564 DOG-BREAKING. 



148. I have elsewhere observed that fast dogs, which 

 give most trouble in breaking, usually turn out best : 

 now if you think for a moment you will see the reason 

 plainly. A young dog does not ultimately become first- 

 rate because he is wild and headstrong, and regardless of 

 orders, but because his speed and disobedience arise 

 from his great energies, from his fondness for the sport, 

 from his longing to inhale the exhilarating scent and 

 pursue the flying game. It is the possession of these 

 qualities that makes him, in his anxious state of excite- 

 ment, blind to your signals and deaf to your calls. 

 These obviously are qualities that, under good manage- 

 ment? lead to great excellence and superiority, that 

 make one dog do the work of two. But they are not 

 qualities sought for by an idle or incompetent breaker. 



149. These valuable qualities in the fast dog, must, 

 however, be accompanied with a searching nose. It is 

 not enough that a dog be always apparently hunting, that 

 is to say, always on the gallop his nose should always be 

 hunting. When this is the case, and you may be pretty 

 certain it is if, as he crosses the breeze, his nose has 

 intuitively a bearing to windward, you need not fear that 

 he will travel too fast, or not repay you ultimately for the 

 great extra trouble caused by his high spirits and ardor 

 for the sport. 



* The more resolute a dog is, the more pains should be taken, 

 before he is shown game, to perfect him in the instant " drop" 25 

 however far off he may be ranging. 



