez (the self-described world's greatest detective) are assigned to the Joint Terrorist Task Force. The task force is focused on locating the ambassador, but for McKenna, the investigation becomes urgent when he learns that the kidnapped woman is Carmen de la Cruz, a personal friend. The search begins for two dangerous cells, one in New York, the other in Spain. McKenna and Sanchez work with the FBI, ATF, and state troopers to comb the city and eventually the state, but in Spain the investigation is stalled-until the two detectives negotiate an unprecedented role in a foreign police matter. When they arrive in Madrid, McKenna and Sanchez are caught in the crossfire of a war between Basque nationalists and the Spanish police themselves. Intercepted cellphone calls lead the partners to resort area of Gibraltar, and a complex of caves beneath the famous rock that might conceal Carmen and her kidnappers.

Author Nona Kilgore Bauer begins Retriever Madness with a chapter called "Know Your Retrievers," and few know their retrievers like this expert author, trainer, and breeder. Bauer introduces the readers to the six retrievers recognized by the American Kennel Club, among them two of the most popular companion dogs in the world, the Labrador Retriever and the Golden Retriever, along with other superb overachievers: the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Flat-Coated Retriever, Curly-Coated Retriever, and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.Geared toward readers who are interested in working with their retrievers in their bred-for capacity;hunting water fowl and upland game birds;Retriever Madness is the perfect primer to getting started in the field. The book offers advice on selecting a puppy with hunting potential, giving future owners insight on how to evaluate a puppy's birdiness, independence, prey drive, and personality. The chapter on bringing the puppy home gives recommendations for basic training equipment, including leashes, collars, dummies, whistles, starting pistol and the like.Amateur retriever owners who hope to hunt with their dogs will find excellent advice for training for the puppy's first twenty weeks of life, the most critical period for training any puppy. In addition to the basic commands (sit, down, stay), the author also explains the release command, whistle commands, forward and backward heeling, and wait.Four chapters are devoted to beginning field work, presenting diagrams and step-by-step instructions and covering such topics as puppy marks, throwing, water retrieves, steadying, force-fetching, marking, executing blind retrieves and more. The author offers remedies to commonly encountered problems in the field as well as a complete glossary of terminology that all readers will find helpful in understanding the lingo of the field retriever.