68 British War Dogs 



rather highly strung, and for that reason their training 

 takes longer and requires great patience, but if one can over- 

 come their tendency to nervousness, they are naturally 

 extremely intelligent and conscientious workers- 



The show collie is quite as good as the working type, 



which one might not expect. Lurchers and lurcher crosses 



are very wise dogs, and train well. Greyhounds, on the 



other hand, are of no use. Hounds are also untrainable. 



I have succeeded in training one or two to carry messages 



short distances, but when the distance is above a mile 



the hound seems to lose interest. Poodles are too fond of 



play, and I found that any poodle cross seemed to diminish 



a dog's capacity. Another curious fact to be noted is that 



I have rarely found a dog with a gaily carried tail, which 



curled over its back or sideways, of any value. This method 



of carrying the tail seems to indicate a certain levity of 



character, quite at variance with the serious duties required. 



It is this testing process which calls for so much insight, 



patience, and experience in the instructor. Certain dogs 



will show what is in them in a very few days, and these can 



be put aside and accepted for future training. There are 



others which show no particular aptitude at all, and in 



some cases refuse all invitations to learn anything. Now 



the instructor has to judge whether the dog is refusing to 



work from timidity and bewilderment, or whether it is 



stupid or lazy. There are cases again where the dog shows 



considerable aptitude for a few days, and then falls away. 



In this case, it will be necessary to judge whether it is worth 



while continuing the dog's education at all, or whether it 



should be rested for a few days and brought out again. 



Sometimes the change and excitement may be affecting the 



dog's health, and a few days' longer rest may improve it. 



The dogs pass through many phases before they are fully 



