156 MODERN TRAINING. 



find the meat yourself and withhold it from him, thus he 

 will be stimulated to greater eagerness to find it himself at 

 the next effort. These lessons should not be practiced too 

 long or too frequently; once a day is sufficient for training 

 purposes. 



When the dog comprehends the meaning of the order 

 and will search for the meat with more or less diligence, it 

 should not be concealed on the ground thereafter, else he 

 will thereby certainly acquire a habit of putting his nose to 

 the ground when searching, and if the habit is confirmed, 

 he may continue it in actual field work. In the fields, a 

 piece of meat can be placed in the fork of a bush, or other 

 object, low enough for the dog to reach with ease. In the 

 yard, small nails can be driven into convenient objects, as, 

 for instance, posts, barrels, the corner of a building, etc. A 

 piece of meat is placed on one and he is required to search 

 till he finds it. The piece must be changed from place to 

 place with each successive attempt, else he will remember 

 each place accurately and go directly from one to the other. 

 By practice he will grow wonderfully cunning and successful 

 in his search. 



As he improves, he may be taught to obey signals of the 

 hand, a wave to the right or left denoting that he must 

 search accordingly. Generally, from observing that it assists 

 him to success, he quickly learns the meaning of the signal. 

 It is unwise to drag the meat on the ground to have him 

 trail it, and also to conceal it so securely that the dog will 

 have unnecessary difficulty in finding it. If the act closely 

 approximates to that required in actual field work, it is 

 sufficient. 



When he is diligent and obedient, the transitionary stage 

 between working for his own profit and working for that of 

 his master may be commenced, although the dog must still 

 have some incentive; his love of approbation should be 



