xxxi. R /: TRIE VliKS 47 7 



ing. This is all wrong. A retriever should foot out 

 the trail of wounded game by scent till he sees it. 

 when he may of course chase it by sight. The reason 

 why a retriever so often endeavours to hunt by sight 

 is because as a puppy he has been too frequently 

 taught tofch-h a ball or other article thrown in full view 

 of him, rather than educated to find it by the use of his 

 nose, when purposely concealed from him. 



3. Any wounded or dead game a retriever brings 

 you, he should give straight into your hand] many 

 masters are satisfied if a young dog lays a bird at 

 their feet, or worse still a few yards from them, when 

 if the game happens to be slightly crippled it may run 

 away and have to be fetched again, if indeed it does 

 not escape on the second occasion. 



4. A retriever should come to heel instantly at 

 the word of command, and also ' down charge,' i.e. He 

 down, wherever he is, w r hen ordered to do so, whether 

 close to you, or at some distance, and under any 

 circumstances, and not rise unless called to heel, or 

 signalled forward to find game that has fallen to the 

 gun. 



5. He should bring you a winged bird without 

 killing or further damaging it, in fact should not be 

 hard-mouthed. Sending a young dog for a wounded 

 rabbit or hare always tends to make him hard-mouthed, 

 as if the animal he is retrieving is not much injured, 

 the dog is often obliged to grip it tight to prevent its 

 escape, and is then liable to treat a bird in a similar 



