LESSONS IN " FETCHING." 515 



clined to drag it along by a slight hold of the skin, 

 instead of balancing it across their mouths. Thus capa- 

 cious jaws are obviously an advantage in retrievers. 

 The French gamekeepers, many of whom are capital 

 hands at making a retriever excepting that they do 

 not teach the " down charge," stuff a hare or rabbit 

 skin with straw, and when the dog has learned to fetch 

 it with eagerness, they progressively increase its weight 

 by burying larger and larger pieces of wood in the mid- 

 dle of the straw : and to add to the difficulty of carry- 

 ing it, they often throw it to the other side of a hedge 

 or thick copse. If the dog shows any tendency to a 

 hard mouth they mix thorns with the straAV. 



94. I ought to have mentioned sooner that you should 

 commence teaching a puppy to " fetch " by shaking 

 your glove or anything soft at him, and encouraging 

 him to seize and drag it from you. Then throw it a yard 

 or two off, gradually increasing the distance, and the mo- 

 ment he delivers it to you, give him something palata- 

 ble. Should you, contrary to every reasonable expec- 

 tation, from his having no inclination to romp or play 

 with the glove, not be able to persuade him to pick it 

 up, put it between his teeth force him to grasp it by 

 tightly pressing his jaws together, speaking all the 

 while impressively to him scold him if he is obstinate i 

 and refuses to take hold of the glove. After a. little 

 time retire a few paces, keeping one hand under his 

 mouth to prevent his dropping the glove, while you 

 lead or drag him with the other. When you halt, be 



