TRAINING DOGS FOR THE GUN. 129 



I have before stated. In fact, all firing of guns or pistols near 

 him should be cautiously avoided, as a practice of this sort will 

 but increase his alarm, unless, indeed, it were daily, and almost 

 incessantly, resorted to. The dog must be regularly broke, and, 

 when taken into the field with the fowling piece, treated in the 

 manner I have described above. It is highly important to con- 

 vince the dog that the fowling-piece is for the purpose of killing 

 the game, which he is to find; and this cannot be done when 

 shooting merely to accustom him to the sound, as no object is 

 thus placed before him. For the same reason, I do not strongly 

 recommend the practice of teaching dogs, when very young, to 

 crouch in the lanes, &c. when you happen to be walking out, as 

 the animal cannot be thus aware of the ultimate intention of his 

 master, or conscious of the object for which he is compelled to 

 become prostrate : this method, in fact, teaches the dog to 

 crouch too much, and, on that account, I never practise it, or, 

 in other words, force my pointers to endure such abject and un- 

 meaning servitude. 



Having thus gone, as plainly as possible, through what, for 

 the sake of distinction, I will call the regular rules of dog-break- 

 ing, I will finish this long essay by a few desultory or general 

 remarks, which will, I trust, be equally useful, and, at the same 

 time, serve the purpose of collateral illustration. 



In the first place, then, I would advise gentlemen to break 

 their own dogs, wherever such a plan is easily practicable, and 

 agreeable to the taste of the sportsman. Dogs thus broke, and 

 never suffered to go out but in company with the person who 

 trained them, will infallibly be superior to all others. They are 

 thus accustomed to obey one person only ; they become perfect- 

 ly familiar with his mode and manner, and, after being shot over 

 one season, never afterwards give the least trouble. If dogs are 

 lent from one to another, or become subject to many masters, 

 they cannot be expected to be perfect. For instance, I will sup~ 



