CHAPTER VII. 



TRAINING. 



Training is a wide subject, and of much too great 

 importance to warrant mere touch, as would only be pos- 

 sible in this book ; moreover, there are but few men 

 capable of handling it as it deserves, for an accurate 

 knowledge of one department simply — that which bears 

 upon field work — can be acquired only by those en- 

 dowed with eminent qualities, and after years of personal 

 observation and practical experience. The writer might, 

 of course, wander over this vast field and point out some 

 of the landmarks, but there are others more familiar with 

 many parts of it than he ; hence he limits his efforts to 

 general rules and admonitions that will favor correct 

 every-day behavior and habits in and about the home, and 

 urges the reader who has a dog that he wishes to train 

 for special work to provide himself with a guide in the 

 form of a treatise by some recognized authority. 



The education of puppies may commence at a very early 

 age, but efforts must for the first few months be largely 

 directed to the cultivation of specific virtues, as cleanli- 

 ness, obedience, etc. And while aiming to make the 

 exercise of these virtues habitual, bad habits must be 

 anticipated and prevented if possible. 



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