232 TRAINING THE HUNTING DOG 



ness to cure, resulting either from his own mistakes 

 or those of others, and therefore it is necessary that 

 he should know the best methods of treatment for it. 



Some apparently mild cases persist to a discourag- 

 ing degree, while under favorable circumstances 

 some bad cases may be cured readily. Nevertheless, 

 the degree of shyness exhibited is no criterion of the 

 length of time required to effect a cure, nor is there 

 any arbitrary method by which a cure may be ef- 

 fected. 



Highly nervous dogs are easily made gun-shy if 

 the trainer has been so thoughtless as to frighten 

 them by heedlessly firing the gun. Indeed, the dogs 

 of steadiest nerves can easily be made gun-shy if the 

 report of the gun is associated with pain, as when 

 punishment is inflicted in training the dog to drop 

 to shot, or for breaking shot, etc. If the dog, fur- 

 thermore, is afraid of his trainer, any unusual or 

 extra serious acts of the latter are regarded with 

 alarming apprehension, and evoke purpose to seek 

 safety by flight. 



Gun-shy dogs pursue quite distinct ways in seek- 

 ing safety from the gun or avoiding it. Some run 

 away entirely, either returning home or going afield, 



