244 BREAKING AND ENTERING. 



" Seek ! seek ! seek dead !" etc. A perseverance in this kind of 

 practice will soon make the dog very bright, in tracing out the 

 concealed rabbits, and in process of time he may be intrusted with 

 the task of retrieving a wounded partridge or pheasant in actual 

 shooting. But it is always a long time before the retriever be- 

 comes perfect, practice being all important to him. 



Many shooters use a slip for the retriever, the keeper leading 

 him in it, until he is wanted, which is a good plan when a keeper is 

 always in attendance. In any case, however, these dogs should 

 be made to drop " down charge," as the gun may be used while 

 they are at work, and if they are not broken to drop, they become 

 excited, and often flush other game before it is reloaded. 



The breaking of the water-spaniel or retriever is also a compli- 

 cated task, and, as he has to hunt in the water and on the banks, 

 his duties are twofold. These dogs are used in the punt as well 

 as on the edge of the water, but when the education is finished in 

 the river, the pupil will generally do what is wanted from the 

 punt. As in the land retriever, so in this variety, the first thing 

 to be done is to get the puppy to " fetch and carry " well ; after 

 which he may be introduced to " flappers " in July and August, 

 when the water is warm, and he does not feel the unpleasantness 

 and ill effects, attendant on a cold winter's day with a wet coat. 

 The young birds are also slow and awkward, in swimming and 

 diving, so that, every encouragement is afforded to the dog, and 

 he may readily be induced to continue the sport, to which he is 

 naturally inclined, for hours together. The chief difficulty at first 

 is in breaking the water-spaniel from rats, which infest the banks 

 of most streams, and which are apt to engage the attention of 

 most dogs. The dog should be taught to beat to the hand, 

 and, whenever a flapper is shot and falls in the water, then he 

 must be encouraged, to bring it to land without delay. No art 

 must be neglected to- induce him to do this, and, every other 

 plan failing, the breaker must himself enter the water ; for, if the 

 dog is once allowed to leave a duck behind him, he is much 

 harder to break afterward. Indeed, perseverance in the breaker 

 is necessary at all times, to insure the same quality in the pupil. 



