BREAKING. 91 



NOT TO CROSS FENCES. 



Another important matter is to teach the dog he must not cross 

 any fence without orders. His proper place when a fence has to 

 be crossed is at heel. When ranging he must be recalled by 

 whistle and wave of the hand if he attempts to pass out of the 

 field, and must be ordered to heel when the sportsman comes up 

 to the fence. He must also be thoroughly taught never to jump 

 over after his master till ordered, as serious accidents may result 

 from his jumping against his master or the gun. If he persists, 

 he must be taken by the collar and pulled roughly away from the 

 fence with the command " back," and if too eager to follow, he 

 must be restrained by the " ho," or if necessary, by a light blow 

 on the nose. 



GENERAL HINTS TO BREAKERS. 



It must be evident that it is much better to prevent errors than 

 to correct them. Correction involves a greater or less degree of 

 intimidation, and the less restraint the dog recognizes, beyond that 

 necessary for proper control, the more free he will be to exercise his 

 instincts and faculties in his work. A breaker must, therefore, 

 watch his dog as closely as possible, and by proper warning stop 

 him before he is really guilty of a wrong act. Such supervision is 

 doubly beneficial, viz. : it educates the man in attending to his dog, 

 and it impresses the dog with the idea that he is constantly under 

 his master's eye, and cannot escape detection, the result of which is 

 he becomes more careful in his work and less inclined to yield to 

 impulses of a bad character. It may be accepted as a truism that 

 a careless, negligent sportsman will always have a careless or bad- 

 working dog. The most perfect performers, other things being 

 equal, are those owned by the most careful and attentive men. 

 There is no justice in holding the dog responsible for the errors of 

 the man, or in punishing him for wrong acts actually encouraged 

 by his master's neglect. We cannot, therefore, impress too strongly 

 upon our readers the advantages and necessity for watchfulness, and 



