BREAKING AND HANDLING. 89 



with his capabilities and peculiarities. Many faults can be 

 cured without inflicting pain; in fact many, such as false 

 pointing, blinking, gun shyness, fear of the handler, etc., are 

 intensely aggravated by it. 



The whipping should be administered as nearly under 

 the same circumstances, respecting any particular fault, as 

 possible, to the end that the dog can properly comprehend 

 and associate the punishment. Also judgment is required 

 to determine the right juncture to give the proper quantity, 

 and withal to retain control over him. It is injudicious to 

 release a dog as soon as he has been whipped. Hold him 

 till such time as he regains his composure ; and if he evinces 

 an undue desire to get away, he should not be released if 

 there is a probability that he will bolt. The trainer, know- 

 ing all his peculiarities, can easily forecast his purpose. A 

 long cod-line can be put on him if there is danger that he 

 will run away, and by this means he can be prevented. 

 After punishing a dog it is better to refrain from giving 

 any orders till he resumes his work. At all times the 

 trainer's manner should be kind, but no frivolity should be 

 indulged in. 



Dogs will be met with which, from self-will and the 

 absence of any of the natural affection which nearly all 

 dogs feel for a trainer who treats them kindly, can only be 

 controlled by reducing them to a state of fear. Fortunately 

 dogs of such cold-blooded, self-hunting natures are very 

 uncommon ; however, the trait varies from the mild degrees 

 to the most intense, the latter being infrequent. To show 

 the necessity of severe and regularly repeated punishments, 

 the author will mention an instance which was in his own 

 experience ; one of many, yet the worst one of all. It was 

 still more remarkable from the fact that the dog was a 

 pointer, he being of a breed which, when trained, is almost 

 uniformly disposed to work to the gun. During the first two 



