TRAINING DOGS FOR THE GUN. 



be procured, to the neck of which a cord should be fastened : 

 to the other end of the cord (which "may be six or seven yards 

 in length) should be attached a wire, which wire should be thrust 

 through the snout or cartilaginous part of the dog's nose. The 

 hare will, of course, spring forward at the sight of the dog, which 

 will not fail to cause the most acute pain to the latter ; the whip 

 should be applied at the same time, accompanied with the words, 

 'ware Jiare!* This may be regarded, perhaps, as the excess of 

 severity, and should never be resorted to but when all milder 

 means have been repeatedly tried in vain. To prevent an ob- 

 stinate dog chasing hares, I have sometimes seen the fowling- 

 piece used as a remedy. It may be regarded as a desperate one, 

 which, though it will generally have the desired effect, should be 

 used with the utmost circumspection. If a dog is to be shot at, 

 care should be taken that he is at a sufficient distance, as well as 

 to hit him about the rump, otherwise you run great risk of //- 

 ling him. 



In the earlier part of these remarks, I have mentioned mild- 

 tempered dogs. It will be requisite here to observe, that well- 

 bred dogs are occasionally met with so very shy as to require 

 encouragement rather than correction: dogs of this description 

 may sometimes prove excellent ; but I must confess I do not like 

 to see a shy dog. Animals of this sort should never be taken out 

 with dogs that need much checking or flogging, as the very sight 

 of the whip alarms them to such a degree that they will not stir 

 from behind you. Nothing is more difficult than to manage very 

 shy dogs : they must be encouraged to hunt ; and if they commit 

 an error, the means of correction are difficult, and sometimes 

 impossible : the least severity will most likely make them blink f 



* On all occasions of correction, the requisite word should uniformly 

 accompany the punishment. 



f Blinking is when a dog finds game, and, on being spoken to, draws 

 off, and runs behind you, and frequently without being spoken to. 



