RETRIEVERS AND THEIR BREAKING 189 



to a man fond of dogs, just as a nurse fond of children will 

 make them do anything without any book of rules. Conse- 

 quently, the only point necessary to insist upon is the utmost 

 quickness of obedience in all things. This is got by surprise 

 orders at moments and in situations when the dog cannot help 

 but obey, and by an economy of orders, so that the pupil never 

 gets tired. The quickness in returning with a retrieved object 

 is usually learnt by means of the breaker starting to run away 

 as soon as the object is lifted. By means of this trick, and 

 never boring the pupil with too much work in his play-time, as 

 going out with his breaker should be to him, any dog can be 

 taught to return on the instant ; and a good education in this 

 point has much influence on a retriever's softness of mouth. By 

 this coaching he will be brought to do things instinctively, and 

 when he comes to game he will then have no time to stop to 

 select the best grasp, but he will come at full gallop, whatever 

 his first hold of his game may be, and when this is the case he 

 never will grow hard-mouthed. Consequently, your hand 

 breaking goes half-way to make the mouth. 



ENTERING ON GAME 



It is said to be a good way to show a retriever heaps of game 

 running about while he is at heel. No doubt this is true, but 

 not before he has learnt to retrieve running game. To make 

 a retriever steady before he wants to be wild is easy enough ; 

 but it is not teaching self-control, and is educating the dog to 

 ignore game just as he should sheep. Consequently, it is best, 

 as soon as the young dog is perfectly hand broken, at six or 

 eight months old, to give him some line hunting after living 

 game. This will increase his fondness of hunting, and give 

 him an inclination to go for all the game he sees, so that he 

 will gain self-control with every head of game he does not chase. 



The author used to believe that a drag was good exercise 

 in line hunting : it may serve to start a puppy, but he will hunt 

 the man and not the dead game. There are objections to most 

 methods of teaching rode hunting, but the author's plan serves 



