Shooting Dogs 



possible. You should be friends at all times, 

 a friendship in which there must be firmness 

 on the one part, but no undue shouting and 

 harsh words, and no employment of the whip 

 unless the puppy is particularly headstrong. 

 More often than not, any fault evident in 

 the dog is attributable to a bad upbringing. 

 I have heard an irascible owner shouting at 

 a pointer in the field in a voice loud enough 

 to flush every covey within a mile. 



Serious breaking may commence at any 

 time after the eighth or ninth month, and it 

 will be found inadvisable to defer it much 

 after a year. The first lesson to be inculcated 

 is that of dropping to hand or to gun, the 

 technical term used instead of a command 

 to "lie down" being "down charge/' By 

 repeating the words "down charge/' while 

 pressing the pupil to the ground, he soon 

 understands what is required of him, but to 

 ensure that he shall remain so as long as 

 desired it is usual to fasten him up by a 

 long cord. Habituate him to remaining in 



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