Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 40.djvu/255

 holding it there and obliging him to carry it and finally deliver it to his trainer; reward him, and then try him again.

Some dogs take to retrieving naturally, requiring no training, while it is almost impossible to get others, often of high intelligence, to learn this at all.

Most puppies need a good deal of attention before they are perfectly steady on point, and to wing and shot, as their natural tendency is to secure the game when they have found it. How best to overcome this it is not always easy to decide. The dog must be encouraged to remain steady while his trainer moves up. Often the assistance of a second person to flush the bird will be



useful, while the dog is approached and encouraged but not allowed to rush on. In this case a check-cord may be useful—to be employed as little as possible. The example of a reliable old dog is invaluable. Some form of check that will make the dog defeat or punish himself is preferable to direct administration of punishment by the trainer.

Gun-shyness is but an exaggerated form of fear of unusual noises, and must be treated accordingly. Let the dog be