With Hounds at Dawn 



puppy he feels he ought to go with them. He has been 

 taught to remain in their company when at road exercise 

 and behave as a unit of the whole. Racing along with 

 them he joins in the general furore. He may even give 

 tongue without bothering to know why he should. He 

 is content to run with the pack even though the mystery 

 of scent is yet unknown to him. He has behaved 

 excellently for his first outing, and the huntsman should 

 be highly pleased. 



Different hounds react in different ways on their 

 first cub-hunting outing. Even puppies of the same 

 litter and reared in the same environment display marked 

 differences in behaviour. Although all have been care- 

 fully trained to behave as members of a pack, not as 

 individuals, some may refuse to accompany the general 

 body when drawing covert. Some show a marked 

 tendency to remain with the huntsman, who may be 

 unable to ride or walk through a thick covert and is 

 compelled to ride on the outskirts. When he strives 

 his utmost to convince them that they are supposed to 

 be inside covert, not outside, they may slink sheepishly 

 away in the desired direction, hide behind the first 

 piece of undergrowth they encounter and sit there 

 looking out at him. 



To the uninitiated, this may seem a very tantalizing 

 procedure. A huntsman, however, has a lifelong experi- 

 ence of hounds and knows that no animal, or human 

 being for that matter, can acquire complete education 

 in one day. He is prepared to wait, and experience has 

 taught him that the puppies who are exceptionally shy 



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