26 
BREAKING A BIRD DOG 
porary impetuosity. You will remember 
what I formerly said about “They think too.” 
They have tried it and know they can't catch 
the birds anyway, and this has a great influ¬ 
ence when they come to reason it out for 
themselves and decide that, after all, the best 
thing to do is just to “stand," which your re¬ 
straint with the rope so plainly indicates as 
your desire. This would be true even if you 
weren't also aided by the instinct which is 
bred in the bone and which makes it natural 
for your blue-blooded bird dog to point. 
The only thing is that in some the instinct is 
stronger than in others and they come to it 
more quickly. This is often influenced by 
how much and how well the dog’s parents 
have been hunted. 
The same cord is used if the dog chases 
when the birds are flushed, or before you 
give the order to “fetch" if a kill has been 
made. You want your dog steady to shot and 
wing . If he is not naturally so (as some will 
be found to be) use the check cord even after 
you have gotten him steady on point, and, 
when the birds are put up, let the dog chase 
them for all he is worth —until he comes to 
