334 BREAKING AND ENTERING. 



walk jip to the one which you have stopped, pat and encourage 

 him with the word " Toho ! " in a low but pleased tone ; let him 

 not on any account creep forward a step, but keep him exactly 

 where he is for some minutes, if the birds lie well. Then walk 

 forward to the old dog, but take no notice of him, and, with your 

 eye still on the puppy, put up the birds, having stopped him with 

 voice and hand if he moves a limb. Supposing the old dog has 

 pointed falsely, the young one is materially injured, inasmuch as 

 he has lost confidence in him, and next time he is with more 

 difficulty restrained from running in to judge for himself ; hence 

 the necessity for a good nose in the old dog, who ought to be very 

 steady and perfect in all respects. It will thus be seen that very 

 little art is required in carrying out this part of the education, 

 which really demands only hard walking, patience, and persever- 

 ance to complete it in the most satisfactory manner. It should 

 be pursued day after day, till the young dog not only finds game 

 for himself and stands quite steadily, but also backs his fellows 

 at any distance, and without drawing towards them a single step 

 after he sees them at point. When this desirable consummation 

 is effected to such an extent that the puppy will back even a 

 strange dog, and has already learnt to beat his ground properly, 

 as explained in my previous remarks, he is as steady and well 

 broken as he can be without the gun, and may be thrown by until a 

 fortnight before the shooting season, when he ought to be taken 

 out again for two or three days, as in the interval he will gener- 

 ally have lost some of his steadiness. Still he will only require 

 work to restore it, as he knows what he ought to do ; and with 

 patience, joined if necessary with a little punishment, he soon 

 re-acquires all that he had forgotten. Many masters now fancy 

 that all is done towards " making the pointer : " but, on the con- 

 trary, they find that after birds are killed the puppy which was 



