BREAKING AND HANDLING. 1 19 



thoroughly and permanently obedient, often making first- 

 rate performers. Rarely will one be found which is wholly 

 worthless, or which will not be taught. 



Perfect retrieving can be established only by the greatest 

 care and fidelity in teaching details, and punctuality in the 

 preparatory lessons. If it is taught at all, it is worthy being 

 taught perfectly, for it is an eminently useful accomplish- 

 ment, it being a necessity in field shooting, and, when per- 

 formed correctly, a source of pleasure to the sportsman. 

 Poor retrieving mars the best of sport; indeed, if the re- 

 triever has acquired vicious habits such as mutilating birds, 

 running a"way with them, etc., he is much worse than none. 



Notwithstanding its indispensable value in successful 

 field work, it at times in the first or perhaps also in part of 

 the second season, is the source of objectionable traits in 

 relation to other parts of field work which are more or less 

 associated with it. This, of course, has no reference to such 

 dogs as are used as special retrievers; but such, for upland 

 shooting, seldom find favor in this country, sportsmen pre- 

 ferring that a dog is both a finding dog and a retriever. 

 The objectionable traits usually disappear as the dog ma- 

 tures and gains in experience. One of the most annoying 

 faults is when a puppy, from taking great interest in cap- 

 turing a dead bird and delight in the act, develops an 

 over-eagerness and a consequent disposition to break shot 

 when a bird is killed; the necessary efforts to steady him 

 may dampen his ardor temporarily. Again, he may be an- 

 noyingly and obstructingly persistent in searching for a real 

 or imaginary dead bird whenever the gun is fired; so thor- 

 oughly determined are some dogs in this respect that even 

 if led quite a distance away so that they may resume hunt- 

 ing for live birds, they will immediately return to complete 

 the search to their satisfaction. This offensive habit is 

 commonly associated with retrieving in the early stages of 



