l8o MODERN TRAINING. 



so. Certain diseases will sometimes impair the function of 

 scenting or wholly destroy it, distemper being the most com- 

 mon. It frequently is very difficult to determine whether 

 errors in work are due to carelessness or a poor nose. It 

 can only be known by careful watching. A dog, possessing 

 even a moderate nose, may do very satisfactory work pro- 

 viding he has good judgment, is careful, and free from ex- 

 citement. If he will point tame chickens by sight, it is still 

 more probable that his sense of smell is absent or imperfect, 

 if the pointing or hunting instinct is not exhibited in the 

 field by pursuing game by the powers of scent. It may be 

 mentioned, by the way, that the pernicious practice of point- 

 ing tame chickens by sight about the yard should be dis- 

 couraged. It does not, in the least, usefully improve the 

 dog's pointing, and may, with some, be disadvantageous. 

 If a puppy has persistently pointed chickens by sight, the 

 habit of so pointing becomes fixed and still asserts itself in 

 field work. When pointing game birds, the desire to see 

 the birds is intense, and the consequent necessity to press 

 too closely to effect the purpose may lead to aggravating 

 and unnecessary errors. He should be required to depend en- 

 tirely on his nose and judgment in locating and pointing 

 his birds, which cannot be done by permitting him to point 

 tame chickens by sight; besides the fact that such is detri- 

 mental to his field work, it ends in killing poultry sooner or 

 later, when favorable opportunity occurs, and once acquired 

 it is a difficult fault to cure. 



Pointing is very easily established in the greater number 

 of instances by actual field work on game, and all that is re- 

 quired is to afford an abundance of opportunities. When 

 the dog makes his points naturally, they can be gradually 

 established and prolonged by art. It is better to let him 

 point quite a number of times before killing birds over him, 

 so that the act may become confirmed and improved as 



