264 MODERN TRAINING. 



The better way in handling a dog is to cast him off and 

 let him alone. The best handlers are generally those who 

 make the least noise. An amateur can compete success- 

 fully if he has his dog prepared properly; there is much 

 more in this than in the handling, but both should be cor- 

 rect. During the general competition a competing dog 

 should be carried in a wagon when he is not running. The 

 perpetual dragging and hauling on a chain in the hands of 

 some awkward attendant is not conducive to successful 

 running. Dogs which have to wait two or three days or 

 more before their running begins should be exercised well 

 every day, otherwise they will get soft, thick in wind, and 

 accumulate fat. It is a fact well known to experienced 

 sportsmen that a healthy dog which has been worked until 

 he is in fine running condition will accumulate a great deal 

 of fat in three or four days, if fed on good food and per- 

 mitted to be idle. 



In preparing a dog for private field work, there is no 

 need of extreme care with respect to preserving a fast pace. 

 Regular feeding, however, is necessary as with the racing 

 dog. Nine dogs out of ten, owned and kept by sportsmen, 

 are fed too much and exercised too little during the close 

 season, and consequently they have an accumulation of fat, 

 are thick., in wind, soft in muscle, and have tender feet 

 they are wholly unfit for any unusual exertion in that state. 

 They surfer great distress, particularly at the opening of the 

 game seasons in the hot months of July, August and Sep- 

 tember. The grossly fat dog suffers most of all; he can 

 work but a few moments at a time before he is painfully 

 blown and exhausted; and as his fat can be worked off but 

 slowly under such circumstances, it is a wearisome task to 

 the handler to condition him and a distressing experience to 

 the dog. The excessive weight and resultant awkwardness 

 induce sore feet and muscles, frequently preventing the dog 



