Training and Care 231 



understand precisely what it is you want him to 

 do. If he disobeys or makes a mistake, he realizes 

 what you mean when he receives correction. ^ 



Retrieving is the main trouble of the trainer, 

 and may be said to include nearly all the other 

 things in his repertory. That is, in the course 

 of teaching a dog to retrieve, you could incident- 

 ally teach him to obey almost any other order. 



The great central rule is to make the dog obey 

 one simple command at a time and not confuse 

 him with anything else. Patiently compel him 

 to follow a simple direction over and over again 

 until he connects the order instantly with the act. 

 First make him sit on his haunches until he hears 

 the word of release ; then make him hold a pad 

 in his mouth until similarly relieved ; then make 

 him pick it up from the floor ; then fetch it from 

 a little distance. After this yard breaking is satis- 

 factory, take him in the field and make him go 

 through the same performances many times with 

 a dead bird. Even then, when he gets under the 

 excitement of regular hunting, he will forget the 



lesson. 



Here is where the amateur often demoralizes 

 the dog's education. He becomes interested in 

 hunting and wants to shoot and get birds. He 

 indulges the dog's disobedience and piles up 

 trouble for subsequent efforts at education. The 

 imperative rule is not to mix up the human desire 



