12 BREAKING A BIRD DOG 
far wrong. Spoil him once, however, and 
you may never get him right again. Win 
his confidence early—then never give him 
cause to have his faith shaken. You will be 
repaid many times over in the service you 
will get that otherwise you would not. In 
handling a dog, the big thing is to realize 
that the dog thinks too . You must try to 
interpret what he is thinking—then half your 
battle is won. Guess wrong, and you get 
nowhere—or worse. 
I am reminded of a certain fellow who 
says that his wife never objects to his play¬ 
ing poker because he always splits with her 
fifty-fifty when he wins. One day he was 
telling me of having stayed out until 4:00 
a.m. playing cards the night before. He 
said he won one hundred and forty dollars. 
He told me his wife was awake when he got 
home, but made no complaint when he an¬ 
nounced the result of his efforts. “I gave 
her a ten-dollar bill/ > said he, “and she was 
glad I had gone to the party.” 
“But I thought you won one hundred and 
forty dollars,” I reminded him. 
“I did,” said he, “but of course I couldn't 
