78 Beagles and Beagling 
As regards training to horn or whistle it is advis¬ 
able to adopt one or the other and then use a fixed 
method of calling. Jf the horn is used, one long 
blast mav he the call to come in. Naturally, it is 
assumed that the puppy is thoroughly trained to 
come at the call of his name, hence the horn should 
only be introduced after his field work is well 
advanced. Never, under any circumstances, call 
your dog off a trail. Let him finish his work before 
attempting to bring him to you. To attempt to 
call a dog off a trail is simply courting a breach of 
discipline, for no good dog will leave a hot scent 
to come to his master, and it is bad practice to give 
an order and not have it obeyed, for this is simply 
retrograding. However, when the hunt is over and 
the dogs are still ranging about in the coverts and 
are not on trail, then is the time that the order must 
be given and obedience exacted. Call the puppy by 
his name and at the same time give the blast on 
the horn. He will be attracted by the call of his 
name if not by the sound of the horn, but when the 
two are so closely associated he will soon come to 
understand that this sound is intended for him. 
In time it will he unnecessary to use the voice, but 
simply sound the blast that you have adopted and 
it will he obeyed. 
Field Work 
When the puppy is between eight and twelve 
months old, it is time to begin practical work afield. 
Some puppies may he ready to start earlier than 
this, others will not take to hunting until much 
later, but the general average is about as designated. 
Some advocate hunting the puppy with an old 
