32 8 BKEAKING AND ENTERING. 



deed, in most well-bred dogs, it comes naturally; but none 

 beat to the hand without an education in that particular depart- 

 ment. 



But at this stage it will be frequently needful to correct 

 various faults which are apt to show themselves in young dogs, 

 such as (i) " hunting too low," leading to "pottering or dwell- 

 ing on the foot-scent ; " (2) hunting too wide from the breaker ; 

 and (3) "blinking," or leaving the game as soon as found, which 

 last is a fault depending on undue previous severity. With 

 regard to the first of them, there is, unfortunately, no certain 

 remedy for it ; and the puppy which shows it to any great ex- 

 tent after a week or ten days' breaking will seldom be good 

 for much, iu spite of all the skill and trouble which an expe- 

 rienced breaker can apply. The method of cure most commonly 

 adopted is that called hunting with a " puzzle-peg " on, which 

 is shown applied in the annexed cut. It consists of a piece of 

 strong wood, such as ash or oak, attached to the neck by a 

 leather collar, and to the jaw by a string tied just behind the 

 tusks or canine teeth, so as to constitute a firm projection in 

 continuation of the lower jaw ; and as it extends from six to 

 nine inches beyond it, the dog cannot put his nose nearer to 

 the ground than that amount of projection will allow of. The 

 young dog should be well accustomed to it in kennel and in 

 the field, before he is hunted in it ; for when it is put on for 

 the first time it inevitably " cows " him so much as to stop all 

 disposition to range ; but by putting it on him for an hour or 

 two daily while he is at liberty and not expected to hunt, he 

 soon becomes tolerably reconciled to it, and will set off on his 

 range when ordered or allowed. With it on, a foot-scent can 

 seldom be made out, unless pretty strong ; but, at all events, 

 the dog does not stoop to make it out in that spaniel-like style 



