DOGS, AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS. D65 
farther ; throw it over the house orsome building , hide 
it, he will soon obey your every command. Enforce 
obedience at all times. Do not correct him in anger, nor 
whip him unnecessarily ; but when necessity demands it, 
have no hesitancy in punishing him for faults or omissions 
he has committed or omitted. In teaching the puppy 
to lie down, the expression generally used is, “ Down, 
charge.” The word, ** Down” is better, because it con- 
veys the command to the dog without unnecessary words. 
The fewer words one uses the better. Teach the dog 
to associate words with actions in this way. Tell him 
to “ down,” at the same time pressing him down with 
your hand. He soon learns that when he is told to 
“down,” if he doesn’t mind, your hand will force him. 
Connecting the command with the raising of your hand, 
he soon learns to drop at sight of the uplifted hand, as 
readily as at the word. Practice and discipline are 
what makes him perfect in this respect. When you 
are ready to teach him to retrieve from water, don’t 
throw him in the first time you happen to have him 
near it. Don’t throw him in at all, for you will frighten 
him and delay his learning. But select some bright 
day, some place where the water is shallow and warm, 
and go down with him to itsedge. When the atmosphere 
offers strong inducements for him to take a bath, throw 
sticks on the verge of the stream, where he can wade ; 
gradually extend the distance, and ina few days he 
will bring from the water as well as from land. 
When the dog retrieves, insist that the object brought 
shall be delivered into your hand, don’t let him drop 
it at your feet or any other place. Don’t let him jump 
up on you, but teach him to come to you with the duck 
in his mouth, to sit on his haunches and hold the bird 
