252 BRITISH DOGS 



the better, provided that they are possessed of sufficient discrimina- 

 tion in using it to prevent their false pointing ; in short, good noses 

 without good brains are useless. 



Next in order must be placed the natural love of hunting, without 

 which no dog ever attains to perfection ; though with it many 

 dogs, weak in other points, become, by practice, tolerably useful. 

 Those that frequently require the words of encouragement, " Hold 

 up," are very troublesome to break, and when broken often turn 

 out lazy, or display a lack of energy that is painful to witness. From 

 their nervousness and want of heart they are unable to use to 

 advantage any other good qualities they may possess. 



It is a lively, high spirited, kindly dispositioned dog that is 

 wanted one with plenty of pluck, and yet not headstrong or 

 reckless. Many dogs from their self-will, although possessing 

 other admirable qualities, become very difficult to manage, and 

 nothing but regular and hard work will keep them under control. 

 Such dogs are never wholly reliable, and this is especially felt when 

 using them in braces. A good dog that is trying to do his best 

 may be tempted into doing wrong by the provocation received 

 from his reckless companion. 



Many otherwise good dogs turn out useless because of their 

 defective temper; and, therefore, it is an important matter to get 

 hold of a good-tempered dog for sporting purposes. In his work 

 he has so continually to hold in check his natural impulses that, 

 unless he have a good temper, he is continually forgetting his 

 previous training. To train a dog that is thoroughly self-willed is, 

 at best, a tiresome undertaking, and not worth the trouble it entails. 

 When a dog of this temperament ranges a little farther than usual 

 from his master, he as a rule gets into trouble by some wilful 

 fault, and in addition the close attention necessary for working him 

 destroys half the pleasure the sport should afford. 



Dogs with a jealous disposition are very disagreeable. They are 

 difficult to deal with when worked in braces, because they are not 

 to be depended upon as " backers," and, when opportunity serves 

 them, will steal the other dog's point a most serious fault. ' This 

 same failing makes them reckless in their range ; for they will 

 sometimes play at follow-the-hader, instead of taking up an in- 

 dependent beat, and will always be liable to commit faults (amongst 

 others, that of "flushing"), not from \vant of nose but from 

 giving too much attention to what the other dog is doing, instead 

 of minding their own work. 



To sum up the qualities of a first-rate Pointer : he must have a 

 good nose, plenty of pace, and a level, sweeping stride that will 

 enable him to hunt a lot of ground without distressing himself, and 

 a natural love of hunting, to make him anxious to find game, with 

 sufficient perseverance to keep him continually on the quest, even 



