12 - TRAINING THE HUNTING DOG 



Nevertheless his manner of acquiring knowledge is 

 in a way similar to the manner employed by man in 

 that respect. 



Some years ago, when the ability to train a dog 

 was so rare that it was the realm of the marvelous, 

 it by many people was considered as a "gift," a some- 

 thing of capability conferred by Nature; therefore, 

 coming to the trainer quite independent of experi- 

 ence. At the present day, sportsmen have no faith 

 in the skill of him whose knowledge is held to be 

 innate from birth. On the other hand, any system 

 set forth as having some inherent virtue, whereby a 

 dog may be trained quickly and thoroughly regard- 

 less of his capacity to receive training or his trainer's 

 capacity to give it, denotes that the advocate of such 

 system is ignorant concerning it, or else is not over- 

 scrupulous as to the manner of treating it. 



While this work will fully set forth a description 

 of the natural qualities of the dog, their relation to 

 field work, and the best manner of diverting them 

 from the dog's own purposes to those of the sports- 

 man, success in the application of its teachings de- 

 pends entirely on the trainer himself. 



Some natural capability on the trainer's part with 



