FOR THE FIELD A\ T D FIELD TRIALS. 1 95 



with some degree of satisfactory performance. How- 

 ever, a dull nose, weak intellect or constitutional in- 

 dolence will affect the dog's performance adversely 

 in this respect as they will in all the other parts of his 

 field work. 



As a matter of good training it is much better to 

 defer all attempts to teach retrieving till the dog's 

 second season. When the teacher combines retriev- 

 ing with the dog's other field schooling he retards 

 instead of advances it. 



The disadvantages consequent to retrieving are as 

 follows : Nearly all puppies and, indeed, many old 

 dogs take an unbounded pleasure in capturing their 

 prey. Each one has a keen desire to have individual 

 possession of it. In their over-eagerness to be the 

 first to the dead bird and gain possession of it they 

 forget or disregard their training or obedience, so far 

 as it refers to steadiness to the gun. 



The desire to retrieve incites the dog to break shot : 

 to be riotous when drawing on birds instead of being 

 careful, and to lawless casting about after the gun is 

 fired, in search of a real or imaginary dead bird, the 

 report of the gun having to him but that one sig- 

 nificance. The energetic efforts of the trainer at 



