34 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



of the profession, and the trainer often can not be induced 

 to engage in more remunerative and settled occupation. 

 The prices for training a dog vary from $] 00 to $150, accord- 

 ing to the perfection in training which the owner desires, or 

 the reputation of the trainer winning at field trials adding 

 to a trainer' s reputation and to the demand for his services. 



An English Setter of good breeding, showing superior 

 merit and winning in competition, is worth from $500 to 

 $2, 000, taking the sales of the past few years as a standard 

 by which to judge. 



The training of a dog requires from five to six months to 

 complete, under the tuition of a skillful trainer. When 

 the dog is ten months or a year old, he is at the best age 

 for training, having then sufficient physical development to 

 endure the work, and mental capacity to understand it. 



The methods of training in vogue at the present time 

 differ radically from those of a few years ago. Then it was 

 assumed that a dog should be trained in every detail, even 

 in the manner in which he should perform his work; now 

 the dog is taught to direct his efforts in the interest of the 

 gun, but the manner, being natural to him, is developed to 

 its greatest capacity simply by giving the dog ample 

 experience to exercise it; for without ample experience to 

 learn methods of hunting, after his own manner, he can not 

 make progress in skillful hunting. 



The most essential qualities in hunting are pointing and 

 ranging. To become a skillful performer and proficient in 

 the first quality, a dog must have delicate scenting powers 

 and great judgment in using them; to be a good ranger, he 

 must have good speed which is well and uniformly main- 

 tained, and great stamina to sustain long- continued periods 

 of work. To these he must add great intelligence, to the 

 end that his efforts be directed with judgment; the intelli- 

 gence displayed in his methods being commonly called 

 "bird sense." A dog possessing the latter quality will be 

 incomparably superior to one without it, even if the latter 

 is equal or superior in other qualities. A dog having 

 bird sense " hunts out his ground in the most thorough, 



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