BREAKING 



breaker, and it naturally follows that their education is con- 

 ducted on more advanced principles than that of animals 

 which are only taught to retrieve or to behave themselves 

 in an obedient manner in the streets. At the same time, the 

 preliminary principles are similar in all cases when a dog 

 is being brought under proper control, the first step to be 

 taken being to teach the puppy to come to heel when 

 ordered to, and not to run riot. In order to accomplish 

 this the best course to take is to take a long thin line of 

 about ten or a dozen yards in length and to fasten one 

 end in a running noose round the pupil's neck, the other 

 end being secured to the owner's wrist, with the slack 

 coiled up loosely and carried in his hand. Then if the 

 dog bolts and pays no attention to the command to return, 

 he is pulled up sharply when he gets to the end of the 

 line, and the running noose tightening round his neck 

 adds to the discomfort of the position, with the result that 

 after a few lessons most dogs abandon the practice of 

 bolting. The check line should not be stouter than is 

 necessary, and its thickness must depend upon the size 

 and strength of the dog ; but it may be pointed out that 

 the thinner it is the more effectively the slip-knot w^ill run, 

 and hence the severer the lesson it teaches. 



Thrashing a dog which possesses a disposition to bolt 

 is a form of correction which is calculated to defeat its 

 object, as the animal is likely to become afraid of his 

 owner and to associate him with punishment ; whereas 

 in the case of the check line being used, he will connect 

 the discomfort he experiences with the offence of dis- 

 obedience, and be rather inclined to regard his owner, 

 who loosens the cord round his throat, in the light of a 

 friend in need. 



When the pupil has been brought completely under 

 control, and yet on friendly terms with his breaker, it will 

 be time to instruct him in the art of finding birds. This, 

 however, is best left to a professional breaker, as few 

 amateurs are capable of the task. 



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