190 THE COMPLETE SHOT 



at least three useful purposes. First of all, and most important 

 is the use of a bird that is not easily bitten or hurt, so that 

 no damage is done to the dog's mouth, or to the tame and 

 wing-cut wild duck, for this is the bird used. The duck is 

 taken away from its pond, and turned down in a meadow, when 

 it will head towards its home, creeping as much out of sight 

 as possible. In the grass it will prove very easy to rode up 

 to, and that is wanted for a young dog. Later it can be made 

 quite difficult enough over fallow, or anywhere, by giving lots 

 of law. Then in a shallow pond the duck is an education to 

 the water-dog. Almost every dog will take water provided he 

 can touch bottom and there be a match for a duck, but many 

 dogs object to swimming. Nevertheless, if there is only one 

 small spot in the pond which the retriever cannot wade, the 

 duck will find this out very quickly, and will, by degrees, tempt 

 in the dog out of his depth. He will soon learn to dive after 

 the duck, too, and in fact become a first-rate water-dog without 

 having a shot fired over him. 



The duck let off in a turnip-field will be a great lesson, for 

 at first turnip leaves and the innumerable small birds and other 

 creatures in turnips, especially rabbits and thrushes before the 

 shooting season, bother a youngster even more than the absence 

 of much scent of the game to be retrieved. 



After this course the puppy will be quite ready to take the 

 field, and will probably get the first running partridge or 

 grouse he is sent after, and do it as quickly and well as an 

 old dog. 



The author never made his retrievers drop to shot, but no 

 doubt it steadies the nervous and keeps down excitement to do 

 it. If it is approved, the hand-breaking time is best for its 

 teaching, and it should become habit, as if instinctive. Then, 

 in the field, it can gradually be forgotten ; but long after a dog 

 ceases to drop to shot he will retain an impulse to do so, and 

 as this will be an exactly contrary impulse to that of running 

 in, it will save many a whipping. However, a dog is not 

 broken if he is only safe when lying down ; for it is really 

 putting him out of temptation. 



