rn. ii.] LESSONS AT FEEDING TIME. 17 



at the " drop/' however hungry he may be, before he is 

 permitted to taste his food, it is reasonable to think he 

 will remain at the " down charge," yet more patiently 

 before he is allowed to "seek dead." 



29. If your pupil be unusually timid, and you cannot 

 banish his alarm on hearing the gun, couple him to 

 another dog which has 110- such foolish fears, and will 

 steadily " down charge." The confidence of the one, will 

 impart confidence to the other. Fear and joy are feel- 

 ings yet more contagious in animals than in man. It is 

 the visible, joyous animation of the old horses, that so 

 quickly reconciles the cavalry colt to the sound of the 

 " feeding-pistol." 



30. A keeper who had several dogs to break, would 

 find the advantage of pursuing the cavalry plan just 

 noticed. Indeed, he might extend it still further, by 

 having his principal in-door drill at feeding-time, and 

 by enforcing, but in minuter details, that kennel disci- 

 pline which has brought many a pack of hounds to 

 marvellous obedience.* He should place the food in 

 different parts of the yard. He should have a short 

 checkcord on all his pupils ; and, after going slowly 

 through the motions of loading, (the dogs having regu- 

 larly "down-charged" on the report of the gun,) he 

 should call each separately by name, and by signals of 

 the hand send them successively to different, but desig- 

 nated feeding-troughs. He might then call a dog to 

 him, which had commenced eating, and, after a short 

 abstinence, make him go to another trough. He might 

 bring two to his heels and make them change troughs, 

 and so vary the lesson, that, in a short time, with the 



* There is often such a simila- struck, who for the first time sees 

 rity in the names of hounds, that them go to their meals, one by 

 a person cannot but be much one as they are called. 



C 



