MORE ABOUT GUN-SHYNESS 51 
a revolver with gradually increasing loads until the 
dog finally became inured to the explosions and ulti¬ 
mately was cured of the disease. Personally, I am 
a little afraid of that method—one reason being that 
a particularly heavy discharge might have a tendency 
to deafen the dog, and a dog that cannot hear you 
is often worse than no dog at all. 
Now, I am going to refer to a simpler plan than 
either of these, which is worth trying and which it 
occurs to me in Belle’s particular case may possibly 
work out. 
Equip yourself with a light gun, if possible not 
over a 20-gauge, but do not permit any one else to 
go with you into the field. Belle may be afraid of 
a number of guns, particularly if some of them are 
in the hands of people she does not know, where¬ 
as this may not be the case to such an extent if you 
are alone with her. Do not shoot at anything which 
flushes wild. Make it an inviolate rule never to 
shoot except over a steady point. Do not shoot 
even if she is making game and something flushes 
ahead of her. Let her come positively to rest on a 
stanch point before you even think of pulling a 
trigger. When she is on a stanch point and ab¬ 
sorbed with the scent of game, the chances are she 
won’t even notice the discharge of merely one light 
gauge gun, particularly if that gun is in the hands of 
her master in whom she has confidence and if you 
