io6 BREAKING A BIRD DOG 
come in close and quarter carefully; if I throw it 
over my shoulder and strike out at my usual gait, 
they conclude that I was mistaken in supposing that 
birds were near and swing off at their usual hunt¬ 
ing pace. They all do this, more or less, my old 
Babe more decidedly than any I ever owned. 
Backing is an acknowledgment of the signal con¬ 
veyed by the attitude of the pointing dog, sometimes 
aided by scent, if the backing dog happens to be in 
a position to get a faint whiff. Most dogs recognize 
the difference between the tense position of a true 
point and the lax attitude of one pointing old scent, 
or whose birds have run or flown. In the latter case 
they are inclined to crowd in and try the scent for 
themselves. 
Old Babe never will back a strange dog or a 
puppy until he has made enough true points to con¬ 
vince her that he can be trusted. Until then she 
simply walks in and does it for herself. Always an 
independent little huzzy, she really prefers to do that 
anyway. 
Pity they can’t talk! Well, they can, and do, if 
one observes them closely enough; and if one makes 
a habit of responding to the gentle hints they give, 
they will talk more. The way to housebreak a dog 
is to watch very closely at first and let him out at 
the slightest indication of his desire. He will no¬ 
tice this in a few days and make the hint plainer. 
