THE AMATEUR TRAINER. 133 
thus: During some weeks before actual work 
afield shall commence, frequently give your deg 
runs, of moderate duration at first, increasing time 
and distance at each subsequent run. This will put 
a good solid padding on the dog’s feet; if cracks are 
noticed to appear on the sole, besmear them with a 
little castor oil or vasoline. After a tough, thick 
sole has been produced, procure some pine tar, 
soften this to the consistency of syrup, pour onto a 
board or tin plate 1-16 inch deep and set dog’s foot 
down upon it, withdraw and set foot firmly down 
into a pan of dust, taken from a dusty road devoid 
of sand; treat each foot in this manner on three con¬ 
secutive days before starting out on a hunting trip, 
and re-dip once each week thereafter, and you 
never w ill be bothered with a lame dog, caused by 
wearing his feet sore. 
As a breed the pointer and setter have ad¬ 
vantages and disadvantages over each other in the 
field. One of the disadvantages of the setter, at 
times, is his heavy coat, frill and feather. In a 
country w r here burrs of various kinds exist, it 
becomes necessary to come to the dog’s assistance by 
relieving him of the otherwise highty ornamental 
frill and feather,—better still, to clip the hair from 
entire dog. If done early in Fall, there need be no 
danger apprehended of suffering from cold the 
coming Winter because of such operation ; the coat 
will grow out rapidly and sufficiently for ample 
protection before cold weather will have set in. 
