582 DOG-BREAKING. 



to seek for them by crossing the wind would be a 

 better method. 



The great advantage of teaching a dog to point the 

 instant he is sensible of the presence of birds 175 and 

 of not creeping a foot further until he is directed by you, 

 is particularly apparent when birds are wild. While 

 he remains steady, the direction of his nose will lead 

 you to give a tolerable guess as to their " whereabouts," 

 and you and your companion can keep quite wide of 

 the dog one on each side, and so approach the birds 

 from both flanks. They, meanwhile, finding themselves 

 thus intercepted in three directions, will probably lie so 

 close as to afford a fair shot to at least one gun, for they 

 will not fail to see the dog and be awed by his presence. 

 Raise your feet well off the ground to avoid making a 

 noise. Walk quickly, but with no unnecessary flourish 

 of arms or gun. 



197. You must not, however, too often try to work 

 round and head your pupil when he is pointing. Judg- 

 ment is required to know when to do it with advantage. 

 If the birds were running, you would completely throw 

 him out, and greatly puzzle and discourage him, for they 

 probably would then rise out of shot, behind you if they 

 were feeding up wind, behind him if they were feeding 

 down wind. Far more frequently make him work out 

 the scent by his own sagacity and nose, and lead you up 

 to the birds, every moment bristling more and more, at 

 a pace entirely controlled and regulated by your signals. 

 These being given with your right hand will be more 



