THE BREAKING OF GUNDOGS 
LTHOUGH different varieties of gundogs require dif- 
ferent methods of education, there are some general 
/ rules that apply to them all. The most important, and 
/ a good foundation for all future virtue, to say nothing 
i of the simplifying of training, consists in preventing 
jL IL^the young “hopeful ’’ from contracting bad habits that 
often have to be sternly suppressed later on. Let your young dogs spend 
their spare time away from the sight and smell of game and rabbits. 
A young dog who has never had the chance of a wild chase “ on his own ’’ 
has not such a strong inclination to pursue everything he sees, and it 
makes it a much simpler process to direct his thoughts into the right 
channels. 
Begin young! Get the puppy quite accustomed to the sound of a gun. 
When he is too small to run away, take him to a strange field, with old 
dogs, whose sedate demeanour he will imitate. Let an assistant fire a 
gun about three hundred yards away, getting nearer every day, and firing 
only one shot per diem. Ninety -nine dogs out of every hundred that are 
gun-shy have been made so by stupid management. If a puppy is nervous 
be most careful. If he is not nervous treat him at first as if he was. Were 
this precaution always taken gun-shy dogs would be scarce. 
It is a good beginning never to give an order you cannot enforce. For 
instance, take hold of the check string, before you tell the puppy to “ sit 
down,” then there can be no difficulty in getting the order obeyed, and 
we should not hear so often of the dog who could not be caught, when 
he had transgressed. It may be remarked in passing that the obvious 
way to deal with such an animal is invariably to keep a check cord, of 
about fifteen yards, attached to his collar, at least till such time as he 
gives up his knavish tricks. Nothing impresses a puppy with his master’s 
power so much as a few yards of salmon line attached to his collar, which 
is light enough not to encumber his movements, and strong enough to 
hold him if required. 
Though the education of retrievers and spaniels can hardly begin too 
young, pointers and setters respond better when their early training 
is confined to coming to whistle and not chasing fur. When they are keen 
on game it is time enough to teach them to drop; it saves trouble later 
if they are allowed to develop their natural hunting instinct without too 
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