.POINTERS AND SETTERS. 297 
of attaining the object, by all means adopt it; but when a 
far easier one is at hand, I should certainly select it in pre- 
ference. Nevertheless, it may serve to prove the teachableness 
of the dog; and, knowing the extent to which his education may 
be carried by patience and perseverance, I have no doubt that 
Colonel Hutchinson’s plan is capable of execution, if the time 
and trouble necessary for it were properly remunerated. But we 
must now proceed to the second fault, which consists in ranging 
too far from the breaker. This may readily be cured, either by 
compelling attention to the hand and voice, with the aid of the 
whip in bad cases, or by attaching to the dog’s collar a long cord, 
which is then suffered to trail on the ground, or is held in the 
hand of the breaker when the dog is very wild. Twenty, thirty, 
er at most forty, yards of a small box-cord will suffice for this 
purpose, and will soon tire down the strongest and most unruly 
dog. Indeed, an application of it for a short time will make 
many dogs give in entirely ; but some high-couraged ones, and 
setters especially, will persevere with it on till they are fairly 
exhausted. This “check-cord,” as it is called, is also necessary 
in some dogs, to perfect their education in other respects, and, 
indeed, is chiefly wanted at a later period of breaking, not being 
often required at this stage. 
Having described the mode of teaching pointers and setters 
to beat their ground, I have now to consider the best. modes 
of teaching them (1) to point, set, or stand (which are different 
names for the same act), (2) to back, (3) to down charge, (4) to 
retrieve, if considered desirable, and (5) how to remedy certain 
faults, such as blinking, &c. 
Pointing, setting, or standing is taught as follows. It will, of 
course, be discovered in practice that, in teaching the range, most 
dogs begin to point, and nineteen out of twenty, if well-bred, be- 
come steady enough, without the gun, before they are perfect in the 
proper mode of beating their ground. For these, then, it is un- 
necessary to describe any other means of teaching their trade ; 
but there are some few exceptions, in which, even after a fortnight’s 
work, the dog is still deficient in this essential ; and though he 
beats his ground in ever so perfect a manner, and finds his birds 
well enough, yet he invariably runs them up, sometimes with 
