BREAKING AND HANDLING. l6l 



must have some knowledge of field work; indeed, skillful 

 methods assume such pre-existing knowledge when applied, 

 the true system being merely to train the dog's natural ef- 

 forts to the use of the gun. There are ever varying com- 

 plexities in field work, which cannot be reduced to any 

 rules, and which must be left to the intelligence of the dog. 

 The amateur who-will recognize these elementary principles 

 has made a great advance toward success. It is incom- 

 parably better to permit the dog to exercise his intelligence 

 at first, after which train him to observe formal methods 

 which subserve the purposes of the gun, than to attempt, 

 from the beginning, to reduce every detail and act to arti- 

 ficial rules. As between the dog which is forced to observe 

 formal methods, from the beginning, because they are meth- 

 ods, and the dog which works intelligently and only has 

 methods as they relate to the purposes of the gun, there is. 

 no comparison. While a dog cannot possibly be developed 

 to a greater degree than the limit of his native capabilities, 

 it is equally true that his capabilities may be injured or kept 

 dormant by unskillful training. 



If the puppy, at the start, flushes, chases, runs riot and 

 is wholly without system, do not imagine for a moment that 

 such will be his manner perpetually, even if his handler 

 should refrain from interfering. The dog learns and im- 

 proves from his own experience, and after awhile settles 

 down into uniform regularity in his work, although at this 

 period his efforts are all wholly in his own interest. No 

 concern need be felt as to training him to steadiness. Re- 

 member that the dog does not live that cannot be worked 

 to a standstill. The time required to gain the preliminary 

 experience varies greatly with different dogs. Some require 

 a few days, others as many weeks, while timid, cranky, or 

 indolent dogs may require months. The preparatory fitness 

 of the puppy can be determined by observing whether he 



