May i8, 1901.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
391 
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Leading dealers in sportsmen's supplies have advertised in our 
columns continuously for a quarter-century. 
My Dogs.— m. 
After parting with Prince I lived a dogless Hie for 
several long years, except for an occasional uncongenial 
companionship with my eldest brother's mongrel de- 
scendants of Juno. 
At length, one fall, an old friend of my other brother 
came with his hound to stay with us for a few days of 
fox hunting. We had an unbroken week of that briefj 
delightful season known as Indian summer, when heaven 
descended upon the earth, making its mountains the 
Delectable, its fields and woods fit though transient 
realms of bliss. 
In that memorable week I got my first taste of fox 
hunting in our New England fashion and at once con- 
ceived a great fondness for the sport. I have taken up 
the cudgel more than once in these- columns in its de- 
fense against the charges that it is unsportsmanlike and 
unmanly and have no intention of doing so now. It is 
the privilege of those W'ho wish to risk breaking their 
necks in riding after the hounds for the pleasure of see- 
ing an overmatched and helpless animal torn to pieces, as 
it is ours to hunt the fox in a way which seems to us quite 
as fair, if not so dangerous and cruel, tliough as for the 
latter element, it cannot be denied that it enters largely 
into all field sports, which, like war^ are a survival of our 
original savagery. 
Our friend Clark was a pleasant companion as well as 
a skillful hunter, and his little dog. Drive, was exceedingly 
wise in the cunning ways of foxes. To my mind he was 
an ideal hound for our fox hunting, in size not much 
above a beagle, but with the low-set long ears, the pend- 
ent flews, the high, peaked head, the corrugated brow 
and other characteristics of the old Southern hound, with 
a voice as bell like, if not as deep toned, the sweetest 
music 1 had ever heard, it seemed to me when it first fell 
upon my ears. 
We hunted the hills and the lowlands, started a fox 
every day, yet to our humiliation we got not one, though 
on his own ground in Addison and thereabout. Clark 
was a very successful hunter, not unfrequently killing 
twenty foxes in a season. But here he was off his beat 
and my brother and I knew as little as he did of the 
runways, nor had the experience which should have 
taught him to guess them, so none of us happened to be 
in the right place at the right time except in one in- 
stance. 
That was in the Slang woods, whei^e Drive had been 
running a fox for an hour, in a great circle toward which 
T gradually edged my way with my heart in my throat 
and my gun at a ready and so came at last to a little 
open space among the hemlocks where a pile of forgotten 
rails lay aslant upon a log that looked no older than they, 
with the weathering and moss and lichens of many years 
upon them. 
The music of the hound drifted nearer and my heart 
rose higher and choked more %vith every increasing wave 
of melody which was borne to my ears, at last, an 
occasional crash of underbrush, then a nearer patter of 
light footfalls on the dry leaves, and then the gray pile 
of rails burst into a tawny glow of bloom at the top as 
the fox sprang lightly upon it. Mv eye caught every 
feature of the brief apparition; tlie jet black ears and legs, 
the cunning, plotting visage, the magnificent white- 
tipped brush — all these I saw in the instant of aiming, 
and believe I saw my sight fairly against feis side just 
behind the shoulder. Then, through a veil of powder 
smoke, I saw him vanish behind the rails, whither I ran, 
sure of finding him there. But, alas! he had disappeared 
as utterly as if the earth had swallowed him or as if he 
had faded into Adewless air more entirely than the smoke 
of my gun. My poor heart no longer choked me, but 
sickened me w^ith the void of sinking quite out of me. 
Drive came in to the report of the gun, eager for the 
small yet satisfying reward of his well-performed feat, 
but there was no dead fox there for him to mouth and 
sniff, and after a questioning look that found its answer 
in my chapfallen visage, he began circling for the lost 
trail. I was still searching for one consoling drop of 
blood or tuft of fur, when Clark and my brother came to 
me, both nobly forbearing blame or derision, the first 
even offering an excuse for my failure in the small size 
of my shot. It was very kind of him, for no doubt he 
suspected a case of ague, which I believe occurs as often 
in fox hunting as in deer hunting. 
Forty -years ago the axe swept away the ancient forest, 
and the plow and harrow have smoothed its rough floor 
to a level meadow, but as often as I think of it I see 
as distinctly as then the patch of frost-browned ferns 
amid the old hemlocks, the lichened pile of rails, the 
brief vision of the fox on its top, and I feel again the 
sickening hitmiliation of that abortive shot. 
The ill success of that October week was as nothing 
to the joy and excitement of it, which determined me to 
own a hound and be a fox hunter. 
One morning I set off over the hills in quest of a young 
hound that I heard was for sale by a family of fox hunt- 
ers whose dogs were of good repute. After a nine-mile 
tramp, I came to the house of the hunters, where a few 
of the neighbors were assembling with their oxen for a 
drawing bee. Its object was the removal of a small tene- 
ment, characterized by the patriach of the family as a 
"damned Free Soil house," in as mild reprobation of the 
last tenant's politics as the veteran of ninety years could 
bestow. His tough old body, erect and agile, seemed 
unscathed by time and he was the liveliest of the com- 
pany, cracking his rough jokes in a continuous volley 
while the decanter of old Medford rum. was passed in the 
ancient hospitable custom against which not even prohi- 
bition cofeld here avail. 
' "Marv," he shouted to a burly neighbor, '"'ye look ju' 
like a cussed ol' elephant, only ye forgot to fetch yer 
trunk." 
IMaking my business known, I was shown the hound, 
a bitch under a year old. of bright and graceful form 
handsomely marked with blue motUmg, black saddle, tag 
legs and eye patches, but lacking in length of ears, and 
heavy flews which indicate a musical voice, though the 
young men of the family assured me that she possessed 
ihis quality to a degree that would warrant giving her 
the name of Kate T-fayes, they having given thai of Jenny 
Lind to her sister. She took my inexperienced eye at 
once, a bargain was speedily struck and I, the happy 
owner of my first hound, was a mile on my way home- 
ward when the vociferous clamor of the drawing bee 
arose behind me, Uncle "Till's shrill treble overtopping 
the "Whoa hush!" "Whoa haw!" of all other voices. 
As we iourneyed together by crossroads, fields and 
woodlands and established friendly pelations, I held an 
informal christening and named my new acquisition 
Diana, and so introduced her to my family,, by whom she 
was received with temperate admiration. 
The first snowfall gave her a trail on a fresh fox 
track, I following it with her and laying her on to it as 
often as she returned to me after brief sprints of racing 
speed, apparently guided as much by sight as by scent 
in which latter sense she seemed deficient. After a good 
deal of such work, the fox was started. She raced him 
half a mile and came back to me, and" would not follow 
the track when I laid her on again. She had a harsh, 
rasping voice and in all respects disappointed me then, 
as she did e^^er after, except when she proved herself a 
good deer hound. 
In the following spring she had a litter of nine pups, 
sired by Joe Birkett's old Lond, a very superior hound, 
keen scented, true as a die, slow in pursuit and of most 
musical voice. Some of the dog pups which were saved 
of the litter turned out well. 
The next fall Diana ran amuck in a flock of .sheep, 
fortunately our own, several of which she killed and 
maimed more. In spite of her many faults and this 
crowning sin. I loved her. for she was fond of me and 
I could not bear the thought of sentence of death being 
executed \ipon her and got it commuted to banishment, 
whereupon she was transferred to the Adirondack coun- 
try, where she lived some years, becoming a noted deer 
hound when hounding deer was considered legitimate 
sport. Rowi-ANp E. Robinson. 
Training the Hunting Dog. 
By B. Vatefs, Author of "Fetch and Cany; A Treatise 
OQ Retffeving." 
XVII.-The Natural Method. 
The term "natural method" is a misnomer. It is dis- 
tinctly misleading in its significance. 
The vanity and pleasure of the dog are catered to 
by the trainer from start to finish in the application of this 
system. The dog's self-interest is thus in a manner the 
basis of the trainer's lessons and success. 
To the dog the lessons are moments of mere delightful 
play. They are combined with flattery and petting by the 
trainer, which inflate the dog's body and spirit with pride 
and delight. His performance being thus dependent on 
his own pleasure, his advancement in retrieving, as a 
serious work, or, indeed, whether he advances well or 
not at all, is exceedingly uncertain. His own whimsical 
inclination is always the dominant factor. He engages in 
the lesson with ardor if he feels in a frolicsome mood, or 
disdainfully ignores it if he feels otherwise. It should 
be called the amusement sj'stem, for such it really is. 
It is an important adjunct to the so-called force sys- 
tem, since the same flattery and petting have the same 
goods effect on the dog when educated by that system, 
Avith the additional advantage that he must retrieve 
whether he is inclined to do so or not. Force properly 
applied establishes implicit and lasting obedience as a 
ground work. The amusement system supplements it 
and further appeals to the dog's self-interest by indulging 
him in amusement which is pleasurable. Later, when in 
actual field work, he comprehends the practical applica- 
tion of retrieving, and delights in the material success 
which it brings. 
However, as it is generally considered as being a dis- 
tinct method, it will be so treated in this work. 
The natural method, so called, is not the best method. 
The "natural" retriever is rarely a finished retriever. Al- 
though termed a method it is inherently devoid of method. 
Under it, instead of governing the dog by method, the 
whim of the dog governs the trainer. It is crude and 
uncertain in its principles, since it is founded on the simple 
acts of the dog when voluntarily carrying the things in 
play for his own amusement. 
The trainer, adopting the idea of amusement from the 
dog's standard, joins in the dog's frolic and with a 
liberal bestowal of flattery to inveigle the dog into ma- 
king a semblance of retrieving, terms such tentative efforts 
a method. 
Briefly, the important faults of the system are that it is 
entirely inoperative if the dog has no inclination to play; 
that dogs vary greatly in their capacity for play when com- 
pared one with another, and that the same dog at different 
times varies widely in his moods concerning it; that, 
though a dog may be inclined to play according to his 
own liking, he may not be inclined to play according to 
the liking of his trainer; that, being taught in play, many 
imperfections will necessarily be incorporated into his 
manner of retrieving; that he Avill never engage in it as a 
serious act entirely subject to the will of his trainer; that 
aged dogs, not being playful, cannot be taught by^ it, and 
that when at any time in his mature years the dog finds 
the work irksome or laborious to an unpleasant degree, he 
will quit it for good and all. 
The natural retriever is rarely a finished retriever. From 
the manner of his education he is predisposed to a hard 
mouth, to rolling the bird in his mouth or dropping and 
picking it up in a dilatory manner as he fetches it to his 
handler, and to dropping it on the ground several yards 
away instead of bringing it neatly to hand as he should. 
If punished for any fault concerning it, he is very likely 
to quit retrieving for good and all. Punishment inflicted 
under such circumstances is by him understood to be for 
having the bird in possession at all, instead of for the 
faulty manner of retrieving it. In most instances, at some 
period of the natural retriever's life, he ceases to main- 
tain his interest in retrieviug and tliereupori refuses tg 
fiirtjier engage in it. • - 
Nearly all puppies have an uncontrollable desire to 
play. They will romp with each other or with such chil- 
dren as will join them. The lone puppy, left to his own 
resources, derives great pleasure in fiercely carrying about 
and tossing an old shoe, or other available object, simulat- 
ing attack and defense as if it were alive. He is not 
averse to engaging in play with his master, though the 
latter in liis mature frolics oftentimes is too ponderous 
and calm as to deportment, and too conservative in his 
standards of play, to say nothing of his dangerous na- 
ture when irritated. 
Play is the trait e.f the dog's character, which the trainer 
must utilize in schooling him to be a retriever. In its ap- 
plication there is no fixed nor arbitrary rule. The trainer's 
tactfulness and the puppy's playfulness are the factors. 
No serious punishment is permissible. Anything which 
stops the puppy from playing stops the education at the 
same time. Disapproval may be shown when the puppy 
endeavors to rend or tnouth the object to be retrieved, to 
the end that he may be checked more or less in his de- 
structive tendency, but in that respect disapproval by 
word and manner is about as far as the trainer may safely 
venture. 
By gradual and protracted stages the fun of the puppy 
is more or less imperfectly developed into the act of re- 
trieving. An infinite degree of patience, persistency and 
good temper is essential in training the dog to retrieve 
after this method. 
A palatable morsel, given to the dog when he has re- 
trieved the object thrown out by the trainer, is a gratifying 
profit to him, and therefore an appeal to his self-interest. 
However, when the edge is gone from his appetite, and 
therewith his self-interest is dormant for the time being, 
he is likely to be indifferent to the wishes of his trainer. 
Before beginning the lessons, it is better to have the 
puppy's interest by engaging in play with him at numei-ous 
times during the preceding weeks, so that all his associa- 
tion of ideas are anticipatory of amusement. Also, it is 
best to prohibit entirely all efforts to amuse him on the 
part of others. Thus the puppy from habit looks to his 
trainer and depends entirely upon him for his moments 
of pleasure; in fact, if no one else amuses him, he is 
ignorant of the fact that amusement exists apart from 
association with his trainer, and success will be accord- 
ingly as the latter can bring himself down or up to the 
dog's standard of amusement. 
A ball, pad or old glove makes a fairly good object on 
which to practice the dog in retrieving. It is better to 
wash them frequently when used, as, from beslavering and 
rolling on the ground, they quickly become soiled and 
offensive. An object with iron nails in it so that the dog 
cannot bite it is best, but, unfortunately, such object the 
dog refuses to hold in his mouth. Iron, when against the 
dog's teeth, is specially repugnant to him. 
In the first lessons the trainer permits the dog to exer- 
cise his own pleasure. He is building up an interest in 
the sport which later is to become a business. When the 
dog is habituated to play, he teasingly waves the object 
to and fro before the dog's eyes in a challenge for him 
to seize it. This the dog is keen to accept. While he is 
endeavoring to seize it,, it is thrown alluringly out a few 
yards away, and he eagerly scrambles after it, grasps it in 
his mouth and struts about spiritedly in the pride of pos- 
session. If the trainer endeavors to get it, the puppy by 
pantomime banters him to get possession if he can do 
so, and by wily devices evades him as much as possible 
when he comes too near. 
At length by craft and intimidation the trainer agairf 
gets possession of the object and throws it out as before. 
And thus the play proceeds, lesson by lesson, till . from 
habit and deference to mild authority the puppy obeys the 
order to "fetch," which is always uttered when the 
object is thrown out, so that this command is associated 
with the act of fetching. 
The erratic faultiness which the puppy will display from 
the beginning should be corrected as positively and as 
soon as possible, consistently with holding his interest and 
effort. For instance, when he retrieves the object and 
the trainer is endeavoring to take it from him, he will 
hold it tightly in his mouth ; if the trainer pulls on it 
forcefully he holds it the tighter, all of which has a ten- 
dency to make him hard-mouthed. If the trainer holds 
him by the collar with the right hand and grasps the 
object with his left, he can with the collar hold the dog 
in place so that he cannot exert any force on the object. 
Then he with his foot pinches the toes of the puppy while 
holding him kindly but firmly in place, at the same time 
uttering the command, "Give." In a few lessons he will 
associate this command with a pain in his toes, and the 
act of opening his mouth and releasing the object he will 
associate with the avoidance of the pain; thereupon he 
will open his mouth to release the object when he hears 
the command. Thus, "Fetch" denotes that he is to re- 
trieve the object, and "Give" denotes that he is to release 
it when he has brought it to hand. 
The results of this "method" are much as they happen 
to be. The lessons are continued through weeks and 
months, from the time the puppy is three or four months 
old till he matures. With age he becomes less frivolous. 
Month by month he is less playful because it is the ■ 
natural evolutionary development from youth to maturity. 
Many repetitions of the retrieving act become habitual, 
and what he at first did by way of amusement he may at 
■last do by way of habitual deference to the trainer who 
dominates him; to a habit of life; to a desire to win 
approbation ; to a material self-interest in the way of food 
rewards, or to all combined. 
After the puppy has reached a stage of advancement in 
which he will fetch the object with some degree of regu- 
larity and certainty, the trainer should direct his efforts 
toward schooling the puppy to carry the object without 
mouthing it. If he acquires a hard mouth, shown by 
closing tightly on the object or chewing it. there is no 
certainty that the fault ever can be cured. In actual 
retrieving a hard-mouthed retriever is worse than none at 
all. He mutilates and destroys more birds than his 
services are worth. 
To enforce steadiness it is better to make the lessons 
pertaining to it quite distinct from the other retrieving 
lessons. The trainer ties a rope three or four feet long 
to the puppy's collar so that he can control him easily, 
and, placing the object in his mouthy he forces him to 
hold it without biting it. 
If the puppy is particularly predisposed tp bite it, thf 
