178 TRAINING THE HUNTING DOG 



necessary in its enforcement, there is danger that the 

 dog unwittingly may be taught to blink or to be gun- 

 shy, or both. The punishment, being directly asso- 

 ciated with the report of the gun and the rise of the 

 bird, at a juncture when the mind of the dog is in- 



nsely concentrated on the birds and his every desire 

 "red in their capture, is by him likely to be inter 

 ed erroneously. He may consider that he has 

 won the disapproval of his master, and has been pun 

 ished for meddling with the birds at all. After a few 

 ; a.niui experiences he is quite likely to consider the 

 rt as a signal for punishment for some cause of 

 which he is entirely ignorant, or for no cause at all. 



In cold, rainy weather, when the ground is muddy 

 or saturated with cold water, or when there are ice 

 and snow, no sportsman who has a right heart would 

 force his dog to lie down merely to gratify a fancy. 



In briers and thorns it is often painful for the dog 

 to drop. 



Sometimes, if the dog trained to drop to wing 

 flushes in cover, or at a distance from the shooter 

 where he is out of sight, he will lie a long time in the 

 dropped position waiting for the order to go on. 



Not infrequently it happens that the dog, after a 



