82 THE KEEPER'S BOOK 



course in the case of a " setting " dog it is not usually 

 so marked, because, unless he has been taught to 

 retrieve, he rarely bolts in at once on his game, but, 

 even in the case of a setter, it may mean a diminished 

 bag through flushing other birds before the guns have 

 reloaded. By insisting on the " down charge," as we 

 have already pointed out, we find the prevention, and 

 the sole cause is the want of consistency on the part of 

 the trainer. On no account should the dog be allowed 

 to move without word of command, and if he does, then 

 let him be punished more or less severely according to 

 the particular temperament of the animal. The punish- 

 ment may only be a verbal reproof or something more 

 tangible, but escape one or other he must not. Here, 

 again, the check-cord is of great value, and if a dog is 

 interrupted when half-way to his game, the effect is 

 more salutary than a dozen severe thrashings. 



Over -training. Occasionally one sees a retriever 

 trained most thoroughly, who does everything he is 

 commanded perfectly, and yet he is of small value at 

 work. Why ? Because he is a machine the dog has 

 no confidence in himself. If put on to find a bird, he 

 gives in at once and returns to heel ; or the moment he 

 loses the scent he looks to his master for guidance. This 

 is pure habit, of course. Had the dog been allowed to 

 use his own judgment i.e. had his master, even though 

 he knew the dog was wrong, allowed him to find out this 

 for himself a few times, he would have produced a better 

 dog. 



