36 SHOOTING. 



He ought to be hunted with a muzzle, until the danger of sheep 

 chasing is over. It must be made large enough for free respii-a- 

 tion, and yet not to give liberty of breaking, so as to get blood, 

 should he hj chance run a sheep down before he can be beaten off. 

 High expectations must not be entertained from the first two or 

 three trial trips. He should be expected and taught to find, before 

 he is considered able to kmt; and, until he shows a preference for 

 some particular feather, it is absurd to check him. To reward and ; 

 encourage a dog for chasing his game is a good plan, and is the j 

 only sure method of weamng him from the pursuit of larks and , 

 small birds. It is a nice point of his training to get him to fetch > 

 the shot bird; but this depends upon too many circumstances to be 

 dealt with by any general rule. 



The pointer is generally considered not so difficult to break in as 

 the setter. He Is expected to stand, to indicate the presence 9f \ 

 birds he winds and scents. The setter's instinctive disposition is \ 

 to crouch rather than point or stand. Por many years back the i 

 pointer has been the more popular of the two ; and it is considered I 

 by good judges that this preference is well foimded. The pointer 

 is more easily steadied than the setter, suffers less from heat, his 

 cast of hair being lighter ; and when once thoroughly trained, he 

 does not forget his lessons so speedily as the setter. But there is ; 

 something like a balance or compensating principle between them. 

 The pointer is not so hardy in his feet as his rival, and consequently ' 

 does not suffer so much in long rambles over the moors, iii very , 

 hot weatlier. ^ I 



An indispensable requisite to aU good dog-training is, to begin | 

 early. There is like\vise another valuable ingredient in the art, i 

 namely, that the words of encouragement or reproof be always 

 uniformly adhered to. The following is a kind of catalogue of I 

 phrases, or dictionary of words usually connected with the subject. 

 The word Steady ! ought to be used when aU dogs enter a field, , 

 especially young ones. Take heed ! implies_ the same thing. When i 

 a dog is seen very busy and active with his nose and tail, feather- ' 

 ing as he hunts, then the word To-Tio .' in a mild, but sufficiently 

 marked and loud tone for the animal's hearing should be used, to 

 clieer as well as to inspire caution. Down! or Down Charge! is a i 

 command to the dogs to crouch or drop to the birds. BacTc ! 

 brings the dogs back again to your feet. SeeTc out ! sends them off 

 again in quest of game ; but a wave of the hand is considered much 

 better where it is expected birds are near. Hie on! gives a spur 

 to the timid dog to leave your feet; and SeeTc out .'orders him to ; 

 hunt. Go seek! should be imjjressed on a dog's memory as a 

 command to look out for something considered as lost or wanting ; : 

 and the term is distinguished from seek out, by dogs that are 

 properly trained. Hold up ! is used to prevent the dropping of the 

 nose to the earth to catch the scent, wnich, although the odorous 

 particles may not have disappeared from the spot the birds stood , 

 on, are chiefly floating in the air; consequently, by holding up his j 



