470 LETTERS TO YOUNG SHOOTERS LETTEU 



know the reward is the immediate result of his good 

 behaviour, as it is very desirable to associate in his 

 mind the one with the other. 



Prompt punishment for ill conduct, and instant 

 praise or reward for good, are the chief elements of 

 control a trainer has over his dogs when they are quite 

 young. 



In all your dealings with a dog you are training 

 or hare trained, be short, sharp, and decisive, though 

 considerate. Use as few words and gestures as you 

 possibly can, and employ them just when required. A 

 truant dog is far more likely to take heed of the com- 

 mand : ' To heel, sir ! ' than to obey such a sentence 

 as : * Didn't I tell you to come to heel, you nasty, 

 obstinate, provoking brute ? ' 



Besides alarming the game, a man who constantly 

 whistles, scolds, appeals, and talks to his dogs in the 

 field, is sure to confuse, if not spoil them. 



Should a retriever, for example, chase a hare, 

 order him to heel loudly and distinctly two or three 

 times, with as many cracks of your whip ; if he con- 

 tinues to disobey, wait till he is returning of his own 

 accord, call him to you, ' down charge ' him, and then 

 scold him ; this is better than to exercise your lungs 

 and whistle on him as he is in the act of chasing, 

 and when it is obvious neither have the least effect. 



Every gentleman who shoots, and who has the 

 leisure, should break in, at all events, one dog for his 



