8o THE KEEPER'S BOOK 



dog, go to the place where you know they are, and allow 

 the young one to find them, taking care that the end of 

 the cord is within reach. Whenever he winds them, 

 then repeat "Steady" or " To ho," and repeat the 

 previous performance. Having done this, the rest is 

 easy. Two lessons of this kind are often sufficient, and, 

 assuming that this has been done in the spring, when 

 birds sit so well before the nesting season, it will only 

 require a few points before the Twelfth to produce a 

 dog that is fit to take his turn with the others. The only 

 precaution necessary is not to run him too long and too 

 much. No man can have really good dogs who keeps 

 them going when they are tired nothing spoils his 

 ranging sooner. When on this subject we would again 

 point out the importance of thoroughly teaching his dog 

 those preliminary lessons before he is taken to game. 

 Very little of the latter is necessary before he is fit to 

 be shot over much less than most persons imagine. 

 Many owners and tenants of shootings refuse to allow 

 their keepers to train dogs on their ground, in the belief 

 that it disturbs and injures their sport. That it does so 

 undoubtedly if a brace, perhaps, of well-grown lively 

 puppies are taken on to a moor and allowed to career 

 wildly after every moving object, but knowing as we do, 

 and have tried now to show, that so little is necessary 

 if the greater part of the training is done, as it should 

 be, before they see game, we think that keepers should 

 be allowed considerably more latitude in this respect, 

 and the benefits to the owner in having better dogs 



