204 THE RETRIEVER. 
generally tries his teacher's patience sorely before he learns to be silent and not to disturb 
the game by even a low whine. Again: the natural instinct of the Dog tells him to eat 
the animal which he has found, and it is not until he has been duly instructed that he 
learns to bring the game to his master without injuring it. July and Aueust are the best 
months for teaching the Retriever, because the water is then comparatively warm, and 
there is no risk of disgusting the animals by forcing them into an icy bath, or of 
bringing on disease by overmuch exposure to a cold wind while their coats are wet and 
themselves wearied. 
In order to keep the Dog from closing his teeth too firmly upon the game, he should 
always be made to lay down his spoil at his master’s feet, or to loosen his hold as soon as 
his master touches the object which he is carrying. If the prey be snatched from his 
mouth, he instinctively bites sharply in order to retain it; and when he gets into so bad 
a habit often damages the dead game so much that it is quite useless. Whenever a Dog 
is sent to fetch any object he must on no account be permitted to return without it, as, 
if he should once do so, he will ever afterwards be able to give up the search as soon as 
he feels tired. 
There are many other little difficulties in the training of the Retriever, some of them 
incidental to the Dog, simply because it is a Dog, and others belonging to the character 
of the individual animal. One ereat point to gain is, to make the Dog understand that 
the birds which he delights in fetching are killed by the gun and not by himself. Until 
he fully understands this lesson he is apt to dart off in chase of a bird as soon as he sees 
it, or perceives its scent, and to chase it until it is out of sight, just as we may see 
puppies chasing sparrows half over a field, barking at them as if they were to be caught 
as easily as if they were so many mice. 
The smaller Retriever is produced by a cross of the terrier with the beagle, and in 
many points is superior to the large black Retriever. Should a larger animal be required, 
the pointer is employed in the cross instead of the beagle. 
They are very quiet Dogs, and when on their quest do not make so much noise as the 
larger Retrievers, so that they are especially useful when the game is wild. The kind of 
terrier which is employed in the crossing depends on the caprice of the breeder, some 
persons preferring the smooth English Dog, and others the rough Scotch terrier. Being 
small Dogs they can be kept in the house, and become very companionable, so that when 
they go to their regular work they feel more love and respect for their master than would 
have been the case if they had been kept in a kennel, or sent to a cottage on board- 
wages. 
Spaniels can be taught to retrieve, and will perform their task nearly as well as a 
Retriever itself. A thoroughly well-taught Dog is almost invaluable to the sportsman, 
and will command a large price. According to “Stonehenge,” a well-instructed Clumber 
spaniel is worth thirty or forty guineas. If possible, the animal should in every case be 
taught by the person who intends to use him in the field, as neither the Dog nor its master 
can learn each other's ways without some experience, and without this knowledge neither 
can work well, or feel sure of the co-operation of the other. 
These animals are also valuable for retrieving, because, like the smaller Retrievers, 
they are capable of sharing the house with their master, and are therefore more amenable 
to his authority, and more likely to follow out his wishes, than if their intercourse were 
restricted to the hunting-field. The peculiar and very unpleasant odour of the skin, which 
is found to exist in almost every kind of Dog, can be removed by careful and periodical 
washing—a practice which the animal soon learns to appreciate. There is, however, a 
drawback to the companionship of the Dog, in the parasitic insects with which it is 
generally infested, and which are too tenacious of life to be destroyed by immersion in 
water, or too strong to be dislodged by ordinary mechanical means. 
The only method by which these disagreeable pests can be destroyed is by a rapidly 
acting poison, which kills them before they can retreat from its action. Such poisonous 
substances are too often dangerous to the Dog as well as to its parasites, and may seriously 
injure the animal instead of conferring any benefit upon it. Preparations of mercury 
are frequently used for this purpose, but are dangerous remedies for the reason above 
