BREAKING AND HANDLING. 103 



be a more desirable companion, and will have more friends. 



Another serious fault is the persistent and irritating habit 

 of barking at passing strangers. Sometimes, when the 

 owner is present, the dog will show a bravado spirit and 

 will be louder and Ynore violent, presuming on immunity, 

 from his master's presence. From habit, the act often 

 becomes malicious. The dog should be broken of the 

 obnoxious habit by whipping him when he is caught in the 

 act. Instances are not infrequent where the habit caused 

 an abrupt termination to an otherwise useful career. Men 

 are not always in a humor to enhance a dog's pleasure by 

 being a subject for his barking dull men are unable to 

 distinguish between the bark of a dog full of blue blood 

 and that of a common cur. The very little trouble required 

 to correct these faults makes neglect of them inexcusable. 



Yard breaking is very essential to satisfactory progress 

 and skillful training. The advantages of teaching certain 

 orders and acts, and establishing discipline separately, free 

 from field complications, are obvious. If obedience is not 

 taught to these orders in the yard, it must be taught in the 

 field under much less favorable ciucumstances, and with 

 much greater trouble, frequently to the injury of the dog's 

 field work. The yard training should approximate as closely 

 as possible in manner to that of actual field work, thus the 

 transition from it to the other will be easily accomplished. 

 Such training also avoids many objectionable and some- 

 times extremely troublesome faults, such as blinking, bolt- 

 ing, etc. 



In yard breaking, a dog may be taught obedience to the 

 following commands and their corresponding signals, 

 namely : Fetch, Find, Drop, Holdup, Go on, Come in, Steady, 

 Dead or Dead bird, Heel, and numerous incidental details, 

 as will be more particularly described hereafter. If the 

 trainer teaches these orders thoroughly and at the same 



