xxxu. How TO TRAIN A RETRIEVER (LESSON IV} 491 



of weed, and finally proceed to toss it into still 

 more puzzling places for him, and farther from you 

 by degrees, such as into a bush or over a hedge, 

 aJirai/s, however, allowing him to see you throw it, 

 and invariably sending him from the ' down charge.' 

 After a week's practice the puppy will seldom fail to 

 find the object he is sent for, and has now made the 

 first use of his intellect, which tells him that if he 

 cannot discover what he seeks at once he will have to 

 look for it till he does or else go without praise or 

 reward. "We will now cause him to employ his brains 

 to a much fuller extent, and in a manner that will 

 make him a valuable animal in the field when he. is 

 seeking wounded or dead game for his master. 



Your puppy has hitherto watched the article he is 

 told to fetch fly from your hand as you tossed it, though 

 he may not in his later lessons have actually seen it 

 fall on the ground; at all events he has hitherto always 

 had a good clue given him of where to look for it. 



The next procedure is to throw the puppy the ball, 

 or whatever you are using, in the open just as you did 

 when he received his first lessons in retrieving. After 

 this has been done a few times, drop the ball when the 

 puppy is not observing your actions ; walk a few yards 

 away and wave your right arm towards it, he will 

 imagine you tossed the ball as usual, but as by chance 

 he did not somehow see it fall, he will snuffle about 

 till he finds it, which encourage him to do, even at 

 first showing him where it is, if he is unsuccessful. 



