128 TRAINING THE HUNTING DOG 



for the purpose of concealment, something after the 

 manner in which cats stalk their prey. Their alert- 

 ness in playing to the gun is not diminished by being 

 deprived of the pleasure of springing to capture ; they 

 are intent on intelligently assisting the success of the 

 gun, and by being instrumental in the capture their 

 self-interest is preserved. 



The trainer, diverting the dog's efforts in seeking 

 game, preserves as much as possible all the dog's 

 pointing methods up to the juncture whereat he has 

 located the birds, stands to collect himself and is 

 ready to spring in, to flush and capture. 



The flush and capture are all that the dog is taught 

 to forego. The point is useful to the shooter; the 

 flush is not. Therefore the dog is indulged in the 

 exercise of his own self-interest in so far as permit- 

 ting him to find and point birds; further than that 

 he may not go without offense. 



As mentioned hereinbefore, the dog in his first at- 

 tempt should be permitted to seek and point and flush 

 in his own manner, the trainer exercising some judg- 

 ment as to how much experience is necessary to bring 

 him to the proper stage for training to the gun. 



The matter of whether the dog is headstrong or 



