CHAPTER VI. 
SOUND OF THE GUN.— POINTING RABBITS, ETC. 
WE will now return for a time to the first 
months of pup’s life, to give emphasis to several 
points of infinite importance, the consideration of 
which we have reserved to avoid confusion. At 
a very early age he should be accustomed to, and, 
in fact, taught to welcome, the sound of the gun. 
If this essential in his training is neglected until 
the time when he should enter the field, deplo- 
rable results very often follow. Not infrequently 
a dog is rendered absolutely worthless by the ter- 
rible fright experienced when a gun is first fired 
over or near him. In fact, a pup should, in as 
much as possible, be accustomed to every unusual 
sound. But if he can stand without flinching 
while a gun is fired within a few feet of him, it 
is unlikely that other sounds will cause him exces- 
sive fright. 
Almost every trainer has methods peculiarly 
his own by which he accustoms his pups to the 
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