I2O MODERN TRAINING. 



field work. It is particularly undesirable when practiced 

 among scattered birds, as, when ordered on, the dog is wholly 

 intent on finding the dead bird, and in his rapid, short casts 

 to and fro never fails to heedlessly flush all the remaining 

 birds. However, with experience, an intelligent dog will 

 learn, from his own observation, whether a bird is killed or 

 not, and will thereafter, with proper handling, work correctly 

 according to the requirements. If he should, nevertheless, 

 show no improvement from his own knowledge, the gun 

 may be fired in likely places for birds, but when no birds 

 are present, then permit the dog to search till he is satisfied, 

 neither attempting to restrain nor encourage him. Repeat 

 the deception as many times as are necessary, and generally 

 he will soon learn to distinguish between when a bird is 

 killed and when not.' If he should be an exceptional case 

 and persist in the habit regardless of this treatment, the 

 whip must come into use; but it must be applied with great 

 caution, and is rarely necessary at all. The handler should 

 trust more to regular work and moderate restraint than to 

 pressure by punishment. 



If the puppy breaks shot to retrieve, the greatest caution 

 must be observed in steadying him; his disposition and the 

 effects of punishment on him should be carefully noted, and 

 all treatment modified to harmonize with his peculiarities. 

 Otherwise, the attempts to steady him may impair his re- 

 trieving, pointing or finding, or all, inasmuch as he may 

 construe the punishment as relating to these acts instead of 

 the act of unsteadiness. However poorly he may perform 

 in any part, nothing should be done that will develop a fear 

 of birds, or a blinker. This may be guarded against by 

 conducting the training slowly, making the dog a steady 

 retriever by imperceptible gradations of advancement. An 

 aged dog, in some instances, from insufficient experience, 

 dull powers of observation or bad handling, will have no 



