How TO TRAIN A RETRIEVER (LESS. VII} 499 



ground game, and trained him to stand fire without 

 flinching at the report of a gun. If he does all this he 

 is sufficiently trained to kill game over in order to 

 complete his education, but not before. It is a great 

 mistake to take a young dog out with the gun and 

 kill game to him if he has not thoroughly mastered 

 all these accomplishments, as, if you do, he will be- 

 come wildly excited, and you will then have to teach 

 him in the field what he ought to have learnt at home 

 before he ever saw a bird drop to the gun, which implies 

 that instead of, in due course, working your dog as an 



-tant, you will have to break him in, and your 

 sport with the gun will be sacrificed in consequence. 



To see a young retriever nosing about after a 

 rabbit in turnips and flushing partridges as he chases, 

 is enough to vex a saint in boots and gaiters ! though 

 this ill luck will not be your fate if you have patiently 

 followed my instructions. A retriever that has to be 

 led with a cord is not broken, and pretty plainly 

 shows you his master has no confidence in him, though 

 n-hif a retriever that is evidently led by a cord because 

 he cannot be trusted should be expected to behave well 

 when he is allowed his liberty is always a puzzle to 

 me. If a retriever is well educated he requires no 

 cord, if he is not properly taught he certainly requires 

 a cord to control his actions, but might just as well 

 be left in his kennel at home, unless he is a young dog 

 being trained in his first season. 



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