568 DOG-BREAKING. 



crawl on until they get within a few yards of the game 

 if it be sufficiently complaisant to allow of such a neai 

 approach and there " set " as steady as a rock by the 

 hour together. Supposing, however, that the birds are 

 in an unfriendly, distant mood, and not willing to remain 

 on these neighborly terms, "your game is up," both 

 literally and metaphorically, you have no chance of 

 getting a shot. This is a common fault among dogs 

 hastily broken in the spring. 



178. But to resume our supposed lesson. You must 

 not be in a hurry keep your dog for some time for a 

 long time, where he should have pointed. You may 

 even sit down alongside him. Be patient ; you have not 

 come out so much to shoot, as to break in your dog. 

 When at length you give him the wave of the hand to 

 hie him on to hunt, you must not part as enemies, though 

 I do not say he is to be caressed. He has committed a 

 fault, and he is to be made sensible of it by your altered 

 manner. 



Suppose that, after two or three such errors, all 

 treated in the way described, he makes a satisfactory 

 point. Hold up your right hand, and the moment you 

 catch his eye, remain quite stationary, still keeping your 

 arm up. Dogs, as has been already observed, are very 

 imitative ; and your standing stock still will, more than 

 anything else, induce him to be patient and immovable 

 at his point. After a time say five minutes, if, from the 

 hour of the day and the dog's manner, you are convinced 

 that the birds are not stirring endeavor to get up to 



