74 TRAINING THE HUNTING DOG 



the distinctions in respect to field and field trial train- 

 ing will be more fully set forth in other chapters. 



Training a dog to loud orders is a bad, coarse 

 method of teaching obedience. It is indicative of 

 bad temper in the trainer, accomplishes nothing 

 which could not be accomplished in a quieter way, 

 is distinctively offensive to everyone within hearing 

 of the hullabaloo, and gives alarming notice to all the 

 birds in the neighborhood that a dangerous, blood- 

 thirsty man has invaded their habitat. It thus im- 

 pairs success. 



Oftentimes the amateur trainer takes his gun and 

 sets forth to kill birds, taking a green puppy along 

 and making the education of the latter a mere inci- 

 dent of his sport. Such is not at all training in a 

 proper sense. It is commencing at a point which 

 should be at a much later stage in the dog's educa- 

 tion. 



After the training has once been begun, regularity 

 in the lessons is of prime importance. For instance, 

 it will be conceded at once that it is much better to 

 give a dog a half -hour lesson on each of ten days than 

 it is to give him a lesson of five hours' duration on 

 one day. While a dog has very good powers of 



