THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
“ rough ” in retrieving. I have known only one flat-coated retriever which 
does the same thing as fast or faster than the Labrador. A peculiarity of 
many of the breed is standing for a moment and pointing at dead or 
wounded game in thick covert and then pouncing at it and picking it up 
— a trait I have known some people take exception to. 
As is only natural, some do have hard mouths, but the same applies to 
flat or curly coats or spaniels. More often than not the breaker is respon- 
sible for any hard-mouthed Labrador, by not understanding the breed 
and its habit of coming back at a great pace and snatching at the object 
retrieved as the young dog comes up. From the very fact that the dog 
returns as fast as he can, he holds the bird or whatever it may be far 
tighter in his mouth than he would if he sauntered back at a gentle amble 
to his handler, and for this reason it is advisable to take the game gently 
and let the dog give it to your hand. For thick covert. Labradors are not to 
be beaten, and as they are tireless they will continue working and hunting 
long after other breeds have given up. They are natural hunters and love 
it, and will continue to hunt in thick heather after a drive for an unlimited 
period, ever ready and willing to take another cast, though they may be 
convinced that it is a useless proceeding. Their short, hard, thick coats 
make them ideal dogs for working in water after duck, and they are excel- 
lent and natural swimmers. The thickness of coat also prevents the water 
from soaking them, and after a good shake and a roll on the bank they are 
comparatively dry and do not starve with the cold like a longer -coated 
dog is bound to do on a windy, frosty night. The shooter, therefore, is 
not faced with the unpleasant feeling that while he may be warm and 
passably comfortable his dog is chattering with cold. A further advan- 
tage is that their coat collects less mud and burrs, and after a day’s shoot- 
ing a short rub down is all that is needed, while on a blazing hot day on 
the moors in August the dog is not affected by the intense heat like his 
unfortunate co -retrievers of other breeds. 
In type, the breed varies greatly, due to the fact that Labradors have 
always been kept in the past for work and work alone, and owners were 
not particular as to appearance so long as the working qualities were 
there. Some owners have for years past bred from dogs of the type they 
liked, provided they were good workers, and what flxed type now exists 
is due largely to their efforts, but the far greater number of men owning, 
perhaps, one or two Labradors for their own use, bred formerly from 
whatever good worker they knew of within easy reach. The breed so far 
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