bkeasing.j 



THE DOG, AND ITS VARIETIES; 



^BEEAKINa. 



colour, constitution, and natural disposition of 

 the dog intended to be bred from, as well as 

 the fineness of his nose, his stoutness, and 

 mode of hunting. *' On no account," he says, 

 *' breed fiom one that is not stout, that is not 

 tender-nosed, or that is a skirter." Similar 

 instructions to tliese are set forth by Somer- 

 ville, in the following lines : — 



" Observe with care his shape, sort, colour, size ; 

 Nor will sagacious huntsmen less regard 

 His inward habits ; the vain babbler shun, 

 Ever loquacious, ever in the wrong ; 

 His foolish offspring shall offend thy ears 

 With false alarms, and loud impertinence. 

 Nor less the shifting cur avoid, that breaks 

 Illusive from the pack ; to the next hedge 

 Devious he strays ; there every means he tries ; 

 If haply then he cross the steaming scent, 

 Away he flies vain-glorious, and exults 

 As if the pack supreme, and in his speed 

 And strength unrivall'd, Lo ! cast far behind, 

 His vex'd associates pant, and lab'ring strain 

 To climb the steep ascent. Soon as they reach 

 Th' insulting boaster, his false courage fails ; 

 Behind he lags, doom'd to the fatal noose, 

 His master's hate, and scorn of all the field ; 

 What can from such be hop'd but a base brood 

 Of coward curs, a frantic, vagrant race." 



In breaking dogs to make retrievers, systems 

 differ in different countries. Following one 

 who has had much experience of various sys- 

 tems, we find that the one practised by the 

 Freucb differs from that practised in England, 

 equally in its process and results — it is that of 

 force, the spiked collar being universally used ; 

 and, although this expedient is certainly a 

 severe one, yet it is affirmed that it produces 

 a result which the suaviter in onodo fails to 

 effect, except to a certain extent, in the case of 

 the Newfoundland and water spaniel. As the 

 fortiter in re, or compulsory system of the 

 spiked collar, is barsh, and the punisbment 

 inflicted severe, it must be remarked, that the 

 experienced breakers of Erance find it inexpe- 

 dient to commence with any young dog till he 

 is ten or twelve months old, the severity of 

 the training having the effect of cowing and 

 intimidating dogs of a younger age. The 

 breakers would, also, seem to be averse to any 

 previous instruction being imparted to puppies, 

 cither by children or other means, as that 

 always renders their operations with the spiked 

 collar more diflicult. It was on one occasion 

 mentioned to a dog-breaker of note, that a dog 

 was about to be sent to him to be taught, and 

 450 



that it had already received some instructions 

 by gentle means, and that he would fetch and 

 carry tolerably. His reply was — " Tant pis. 

 J" aural plus de peine avec ce chien la; il sera 

 plus entdte, et plus difficile H dresser." This 

 circumstance is alluded to, because an opinion 

 is by no means uncommon, that dogs should 

 be taught to fetch and carry as soon as tliey 

 are able to run about ; and some have even 

 recommended children as their best instructors ; 

 and, judging from the successful results in 

 one or two cases, have expressed themselves 

 strongly in favour of this method, intimating 

 it to be the right one, and that universally 

 practised in Erance. "With every deference to 

 such sportsmen, it may safely be thought that 

 they are making a rule of the exception, and, 

 at the same time, confounding two things 

 which are totally dissimilar, as the compulsory 

 system differs " tutto cielo" from the mild and 

 gentle one, both in its process and in its 

 results. It is readily admitted that you cannot 

 begin too early to teach dogs to be docile and 

 obedient, and to impart preliminary instruction 

 to them, when it is intended to teach them 

 to fetch their game by gentle means; but it 

 cannot be conceded that children are the best 

 instructors, because experience has frequently 

 shown that they are the very worst if a dog is 

 expected to carry anything beyond a ball, a 

 stick, or a stone, and to be used for sporting 

 purposes — simply because dogs, taught by 

 children, are generally in the habit of playing 

 with whatever they fetch and carry, and rarely 

 or ever pick it up at once, or immediately 

 return with it when they have picked it up. 

 On the contrary, they mostly drop it several 

 times, and, after finally securing it, commence 

 a series of gambols before they return, infinitely 

 to the delight and satisfaction of themselves 

 and the children with whom they are playing. 

 The consequence of this is, when a dog so 

 taught is taken into the field, be is almost 

 certain to mouth his game, drop it, and pick it 

 up again several times, leaving the ground 

 covered with feathers ; and, perhaps, when he 

 finally seizes the bird, he will stand wagging 

 his tail, looking his master in the face with 

 infinite satisfaction to himself, as be bas been 

 in the habit of doing with bis instructor,?, 

 which, doubtless, pleases the children, and 

 excites their benevolent attachmeut ; but it is, 



