44 THE WELL-MANNERED DOG 



to go on a chain without pulling. In busy thorough- 

 fares it is often necessary to put on a lead, and if 

 he pulls it is a great tax on the striength of his 1 

 master or mistress, and certainly not solacing to 

 their dignity. If you contemplate exhibiting, it is 

 well to remember that the dog who stands well in 

 the ring and does as you wish, may frequently take 

 the coveted award above the unmanageable creature 

 who will never allow his good points to be shown 

 to perfection. 



Breaking a gun dog for work in the field can 

 quite well be done by an amateur who has the 

 patience and the opportunity, and a man will be 

 well repaid for the time and trouble that he has 

 expended. This is a subject too big to be dealt 

 with in a work of this description, and I cannot 

 well do better than recommend General Hutchinson's 

 classic book called "Dog Breaking," which goes 

 into the matter very elaborately. It is true that you 

 can get a dog broken for about a five-pound note, 

 plus a weekly sum for the cost of his keep, but you 

 are incurring a good deal of risk in placing him in 

 the hands of a man of whose capacity you know 

 little or nothing. He may be made proficient in 

 field work, but at the same time his spirit may be 

 completely broken also by harsh treatment, and you 

 will receive back a poor cowed creature who trembles 

 at every word and is always nervous about doing 

 some wrong. Since the Kennel Club passed a resolu- 

 tion early in 1909 to the effect that no gun dog 

 could win a championship at an ordinary show unless 

 he had first won a prize or certificate of merit at some 

 recognised field trial, field trial meetings have become 

 more common throughout the country. At some of 



