the noa. 
525 
one to feed him, attend to this yourself, accustom him to your voice and 
manner, let him follow you on all your walks, and it will soon be noticeable 
how devoted he will become to you. The dog has a mission to fulfil on earth, 
that of serving his master, and as soon as he fully understands what is wanted 
of him it becomes his happiness to serve his owner; therefore study his dis- 
position and assist him in learning his duty. Never flog cruelly and only 
when you are positive your dog has committed a wilful fault ; then be merciful, 
for many are ruined in spirit by harsh treatment. 
Most well-bred puppies will point from natural instinct and take to hunting 
without tuition, but it is absolutely rtecessary to impress on your young dog, 
before taking him into the field, the necessity of prompt and strict obedience, 
. and for this reason begin at home with the check cord at an early age. 
Provide yourself with some morsels of food, and take your scholar into a room 
or yard where there will be no one to interfere with the lessons. Fasten a 
cord four or five yards in length to his collar, and throw a piece of food where 
he can sec it fill ; he will naturally rush for it ; allow him to do so, but as he 
nears it, jerk the cord anil hold him, saying, “ Ho,” or “ Toho ” in a com- 
. manding tone. Practise him in this manner for an hour each day until he 
will stop over the morsel at the command “Toho,” without the jerking of the 
cord. All this will be found a little difficult, but by patience it can be 
accomplished. Never let your temper get the better of you, but be cool, 
„ determined and persistent. Care should be taken not to alarm your scholar in 
these lessons, especially if he be of a timid nature ; an intelligent dog though 
will learn very soon, and retain all you impart as he understands what is 
required of him. He should be taught that an uplifted hand is equivalent to 
an order to drop or charge. After thoroughly schooling your young dog 
Pit indoors or in a yard, and when you are satisfied he is well practised in his 
lessons, take him into a field with a long cord attached to his collar, say fifteen 
or eighteen yards, and have one end of it fastened to a stake, which drive 
firmly into the ground. Begin again as you did indoors, making him hunt 
out the morsel of food and checking him with the cord and “Toho.” You 
can now begin with snapping a cap on your gun at the moment you jerk him, 
theu using a little powder and increasing the charge until he finally accepts the 
report as a command to drop. While he is down walk away from him, make 
him stay there until allowed to rise, then run from him; he may start 
after you, but the stake will stop him when he comes to the end of the cord, 
at which time cry “ Toho,” the moment he is checked. Now walk around 
him, now from him, again insisting on his being obedient. All this will tend 
to make your dog steady at the “charge.” To teach your dog to return is not 
an easy task. This idea of fetching should be imparted when the puppy is 
quite young, giving him a taste for it by throwing an old glove from you and 
having him run after it, until as we have said before he brings it back for 
