Some American Sporting Dogs. 



t>35 



DOWN CHARGE ! 



and " to shot" ; that is, when a bird rises, and when the gun is fired, 

 and with young dogs the latter at least should always be insisted 

 upon. As they grow older and stancher, I should be satisfied if they 

 came to heel when I fired. There are times when it is positive 

 cnu -lty to compel a dog to drop to shot, particularly in the case of 

 pointers on wet snipe meadows. It is the English custom not to break 

 dogs until they are a year old. We begin much earlier, and a puppy 

 is generally sent to the breaker at six months. I think much should 

 depend upon the disposition of the dog. If possible, you should 

 house or yard-break your dogs; that is, teach them to drop or 

 " charge" at command, to come in, to obey the whistle, to stop, and, it 

 possible, to retrieve, before sending them to the breaker. Many prefer 

 puppies born in the fall, as in the spring they can be broken on 

 snipe, and some shooting can be had over them in the fall. I believe, 

 however, that fall puppies are much more difficult to rear, from the 

 fact of their being likely to be exposed to cold and wet ; in winter, 

 too, they can get no grass, the corrective provided by nature for all 

 canine ills, and one which should always be within their reach. 



The puppy should also be accustomed to the report of fire-arms, 



