134 Modern Breaking 



will be no danger of his injuring birds in the 

 field, even if they are badly shot. 



The dog's education, however, should not 

 cease when he will retrieve well about the room 

 or yard. When taken into the field, probably 

 he will refuse to lift his first bird unless he 

 has been drilled previously at home on a dead 

 bird, and even if this has been carefully done, 

 the excitement of field work and the changed 

 conditions for a time will drive all his early 

 education out of his mind. 



In working with a dead bird, procure a 

 freshly killed quail or a stuffed one, bring the 

 wings down into position and fasten them with 

 a few wraps of string or rubber bands. If the 

 dog fails to pick it up when thrown, begin at 

 the beginning and go through all the various 

 stages of holding, carrying, reaching" for and 

 fetching it. Then throw it away farther and 

 farther, and finally hide it and go with him to 

 search for it. In this way he can be taken 

 slowly from his yard work to that in the field. 

 By this method any man of ordinary sense and 

 a reasonable degree of patience can teach a 

 dog to retrieve without the aid of a spike col- 

 lar, whip or any other contrivance. 



