78 THE KEEPER'S BOOK 



with infinite labour driven into the " roots," " clearing " 

 out in all haste at the end. Even more marked is the 

 result of the human voice in snipe-shooting. A dog 

 readily answers, and once he knows its use, if he fails 

 to respond to a second call, a little gentle reminder is 

 necessary. The two most common mistakes made are 

 the too frequent use of the call, which causes negligence 

 on the dog's part ; and, secondly, failure to moderate 

 the volume according to the distance between master 

 and pupil. Naturally, if the sound is used to its full 

 extent when the animal is a few yards off, it does not 

 impress the animal when he is at a distance, perhaps, 

 of one hundred yards. The most successful trainers 

 of dogs which we have met were very quiet in their 

 manner, and used signs as much as possible only 

 resorting to the call when impossible to attract the dog's 

 attention by hand. 



Range. Most young dogs will run out freely, and 

 if not, then the example of an old dog will soon be 

 followed. Where many err is in allowing the dog at 

 first to pursue his erratic course, and allow him to 

 believe that he is hunting for his own amusement, and 

 not yours. Make a point of starting the dog to range 

 to one side or other, and see that he does it. For some 

 reason or other, many dogs will run a short distance and 

 then turn sharp to the other side, thereby missing a 

 particular piece of ground which you wish him to take. 

 Call him up at once, and see that he does what you 

 wish. In the same way get him into the habit of 



