Young Adult Book from my younger years

[olaf]

A story about a man and his Cocker Spaniel. He takes the dog to obedience school with no luck. Then one day the training just clicks and the dog is well behaved. He goes on to win dog obedience competitions and then bird hunting competitions against more typical hunting breeds. Takes place in MidWest U.S. I believe. I think the title has the dog's name in it, but google and yahoo searches turned up nothing with my best guesses.

Any help appreciated

thanks
eric

 

[WickedWitch]

"Cocker Spaniels competed in AKC field trials during much of the mid-20th century, and there were many outstanding kennels, breeders, trainers, competitors, and Field Champion Cockers during the that era. A widely read 1958 children's book ("Champion Dog Prince Tom" - out of print but sometimes still available on auction websites) celebrated the life story of an American Cocker who became a Field Trial Champion."

Champion Dog Prince Tom by Jean Fritz & Tom Clute was originally published by Coward-McCann in 1958. It was later reissued in hardcover as a Weekly Reader Book Club selection.