As far as training yourself, it kind of depends on how "finished" you want your dog to end up. For a good ol' Meat Dog (hunting companion), I'd go with "10 Minute Retriever" by John and Amy Dahl. For a Great hunting companion, go with "Smartwork for Retrievers" by Evan Graham. For a 100% SUPERB dog that will amaze everyone who sees him, get the entire series by Evan Graham = "Smartwork", "Smartwork II" and "Smartfetch".