314 TRAINING. 



pads of his feet being generally very thinly covered, his muscles 

 and heart being loaded with fat, and his nails often so long as to 

 rattle as he trots about his kennel. When an animal is in this 

 condition, no attempt should be made to get him fit to run in less 

 than five or six weeks, and even that time will not suffice in 

 many cases. 



The first thing to be done is to get the overfed dog into the 

 same state as he would have been if he had been reared and kept 

 as I have recommended in Chap. XIV. To effect this care should 

 be taken that his stomach is not disordered by a change of food, 

 nor his lungs and heart deranged by being put to a severe strain 

 while still overloaded with fat, nor his feet made sore by friction 

 on the road before they are gradually hardened and their pads 

 accustomed to secrete fresh cuticle as fast as it is worn away. 

 In the first place the trainer should weigh his dog, and carefully 

 consider how much he has to get off him before he will be fit to 

 run. To do this some experience is necessary partly gained by 

 observing at what weight most dogs run well, and partly by 

 regarding the condition of those who run badly. It should be 

 remembered that the dog must not only be rendered capable 

 of bearing hard work with impunity, but that his spirits must be 

 kept so high that he will be willing and anxious to do it. In this 

 last respect consists the greater difficulty of training the grey- 

 hound over that incurred in bringing out the horse. The latter 

 animal need only be considered as a machine, which, if in order, 

 can always be made to do his best, by whip or spur ; but no such 

 aids can be brought into play with the greyhound, w r ho often 



