FOR THE FIELD AND FIELD TRIALS. 75 



memory, he soon forgets his first lessons if he is not 

 refreshed by daily repetition in respect to them. The 

 trainer may have had a similar forgetfulness con- 

 cerning his own first lessons, which should admonish 

 him to be considerate. 



While punishment betimes is a necessity, its use as 

 a whole is unnecessarily comprehensive. There is 

 no doubt that it is inflicted in most instances 

 under a mistaken belief that it is useful in forcing a 

 dog to learn what the trainer desires he should learn 

 and that it really accomplishes the desired purpose. 

 The idea, so applied, is a mistaken one. Punish- 

 ment never teaches the dog anything other than in a 

 negative manner ; that is to say, it simply deters him 

 from doing certain things. It does not in the least 

 add to the dog's sum total of knowledge in a develop- 

 mental manner. For instance, if the dog is pun- 

 ished for chasing a rabbit, he learns that the act has 

 painful associations, which are likely to again recur 

 if the act is repeated, and, expecting this, he forbears 

 chasing. The punishment does not in the least teach 

 him the reason why he must not chase, nor indeed 

 anything about chasing other than that the act re- 

 sults in pain to himself. It is a deterrent, and he un- 



