CH. ii.J "DROP." "DOWN CHARGE." 13 



will make him less unwilling hereafter to continue 

 steady at his point while you are taking a circuit to 

 head him, and so get wild birds between him and your 

 gun, (265, 284.) The signal for his advancing, when 

 you are facing him, is the " beckon" (see 37). 



22. At odd times let him take the bread the moment 

 you throw it, that his eagerness to rush forward to seize 

 it may be continued, only to be instantly restrained at 

 your command. 



23. Your left arm raised perpendicularly, in a similar 

 manner, should make the young dog lie down. Call out 

 " Drop," when so holding up the left hand, and press 

 him down with the other until he assumes a crouching 

 position. If you study beauty of attitude, his fore-legs 

 ought to be extended, and his head rest between them. 

 Make him lie well down, occasionally walking round 

 and round him, gradually increasing the size of the 

 circle your eyes on his. Do not let him raise himself 

 to a sitting posture. If you do, he will have the 

 greater inclination hereafter to move about : especially 

 when you want to catch him, in order to chide or correct 

 him. A halt is all you require for the " Toho," and you 

 would prefer his standing to his point, rather than his 

 lying down,* as you then would run less risk of losing 

 sight of him in cover, heather, or high turnips, &c. 

 Setters, however, naturally crouch so much more than 

 Pointers, that you will often not be able to prevent their 

 " falling " when they are close to game. Indeed, I have 

 heard some sportsmen argue in favour of a dog's drop- 

 ping, "that it rested him." An advantage, in my 



* This is one reason for giving chance of being cowed in learning 



initiatory lessons in the "Toho" the "Drop." If the latter were 



before the "Drop." Another is taught first, he might confound 



that the dog may acquire the the " Toho " with it. 

 ''Toho" before he has run the 



