Modern Breaking 113 



cheerful and prompt retrievers. The objection 

 to this method, however, is that if at any time 

 the dog conchides he is tired of the play there 

 is no way of enforcing obedience. 



No dog is likely to be a reliable retriever 

 tmless taught by the force system, and it may 

 as well be stated frankly that this branch of 

 breaking must be handled with the greatest 

 care. Some dogs get a setback that requires 

 a season's field work to overcome, others never 

 get oyer it. The fault is not in the principles 

 but in the manner of applying them. All of 

 the articles heretofore published on force re- 

 trieving recommend the use of the spike collar. 

 This instrument in itself is a cruel affair and 

 in the hands of a quick-tempered man often 

 becomes an instrument of torture that will 

 cow the boldest dog, and has ruined many a 

 timid one. The constant jerking of the collar 

 and the forcing of the spikes against the deli- 

 cate glands and organs of the neck frequently 

 result in serious injury, and account for many 

 chronic coughs and thick-winded dogs. Some 

 hard-headed dogs broken with the spike col- 

 lar will work very well while they are wearing 

 the collar, but at other times may refuse to do 

 so. If the breaker has a collar in his pocket, 

 obedience can quickly be enforced, but it is not 

 convenient to carry a spike collar in the field, 

 and it is in the field that the dog balks. 



