INITIATORY LESSONS WITHIN DOORS. 475 



him down with the other until he assumes a crouching 

 position. If you study beauty of attitude, his fore-legs 

 should be extended and his head rest between them. 

 Make him lie well down, occasionally walking round and 

 round him, gradually increasing the size of the circle 

 your eyes on his. Do not let him raise himself to a sit- 

 ting posture. If you do, he will have the greater incli- 

 nation hereafter to move about: especially when you 

 want to catch him in order to chide or correct him. A 

 stop is all you require for the " Toho," and you 

 would prefer his standing to his point, rather than his 

 lying down,* as you then would run less risk of losing 

 sight of him in cover, heather, or high turnips, &c. 

 Setters, however, naturally crouch so much more than 

 Pointers, that you will often not be able to prevent 

 their " falling " when they are close to game. Indeed, 

 I have heard some sportsmen argue in favor of a dog's 

 dropping, " that it rested him." An advantage, in my 

 opinion, in no way commensurate with the inconvenience 

 that often attends the practice. 



23. If you are satisfied with teaching him in a slovenly 

 manner, you can employ your right arm both for the 

 " Toho " and " Drop ; " but that is not quite correct, for 

 the former is a natural stop being the pause to deter- 



* This is one reason for giving initiatory lessons in the " Toho " 

 before the "Drop." Another is that the dog may acquire the 

 " Toho " before he has run the chance of being cowed in learning 

 the " Drop." If the latter were taught first, he might confound 

 the " Toho " with it. 



