102 HUNTING DOGS. 



a fence. This is to teach him to obey every 

 word. 



Never scold or whip him, 2:ain his con- 

 fidence, teach him to speak for bits of meat so 

 when the time comes to hunt 'coon you can p;e': 

 him to bark up; get him to catch and carry and 

 he will often catch an opossum or maybe a mink 

 or 'coon and kill it when away from you, and 

 if you teach him to bring everything (rats, wood- 

 chucks) home to you, he will do the sime in the 

 woods after night. Never let him get whipped 

 by another dog or woodchuck, 'coon or even a 

 big rat. Always help him kill or whip every- 

 thing he jumps on to or that jumps on to him. 

 A defeat will discourage him. 



When your young dog is ready for a night 

 hunt in the woods or cornfield, choose the best 

 and most favorable night for the first trip. 

 Feed no meat nor milk for 24 hours previous to 

 the first or any subsequent trip, for that matter, 

 for the best dogs, full of meat or milk, cannot 

 do good work on the most favorable night. Feed 

 him a good dinner of vegetables, but no supper 

 until you return from the hunt, then give liim 

 anything. Choose a dark and cloudy night, the 

 darker the better, not too still, as usually on 

 very still niglits the atmosphere is heavy and 

 smoke settles to the earth, so likewise does the 

 scent of tlie 'coon trail, and many a fine dog has 



