310 BRITISH DOGS 



for so many failures, while the possessors of it are succeeding 

 without apparent trouble, or even method. 



Let your words of command be few in number, widely differing 

 in sound, and invariable: "Heel," "Down," "Bring it," and "Hi 

 lost," are sufficient burdens for the memory of any puppy. 



After the pupil has arrived at answering his name and the 

 whistle, which preliminaries you can teach him at his meal-times, 

 make him understand that he must walk to heel at command. 

 This is easily accomplished, during a few saunters along an enclosed 

 footpath, by tapping his nose sharply with a cut-whip, whenever 

 it is poked into view, and by accompanying these reminders with 

 repetitions of the word Heel. 



Next follows the crisis of his education, the learning to drop 

 smartly at signal and to remain down until bidden to rise. 

 For this important lesson, you must employ a long cord securely 

 fastened to a peg in the ground, to which centre you must drag 

 him back every time that he gets up without permission. When 

 he is perfected in dropping to hand, and to the word Down^ you 

 can try if he will retrieve some light, soft article like a glove, always 

 giving him a piece of sweet biscuit in exchange, when he returns 

 the glove to your hand. If he will not take to other missives, 

 procure the dried-up corpse of some small bird, and place it where 

 he will be sure to find it of himself. He will certainly pick it 

 up, so you must be ready to call him to you and to give him a 

 tempting morsel in exchange. At once throw the bird away again 

 as far as you can, exclaiming "Bring it" and encourage him to 

 repeat his performance, which will soon extend to the retrieving 

 of a glove. But as soon as he will carry readily, discontinue the 

 practice, until it is wanted for business, as before its association 

 with the gun there is always a danger of the dog getting tired of it. 



After this teach your dog to quarter to your hand. This may 

 be done by yourself running with him backward and forward up-wind 

 over a field where you know there is no game, as all these 

 preliminaries are better taught far from extraneous excitements. 



His actual introduction to sport, when he is thoroughly grounded, 

 should take place gradually and as follows. 



At first let the youngster, trailing after him a long cord, remain, 

 Retriever-like, at the heel cf his master, who can wear a light cut- 

 whip attached to his left wrist without interfering with accuracy of 

 aim. The sight of this instrument dangling in front of him at the 

 time of the shot will act on the dog as a powerful deterrent from 

 breaking heel. When practicable, it is even better to initiate him 

 at a drive, sitting by his master, with the end of his long cord 

 securely pegged down. 



When the puppy is quite steady at heel, he should be en- 

 couraged to hunt close in front of his master, taking his ground 



