DOG-BREAKINO 66 



upon to put in an uncommonly long day's work; and it is really very wonderful how a good, 

 strong, sagacious dog quickly satisfies these somewhat exacting conditions. However, we 

 should be thankful for the mercies vouchsafed to us in Far Cathay where we can shoot 

 without let or hindrance over a country in comparison with which the largest landed estate 

 in the world is as a mere speck, in the most genial of climates, in sybaritic luxury and 

 comfort, and with the almost sure prospect of " happening " on sport of some kind. 



Presuming, then, that the shooter has been lucky enough to get hold of a puppy which 

 though not of high breeding yet comes of parents who have proved their worth in the field, 

 it will be necessary quite early to accustom him to the sound of the gun, to avoid the bitter 

 agony of discovering only too late that time has been utterly wasted over a gun-shy animal : 

 not that the gun-shy dog cannot sometimes be effectually cured of this weakness, but 

 that it is scarcely worth while to persevere with an animal which has once exhibited this 

 tendency. Stories even are not wanting of the disappearance for ever-and-a-day of more 

 than one new purchase as soon as the first shot was fired over it up-country. 



Now there is very much in common in the early education of all sporting dogs, be 

 they retrievers, spaniels, setters or pointers, that the four varieties might be taken in hand 

 at one and the same time by one individual trainer. The object of all breaking in this part 

 of the world is that the dog shall not only discover the whereabouts of the game but 

 recover it when shot; therefore the all-importance of early initiation into the pleasure of 

 fetching and carrying: for who can doubt the enjoyment of a puppy when sent for anything 

 thrown by his master, and the added pleasure there is to the animal when he brings it back, 

 especially if he may have had some little competition with a rival for it ? 



Properly directed competition is a trump card in the thoughtful breaker's hands. 



The idea, then, is to encourage a dog to do a thing that he does with evident 

 enjoyment, and an early association will in the majority of cases prove an enduring one. 

 So, let the pupil be soon taught to fetch and carry. A trifling reward of biscuit or cheese 

 should invariably accompany an act of obedience; while it is by no means certain that the 

 whip should be the punishment for an act of disobedience, especially when there are so 

 many other ways of effectually showing one's displeasure. No : the cruel dog-whip is an 

 abomination, and a dog that cannot be trained without its use had far better not be trained 

 at all. 



A soft mouth is invaluable in any dog, particularly in a retriever, and it is best 

 rendered and maintained tender if the pup is never allowed to carry any hard substance, 

 such as a stone or stick, nor to catch any morsel that may be thrown to him. Far better to 

 let him nibble his reward while you hold it in your fingers than to permit him to bring his 

 jaws together with a "chop." A dog that will carry an egg, and most dogs will if early 

 encouraged, will seldom develop a hard mouth. 



The puppy's early education, then, that is for a month or so, should be confined to 

 the house and "Chamber practice" or zbnmer-dressiir as the Germans term it, where he is 

 not only under the immediate control of his trainer, but what, perhaps, is as much to the 

 purpose hiows it. With all dogs chamber education is invaluable. In a room the trainer will 

 have complete control over the animal, and when the dog discovers that escape is impossible 

 he will soon tumble to the situation which is obedience. Similarly a small walled in garden is 

 a better place for early lessons than an open field. It is this gaining absolute control over the 



