102 THE ART 0.- TRAINING ANIMALS. 



him to take his food from the hand of his master, or some othei 

 trustworthy person, and never to eat anything unless it be so 

 given.. This is the foundation of several tricks spoken of in a pre- 

 ceding page. After the dog's intelligence has been so cultivated 

 that he quickly understands your wishes, and has become ac- 

 customed to rendering implicit obedience thereto, place within 

 his reach a piece of meat, or a saucer of milk, and order him not 

 to touch it. Then retire to a short distance, but be ready to 

 check any attempt to seize the food, by repeating the command, 

 ^' Don't touch it,'' and by force if necessary. Do not tantalize 

 him too long, but soon give him some tid-bit as a reward for his 

 self-control, and repeat the lesson. By-and-by he may be left 

 alone, at first only for a few minutes, then for a longer and 

 longer time. 



It is possible — and, indeed, it is the common method — to 

 teach a dog to pick out any desired letters from a number of 

 printed cards, in obedience to signals given by the exhibitor. 

 This method of training is essentially the same as that adopted 

 with the '' educated hog ;" so it is unnecessary to describe it 

 here. But dogs, as in the case of those described in the pre- 

 ceding pages, may be taught to know the letters, and to recog- 

 nize them when named ; so that the performance can be con- 

 ducted more openly, and without risk of the clap-trap of signals 

 being detected. 



But how is this to be taught ? Why, very much as a child 

 is taught — by constant drilling until the name and lool^s of each 

 letter are perfectly associated together. Pieces of pasteboard 

 should be provided, on each of which one letter is marked large 

 and plain. Placing the A and B cards side by side, tell the 

 dog to bring you the A. If he brings the B, scold him 5 make 

 him return it to its place, and again order him to bring the A. 

 As soon as he does so, pat him, speak encouragingly to him, 

 and repeat the lesson, not calling the letters in any regular ro- 

 tation, but at random. Add letter by letter each day as the dog 

 learns thoroughly those already given him, until he can select 

 without hesitation any letter of the alphabet that may be called 

 for. He may then be made to spell words by your calling the 

 letters composing them. If thoroughly trained, he will bring 

 the proper letters when shown a card on which the word you 

 desire him to spell is printed. Of course, only capitals should 

 be usf^d in these exercises, for otherwise the labor of teaching 

 would be doubled, besides confusing the dog between capitals 

 and small letters, without gaining anything. 



On the same principle the dog may be taught what, with « 

 little license, may be called playing cards. Pieces of paste- 



