74 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



young dogs in fact ; but beyond this something must be said of the 

 rebreaking of dogs which have been badly handled, and which 

 through lack of proper control, and the promptings of their own 

 inclinations, have acquired habits destructive to field efficiency. 



FOBCE VS. COAXING. 



At the outstart we must say we are no supporter of what may 

 be called the " coaxing" system, in other words, playing with the 

 pupil and coaxing him into doing what is desired. Work and play 

 are two very different things and cannot be profitably mingled. The 

 one involves persistent performance in the face of whatever incon- 

 venience may be encountered, the other is a matter of mere pleasure, 

 and is discontinued the moment it is overbalanced by pain. The 

 idea of making play of work appears well in theory, but it will not 

 stand practical test. It is a favorite theory of inexperienced persons, 

 and of those who are morbidly sensitive upon humane principles. 

 It is an exaggeration of opposition to cruelty, and, like other ex- 

 aggerations, is out of proportion with common sense. Men do not 

 play at the work of their lives. Necessity applies a force which 

 they recognize and obey. If this force was not present there would 

 be very little work done, but being present, it controls their lives. 

 The same principle may without hardship be applied to our control 

 of animals, for they too have their work, and an intelligence pro- 

 portional to the demands upon them, by which they recognize force 

 and are led to yield to it, doing their best under reasonable and 

 sensible compulsion. Men find their rewards in success and the 

 approbation of their fellows, and brutes theirs in the approval of 

 the master, an approval they appreciate, and which makes up, evi- 

 dently, the sum of their greatest happiness. Nothing in such 

 forcing as we advocate approaches cruelty, nor is there any lack of 

 reward, but it simply means teaching a dog to do a certain thing 

 because he is ordered to, even if it clashes with his inclination, and 

 for obedience we provide ample recompense. In short, the system 

 is one of rewards and punishments, doubly appealing to the dog's 

 intelligence, and making him a far better and more efficient servant 



