134 
THE AMATEUR TRAINER. 
After a single cast through a field full of cockle 
burrs, the dog comes out covered so thickly with 
the noxious things that the tail is too heavy to be 
carried on a level, the frills are matted in lumps, 
the chafing under armpits becomes unbearable and 
the burrs between the toes add to the dog’s misery 
and render him incapable of further service till re¬ 
moved. It will require time to restore the natural 
ornaments, but unless clipping is resorted to the 
dog will be unsightly and be caused untold agony 
during a hunting season. Clipping, althongh it 
changes the looks of a setter, does not create an 
unsightly appearance, it merely converts the “setter” 
to a “pointer” with all the grace of beauty in outline 
and symetry of the latter. 
USUAL DISEASES OF THE DOG. 
Nearly every lover of field shooting is the 
proud possessor of one or more bird dogs, and 
being that the canine race is heir to many afflictions, 
sportsmen are a troubled class because of this source. 
Where but one or a brace of dogs are kept, the 
animals are usually in much better health than is 
the case if a large number of our four-footed 
friends are congregated — the larger the number the 
more frequent and malignant will be the troubles in 
this respect — owing largely to the fact that nearly 
all maladies of the dog are contagious. 
Dog owners frequently let the good animal go 
