626 DOG-BREAKING. 



through each end of the pole burn d hole. The con 

 tinued efforts of the ram for some hours either to free 

 himself from his strange companion, or to attack him, 

 will possibly so worry and punish the dog as to give 

 him a distaste ever afterwards for anything of a woolly 

 nature. The pole will so effectually separate these 

 unwilling but still too intimate associates, that you 

 need not muzzle the dog. 



266. There is yet another remedy, which I will name, 

 as it sounds reasonable, though I cannot speak of its 

 merits from personal observation, never having seen it 

 tried. 



267. Wrap a narrow strip of sheep-skin, that has 

 much wool on it, round the dog's lower jaw, the wool 

 outwards, and fasten it so that he cannot get rid of it. 

 Put this on him for a few hours daily and there is a 

 chance that he will become as thoroughly disgusted 

 as even you could wish, with every anima] of the race 

 whose coat furnished such odious mouthfuls ; but 

 prevention being better than cure, pay great attention 

 to your dog's morals during the lambing season. Dogs 

 not led away by evil companionship rarely commence 

 their depredations upon sober full-grown sheep. In 

 ninety-nine cases out of a hundred,* they have previously 

 yielded to the great temptation of running down some 



* In the remaining odd case one out of a hundred the propen 

 eity may be traced to the animal's belonging to a vicious stock- 

 in short, to hereditary instinct. 



