BREAKING AND HANDLING. 207 



Much can be done to assist a dog in training by letting 

 him alone. More dogs have their powers injured by inter- 

 minable meddling and punishing than from any other cause. 

 A dog which roads his birds quickly and accurately should 

 not be interfered with in any manner; unless he abandons 

 the trail or runs riot, no dog should be interfered with in 

 this respect then the order, Steady, may be given merely 

 to compel him to renew his efforts in a systematic pursuit, but 

 the manner is his own. Throwing him on his own resources 

 develops all the abilities in him; he improves constantly by 

 experience, consequently is able to do more and better work 

 from week to week; on the other hand, if constantly har- 

 assed and balked, he may become excessively cautious or 

 a potterer, or both. A common fault with sportsmen and 

 amateur trainers is in constantly asserting rigid supervision. 

 When the dog is reading, he should not be checked and or- 

 dered here and there, even if there are a dozen places close 

 by which are crowded with birds in the imagination of the 

 handler. The dog's nose and judgment in finding and lo- 

 cating the birds are always much .better to depend upon 

 than the handler's intuitions, yet it sometimes requires sev- 

 eral seasons for him to learn this simple fact. 



A dog which excels in an infetior method of reading is 

 better than one which performs poorly after a good method; 

 thus a dog which roads his birds accurately and fairly fast 

 by foot scent is incomparably superior to one which carries 

 a high nose, works for the body scent and makes a succession 

 of blunders. The manner is excellent if the dog has the 

 functional powers to execute it, but if incapable he will 

 make wretched blunders. The best dogs will occasionally 

 waver or hesitate when puzzled or foiled, but the dog, 

 which does so habitually is naturally inferior or has been 

 badly trained. 



If the handler positively knows that the dog has made 



