144 THE AMERICAN HUNTING DOG 



GROUSE DOG 



I have a pointer dog, excellently bred, about 

 three years old, which I have hunted a good bit 

 on partridge. He comes of a strain of quail dogs 

 and has the hunting instinct almost to a fault, 

 points very tensely, retrieves, etc., very intelli- 

 gent (much above the average), is a fine compan- 

 ion and well house-broken, but is altogether too 

 fast for grouse hunting, flushing his birds almost 

 as soon as he gets scent and seemingly enjoying 

 it. I have tried force collars, ropes, etc., and even 

 got a sort of harness to hold him to a trot, but 



all to no purpose. 



H. C. Murray, M.D. 



Ans. — ^I think you are ''up against" a pretty 

 severe proposition. A dog that is used to quail 

 and a fast ranger is pretty ''sot in his ways," 

 and what you want is the exact opposite — a dog 

 that is quiet and cat-like in his hunting and with 

 a keen nose for the faint scent of a single grouse. 

 I would be inclined to trade him, if I were you, for 

 a good grouse dog, preferably a Laverack Setter 

 of one of the well-known grouse strains. I doubt 

 whether any trainer can make over this dog with- 

 out ruining him as a field dog. 



