POINTERS AND SETTERS. 381 



When he has found and pointed a few times, and 

 become steady at the rise, begin to shoot, using at first 

 wood-powder; but on no account must you shoot at a 

 bevy rise until several singles have been killed over him. 

 The excitement of such a powerful scent, and the roar of 

 so many wings, with the added crack of a gun, is too much 

 for the high-strung nerves of a thorough-bred; and you 

 are liable to make your puppj- gun-shy, even though he 

 has been fully accustomed to the gun by presence at 

 tar get- shooting, etc. 



Begin by shooting only at well-pointed singles. Keep 

 the dog still for a minute or so after firing; then make 

 him find and point the dead bird, but do not allow him to 

 retrieve. Pick it up carefully, and allow him to smell 

 but not to mouth it, and show him that you handle it 

 with care. When you see that he is steady on singles, 

 you may shoot at bevies. Do not shoot at any accidental 

 flushes until he is thoroughly trained and steady in his 

 work. When punishment is necessary, do not call the 

 dog in to receive it, but making him " to-ho " at some dis- 

 tance from you, walk up and take him by the collar. If 

 you proceed otherwise, he will learn to run away to avoid 

 punishment. To control his motions in the field, call his 

 attention, and wave your hand in the direction you wish 

 him to go, and start that way yourself; but it is best to 

 let him work the ground in his own way as much as pos- 

 sible, so as to exercise his judgment about likely places. 

 In using the whistle, it is best to adopt a system of calls; 

 say a single short blast for calling attention, and two 

 longer repeated blasts for him to come in. You can begin 

 the whistle instruction at the end of the check-cord and 

 stake course mentioned above. 



If your dog is gun-shy, get rid of him, unless you see 

 that he has remarkable qualities otherwise. In that case, 

 take him out hunting frequently, and have him find and 



