196 MODERN TRAINING. 



chasing rabbits, reading and chasing birds within a certain 

 period of time. In this manner he thoroughly learns the 

 details of hunting, and this accumulated knowledge of 

 details and art in applying it is the perfection of the dog's 

 hunting abilities. To learn skillful methods of hunting, he 

 must have an experience similar to that of the average 

 country dog, thus when hunting there is no uncertainty in 

 his purpose or actions. His energies are concentrated in 

 determined efforts to find birds. If he has this kind of pre- 

 paratory experience, which may be comparatively long or 

 short accordingly as the dog is bold and quick to learn, or 

 timid and backward, he usually is a diligent and efficient 

 worker all his life. Timid dogs, particularly, require a 

 period of self-hunting to acquire the necessary courage, ex- 

 perience, and self-confidence; indeed, with such, it in mum- 

 cases is a necessity. With self-willed or courageous dogs, 

 while they do not need encouraging, they need self-hunting 

 opportunities to learn methods of pursuit and the wiles of 

 the birds, for birds are very cunning in evading the dog, 

 their natural enemy. The length of time required can only 

 be determined by the progress of the dog. The opportu- 

 nity to hunt without hindrance is not to be confounded 

 with self-hunting as exhibited by a dog which ignores the 

 gun entirely, hunting for his own satisfaction; in the former 

 instance the dog is permitted to hunt by himself for his best 

 development, but he does not abandon his trainer; in the 

 latter, the dog is naturally averse to hunting under any re- 

 straints. 



It is well to note the dog's gain in progress and confi- 

 dence, so that he may be taken in hand at a proper junct- 

 ure for field education, otherwise he may become obsti- 

 nately headstrong and correspondingly difficult to reduce 

 to submission. 



The amateur generally reverses the natural order of educa- 



