Dogs/modern_breaking_1906.md

MODERN BREAKING

A TREATISE ON THE

REARING, BREAKING AND HANDLING

OF

SETTERS AND POINTERS

A small illustration of a dog's head.

Embodying the Methods Employed by the Most Successful Breakers and Field Trial Handlers of the Day.

ILLUSTRATED.

THE BLAKELY PRINTING COMPANY CHICAGO, ILL. 1908  A black and white illustration of two dogs in a grassy field with trees in the background. LIFE AND EXPRESSION  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Copyright Entry FEB 16 1906 1826-191406 38863 COPY B.

Entered According to Act of Congress in the Year 1906 by WILLIAM A. BRUETTE in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C.

34  THE ILLUSTRATIONS IN THIS BOOK are from paintings by PROF. E. H. OSTERHAUS OF TOLEDO, OHIO.  A blank yellow page.  CONTENTS

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION.—Training an art; knowledge of self; skill required to handle a dog; ruined dogs; incompetent owners; professional training.

CHAPTER II. SEVERAL AND PARTIAL—The merits of each and their particular sphere of usefulness.

CHAPTER III. SELECTING A PUPPY—The merits of each and their value; rearing; kenneling; feeding; diseases of puppyhood; prevention of gundnessy.

CHAPTER IV. NAMING DOGS.—Short names the best; compound names a nuisance; originally desirable.

V. NOMENCLATURE.—Breaking and hold trial terms; abnder words; putting on the hook; breaking; drawing; reeding; pottering; blinking; snubbing; ranging; quarreling; scippy, merry style; bird sense cramped; bowing up; chin, mouth.

CHAPTER V. TRAINING IMPLEMENTS.—Whip; whistler; check cord; lead; spike collar.

CHAPTER VI. KNOW YOURSELF.—Breaking the breaker; pronounced instincts not intelligence; mistakes of amateurs; studying the young dog.

CHAPTER VIIIL FIRST LESSONS.—Introduction to game; developing courage; encouraging fondness for field work.  CHAPTER IX. YARD BULLIES.--The old lesson of to-ho; stopping to order; stopping to uplifted hand.

CHAPTER X. POINTING INSTEAD.--The machinery of the point instinct versus intelligence; steadying the young dog; dropping to wing.

CHAPTER XI. YARD DIRECTIONS.--Dropping to order, shot and wing; walk- ing to heel.

CHAPTER XII. HACKING.--A form of the pointing instinct; bad manners; rushing in; indolence of character.

CHAPTER XIII. REASONS.--Questions of the tail, paws, corks and sin- gle birds; gromes and woodcock dogs; turning out.

CHAPTER XIV. RETRIEVING.--Natural and force system; dangers of the spike collar; a new method.

CHAPTER XV. GUNSHYNESS.--Overcoming fear of the gun.

CHAPTER XVI. BAD BREAKING.--FAUCES AND VICER.--The trailing dog; burk- ing up; the dog's head; barking; egg seeking; sheep chasing; howling; muddy paws.

CHAPTER XVII. CONDITIONING.--Breachure methods; feeding; exercise; the thermometer; massage; pithers; sore feet; lameness; clipping.

CHAPTER XVIII. Doors.  C H A P T E R I.

I N T R O D U C T I O N.---Training an art; knowledge of self; skill required to handle and train rough dogs; incompetent owners; professional breakers.

O NE of the first things the amateur should learn is that the breaking of setters and pointers for field use is not so much of a science as it is an art. To know all the conventional methods of accomplishing certain results in dog breaking is one thing, but even with this knowledge stored in his head, the breaker has much to learn if he would avoid failure. He must learn also the psychology of the techniques of dog breaking, and he must know considerable about the psychological side of the setter and pointer to make a good application of the conventional methods of dog breaking.

Nor is this all. More important than mere technical knowledge of the science of breaking, and the peculiarities of setter or pointer disposi- tion, is the knowledge of self. Every ama- teur and many professionals this knowledge of self must seem the simplest part of the art of dog breaking to acquire, and yet it will bear repetition—it is the most difficult. The human  10 Modern Breaking

ego is large—very large and extremely sensitive—and to tell a man he has not sense enough to break a dog after he has been told how would be to offer him. But it is nevertheless true that a man who has done little breaking does not know how to do it, even if he has all the rules by heart. The difficulty is he does not understand himself as he thinks he does. He will do things he may have determined not to do, and he will do things he knows he had determined upon doing. Then he will do things in a different manner from what he should do them. Again, there are nerves and notions in a man's make-up that never find expression until he tries his hand at breaking a high-string strutter or pointer. In short, the man who starts out to break a setter will pointer with the idea that he knows himself well as a kookel, and the dog, if not entirely spoiled, will fall short of that degree of excellence he might have reached in the hands of a man who had taken the precaution to understand himself before he began the task of educating his dog.

The amateur who becomes reasonably expert in breaking dogs ought to be disillusioned more than the saving of ten thousand dollars he would have paid a trainer. He will have succeeded in educating himself as well as his dog, so that he knows himself better than he did before and will have secured a control over his  Modern Breaking 11

temper that will be of value to him in all his business and social affairs. The bunches of nerves which all men possess that go off, as it were, at the end of their lines, will be under better control, and his stock of patience and spirit of forbearance will have undergone a development that will enable him to view former worries with urbanity.

There is an increased pleasure in shooting over a dog of your own development and breaking; and in addition the man who has had some insight into the psychological side of a dog's nature, and has been able to train a dog an immense advantage over the man who locks at a dog simply as a machine, without knowing anything of the art of breaking.

We have all heard the wail of the man de- frauded in buying a dog represented as broken which was worse than unbroken, or of the man who had sent a dog to a breaker, paid the fee and had his dog runned or returned wilder than when he bought it. The man who left his hands, went directly into the hands of his master, who, unfamiliar with the methods of dog breaking and unqualified to systematically go to work with the animal, so as to keep him up to all that he knew, was unable to control him and allowed him to display bad tricks or traits of character or develop new ones. If sportmen would go to the trouble of  12

Modern Breaking

seeing their dogs hunted for a day or two by the breaker, and carefully observe his peculiar modes of speech and action with these dogs, it would serve as a guide to their own conduct toward their dogs in insisting upon their living up to their breaking. To be sure there are dishonest breakers, just as there are dishonest merchants, ministers, doctors, etc., but the professional men of to-day—and there are numbers of them—are as reliable as the members of any profession. Their statements can be accepted. If a dog which appears wild and unbroken is received from a breaker of reputation, the sportsman should not jump at the conclusion that he has been defrauded. The dog should be given an opportunity to be acquainted with his new master, and the owner should study himself. Perhaps he does not know how to handle a dog. This will be a difficult thing for him to confess, and besides, having paid his money for a broken dog, he is likely to expect too much. A dog is not a piece of machinery that can be handled without a certain firmness. He is a bundle of nerves and muscles, energy and pronounced instincts. These, properly handled, will go far to increase his owner's pleasure in the field. Even if the dog were simply a piece of machinery, like an automobile, the purchaser would not attempt to run it until he had received a course of instruction as to  Owned by Horace Ames, Boston, Mass.

FIELD TRAIL WINDING PONYER, YOUNG 1920  [API_EMPTY_RESPONSE]  Modern Breaking 15

its mechanism, its care and handling. It can be stated safely that half the dogs which go out of the breakers' into the owners' hands valuable animals are next to worthless. In years gone, simply because the owner has given no time or study to the art of dog breaking. Therefore, no one should attempt to direct and handle the wonderful and delicate instincts of a high-class dog until he knows something of the theory and art of dog breaking. No matter how well a dog may be broken, the time will come when something will go wrong with him. If his owner understands dog breaking the fault may be corrected. If not, it gets worse and worse, and a well-broken dog may be ruined because the owner does not know how best to use him.

Then there is the man who expects to buy a well-broken dog for twenty-five or fifty dollars, or hopes to get his dog broken for that amount, and finally complains of being cheated and says dog men are dishonest. This man is not deserving of sympathy. In the first place, he started out to get two dollars' worth of goods for one dollar in money. This, in the abstract, is just as dishonest as disposing of one dollar's worth of goods for two dollars in money. Honest men never do great injustice. If you cannot afford to pay a reputable breaker the regular fee of one hundred or one hundred and fifty  16 Modern Breaking

dollars for breaking a dog, make up your mind to be your own breaker.

This book is not intended to be a profound treatise on the science of dog breaking, but an effort will be made to present in concise form a practical work on the subject. It will be based upon personal experience and observation of the best methods of the prominent field trial handlers of the day. The reader will find some facts in this work that are old, but he will also find much that is new. In short, these chapters aim to give the simple man, the amateur, an up-to-date method of dog breaking, good for either amateur or professional to follow, and to explain the whys and wherefores of the art so as to enable the man of limited means to be his own breaker, and the man of wealth to handle intelligently the dog he has had in the hands of a professional breaker.

A black-and-white illustration of a dog running.  CHAPTER II

SETTERS VS. POINTERS.—The merits of each and their par- ticular sphere of usefulness.

THE relative merits of setters and pointers have been the subject of such lengthy discussion, and their respective advocates display so much energy in ventilating their opinions through the columns of the sportsmen's papers, that the amateur is sometimes undecided as to which he will select. Without taking into account the subject can be summed up and dismissed as being simply a matter of likes. No two men are alike, consequently qualities that please and completely satisfy one man do not appeal to another. There is also a good deal in that to which a man has become accustomed. If pointers suit one man better than setters, it does not follow that pointers are better for him; but it does not follow that the breed is better as a whole than setters, and vice versa.

The principal difference in the two breeds is in their coats, for in size and general information they are quite similar, and if you clip a setter you have a pretty fair pointer. There are, of course, differences between the various

A black and white illustration of a dog pointing at a game.  18 Modern Breaking

breeds of setters, as well as between setters and pointers. The points of superiority generally claimed for the pointers are their ability to stand heat, go without water, and escape being loaded down and stuck up with bars that soon mat a setter's feather and long coat. Pointers as a class have the pointing instinct more highly developed than most setters, and are remov- able their training better, and are not so hard to control. Setters, on account of their more abundant coat, have an advantage in wet, cold weather or in facing brambles and briars in a rough country. They have usually more dash, vim and energy; do not thicken up so quickly with age; and improve in their work from year to year.

There are, of course, individual exceptions, and some pointers will face brambles and thickets, take to water and work in cold, stormy weather as courageously as any setter; and there are setters which are seemingly as little affected by heat and can go as long without water as any pointer. But the long coat or feather can be clipped so that bars will not stick to it, and in warm countries, where burs are most in evidence, the setter's coat, in a generation or two, is scarcely heavier than the most satin-skinned pointer. In disposition, pointers are not quite so affectionate and companionable as setters, and show some of the  Modern Breaking 19

traits of their hound ancestry. Setters are descended from the spaniels, and generally display all of their lovable qualities.

So far as the appearance of breeds is con- cerned, that is solely a matter of taste, and about difference in tastes there can be no dis- pute. There is something distinctive and breedly about a clean-cut, statuesque pointer, and there is no animal more attractive than an animated, silky-coated, soft-eyed setter.

A dog standing on its hind legs, with a circular border around it.  CHAPTER III

SELECTING A PUPPY.—Pedigrees and their value; rearing; kenneling; feeding; diseases of puppyhood; prevention of gumswabs.

FOR the first few weeks of a setter or pointer puppy's life it is an odd and most interesting little animal. Its nose is short and blocky, its head a dome, its face a mass of wrinkles, out of which its watery blue eyes blink lazily; its body is fat, round and too heavy for its short legs and clumsy feet, and it stumbles and nose-above with a curiosity and helplessness that most appeal to the heart.

The apparently profound discourses and the detailed instructions for selecting, unfailingly, the best puppy in a litter are absurd, and based solely on a lack of wisdom. Selecting a puppy from a litter when eight or ten weeks old is a matter of guesswork. The most brightly brightest puppy may grow into a dullard; the weakest physically may become the largest. At this time pedigree is the only guide to probabilities, and with the number of good dogs and reputable breeders now in the country, it is not advisable to spend either time or money on a setter or

A black-and-white illustration of a dog lying down.  Modern Breaking 21

pointer which is not of established ancestry. It is not necessary that the puppies' parents or grandparents be field trial winners, but they should be of stock known to be creditable fielders and practical sporting dogs.

That is such a thing as the careful blending of certain blood lines that have produced with the greatest regularity high-class dogs. The correctness and desirability of the blood lines can be determined only by a breeder of experience, with a good knowledge of pedigrees. The amateur sportsman, who is about to purchase a puppy, should submit its pedigree to some authority before closing the transaction. Past experience with litters of the same breeding, and a knowledge that certain blood lines produce dogs uniformly good in some respects, but inclined to weaknesses in others, as well as the knowledge of certain indescribable peculiarities which are common to the breed, may possibly assist in the selection to a conclusion; but, on the whole, it is all guesswork, and the man who has the last pick of a litter has about as good a chance that his dog will turn out a winner as the man who had the first selection.

REARING.

While there is much guesswork about selecting a puppy, its development and growth will give full scope to the owner's intelligence and  32 Modern Breaking

care. A weak, sickly puppy, with good care and intelligent development and breaking, will make a better field dog than a fine, healthy puppy which is neglected. Some men are so lacking in sympathy and intelligence as to be absolutely unable to appreciate the value of a dog, and all the advice and instruction given them is wasted. Such men may want to do right, and may feel that they are doing right, but they neglect the small details that are the price of success, and puppies which will develop hand-somely in the hands of some men will turn out ragged duffers in the hands of others.

There are disappointments, much misery and many real failures, strewn along the breeding path. They can be lessened and often avoided if the owner will bear in mind that the dog is an animal of a high degree of intelligence, and, like a woman or child, requires companionship, amusement and encouragement just as much as it does good food and shelter, and without them it will be dwarfed physically and mentally. There are also diseases incidental to puppyhood that owners will do well to anticipate. By following these principles, the owner will be able to cope with circumstances and environments that are never twice alike.

After the puppy is weaned and taken from its mother, it is necessary to provide certain  M o d e r n B r e a k i n g 23

quarters that it can consider its own. If it is decided to keep it in the house or office, con- struct a light frame, over which should be tacked a sheet of glass, so as to admit daylight like a drumhead. This can easily be kept clean by removing and washing, and affords a com- fortable bed that is not likely to hold vermin. If the puppy is given a rug to sleep on, it should be washed and dried weekly, at least.

It may as well be said here that dogs kept out of doors suffer less from exposure than those which are kept in houses during the day and are locked up in a cold barn or kennel at night. The exposing to extremes of tempera- ture is what is to be avoided, and dogs kept out of doors, particularly the long-haired breeds, are always more rugged than those kept in a warm house. This necessitates the building of a kennel, and by all means there should be a yard in which the dog may run. The expense of construction is very small in these cases, but the dog must have dis- pensers with the collar and chain, that when applied to a high-spirited, well-bred, nervous puppy form an inhuman contrivance, calculated to sour a dog's disposition, irritate him con- stantly, and are also responsible for many bad shoulders. A puppy needs a companion, and it is just as easy to raise two puppies as one. Both will do much better, as they will amuse  24

Modern Breaking

themselves and be healthier and happier than if confined alone, hour after hour, to fret and worry with no break in the monotony except an occasional visit by the owner or attendant.

In building a kennel for one or two dogs, the lumber should be doubled, with an inner lining of tar board. The entrance should be at the side, with a board placed on the inside at right angles to the entrance, so as to act as a wind-break. Or, better still, there may be a door that will open both ways. A piece of heavy canvas may be hung over the door, that the dog soon will learn to push aside when desiring to enter. The kennel can be made with a removable top, so that the bedding can be removed easily and the inside washed, disinfected and whitened.

A kennel barrel makes a very good temporary kennel. A few shavings burned inside of it and then extinguished by turning the barrel upside down will thoroughly cleanse it. It is warm, as well as water and wind proof. In cold weather a canvas flap should be between the opening. If the kennel is placed under a shed open on three sides, it will be better, as it will often be warmer in Winter and cooler in Summer and the shed affords protection from either rain or sun, without forcing the dog to take refuge in its kennel. In cold weather the kennel should be placed inside of a room.  A BROWNING BULLY  [API_EMPTY_RESPONSE]  M o d e r n B r e a k i n g 27

The size of the dog's yard should be at least eight or ten feet square, but can be made as large as desired, and if situated so as to take in a tree or bush so much the better. It is a good idea to have a number of fences or small hurdles placed across the yard, low at first and gradually elevated as the dog grows. In playing and racing about the yard he is obliged to jump over these, which will help him to develop the muscles of his back and loins. Black dirt is the best ground for a kennel yard, as dogs yarded on sand are sure to be affected with fleas or lice. These pests the owner must fight incessantly with frequent groomings and the free use of disinfectants and whitewash.

Wood ash mixed with sawdust makes a good yard soil, or better still, wood ashes, lime and clay all worked together. The kennel and yard should be cleaned at least once a day and whitewashed once a week. In warm weather, bedding is not absolutely necessary, as the dog finds the floor cooler, or if allowed a portion of straw or hay under his bed as a cover, as previously described. Pine shavings sprinkled with turpentine are not attractive to fleas, but for very cold weather, oat straw is the best and warmest bedding. This should be changed at least once a week.

FEEDING. The subject of feeding is, of course, a matter  28 Modern Breaking

of great importance. After weaning, the puppy enters the world under independent conditions and has, as is to be expected, more or less trouble in acclimating itself to them. The mother's milk is its natural food and must now be replaced by some other and for this, this must be the principal article of diet. There is a popular but erroneous opinion that fresh milk produces worms, and that sour milk destroys them. The fact is that milk does not cause worms, but on account of its non-irritating action in the intestines, induces the accumulation of a large quantity of mucus which is the most desirable place for the hatching of the eggs of worms and enables them to multiply under most favorable conditions. Sour milk has a laxative action on the bowels and tends to expel this mucus and the worms with it.

For the first two or three months of a puppy's life milk is the only diet to be given and any bad results from its use will be neutralized largely by alternating sour milk with fresh milk, or giving sour milk once or twice a week. The rule to follow in feeding a puppy is "little and often." For the first few days after weaning he will lap out fresh milk. This should be thickened with stale bread or crackers. But better still, use Spratt's puppy biscuits as puppies thrive on them and the convenience they afford amply will repay any sportsman for the slight  M o d e r n B r e a k i n g

29

additional expense incidental to their daily use. Gradually the proportion of solid food should be increased and the amount of liquids decreased. Beef or mutton soaps with vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, and turnips, can be substituted gradually for the milk. The puppy will thrive rapidly on such food.

The dog is a carnivorous animal and requires more or less of a meat diet. It is well to begin feeding a puppy meat when he is three months old, in the form of well-bolled mutton or beef; this is freely given once or twice a week; little raw, lean beef, chopped fine, should be fed. It acts as a tonic to his digestive organs, and the good effects will be shown in the improved appearance of the dog's coat. He must not be given sufficient to satisfy his appetite or he will refuse to eat anything else, and it is advisable at this time that the cat have a good proportion of the grains, as they contain certain elements necessary to the development of bone and muscle.

Feed a two-month-old puppy eight times a day. When three or four months old feed six times a day; when five or six months old, five times a day; when eight months old, four times a day; when ten months old, three times a day; when twelve months old, three or four times, and when fully grown a light meal in the morning and a full meal at night. Attend to the feeding yourself and let the puppy  30 Modern Breaking

learn to expect you. This will promote confi- dence and good feeling.

At this time certain precautions should be taken that will do much to prevent disappoint- ments in the future. The high-bred dog of to-day has such a sensitive nervous organization that gunning is often very common, and in the mature dog very difficult to cure. It can be avoided by accustoming the puppy to loud noises at the time of feeding. This should be done gradually. Procure a couple of old pans and before feeding and while still at a distance from the kennel beat them together loudly. When the dog does not alarm the puppy, beat at a distance of one day, two days a little nearer, until finally he connects the noise with his meals. Then begin at a distance with small percussion caps, gradually approaching from day to day with them, and then substitute for caps the small .22-caliber cartridges, and finally use anal charges of powder or a large revolver, until he becomes afraid of the sound of the gun. Of course, if it is seen that the dog is not afraid of the gun, it will not be necessary to go through all these preliminary stages, but it is always well to consider the probability of gun- shyness and take means to prevent it.

NECESSARY OF PUPPYHOOD.

The most critical period of a puppy's life is from the second to the sixth month, and it is at  Modern Breaking 31

this period that his future health and physical development are largely determined. The com- mon round worm is the greatest source of mor- tality, and practically all puppies are infested with these pests. No matter how carefully a puppy is housed, fed and cared for, or what his natural strength may be, if these parasites are not expelled by proper vermifuges, the puppy will grow very weak and unthrifty, never attain proper development, and be liable to rick- ets, chorea, indigestion and other diseases. If the worms do not eventually terminate his existence in a fit or spasm, the vitality of the puppy will become so exhausted that he will fall an easy prey to distemper, colds, influenza or pneumo- nia. The importance of treating all puppies for worms at the age of two, four or six months, and once a year thereafter, cannot be urged too strongly upon every dog owner. The best remedy for worms is Dent's Vermi- fuge. It can be had in either liquid or capsule form. The latter are soft, elastic gelatin affairs that will expel a puppy without fuss or mass, and the proper sized dose is accurately determined. This remedy will not only expel worms safely and surely, but has in addition an excellent tonic effect upon the puppies and will do much to build up those young or old dogs which are weak and unthrifty. It is superior to all other vermifuges, and more economical  32 Modern Breaking

and safer to use than anything the owner can have prepared. Your druggist will get this remedy for you if you insist upon his doing so. By keeping the child in a healthy state, the owner will go far toward warding off danger from distemper. This disease is peculiar to puppyhood, just as measles, whooping cough and mumps are peculiar to childhood. It generally appears during or right after teething, and is the particular terror of all kennelmen. Although this disease is rare, as a rule, a most intelligent class of men, there has been displayed over this disease a most unpar- donable amount of ignorance. Nothing is gained by attempting to avoid this disease. Dogs will get it in spite of all precautions, and the only proper course to pursue in the light of modern science is to approach it intelligently. Some of the theories respecting the cause of this disease, as well as the rules laid down for treatment, are absolutely absurd. Practically, the entire materia medica have at some time or other been recommended as positive cures, as well as such harharic practices as worming, salt or long hot insensate soaks of sotons and other inferior practices. Men who go about advocating such operations, as well as desiring with drugs whose action they do not understand, for diseases whose causes they know nothing about, should be treated by their  M o d e r n B r e a k i n g 33

own barbaric methods or safely confined where they cannot exploit their ignorance. Distemper is due to a specific germ, a micro-organism, that gains entrance to the animal's system and sets up a ferment in the blood, with the symptoms of which all dog men are familiar. A dog cannot have the disease without the germ, and the germ cannot develop spontaneously. It comes from an affected bitch and unfortunately, though it is tenacious of life and will exist so long under adverse conditions, that it is practically impossible to eradicate it. Science has discovered the germ and science has discovered how to destroy the germ and save the dog. Treating the cause of the disease, and not the symptoms, is the only rational method of dealing with distemper. Death! Distemper is the only cure for distemper that can be absolutely relied upon. After its discovery it was made the subject of a great public test, through the columns of the sportmen's papers, and conclusively proven as a positive cure for distemper in its ordinary form; as vaccination is for smallpox or anthrax for anthrax.

It is easily administered and if the directions are carefully followed the danger of losing a valuable puppy with distemper or of having him afflicted with chorea is minimized.

There are imitations of this remedy on the  34 Modern Breaking

market that, like all imitations, should be avoided; and as it may mean the life of your valuable puppy you cannot insist too strongly upon your frugalist or dealer supplying you with the genuine Dent's Distemperine.

After piloting the puppy safely over the shoals of puppyhood, the owner can proceed more rapidly with his education, that up to this time should have been given with the idea of developing his physical and mental possibil- ities. Never will he see one face a lost sight of—that the dog is a companionable creature of pronounced social instincts, which requires amusement, companionship and encouragement.

A dog lying down.  CHAPTER IV.

NAMES DOGS—Short names the best; compound names a nuisance; originality desirable.

THE practice of inculcating a setter or pointer with a name that is a combination of the names of all the great dogs in his pedigree cannot be too strongly condemned. There is nothing to be said in favor of such a practice that is not heavily overbalanced by objections. It adds nothing to the value of the animal, does not increase his attractiveness, and if perchance the puppy turns out a winner, it would be far better for him to have a short and simple name which will inculcate him rather than put him in the general family array with dozens of other dogs of mediocre or no ability whose names are all so much alike that they are generally confounded and confused. A dog can be a very good dog, a really high-class dog, one which will go down into history as such, and still have a very plain name that is not uncommon from his ancestors. The erroneous idea of securing some of their lustre. In fact, some, if not most, of the names desired  36 Modern Breaking

in every pedigree are short and concise. Would the following names appeal any more forcibly to breeders if each had a syllable or two more and a prefix or suffix: Duke, Rhenee, Dan, Nellie, Leicester, Dart, Rake, Fanny, Lit, Clip, Petrel, Druid, Ponto, Moll, Bang, Bow, Drake, Setton, Mike, Priam, Crosteth, Jingo, Hops et al.

A field trial winner or stud dog which has a good record of winning by virtue of three or four words containing twenty or more letters, is at a positive disadvantage. His name means nothing; stands for nothing and is hard to remember and frequently confounded. His record and individuality are lost in the family connections. Give your dog a name of one word with as few letters as possible. It is necessary to use a prefix, use a short one or your own name to distinguish your dog from some other dog already registered.

Gladstone and Count Noble won field trials because they were good dogs, but their names show that they were not true descendants into the second series, and they have no sons and daughters which probably as great as they with the single exception that they were descendants and not ancestors. No particular fertility of mind is necessary to produce an original name for a dog. Gladstone is not the only statesman a dog could be named after,

A page from a book about dog pedigrees.  Modern Breaking 37

and it is time some of the others were so hon- ored, particularly those who have won their laurels in our own legislative bodies. For 5,000 years history has been recording the names of statesmen, scholars, philosophers and soldiers. It would be a good idea to have some dogs of to-day named after them.

A black and white illustration of a dog standing on grass.  C H A P T E R V.

Nomenclature—Breaking and field trial terms: double words; polebending; brushing; barking; drawing; rounding; pottering; blinktng; standhng; running; quartering; snappy; merry; style; tied some cramped; handling up; class; sort.

A LL sports and occupations have their own peculiar nomenclature. Field trials and other sports, as well as dog breaking, are no exceptions, and the commands and expressions used by breakers have each their particular significance that would not be understood or accepted if used merely as general instructions or in ordinary conversation among the terms used as commands by breakers and handlers the word "charge" is particularly senseless. It has been continued in use among amateurs by the various writers on dog breaking, who, incapable of new ideas and improvements, have produced from time to time books on the subject that they have incorporated phrases from the works of older writers. There was a time when the term was eminently fitting, but conditions have changed, and there is no valid reason at the present day for ordering a dog to "charge" or "down charge," when you want him to do just  Modern Breaking 39

the opposite and drop. The military style of the word seems, however, to exert a peculiar fascination over some men and they give it with great flourish on slight provocation. In the days of the muzzle-loading gun, the charging of the guns was a matter that required considerable time, and the dogs were expected to lie down while it was being done. The companion dog was given dinner, the birds were flushed and the guns discharged.

The down was for the dog; the word charge was for the handlers shooting companion and signified to him that the guns were now to be loaded. With the advent of the breech-loader, the remark became superfluous, but in adapting terms to new conditions, the mistake was made of dropping the wrong word and thus it is no longer customary to retain the term "charge" in dog-handling nomenclature. Therefore, when you want your dog to drop, say drop as quietly as possible.

The terms on, go on, lie on or lie away, sometimes corrupted into "nowa," are words that explain themselves and cannot be interpreted as an order. "Tap" is used as an order for the dog to stop. It is not so harsh sounding and is easier to pronounce than wha or stop. The words "fetch" or "go fetch" are self-explanating and cannot be improved upon.

In field work and field trial nomenclature  40 Modern Breaking

we have the following terms in use for de- scribing the work of dogs : Pointing, flushing, backing, drawing, roading, potering, blinking, stanch, steady, ranging, quartering, snappy, merry, stylish, high-beaded, hird sense, cranked, loosened up, class, muffs, etc.

Pointing: A dog is pointing when he indi- cates the presence of game by a complete stop. If no game is found it is considered a false point if the shooter but in field trials the pointing of fur, land turtles or larks is not considered a false point.

Flushing: A dog is said to have flushed when he approaches the birds so closely or in such a manner as to cause them to take wing.

Backing: A dog is backing when he comes upon another dog and takes his cue from his con- fidence in the pointing dog by also pointing, without having scented game.

Drawing and roading refer to a dog's manner and method of locating a bird after tie has the scent. If he has the body scent of the bird or bird's head scent on his nose in straight lines, that is walks boldly up toward the bird with his head up, he is said to be drawing on birds. If, on the contrary, he pays no attention to the body scent, but with his nose to the ground follows the trail left by the birds as they run through the grass, he is following what is known as the foot scent, and is said to  A black-and-white photograph of a large, dark, irregularly shaped rock or boulder on a rocky surface. THE CELEBRATED WINTER BURROSE, BY THE REV. PHILIP H. DOVE, P. H. & B. 218  [API_EMPTY_RESPONSE]  Modern Breaking 43

be “roading.” In many cases it is necessary for a dog to read a bird up, but the dog that draws on his birds and relies upon the body scent is of much higher class.

Pottering refers to a dog’s actions while working on birds or the scent of birds. A dog which lacks decision in his work and spends a great deal of time in foot scent or which noses about where birds have been and does not seek out the new trail, between old and new scent, and fails to locate the birds accurately, is said to be a potterer.

Blinking: A dog which is able to find birds and point them for a time and then without flushing the birds leaves his point and goes hunting for another levy is called a blinker. This fault is due sometimes to overtraining, sometimes to lack of experience, sometimes to passion and is a most difficult one to overcome.

The word stanch refers to a dog’s actions while pointing. The word steady refers to his actions after the birds are flushed. These two words are frequently confused. A dog can be properly referred to as stanch when he establishes a point on game and holds without orders or movements from his handler, and shows no desire to draw closer to the birds. A dog is steady to wing when he will allow the birds to flush without moving from the pointing position. He is steady to shot, if the  44 M o d e r n B r e a k i n g

same position is maintained while the guns are discharged or the game that has been shot is on the ground and he shows no inclination to move until the game is dead.

Rangering: By this term reference is made to the amount of country a dog covers and the distance he goes from his handler. A dog may be a close ranger or a wide ranger, but this is irrespective of his speed, as a dog may be a slow dog and a wide ranger or a fast dog and a close ranger.

Quartering: This refers altogether to the way a dog covers a piece of territory and how he cuts it up in his quest for birds. A dog is sometimes referred to as having a killing range when he ranges wide and quarters his ground in a manner that is best adapted to the country he is hunting over.

Snappy and merry: These terms refer largely, to a dog's disposition as expressed by his tail action, his energy, vivacity and animation thrown into his work. Some dogs are full of action and vivacity and show the greatest pleasure and interest in their work. They are all energy and are quick in picking up points. These dogs are referred to as snappy or merry, distinguishing them from dogs which are slow, docile, and indifferent and which go about their work more deliberately, as if it were pure work, and only a sense of duty or

A black-and-white illustration of a dog with its tail raised high in the air.  Modern Breaking 45

compulsion was keeping them at it and not real pleasure, interest and love of hunting. Style: This word refers altogether to a dog's general appearance when hunting and on point. Some dogs move very gracefully with their heads up and when pointing or backing throw themselves into the most striking and picturesque attitudes.

Bird sense: A dog's knowledge of the habits of birds and the places they are most likely to occupy at different times of the day and in different weather, as indicated by his searching out these spots, is what constitutes 'bird sense'. Some dogs have this faculty to a high degree while in others it is completely lacking.

Cramped: A field trial dog is said to be cramped in his work when he has been worked so much and shot over so heavily that he does not go at his best clip, such as he could sustain for a thirty-minute round with plenty of style and action but once at most of an all-dry exit, which is overexhausting because of the press of the gun and the presence of the handler.

Loosening up: This consists of giving a dog road work-taking him off game and running him in short heats, so as to get him in the habit of running brilliantly for thirty or forty minutes and increasing his desire for work.

Class: A dog which possesses and displays a preponderance of all the desirable qualities  46 Modern Breaking

enumerated heretofore is said to have class or to be a class dog. This means that he is a wide, rapid ranger, high-headed, with plenty of animation and tail action, working his ground with good judgment, always keeping out at work, never coming in to his handler until ordered to do so, searching out all the likely places, hunting for and locating birds by body scent, never pottering over old scent, but going straight up to his birds and pointing swiftly.

Mutt: A dog which possesses none of the valuable attributes of a class dog, or one which is lacking in aggressive, independent hunting instincts, even if he is successful in finding birds, is referred to as a mutt. This word is probably a corruption of mutton or mutton-head, and is the most contemptuous term in field trial nomenclature.  CHAPTER VI.

TRAINING IMPLEMENTS—Whip; whistle; check cord; lead; spike collar.

VERY breaker should provide himself with a whip, whistle, one long check cord, a lead and a choke or spike collar. This latter instrument is often used by men in some men's hands, and if the amateur's temper is uncertain it is not advisable for him to trust himself with a spike collar. A good whip is, however, a necessity, even if it is carried for little more than a badge of authority. It can be truly stated that there is not a good, practical, serviceable whip suitable for the breaker's use in the market.

There are any number of dog whips, but unfortunately the men who designed them did not have an intelligent conception of the proper sphere of the breaker's art. They have followed old English patterns and produced great clumsy affairs with the stock loaded with lead, like a shotgun-bell, heavy enough to be a bail-lock, or with handles mounted with whistles that will not blow, and the lashes are generally brutal affairs, elaborately braided and

A black-and-white illustration of a man holding a whip and a lead.  48 Modern Breaking

knotted, that are calculated to leave the flesh bruised or swollen.

THE WHIP. The accompanying illustration is of a whip designed by the writer, and will be found to answer all the purposes of the modern catcher. It is light, easily rolled up and carried in the pocket, and will last for years. The flat- tapered strap that forms the lash punishes a dog as severely as is necessary without leaving any unnecessary bruises or continuous pain. There is just the difference between punishing a dog with this kind of a whip and the ordi-

A whip illustration.

nary dog whip that there is between the spank- ing a mother who will administer with a slipper and the injury a vicious parent might inflict with a rawhide.

The whip can be made easily by any worker on leather. Take a strip of rawhide thirty- two inches long and two and one-quarter inches wide for six inches, and then taper it down to three-sixteenths of an inch. The six inches is to form the handle, and should have the edges brought together and sewed; a snap or ring can be attached to the handle if con-  CHAMPION LADY'S COUNT GLADSTONE  [API_EMPTY_RESPONSE]  M o d e r n B r e a k i n g 51

sidered desirable. The edges of the lash should be carefully smoothed and rounded. If a snap is sewed into the end of the handle of the whip, a ring can then be sewed into the hunting coat, either upon the inside or the outside, so that the whip when not in use can be snapped to it. If a ring is used the snap will, of course, be attached to the coat. The breaker who once uses a whip of this kind will never go back to one of the old-fashioned English whips. The breeder must bear in mind that it is not always the amount of punishment a dog receives that does him the most good. Much depends upon the way it is administered. The breeder who gets excited and angry and scolds the dog while he uses the whip frightens the dog so that he has no chance to know what he is being punished. All the desired effect is thus lost and the dog becomes cowed and whipsy.

Whenever it becomes necessary to use the whip, the strokes should be laid on slowly, and the last should be the lightest. The breaker should be calm and speak in a mild tone of voice, moderating his tone with each stroke until at last he has laid on his whip only once or twice, giving the dog plenty of time for reflection. Then he should slowly roll up his whip, put it in his pocket and speak pleasantly to the dog.

In the next place, the dog should be kept at  52 Modern Breaking

dog's back, his voice will be little above a whisper. After the punishment the dog should be kept down and the breaker should remain at his head until he has recovered from the excitement, he can then be sent away and will probably go good naturally to his work. A moderate whipp- ing administered in this way soon will make the dog understand why he has been punished and prevent him from repeating the fault, whereas a severe whipping frightens, discon- certs and cows the dog and prevents his further under- standing of the necessity of the punishment.

It is a good plan to make a dog thoroughly acquainted with the whip by allowing him to see it often. He should be led frequently by the whip for this reason. Again, the whip should be laid often on his back good-naturally, all for the purpose of having the animal understand that the whip of itself is harmless. With a whippy, however, it may be filled with terror as a gun frightens a gunshy dog. So that at all times, before he has ever been struck with a whip and after he has felt its force, the dog should become familiar with it and be made to know that there is no occasion for being frightened at a mere sight of it. After being taught to react, he should be frequently prac- ticed at fetching the whip.

While the use of the whip is perfectly proper on occasions, it may be set down as a safe  M o d e r n ** B** r e a k i n g

53

proposition that more harm than good is done with the whip. Old hands at the business know from experience when and how to use the whip, but the amateur is likely to be too free with it.

The longer a man braids dogs, the less he is inclined to use the whip. When he does use it the occasion may be such as can make such a direct application of the punishment that it will be associated with the offense for which the dog was corrected. It should be stated, too, that old handlers wait until they catch a dog in the act, and then ply the lash effectively, making the dog know just why he was punished. Unless the punishment is inflicted immediately, specifically on the commission of an offense, it is better to let the dog off with a slight scolding.

THE WHISTLE.

There are innumerable whistles on the mar- ket, and although the sounds they produce are satisfactory in tone and volume, they fail never- theless to answer in a highly satisfactory way the beautiful and simple design of a mouth-blown wood or rubber is to be preferred to one of metal, but the trouble with most whistles is that the mouthpiece is too short and necessitates the breaker holding the whistle to his mouth. What he really needs is a whistle with a good long mouthpiece that his lips will return without any assistance from the hand.

The dog should be accustomed to one whistle  54 Modern Breaking

and be taught to disregard all other whistles. One particular kind of blast should be used on all occasions except when the dog refuses to recognize the first blast. Then the whistle should be louder and more shrill, and it will be well when it becomes necessary to repeat an order with the whistle to draw the whip and crack repeating the blasts of the whistle several times.

Generally speaking, the whistle is used to make the dog turn when quartering, to come in or merely to attract the dog's attention. When it is used to make the dog turn when ranging at a distance, it is used to attract his attention. If it is desired to have him come in, the whistle should be blown again when he gets nearer the breaker. When it is blown merely to attract his attention, the order which follows it shows the dog what he is expected to do, so that while the same order from the whistle is given for at least three distinct purposes there is really no conflict.

CHECK CORD

The long check cord should be twenty or twenty-five feet long, of the best cotton cord obtainable and of a diameter about that of a lead pencil. A coat of oil will improve it. One end should be carefully bound and wrapped with a waxed thread, and to the other end should be smoothly attached a small snap, so that the cord can be quickly attached to the dog's collar. This  Modern Breaking 55

cord can be used for a variety of purposes and results can be accomplished with it and an im- pression made upon the dog's mind that will be more lasting and satisfactory than when ac- complished with the whip. The check cord is used sometimes with a plain collar or in con- nection with a choke or spike collar.

Some breakers use the check cord for the purpose of punishing the dog, preferring it to the whip, but this is not advisable for this pur- pose, but carried too far its usefulness is destroyed. When a dog is on a point and the gun is discharged at the rising bird it is well to check the dog sharply with the line to make him drop to shot and wing, but the whip should be drawn quickly and the dog given a cut or two to come down. This should be done rather than to continue the checking. The cord is useful too, when the dog breaks in or attempts to flush. As he starts he should be jerked back sharply and given a few lashes, compelling him to drop at the place he should have been allowed to go.

The long check cord is useful in forcing a dog to "come in." He should be taken to an inclosure, and when at the end of the cord should be ordered sharply to come in. Accom- panying the order, a severe check should be given the dog, and this should be continued until he comes to the breaker. When he comes  56 Modern Breaking

in he should be stroked gently and spoken to kindly.

Coming to the crack of the whip is taught in the same way, the whip being cracked with one hand while the dog is checked with the other. When he comes in to the whip should be laid gently on his back while the breaker speaks kindly to him. These lessons should be continued until he can be called in to the crack of the whip from a distance.

LEAD.

The short check cord or lead, is another appliance that manufacturers have failed to

A close-up of a leather lead, showing its looped end.

THE LEAD

provide satisfactorily for breakers. There are many leads on the market; some are too light and of flimsy construction, others are too heavy and clumsy or unnecessarily mounted with elaborate snaps and swivels. The leather worker who makes your whip, as before described, can make you a lead that will be found very useful in leading a dog to and from  Modern Breaking 57

the field or in keeping him in hand during his other lessons.

The lead should be made out of a strip of rawhide six feet long and three-quarters of an inch wide. One end should be doubled back and sewed so as to form a six-inch loop for the head collar. The other end should be sewed a metal oval, through which the end of the strap can be passed, to form a sliding loop collar that can be easily passed on or off over a dog's head. Where the strap comes in contact with the dog's neck it should be left full width, but between that part and the brand grabber it should be reduced by trimming it down to three-eighths or one-half inch, and it will still be strong enough.

THE SPIKE COLLAR.

There has been considerable improvement in spike collars. One that was in use a number of years ago was made of wooden balls, studded with sharpened wire nails. A hole, three-eighths of an inch in diameter, was bored through the wooden balls, and four of them were strung on a cord, separated by knots and adjusted to the dog's neck, as a slashing noise. This inhuman affair, has passed out of use. The only practical type of spike collar that has ever been on market is what is known as the B. Waters' spike collar. It was originally described in  58

Modern Breaking

Mr. Waters' book "Modern Training and Handling," and consists of a strap about one and one quarter inches wide, one end of which passes through an oval, forming a sliding noose that is mounted with six or eight spikes.

These collars can be obtained by addressing Mr. Bernard Waters, 346 Broadway, New York.

A black and white illustration of a greyhound standing on its hind legs, with a circular border around it.  CHAPTER VII.

KNOW THYSELF—Breaking the breeder, pronounced in sterns not intelligible; mistakes of amateurs; study- ing the young dog.

BEFORE attempting to tell the reader how he should proceed to break his setter or pointer, it seems best that the breeder him- self be taken in hand. He cannot be broken in one short lesson, but some things can be pointed out that will be useful to him in the future. He may not take this lesson to heart in the very beginning, as he should, but after he has had many lessons with his young dog, he may turn back to this chapter, and in the light of his experience profit by what is here set down.

The breaker will not journey far on the road of breaking before his young dog will do some foolish thing calculated to move every energy in the canine mind, and the man will be bewildered and the dog will be hurt. It is well to know this logic of events. To be sure, the breaker will say to himself in a general way that he will be patient, calm and will not be annoyed. That is because he does not know himself, because he has never been put to the test. The young dog will do the most unexpected thing in the most

A page from a book, likely from a historical or educational text about dogs.  60 Modern Breaking

unusual way at the most inopportune time, and the breaker will be caught off his guard, and when he feels the fire of his wrath burning in every fibre of his body, he will not only re- 2 lieve his feelings with his whip. And then a lot of mischief will have been done that will require weeks and perhaps months to repair.

Of course, the breaker will console himself with the thought that he was not to blame, and that the dog deserved a good whipping. To him it is apparent that the dog should have known how to do so simple thing he was asked to do, and the breaker is certain he knew how, but refused in a malicious spirit of wilfulness. Here is where the breaker makes a serious mistake. The dog did not know anything about the simple matter the breaker sought to teach him, and became "ratted" immediately the breaker showed any signs of irritation. As soon as the animal lost its head the punishment made him worse.

While the intelligence of the dog, particularly the setter and the pointer, is admitted, we are not to measure the dog's brain by any senti- 2 mental consideration. A dog is only one year old, it should be borne in mind, has seen very little of the world, and no matter how much intelligence he may have of what his predispo- sition to know things may be, he has not had the opportunity to secure much knowledge.  A drawing of a bird, possibly a hawk or eagle, with its wings spread wide. The bird has a dark head and neck, a white breast, and brownish-black wings with white spots. I TEROPO PERNNA STELE CETERI FEL  A blank page with a light yellow background.  Modern Breaking 63

The breaker must bear this in mind. He must not expect more from a yearling dog than from a four-year-old child.

The fact is, and the breaker should give this great weight, if the matter be intelligently considered, a man of sound judgment must conclude that a yearling dog is a pretty soft creature in the matter of brains. He may be a bundle of instincts and he may have a lot of pronounced instincts, but he is not of much intelligence nor the abiding place of judgment or much knowledge. Too much stress cannot be put upon this consideration of the young dog's mental capacity, for an overestimate of this quality is the primary cause of the ruination of many a young dog of good natural quality. If the breaker will take this at its true value it will put him in the way of educating himself as to his own conduct toward the dog. This doubt he can only overcome by witnessing those aggravating things his dog may do. He can know the importance of holding his own temper and persevering with his dog in spite of the dog's apparent disposition to refuse to do things he should do. The breaker, when he learns that he, instead of the dog, is at fault, will learn to vary his methods and lead the dog into the way of doing things. That is what constitutes a larger part of the genius of dog  64 Modern Breaking

breaking. It finds its first inspiration in a knowledge of self.

STUDYING THE YOUNG DOG.

It is a very simple matter to say that differ- ent methods must be pursued with different dogs, but this is only true when the breeder should know the things that make the essential difference before he can successfully lay out his plan of breaking. It becomes, therefore, a matter of first importance to study the young dogs which the breaker is about to develop.

To begin with, the breaker should know something of pedigree for certain well-bred dogs, where there are no characteristics of strain, have what might be termed family char- acteristics. Some of these are useful for the purpose of the breaker, while others are not. When the breaker knows these family traits of disposition, he will look for them in the young dog, and so handle him that the good will go on developing and the bad will be checked. It is much easier to break a dog who possesses these things and be prepared than it is to go on and, because of the want of a little knowledge, have a lot of latent quality in his young dog undeveloped, while whatever of evil that was born in him takes its place.

Dogs, for example, which are extremely ner- vous as a result of long-continued inbreeding,

14  Modern Breaking 65

must not be treated like colder-blooded dogs. The former have pronounced instincts, huckled by a sensitive nervous organization, and they proceed in the most natural way to do the most aggravating things. Their instincts are so highly developed and are so superior to their intelligence that they never know any kind of mechanical precision until their judgment in the beginning plays little part in their work. Their likes and dislikes are of very intense character, and unless the breaker understands this he will make the serious mistake of supposing the dogs to be headstrong and wilful. More than anything else, it is a lack of knowledge of these facts by the breaker than for any other reason. Some dogs may, as a matter of fact, be extremely timid, but the intense love for work may make them appear to be high-couraged. A few severe whippings for the purpose of checking this ardor may cow them and set them back a long way in their education. The same thing happens with the breaker, who mistakes an intense natural love for work for high courage.

The really high-couraged dog may be checked without receiving a serious setback. Indeed, it often hurries his good work and keeps him from doing further damage. But the breaker must be certain of his dog before he adopts his method. He must study his dog, and if he  66 Modern Breaking

will do this without attempting to break him he will soon be able to distinguish between a sensitive, timid, highly developed, nervous dog and one which is simply high-courage'd.

While the young dog is about the kennel and before he has been taught the lesson he will have a good chance to study his disposition. If he is treated kindly he will be likely to show a great deal of boldness, even if he is naturally timid. But the breaker must not be misled by this, nor must he suppose he is timid because he is not bold. Some high-courage'd dogs are the very worst of all, and they are easily moved to do those things which a bold dog will do. The nervous, high-bred dog is inquisitive and loves to be on the move, and will show a disposition to investigate all manner of things he does not fear. Once he becomes frightened, if he is really of a timid nature, he loses that natural desire to investigate, but unless that is so necessary, the young dog's Great care, therefore, should be taken with the young dog to allow him to have his own way, so that the natural bent of his disposition may be determined. He should be encouraged to do whatever pleases him and seldom corrected with even harsh words. He may be led about on a lead and made familiar with his kennels generally, no attempt being made to force him up to any object of which he appears afraid, or  M o d e r n B r e a k i n g 67

to check him for extreme boldness. The breaker at this time should bear in mind that he is only studying the dog's disposition, not trying to teach him what to do or what not to do. Care, however, must be taken not to allow the dog to get into trouble. There are so many disagreeable things a high-strung, active young dog is likely to do when out for a walk that it would be impossible to enumerate them. The breaker must anticipate them in the beginning and so shape his actions as to avoid them as far as possible. Once the mischief has been done, it is not possible to undo the wronging dog for his fault. It would not undo the mischief, whatever it might be; it would do the young dog no good and might work harm that would require a long time to offset. What the breaker really wants is to have the young dog bold, fearless and disposed to follow the principles of his instincts when first taken unafied. The breaker, at first instance, simply needs to know his dog.  CHAPTER VIII.

FIRST LESSONS.—Introduction to game; developing courage; encouraging enthusiasm for field work.

I t was a very common practice a quarter of a century ago to put the young dog through a series of kennel lessons before he was taken to the field. This practice is still followed by many of the best and most successful handlers of the day do no yard breaking at all until the young dog has been introduced to game. This has become more and more the practice as our bird dogs reached a higher and higher state of nervous development. The modern setter and pointer are too nervous to stand yard breaking in the beginning. It cows them and makes them restless, so we must train them over it and making them fit to learn field work.

Sometimes a whole season is lost, and often the utter mination of what promised to be a good dog is simply the result of his having been yard broken before he was taken to the field.

The first real lesson in breaking therefore, should be given in the field, and this les- son is a very simple one. It consists merely of  THE FINAL SHOW AND FIELD TRIAL WINNING SETTER. Drawn by C. H. Whittaker. Printed by G. W. Giffith. A dog standing on its hind legs, with its front paws raised, in a field. 103  [API_EMPTY_RESPONSE]  M o d e r n B r e a k i n g 71

permitting the young dog to do about as he pleases.

While the dog has had no real kennel break- ing, it may fairly be supposed that he knows his name, will lead kindly on a chain or check cord and is in good terms with his handler. Taken into the field in this condition, if more than six months old, he is ready for con- sideration for his education. When first taken to the field he should be led a part of the way, and when the lead is taken off he should be permitted to do pretty much as he pleases. A locality should be selected that is free from brush and trees, so the breaker will take no companion with him. If he has another dog he should be left at home.

If there is any wind stirring, the course should be selected so that the breaker and his dog will go into the breeze. A dog naturally will range better when facing the wind than when crossing it or going down wind. Be- sides, it tends to keep the dog's head up, and at the same time it gives the young dog will get a better taste of the scent.

Possibly the young dog will not range when first cast off. He may trot along at his hand- er's heels or he may go away a few feet, sniff about and run back to his handler again. But what of that? Everything is strange to the young dog; and he does not like to leave his  72 Modern Breaking

breaker. In such an event the handler should walk along slowly without paying any atten- tion to the dog. Above all things, he should not try to force the dog to range. The moment he attempts to do that the dog becomes impressed with a fear of the things that he is only a little in doubt about. If left alone until accustomed to his surroundings, he would find there was nothing to fear, and then he would do a little rumming and then a little more, until finally he would come to love the work. But if the breaker insists on meddling with him a serious mistake will be made.

It is a good deal of an aggration to go tramping about the fields with a young dog which will not go away, that is a part of dog breaking, and the breaker must have the philosophical view of it. He should walk along quietly and slowly without speaking to the dog, and then go home, trying to feel at least that his young dog has behaved extremely well. The following day the same lesson should be re- peated, but this time the dog should be taken to a new locality should be selected for the third outing, and this line of work should be con- tinued until the dog shows some disposition to get out and hunt. Patience and good judg- ment arc all that are necessary to get the dog to range. No amount of coaxing or force can do it. On the contrary, they only retard the work.  Modern Breaking 73

But most young dogs will start right out to hunting. If the dog does this, simply let him go. If he is extremely bold, it may be well enough to whistle him back occasionally or rather, to try to do it, for in all probability he will not answer a whistle. But he must know the whistle later, and this will serve as an introduction. However, great care must be taken at this period not to affect his boldness. If he shows the least sign of irritation or attention to the whistle, he should desist.

The purpose of these first lessons is to make the young dog bold; to give him some idea of ranging for game, and finally to let him scent out and see birds. The dog will love this work once he has done it. The sight and smell of birds will increase his ardor, so that no matter what the weather may be, or how severe the work of breaking begins, his spirits can be revived by the work in the field. Thus prepared for his yard breaking, whenever that has been severe enough to give the young dog a setback the work in the field that he has learned to love will always raise his spirits. The two cannot be carried on properly together. But the fact should be impressed upon the breaker that he must not be in too big a hurry to begin the yard breaking. Give the young dog plenty of field work first. Let him romp and flush and chase and have a good time.  74

Modern Breaking

Of course this good work must not be carried too far, and it is a mere matter of judgment with the breaker when it has gone far enough. If permitted to continue unchecked the young dog will develop a love for flushing and chasing of which it will be difficult to break him. When he is just right-bold, fearless and in love with field work—his yard breaking may be commenced.

A black-and-white illustration of a Cocker Spaniel.  C H A P T E R I X.

YARD BREAKING.—The old lesson of to-ho; stopping to order; accepting to spirited hand.

A S stated in a previous chapter, the yard training of a dog is by the best trainers deferred until the young dog has had some experience on game and nothing is at- tempted in the way of getting the prospective pupil under control that might possibly affect his courage, dash and energy.

Most amateurs, however, are anxious to be- gin working with their dogs, and as the ama- teur breaks ground he will learn in the way of controlling himself as well as the dog, there is no better way for him to occupy his time than to teach his dog to "to-ho" at his food every day at feeding time. It is an old-fash- ioned lesson that professional trainers seldom spend any time on it. Its utility may doubt- ful in the case of the amateur, but it is a val- uable lesson for the amateur, as it gives him an insight into the technique of breaking and an opportunity to study his pupil, as well as a con- trol over his own feelings that will assist him further on in the art. A dog is taught to  76 Modern Breaking

“to-ho” by patience and kindness, and without the use of a whip, so there is no danger of cawing the young dog; and it educates the breaker. These are the reasons for introducing a lesson that is sometimes considered obsolete.

Before this lesson is given the dog should be taken for a short walk, just to get him in a nice humor. Place the dish of food on the ground and hold him near it, saying in a pleasant tone, “To-ho.” The show should be repeated, and if the dog twists about, as he is most likely to do, no attention should be paid to it. The breaker should gently straighten him out toward the dish and say, “To-ho,” occasionally in a low tone.

The dog must not be kept at this too long, and the breaker must not look for anything like an approach to what is desired. If he does, he will be disappointed and annoyed. All he can expect is to familiarize the young dog with the word and the handling. The dog will not get even a faint idea of what is wanted. After he has been allowed to play for a few minutes, he should be led away, and then put through the lesson again. All this should be done in a spirit of good nature bordering on playfulness. The breaker, if he has any notions of force in his head, should get rid of them, for he will make more haste by going slowly at this period. In fact, it will be well to bear this injunction in  M o d e r n B r e a k i n g 77

mind at all times. When this first lesson is over the breaker should take a short walk with his young dog, for companionship is of great importance in breaking. A little walk after a lesson cements a friendship that may have been slightly strained by the lesson. The dog likes it and should be encouraged to look for it after each lesson. After the next lesson easier, as the dog will enter into it with good feeling and an absence of fear.

These “to-ho” lessons should be continued at each meal until the dog will stand a few feet from the dish until he is ordered to “go on.” He should not be kept standing long and the lessons should be repeated too often. About three times at each meal is enough. While the dog is standing at the dish the breaker should stroke him gently and encourage him to take a step or two toward the dish. This will tend to give him an idea of stopping to order after moving. If all this is done properly, the young dog will take an interest in it and eventually enjoy it. The use of force in breaking should be given, nothing in the way of force being used further than to hold the dog in position.

Eventually the dog will be expected to stand alone at his dish of food, waiting for the order to go on, but when he is first let alone he will move up without this order. This is to be expected, and the breaker must not be irritated,  78 Modern Breaking

but should take the dog back to his proper place and hold him a moment, continuing this until the dog will stand alone. When he has been somewhat perfected in this, he should be taken back several yards, with a check cord attached to his collar, and allowed to walk toward the dish, but when about half way he should be held by the leash, and moved toward the breaker when he feels the cord check him, but the movement should be anticipated, and before he can do what he intended he should be caught by the breaker and held in place. In time, by patience and perseverance, the dog will learn that only so remain station- ary when given the command "Go-ho", but will learn to stop at the same command.

All this will take time. What the dog should do, and what he will do, are different things. He will be sure to do the wrong thing more often than it would seem he should, but if this is expected and treated as a matter of course, more progress will be made than if the breaker should start with a new lesson.

After the dog become accustomed to standing and stopping by order, he may be taught to "draw" on the dish, moving and stopping at command.

It is of the first importance that these lessons be given in a quiet place, away from other dogs. No person, nor in fact anything, should be  A black and white photograph of a person walking a dog on a leash in a park-like setting with trees and buildings in the background. 01  [API_EMPTY_RESPONSE]  Modern Breaking 81

near to attract the dog's attention. Some breakers teach their young dogs to drop in con- nection with this lesson, but the breaker will find considerable difficulty in keeping the dog on his feet while being taught to "to-ho." This is only heightened if the dog has been taught to drop. With the two things to think of, the young dog may become confused and may make a bad mess of it all.

Inasmuch as the dog will drop when he is expected to stand, the breaker should pay little attention, particularly in the earlier lessons. As he grows holder and gets over the first stages of fright, he will be more disposed to hold. After the young dog has become bold and takes some interest in these lessons at feeding time, he may be advanced a little further in the matter of stepping to order. A little force may now be used. Put a check cord, say ten feet in length, on the dog, and make the other end fast to a post. Before doing this measure off the distance from the post to a point which the dog can reach easily with his front leg. Put a short check cord on the dog and hold one end in the hand. Now lead the dog to the post, then start for the point already marked at a quick pace. Just before the dog reaches that point the breaker should say "To-ho" sharply, and at the same time step a few feet in front of the dog, being certain to hold the short  82 Modern Breaking

check line tight—the dog being fast between two lines cannot move. He is forced to stand, and the application of the force is so direct, and all is done so quietly, that it does not cow the dog. He may show a little fear at this treatment at first, but soon learns what is required, and will work good quickly.

The breaker should understand in the begin- ning that the young dog will be sure to face him, and by anticipating this the dog will be prevented from getting into a bad habit. All that is necessary for the breaker to do is to step in front of the dog. After a time he may step in behind, but at first he should not get behind, but at first he should be sure to lay his hands on and stroke him, and before the dog can turn he should step back of him again.

After the dog has been led from the post to the mark a few times the direction should be changed. Later the locality should be changed and the lessons repeated.

When the dog is proficient in this he should be taught to "to-ho" in the field. Of course he will not stop the first time when ordered to do so, but after he has been ordered and re- fuses, he should be caught and made to stand at the place he should have stood, but this force alone is of a gentle character, and by no means should a whip be used. This is all new work to the dog, and any refusal to obey an  Modern Breaking 83

order is for want of knowing how, rather than because of any willfulness. After learning to stop to order when close by the breaker, the dog will soon learn to stop at any distance. In this connection it should be said that whenever the order to stop is given the breaker should raise his right hand. This should be done in front of the dog and continued until the dog comes to associate the raising of the hand with the order to "to-ho," and in time the verbal order may be omitted and the dog taught to stop at sight of the raised hand. This lesson may be given occasionally during the day, but in the evening and right here it may be well to remind the breaker that the field work is to be kept up while the yard breaking is carried on. Whatever depressing effect the yard breaking may have will be removed by a romp in the fields.

When the dog is bold and will stand well to the verbal orders, he may be taught to drop. Meanwhile it will do no harm to allow the youngster to retrieve in a spirit of playfulness. It tends to keep up his spirits and chasing a soft ball that can be handled easily will be fun for the dogs. During this period of enjoyment great care should be made to retain retrieving any further than the dog appears willing to learn. The serious part of retrieving will come later, when the dog should be taught by the force system.  CHAPTER X.

POINTING INSTINCT—The machinery of the point instinct versus intelligence; steadying the young dog; dropping to wing.

SETTERS and pointers are not taught to point in the sense that they are made to do other things that are a part of their education, for pointing is instinctive and therefore a natural quality. But pointing as a raw, instinctive product and pointing in a thoroughly broken setter or pointer are different things, and the quality of the ripe point depends very largely on how well it has been developed by the development of the pointing instinct with which the breaker has to deal.

But let us study briefly the nature of the pointing instinct as we find it in a young dog which has never known the sight or scent of game. The pointing instinct is very complex and its development depends upon nervous and muscular development as well as on the nose. Indeed, the nose has but little to do with it, any further than to inspire the point. The scent of game is pleasant to the dog, just as some particular kind of food is pleasant. But the scent of game always has been asso-  Modern Breaking 85

ciated with the muscular and nervous action which constitutes the point proper, and the in- stant the dog feels the scent in his nose the pointing machinery, either as a whole or in part, is set in motion. The dog's judgment or intelligence has nothing to do with this. The nerves and muscles act independently and me- chanically. Sometimes, and in fact as a gen- eral rule, no attempt at a point will be a failure. The whole point may be made, however before having acted in union, this is to be ex- pected. The dog may get a thrill at the scent of game and his whole nervous being become aroused to a high state of excitement. The muscles may respond moderately and the dog may show signs of excitement, but not much. But all this is new and the dog is in such a high state of nervous excitement that the mechanism of the point is disturbed. Sometimes the dog has a touch of fright mingled with the other nervous expressions, and the hair along the back and tail may rise in consequence. Mean- while the dog is in a state of great excitement, the na- ture of the dog will assert itself, and acting under this new influence, the dog indulges in a chase. This is a very pleasant performance for the dog, and once it has been tried the matter be- comes fixed in the dog's mind as knowledge. On the next occasion, when birds are found,

A black and white illustration of a dog chasing a bird.  86 Modern Breaking

there will be a battle between the pointing instinct and the intelligence, and most likely the intelligence will win. The pointing instinct may get a better start than it did on the previous opportunity, and it may be carried further toward completion, but the intelligence will assert itself and the dog will have a little fun flushing and chasing the birds.

With still further opportunity to point, the chances are that both the point will move more harmoniously, and the instinctive point may be completed. But the intellectual flush and chase will assert themselves and the conflict between instinct and intelligence will go on. The dog will point a little and will like it, but will like better to flush and chase.

To understand all this and plan to preserve the good points of each, is much better than to go at the dog roughsided for his faults. Rather let the pointing instinct develop and then try to eradicate the flushing and chasing fault. This is not always an easy task, and the breaker must understand in the beginning that he will fail in any attempts to make the dog steady on point. There is no such thing as the first instance to come upon a covey of birds in the most advantageous way possible. If the breaker has located a covey in a likely place he can work his dog toward it, taking advantage of the wind and time of day to secure a point. The  Modern Breaking 87

dog should be given a run before being taken to the birds, and if it is nice open field a long check cord may be attached to the dog's collar. All the breaker can do now is to try to get to the dog when he first makes game. Once he gets near him while pointing, little trouble will be experienced in making the dog starch. In this, of course, there is some risk of making the dog a false pointer, but with that fault, serious as it is, it is not necessary to be very much concerned about it. What is particularly desired at this time is to get the dog in the way of pointing stanchly, and the main thing is to get to the pointing dog when he stops. If he appears to have the body scent of birds he should be held by the collar a moment and stroked gently while the order of "to-ice" is given, opposite to his point. The breaker should then attempt to push the dog forward. The dog will resist this, likely, and settle back against the force of the breaker. This is what is desired—a contrary idea to that of breaking in on the birds. Great liberties may be taken with the dog at this time. He may be taken by the root of the tail and gently lifted off his hind feet and allowed to drop, and probed gently. With this, as with all other lessons, too much must not be done at once. If the first attempt is anything like a success, the dog will enjoy  88 Modern Breaking

the handling and will look for the breaker to come to him when he points again. At this time the same lesson may be repeated, and finally the dog may be lifted up bodily from his feet and thrown forward. When this is done he will drop into a point and shrink back from the birds. This may be carried so far that the dog may be thrown right into the midst of the covey of birds. Nothing tends to make a dog more nervous than this, but there is only thing to avoid spoiling the dog's gracefulness in pointing. Properly done, this may be added to, for the dog will allow himself to be pushed in all manner of attitudes.

Of course, this is the time to teach the dog to droop to wing. All that is necessary is to get a good hold on his head and give the dog a tap with the whip when the birds rise compelling him to remain down quite a while after they have gone.  A black and white illustration of a dog in mid-jump, likely a pointer, with its body arched and legs extended forward. The background is dark and indistinct. THE FIELD TRAIL STINGER HARD CARRY BY PETER HANNAH HENRY'S BELLA PONTER Printed by Mr. A. M. Martin, Birmingham  [API_EMPTY_RESPONSE]  CHAPTER XL

YARD BREAKING.—Dropping to order, shot and wing; walk- ing to beat.

THE mere teaching of a dog to drop to or- der is a very simple matter if the breaker is satisfied to compel obedience with the whip. But it is better to take more time on this lesson by following a more kindly treat- ment. To put a short cheek cord on the dog, strike him with the whip and order him to drop is simple because the dog naturally goes down through the pull which the cord gives it. But this cows the dog and makes future les- sons more difficult. It is better, therefore, to adopt a slower method and preserve the dog's spirits. It is an easy lesson at the worst.

In the beginning all that is necessary is to preach patience and forbearance, avoiding the word "drop" occasionally so that the dog will associate the word with the act. To be sure, he will roll over, attempt to rise and possibly exhibit much unnecessary playfulness. Do not be too particular the first time the les- son is given. After it has been tried a few times it may be well to give the dog a slight  92 Modern Breaking

cuff and speak sharply, using only the word "drop." Just say, "drop." The whip may be laid upon the dog lightly or it may be cracked, but a young dog should not be struck with any degree of severity. Just enough force should be used to check the playfulness and command attention. If when first left alone the dog should jump up and go away, he should be brought back; with as little fuss as possible and compelled to remain on the same floor from which he arose until ordered to hold up. But it must be borne in mind that before this lesson is attempted the breaker should have provided against the possibility of the dog's running away. A quiet room or enclosure should be selected for the purpose and an extra precaution might be taken by placing a check cord on the dog. When the dog gets a fair idea of what is demanded of him the whip should be used in order to make him drop quickly at the first command. For this purpose it is not necessary to punish the dog severely. The order should be given and the whip laid on his back at the same time. If he does not drop quickly the order should be repeated in a sharper tone and the whip laid on a little heavier. So soon as the dog goes down the breaker should remain standing, and then reach down and stroke the dog gently, saying at the same time, in a low tone, "drop," repeating the  M o d e r n B r e a k i n g 93

word several times. The dog may be disposed to move when the breaker lays hands on him, but this action should be anticipated and the dog checked sharply, both by order and a slap with the hand. When the dog gets far enough advanced in this lesson so that the breaker may move about while he remains quiet, the dog may be checked in any attempt at moving by cracking the whip and speaking sharply. This lesson should be kept up in the exercise until the dog will remain quiet when the breaker moves about freely. Then the dog may be given the same lessons out of doors; care, however, must be taken not to attempt too much at first, for the dog should not be allowed to get into the habit of running away or refusing to down promptly. The dog, therefore, should be given his first out-of-door lessons while walking easy and at a distance. After he will drop promptly when near at hand he may be tried at a distance. Gradually the distance may be increased until the dog will drop promptly anywhere within hearing of the breaker's voice. All this, however, is not likely to follow in as easy sequence as it appears in practice. Patience and perseverance are required. What the dog does not learn to-day may be taught to-morrow. The breaker can afford to wait.

In these out-of-door exercises the same  94 Modern Breaking

method should be followed as that used indoors. When the dog refuses to drop he should be caught and taken back to the spot where he was ordered down, and there compelled to drop. A few cuts of the whip, accompanied by the order to drop, given in a sharp tone, are now necessary. After the dog has been down a few moments the breaker should walk away, going first on one side of the dog, then on the other. If the dog gets up he should be caught and compelled to drop again until he has been "dropped," until the order to hold up is given. Perfection in this lesson is simply a matter of experience on the dog's part and persistence on the part of the breaker. The point aimed at is promptness. When the order is given, the dog should drop in his tracks as though he had been shot. When he has reached a comparative degree of perfection in this respect he may be given some preliminary work in dropping to shot.

Dropping to shot.

Before this lesson is attempted the breaker should know whether or not the dog is gunshy. It won't do to find this out by firing a gun near him, for such a procedure will make him gunshy at once, and a gunshy dog is scarcely worth breaking. Therefore, before anything else is done he should become familiar with the report of a gun, and the best way to do this  Modern Breaking 95

is to fire a pistol, loaded lightly, while the dog is ranging well away from the breaker. After the shot has been fired the pistol should be put away and no attention whatever paid to the dog. If he shows some signs of fear the breaker should walk right along on his course as though nothing had happened. In this means should he attempt to entice or pet the dog. Nothing could be worse. Dogs are sympathetic creatures and when slightly frightened nothing heightens that fright like a recognition of it by the breaker. If the breaker pays no attention to the thing that frightened the dog it is more than likely that he will pay no further attention to it than to wait until the breaker sees what effect it has on him. If the breaker notices it seriously the dog will be certain that it is some terrible thing; and when he hears it again will be more frightened than ever. Once the effect of the first shot is passed over without trouble the rest will be comparatively easy. A few shots may be necessary before the dog gets into the noise, and in the course of a few days he will stand firm under all conditions. When the dog is bold enough to pay little or no attention to the noise of a pistol, a gun may be substituted, with blank cartridges lightly loaded.

After all danger of the dog's becoming gun-shy has passed he may be taught to drop to shot. There is nothing to do in teaching a dog  96 Modern Breaking

to drop to shot but to compel him to drop at the report of the gun. When the dog has no fear of the noise, a gun may be discharged over him and the command to drop given at the same time. The dog must be taught to use a pistol in the first lessons, having a whip in one hand with which the dog may be given a light cut simultaneously with the discharge of the pistol and the order to drop. The dog soon comes to associate the order with the report and suits his action accordingly. After learning that he is to drop when the gun is discharged, the dog may be taught to drop a few feet of the whip when he refuses, care always being taken to make the dog drop in the place where he stood when the gun was discharged. By patient practice the dog can be brought to such a degree of perfection in this respect, that he will drop in his tracks when going at a gallop when he hears the report of the gun.

Dropping to wing.

Dropping to wing is the same thing as dropping to order or shot, the breaker simply compelling the dog to drop at the rise of a bird. Great care, however, is necessary in the first lessons lest the dog be made a blinker, a fault of a very serious character. High-strung, young dogs are disposed to be frightened at the rise of a bird or cover, and no attempt should be made to teach dropping to wing until the dog  Modern Breaking 97

is bold and starch on his points. Then by the aid of a check cord he can soon be taught to drop when the birds rise.

The judgment of the breaker will be called into action in deciding just when the dog should be taught to come to heel and remain there. The idea it is attempted to convey is that too

A man standing next to a dog in a field. WALKING TO HEEL

much must not be attempted at once. The field work that goes on all the while the dog is being yard broken, as before stated, will keep up the dog's spirit and fit him for his other lessons.

Walking to heel may be taught while the other lessons are being learned, and if properly  98 Modern Breaking

managed the dog will have learned the lesson before the breaker is aware of it.

In the first place a stont check cord should be put on the dog, and while out for a short walk he may be pulled back to heel occasionally; Two or three times this should give him an idea of what is wanted. Then the breaker should take a stiff switch or whip in one hand while he holds the lead in the other. After the dog has been pulled back to heel he may be tapped lightly on the head whenever he is pulled back, or tapped with the switch. After having been thus trained for a few days, then a longer check cord may be used and the dog allowed to go the length of the line. Then he should be ordered to heel, sharply and at the same time be given a sharp cut with the whip. This will tend to make the dog hurry to heel whenever he bears the order. When he becomes well up in the work the cord may be taken off and the dog taught to come to heel without the aid of the cord.  CHAP T ER XIL

BACKING.--A form of the pointing instinct; bad manners; running in; independence of character.

GOOD breakers are often greatly perplexed over the matter of backing. Nothing is simpler than teaching a dog to back. In fact, there is little more to it than permitting the dog to learn it himself. To do that requires a good knowledge of self, for the temptation to aid the dog always presents, and men find it very difficult to resist this temptation even after they know what they should do and what they should not do.

Backing is but another form of the expression of the pointing instinct. Dogs love to back just as they love to point, and it is about as natural for them to back as it is for them to point. A young dog will point a leaf stirred by the breeze, and another young dog will drop into a back at the sight of such a point. So in the field the natural tendency of the dog is to back, but usually he is hindered by the interference of the breaker trying to steady him. The dog contracts a habit of running up to the pointing dog and continues it merely as a habit.  100 Modern Breaking

The simplest way to teach backing is to have the dog which is to be taught range well back of another dog, and so soon as the other dog is quiet, allow the young dog to gallop toward him without saying a word. To speak is to disconcert the dog, and really encourage him not to back, but to go on. When he stops get to him by approaching from the front. Walk toward him slowly with uplifted hand and speak slowly "back" to him. Thus the walker gets his hands on him and puts him about a little, the dog is practically taught this accomplishment. If, however, he has had plenty of opportunities to back and still refuses, he must be made to "to-ho," behind the pointing dog. If he refuses to stop and goes on to join in the point, he should be dragged back and made to lie-to. After a few such trials, if he may be started off slowly toward the pointing dog until he will walk and stiffen to a point. Sometimes a dog gets the habit of rushing in so thoroughly confirmed, that it will be necessary to make him drop behind the pointing dog. This of course should be well back and should be continued until the dog shows some interest in the point. Then let him become accustomed to him, lift him gently to his feet and "draw" him on until he stiffens. Finally he will come to like to back and will point well behind. But some care is necessary to get a dog out of the dog  Modern Breaking 101

habit, once it is formed, of dropping on a back, as he should! stand up as stiff as he would stand on a point. Another thing to be avoided with a young dog is the habit of watching the other dogs when they drop on their backs. The young dog should hunt independently, but if worked with an older and wiser dog will sometimes lose heart and trust too much to his brace mate. When this happens a change of dogs is all that is necessary. Preferably a dog not as good should be chosen.

A drawing of a small dog standing on its hind legs.  CHAPTER XIII

ELONG.--Quartering; field trial methods; coverys and single blinds; grouse and woodcock dogs; turning out

ON the English field, either for ordinary shooting or field trial work, a great deal is expected of a well-broken dog in the way of quartering, but in this country little attention is paid to this accomplishment. In England the fields are generally small and regular and the dog--that is, the ideal dog--is required to quarter the field thoroughly and systematically before quartering another. "Breaking fence" is counted a rather serious fault, and dogs are taught to wait for the order to leave one field for another. In this country the land is more broken, the fields large and irregular and dogs are developed so that they will rely more on their sense of smell than sight. Here a well-broken dog, with good bird sense, will waste no time quartering out barren spots for the sake of precision, but will search out a likely place and then move on to what in his judgment is the next nearest spot likely to hold birds. He takes no direction from his handler, for he needs none. At times, again, the dog  Modern Breaking 103

may be directed, but having already a mind to go to the place to which directed, he takes the order kindly. Generally speaking, however, the well-broken dog hunts out all the likely places on either side of the handler, keeping always on the course the handler has selected.

Field trials have changed the natural and most killing range by the excessive demand for speed. Handlers in recent years have broken their dogs to get as far away as possible and to keep out at their work. A dog working in the distance appears faster than one that works close. It is a wide ranger, galloping away freely when cast off, it matters little if he does some loosing when two or three hundred yards away. He will be sure to get credit for more speed than a faster dog which has a narrower but more killing range.

While dogs at field trials do not quarter and would get an additional credit for their work if they did, it is nevertheless a good plan to teach them to quarter. It will give them a more systematic range. They will soon forget or refuse to cut up a field in precise lines after they have been given their head, but they will retain enough of their education in this respect so as make no mistake about quartering, quartering on either side of the handler. Then, too, when it comes to single bird work, the dog which has been taught to quarter works out a small piece  104 Modern Breaking

of ground better and handles much easier than the dog which goes twisting about in circles. Dogs which are taught to quarter naturally acquire a restricted range, for they must be taught in a comparatively small field and must be kept well within the hearing of voice and whistle. They may work just as fast, or may, as a matter of fact, be worked faster in a small field than in a larger one, but their range of necessity will be shortened. Once they have learned to quarter they may be thrown upon their own account, and if they do not develop a wide range, preserving enough of the idea of quartering to prompt them to "come around" and cross before their handler to the other side of the course.

For ruffed grouse or woodcock shooting quartering is a very desirable accomplishment, as the dog must use a contracted range and hunt regularly to the gun. In swamps the quartering dog will beat out all the ground at a moderate pace, while the handler may walk in the open on either side of the swamp. In the woods, of course, the dog will beat out all the ground on either side of the handler, crossing and recrossing until he gets the gun.

It may be said, therefore, that it is advisable to teach all dogs to quarter. The virtue may be preserved in the ruffed grouse and woodcock dog, and practically discarded in the case of the  Modern Breaking 105

quail dog so soon as he gets a good idea of ranging always from one side to the other of the course.

Quartering is one of the most difficult of all lessons to teach, and to reach anything like a fair degree of perfection great skill, patience, and perseverance are necessary. The dog will be sure to go wrong, and after he gets a good idea of what the breaker means by directing him with his hand, the dog will persist in going his own way. He will be sure to turn in quite as often as he will turn out, thus traveling over ground already beat out. This latter fault is natural in the dog, but by training the breaker whistles for him to turn, the natural thing to do is to turn toward the breaker, and this brings him on the inside of his proper course. Anyone who attempts to teach a dog to beat out a field in comparatively straight lines, going from side to side at right angles with the breaker's course, will have much trouble getting the dog to turn out on the beat instead of inward toward the handler.

In the beginning, select a small field for this work and be sure to go up wind. The dog will travel well across the wind and will be more likely to turn out when whistled around, as naturally he will like to keep his head in the wind. Start the dog off to the right with a wave of the hand in the direction you wish him  106 Modern Breaking

to go: then walk straight up the middle of the field. When you whistle for him to turn, beat off to the left yourself, and as the dog gets near your true course, turn and move sharply to the right and go with him on his proper course until he has passed you. Now turn sharply about and go to the right and a little forward. When the dog turns lead him on his course by gentle pressure on his collar, keeping your true course. The dog will zig-zag about and often show a disposition to go straight ahead, but must be whistled in and led on the proper beat. The breaker will find it necessary to travel a great diagonal from a straight line through the center of the field, in order to get the dog on the correct side from side to side of the field, but as the dog becomes accustomed to the work the handler may keep closer to the true course, although it will be necessary to turn a little when the dog is coming toward him in order to keep on the beat. When the dog is coming at right angles toward the breaker he will usually turn back into his own lane in the direction the breaker is traveling. Whenever he does this, which will happen very often, the breaker must whistle him back and move straight away in the direction he wishes the dog to travel. This is about all there is to teaching a dog the early lessons in quartering, but it is a tedious job and one calculated to  A-Correct ranging, turning up into the wind. B-Poor ranging. C-Course pursued by handler in teaching a dog to keep his ground.

W.  A blank yellow page.  Modern Breaking 109

arouse friction between breaker and dog. How- ever, perseverance and good judgment on the part of the breaker will accomplish the object sought to be attained.

It should be said in this connection that these early lessons in quartering never should be long. The dog must be fresh and full of go in order to enter into it in a spirit of enjoyment. So soon as the dog tires he must be taken away, as an attempt to force the lesson will only make the dog sulky.

A nice level grassfield or a stubble, where the going is easy, is the best places for this purpose, and the fields should be free from larks or game birds. These, if present, will attract the dog's attention and constantly keep him from true course. The work should be done in the early morning or late afternoon, when the dog will be likely to enjoy the fast gallop through the field. A cloudy day, of course, will do, and if there is any moisture on the grass to keep the dog fresh, so much the better.

The amateur will do well to reach a moderate degree of perfection in teaching his dog to quarter, but the experienced breaker can force the dog to gallop in straight lines across his own course with the whip. It is a dangerous business for a novice to undertake, but a man acquainted with the business can crack his whip  110 Modern Breaking

at the dog as he gallops toward him, and have him come on true at an increased pace, going by him to the crack of the whip good-naturedly. When the dog turns too soon, he may be turned back with the crack of the whip and driven on his true course to the other end of the field, where he should turn to the whistle.

To reach this degree of excellence, the dog must be perfected in stopping to order, so that when he is sent off, he will stop and come back. At first he will be disposed to sulk and come in when ordered out, but must be stopped again and again and directed in the opposite direction, the breaker walking toward him. By persisting in driving the dog from him, by stopping him instantly he comes in, the dog will finally come to understand what is required of him, and will learn that he is to go only in doing as he should do. Finally, a dog will rather enjoy the work and when coming in at a gallop may be stopped promptly with the uplifted hand and waved back in the direction from which he came. All this is difficult and tedious work, but it is a splendid accomplish- ment when executed.

Ranging really means going wide or close, as the necessity of the case demands. To find a covey the dog should be sent out at top speed and kept out, ranging as wide as practicable on either side of the handler. Dogs whose range  Modern Breaking 111

has been contracted as a result of having been taught to quarter can be got out by giving them their head and working them only a little while at a time. When well broken they soon learn to range out well for coveys and then come down to close work on the single birds. But under these conditions wide range dog's range little work should be done on single birds. Instead, the dog should be kept at covey work. As soon as one covey has been found the dog should be allowed to rest a moment and then started out to look for another covey. On the other hand, when from an excess of covey work the dog becomes so excited in his disposition to bolt instead of paying attention to the handler's course, the range may be restricted by giving him a great deal of work on single birds. All this is a matter of judgment with the handler and the quality of the dog's range for coveys and single birds depends upon the breaker's skill. It should be remembered that speed of range is different for different dogs. A dog may be slow and yet have a wide range, while on the other hand a dog may be very fast and yet have a narrow range. All this depends upon breaker. Either a fast or slow dog may be given a wide range.  CHAPTER XIV.

Retrieving—Natural and force system ; dangers of the spike collar; a new method.

THERE has been in years past some discussion as to the desirability of having a setter or pointer trained to retrieve, and a small body of breakers and sportsmen still exist who contend that it is not a bird dog's work and claim that it makes a dog uneasy and affects the delicacy of his scent.

These are largely old-fashioned, English ideas. The greater body of sportsmen consider retrieving not only a very pretty accomplish- ment, but in some sections of the country a necessity, and that it is an advantage everywhere will be difficult to deny. A well-broken dog will retrieve a dead or wounded bird promptly, and one which can be driven at as steadily as one which is incapable of doing so.

There are two systems of teaching a dog to retrieve, the force system and the 'natural' sys- tem. The latter consists in teaching a dog while in a spirit of playfulness, to fetch a ball or any soft object that is thrown for him. Some dogs take to this very readily and make  Modern Breaking 113

cheerful and prompt retrievers. The objection to this method, however, is that if at any time the dog concludes he is tired of the play there is no way of enforcing obedience.

No dog is likely to be a reliable retriever unless taught by the force system, and it may as well be stated frankly that this branch of breaking must be handled with the greatest care. Some dogs get a setback that requires a season's field work before they can ever get over it. The fault is not in the principles but in the manner of applying them. All of the articles heretofore published on force retrieving recommend the use of the spike collar. This instrument in itself is a cruel affair and in the hands of a quick-tempered man often becomes an instrument of torture that will cow the boldest dog and break many a timid one. The constant jerking of the collar and the forcing of the spikes against the delicate glands and organs of the neck frequently result in serious injury, and account for many chronic coughs and thick-winded dogs. Some hard-headed men have found that a soft collar will work very well while they are wearing the collar, but at other times may refuse to do so. If the breaker has a collar in his pocket, obedience can quickly be enforced, but it is not convenient to carry a spike collar in the field, and it is in the field that the dog balks.  114 Modern Breaking

The system here offered will enable any per- son with a reasonable amount of patience and firmness to compel a dog to retrieve; it will bring a stubborn dog to terms and will not cow the most timid. It has been in use for years by some of the best professional breakers, but has never before been adopted by the public. Some dogs learn to identify quickly and with a little encouragement learn very rapidly; oth- ers will test the breaker's patience and temper. In the system here outlined, instead of using a spike collar, the dog's attention to the sub- ject in hand is held and punishment applied by pinching the ear, the breaker, using the thumb and finger-nail for that purpose. It is in every way superior to that used upon the spike collar, as the severity of the punishment can be more delicately regulated, there is nothing for the dog to get frightened at, and the means of forcing obedience are always at hand. The breaker must understand that the dog's ear must never be pulled or jerked. It should simply be touched, but not so hard as to cause the dog to go natural-dyce open his mouth and hold as object placed there.

In teaching a dog to retrieve, it is always best to have a dog well along in his training, so as to avoid any danger of covering him, but in this as in all things, the dog's disposition must be studied. A good plan to follow in  OPENING HIS MOUTH  [API_EMPTY_RESPONSE]  Modern Breaking 117

breaking some dogs to retrieve is a combina- tion of both the force and natural systems. If you have a bright, courageous puppy about the kennel, which is always nosing about and pick- ing up things, he can be taught to hold and carry small objects about the kennel, but no attempt should be made to force him to retrieve until well along in his field work. The first les- son is the most important one and the breaker must use extreme care in the very beginning not to frighten the dog and cause it to become cowed or sulky.

There are six things to teach a dog sepa- rately: First, to hold an object after it is placed in the mouth; second, to open the mouth so that the object may be placed there; third, to take the object into the mouth; fourth, to pick it up from the floor; fifth, to go a distance for it; sixth, to fetch it back. Each of these points must be forced separately.

An object might be thrown upon the floor and no amount of punishment would induce the dog to retrieve it unless he knew what was required of him. But, by teaching the dog separately those things that he should be compelled to do, he will come to understand the connection and know all about the detail that enters into the one act of retrieving.

The first lessons should be given in a large room where the breaker and his pupil will be  128 Modern Breaking

undisturbed. It is presumed that the dog has already been broken to lead quietly and walk at heel at command. Slip the lead strap over the dog's head and take two or three turns around the room with him to quiet him down, then stop, stroke his head and neck and take the car in the right hand, which can also hold the lead or the end of the latter may be dropped to the floor.

In the left hand should be held a corncob or roll of cloth of similar size. Slightly pinch the ear between the thumb nail, the dog will good-naturally open his mouth in reenouncement and, as soon as he does so, thrust the corncob into his mouth. The ear is pinched simply to get him to open his mouth. As soon as he does so and the object is placed in his mouth, discontinue the punishment. The dog will immediately open his mouth to obtain it, but this will probably succeed in doing so several times, but be patient with your pupil, do not get excited or use unnecessary force and gradually any fright, timidity or stubbornness on the part of the dog will be overcome. Some dogs may refuse to open the mouth when the car is started, but if one can slip a hand past the right hand up over the dog's head from behind until it is directly in front of the eyes, then with the thumb on one side of the face and the fingers on the other, force the skin  BEACHING FOR IT  A blank page with a light yellow background.  M o d e r n B r e a k i n g 121

of the cheeks against the teeth until he opens his mouth; the cob can then be inserted. After the cob is placed in the mouth either by forc- ing it in with the hand or by pulling it, while the dog hold it there for a time by supporting the lower jaw with the hand. After he gets so he will hold the cob when supported by the hand, gradually remove the hand by passing it back slowly toward the throat, as if stroking him. If the dog shows any intention of throw- ing out the cob, immediately move the hand back to support him again, and continue stroking the lower jaw and the throat. In this way the dog easily can be taught to hold the cob in the mouth and the support of the hand re- moved without the dog realizing it. If, as soon as he realizes that the support of the hand is removed, he drops the cob, pinch the car sharply, and as the dog opens his mouth again, replace the hand and support him again. Lower jaw and gradually remove the support of the hand, as before directed. Do not be in any hurry about these first lessons. Repeat them twice a day for ten minutes at a time until he will hold the cob carefully. The dog must then be taught to carry the cob while being led along on a leash. This is another new les- son, and, like the first one, must be taught by degrees patiently and without fuss, noise or anger. Take plenty of time with these first les-  122 Modern Breaking

sons, do not get discouraged or attempt to ac- complish too much or have the dog too perfect in manner of performance. The cub must be taught immediately the dog starts to walk he will drop the cob from his mouth. It must be replaced and another at- tempt made. In this way he must be taught by degrees to walk first a short distance with the object in the mouth, then farther and farther until a complete circuit of the room can be made several times. The next instruction on the part of the dog to drop the cob. After fully understanding these first two lessons—the holding and carrying of the cob cheerfully— the dog can be advanced to the next lesson. In the first lesson he was taught simply to open the mouth and hold the cob or object be- placed thereon. In the second lesson he was taught to carry it. In the next lesson he must be taught to grab the object from the hand. With the left hand, hold the cob close to the mouth, pinch the ear lightly with the right hand, and say, "Fetch." As soon as the mouth is opened place the object in it and stop the punishment. The impression you want to con- vey and teach him is that he does understand it, that when he hears the word "fetch," and does not have the cob in his mouth, he will be punished by having his ear pinched, and that all punishment ceases when the cob is in the  A man standing next to a dog on a leash in a grassy field. HOLD IT  [API_EMPTY_RESPONSE]  M o d e r n B r e a k i n g 125

mouth. He will soon learn that the thing to do when he hears the word "fetch," is to get the cob in his mouth and thereby avoid punishment. Whenever he refuses to take it upon hearing the order "fetch," which the ear and push the object forward. After the dog has grasped the object from behind him, if he is held an inch or two in front of the nose, hold it a little farther away, first six or eight inches, then a foot, then two or three feet, then still a little farther, and when the dog goes at it promptly, the object should be moved still farther away in order to induce him to keep his eye on it until he gets it. If he moves a little slow about moving, the ear can be pinched gently to remind him of what is expected of him, but as long as the pupil is reasonably prompt, it should be omitted.

Don't hurry him about these early lessons, but take plenty of time and don't become discouraged. The dog will learn about grabbing for the cob. At this time never throw the object or lay it on the floor and try to get him to pick it up. He won't do it and your efforts to make him do so will only confuse him. He knows only enough to be guided by the hand, and if you hold out your hand without having anything in it, he will likely grab your hand.

If the object be held in any other way than that in which he is accustomed to seeing it  126 Modern Breaking

held, it is most likely that he will refuse to take it. If it should be held higher or lower than it has been held previously, the result will be the same. Therefore, great care should be taken to gradually raise the object above the level of his head, and in the same way lower it until it may be held to the ground. When ever the dog refuses to take it, the hand will refuse to take it, it should be moved back to the next lowest place to which he has been accustomed, and then it should be held gradually a little lower. Finally, the object should be laid on the ground, but the breaker should not let go of it, keeping his hand under one end of it while the other end rests on the ground. The dog will act awkwardly at first, and hold of it, and the first few attempts may fail entirely in trying to get it into his mouth, in which case it will assist him if the object is raised a little so that he may grasp it more easily. When he will do this, let the object be placed upon the ground with the hand alongside of it, and when he has learned to obey the dog will refuse to touch the object because at this period he is guided largely by the hand.

When the dog will pick the object up from the floor, the hand gradually should be drawn away, each time a little farther, until finally the dog will pick up the object without paying any attention to the hand. These various steps  PECKING UP FROM THE GROUND  A blank yellow page.  M o d e r n B r e a k i n g 129

are not to be attempted in one or two lessons, but should be taught a little every day. In giving a lesson, do not begin where you left off the previous lesson, but rehearse him through all he has been taught previously before at- tempting to go a stage farther.

After the dog will pick the cob or other ob- ject from the floor, it should be held above his head to one side, then the other, and all about him. Then let him go to some other place, and as he starts for it be moved quickly to some other place, and his ear pinched if he refuses to follow it. It should be dropped then on the floor, but not at a distance from him until he will pick it up near by. When he does this, the object should be taken in hand, and, as he follows to get it should be dropped close to him, and then again moved away. After a few times he may go five or six feet and get it nicely, and then again he will try to pick it up, and from some cause miss it. This will discourage him and cause him to return, in which case the breaker should go with his and assist him in recovering it. He will be very easily dis- couraged by this method if he breaks per- versely in a quiet manner and does not hurry or attempt to do too much in one lesson, the dog soon will get accustomed to the work and lose much of the fear.

In throwing the object for him to go and  130 Modern Breaking

fetch, it will be found advisable, and in fact necessary, to accompany him for a number of times before expecting him to go alone. This should not be broken off suddenly. The breaker should start with the dog as if he were going to the object, and having got the dog well started on his way, should stop and let the dog go on alone. As the dog becomes more and more advanced, it will not be necessary to pinch his car. The lead should be kept on him so as to have him under restraint, but further than that he should be got to work without punishment. Later the lead can be taken off and the dog induced to work without it.

Practice is all that is necessary now to make the dog persevering in work. These lessons, that up till this time have been given in a room without spectators and with no other dogs to disturb the breaker or distract the attention of the pupil, must be repeated now in the yard.

There, the surroundings and conditions being new, he may become confused and bungle or be clumsily handled. This difficulty can be overcome by a little patient retraining.

During all these lessons, the cob or other object used has been handled with the left hand. The dog will become so accustomed to this, that when a change is made and the object is held in the right hand, he possibly may refuse to take it or go for it when thrown with that  A black and white photograph of a dog, possibly a hunting dog, standing on its hind legs with its front paws raised. The dog appears to be in motion, possibly running or jumping. The background is blurred, suggesting movement. The dog's fur is short and light-colored, and it has a collar around its neck. The text "ВЕЛИКИЙ" (Velyikiy) is written at the top left corner of the image. X  A blank yellow page.  Modern Breaking 133

hand. The breaker must take plenty of time to accustom the dog to this change. In all these early lessons the dog has been taught to grasp a corn cob or a roll of soft cloth of similar size. The corn cob is, of course, the more convenient as it can be replaced when it is light and easy to hold, and does not slip in the mouth. When these objects are handled well, you must begin accustoming the dog to others, such as the dog whip, an old hat, stick, cane, a ball, old shoe or slipper, etc. A good-sized wooden ball, into which wire nails have been driven and the tips filed off and slightly sharpened, is a good thing to work him with. It will require considerable care on his part to pick it up without getting pricked. This will make him very methodical. Another object that can be used with a hard-nailed dog, is to put a small pincushion with the pin points turned outward inside of a woolen sock. An object of this kind requires careful handling and will break most any dog of closing down too hard on objects he is retrieving. Socks of different colors should be used from time to time, so that the dog may not become appreciative of the use of objects of one color only. These mats are nice things for him to fetch, and when he does this nicely and will fetch raw meat with a tender mouth there  134 Modern Breaking

will be no danger of his injuring birds in the field, even if they are badly shot. The dog's education, however, should not cease when he will retrieve well about the room or yard. With a dead bird in the field, probably he will refuse to lift his first bird unless he has been drilled previously at home on a dead bird, and even if this has been carefully done, the excitement of field work and the changed conditions for a time will drive all his early education out of his mind.

In winter with a dead bird, procure a freshly killed quail or a stuffed one, bring the wings down into position and fasten them with a few wraps of string or rubber bands. If the dog fails to pick it up when thrown, begin at the beginning and go through all the various stages of holding, retrieving, going for and fetching it. Then throw it away farther and farther, and finally hide it and go with him to search for it. In this way he can be taken slowly from his yard work to that in the field. By this method any man of ordinary sense and a reasonable degree of patience can teach a dog to retrieve without the aid of a spike collar, whip or any other contrivance.  C H A P T E R X V.

GUNSHYNESS.—Overcoming fear of the gun.

THE gunshy dog is a problem most break- ers display great energy in avoiding, and the subject is generally dismissed with the remark that a gunshy dog is not worth break- ing. There will be no argument raised over the statement that it is worth a great deal to break a dog which is gun-shy, but whether it is worth breaking is a question that depends altogether upon the dog. Some of the best dogs which have ever stepped into the hunting field have been gunshy, and afterward developed the greatest courage, hardihood, stamina and intelligence in the pursuit of game. Gunshy dogs are not without timidity at unaccustomed sounds, and does not denote any lack of courage in the presence of those scenes and conditions that appeal directly to the dog's natural instincts. The gentle, affectionate little setter bitch which will slink away at a hurt to the den and hide herself until she has all the courage of a lioness. She may travel two blocks out of her way to avoid a snarling city cur, when on her way to the hunting field, but once  136 Modern Breaking

there will plunge headforemost into a patch of briers or plow unconcerningly through the sedge grass and weeds that have a coating of December ice that cuts like needles. The bull-dog when asked to display the same fortitude will come whimpering back to its master.

If you own a gun shy dog, all means go to word and breath him. There are numerous methods to proceed and all are aimed at what seems a comparatively simple problem—the overcoming in the animal of the fear of the discharge of the gun. In the abstract, this should be easy. The dog is an intelligent ani- mal, observant, and can recognize friend or foe, readily adaptable to circumstances, and if properly handled will learn that the report of a gun is not fraught with pain or danger.

One method and a very simple one is to lead your dog to a trap shooting ground day after day, until he becomes accustomed to and loses all fear of the continuously popping shells. This practice will teach many a gun shy dog. The great mistake breakers make in handling a dog affected this way is that when the dog hears the guns and displays the utmost fear, they immediately attempt to reassure him by petting and talking to him. This simply encourages the dog in the belief that there is some danger connected with the noise, and the more you pet him the more  A black and white illustration of a muscular man running through a rocky landscape. THE FIELD THIRTY-WONDER UNCLE R. 2015 Owned by W. W. THIRTY-WONDER, P.O. Box, Miss. A black and white illustration of a muscular man running through a rocky landscape.  [API_EMPTY_RESPONSE]  Modern Breaking 139

thoroughly he is convinced that something is wrong. The proper procedure is for the breaker to display the utmost composure and to totally ignore the noise, the dog, and all his efforts to escape. This composure reassures the dog; he observes that his master is not affected by the noise and gradually comes to study the noise and its effects on his own account, and eventually arrives at the conclusion that there is no real fear.

This, however, is a mental operation that must be entrusted entirely to the dog without any interference on the part of the breaker, who should understand that all this cannot be accomplished in one lesson or afternoon, but may take weeks. If trap shots are not available, the owner can accustom the dog to the discharge of a pistol five times several times before or while the dog is being fed, two or three times a day. Hunger will go a long way to overcome the dog's fear of the gun. For instance, if a dog is kept chained to a kennel and is not fed for twenty-four hours, and the feeding dish is placed in front of his kennel, he will rush back to it immediately. If a break-ant fires a small pistol some distance away, with the greatest fear the dog will rush back to the farthest corner of his kennel. Then take the dish away and leave him to his own reflections. It may take him some time to recover  140 Modern Breaking

his composure and his fear of the gun will still remain, but hunger is a great stimulus to cour- age and will prompt both men and dogs to brave the danger. The dog may have the course of five or six hours return again to his kennel and offer him the tempting dish. When he comes out to eat do not allow him to satisfy his appetite, but let him have three or four mouthfuls before the pistol is discharged again. He will, of course return to his kennel, but will perhaps be more willing to take a substantial of food before doing so. When he does this, it is only a question of time as to when his tim- rility will be overcome. By keeping him con- tinually hungry and gradually decreasing the distance from the dog at which the pistol is fired, eventually the pistol can be discharged while he is eating. In this way the small pistol can be substituted one of larger caliber and finally the shotgun with light loads.

Another method that has much in its favor is to lead the dog afield day after day. A small boy can be employed for this purpose, whose duties will consist simply following a couple of sheep. No attention should be paid to the gunshy patient other than leading him about where he can see the dogs working, and if possible become encouraged by scenting game. At first the boy should follow a hun- dred or a hundred and fifty yards in the rear  Modern Breaking 141

of the hunters. After the dog will lead quietly at that distance, he may be brought closer and closer, until finally he will lead a few yards behind the shooters while they are busily engaged in shooting. In this way his timidity gradually passes away and the dog will follow the shooters, being confined by a lead. From that, he will in time learn to hunt and hunt on his own account, and should be encouraged to flush and chase to his heart's content, and develop a love for the sport that will completely stifle any fear of the gun. All this cannot be accomplished in one lesson or even during an entire season, but if persisted in patiently the fear of the gun eventually will be overcome. It is not necessary that the breaker confine himself to one of these methods. He can combine all three, if necessary.

The one principle for the breaker to bear in mind in breaking a dog of gumshyness is to refrain from petting or attempting to encour- age the dog when he is afraid. Those the dog must learn to control by his own observa- tions and reasoning. Every time the breaker attempts to encourage the dog, he really dis- courages him, for he gives the dog the im- pression that there actually is something of which to be afraid. Whereas, if the breaker acts as if there is nothing of which to be afraid and pays no attention to the actions of  142 Modern Breaking

the dog, it is only a question of time until the dog observes the composure of the breaker and realizes there is nothing to fear.

If the practice of acustoming puppies to loud noises, such as the banging of two pans or the discharge of a small pistol, be followed up from the time they are weaned, gunshyness will be avoided.

A black and white illustration of a greyhound standing on grass.  CHAPTER XVI

Bad BREAKING-FAULTS AND VICES—The trailing dog, barking at horses; rabbling chasing; egg sucking; sheep chasing; howling; woody paws.

MOST of the faults and vices that a dog will display in the course of his career can be avoided by care in breaking and a knowledge of how to control certain undesirable propensities.

THE TRAILING DOG.

A practice that most amateurs and some professionals are apt to fall into, and one that is prolific of undesirable results, is the working of a young dog with an older and experienced companion. The most natural of pre-suppositions is that the young dog is ready to range and hunt from his running-mate. To be sure a young dog will range away from his handler better and farther if paced by another dog, but in doing so he is neither hunting or developing the courage, independence of character and all-absorbing interest in the quest of game which is the proper use of a leash-dog. He is not enlarging his fund of information about the habits of birds, the likely spots

A black and white illustration of a dog running with a stick in its mouth.  144 Modern Breaking

in which to find them, or his knowledge of wind, scent, and the elusive wiles of running birds and other qualities that are grouped under that comprehensive and expressive term, "bird sense." This is simple because the dog is himself with it running, and he relies upon the older dog to locate the game. He points simply because he has the instinct to point, but largely loses the ambition and desire to search and exercise these instincts, and consequently does not develop knowledge of how or where to look for game.

The bird dog is often a young dog alone. He will be disappointed in many cases at the dog's trotting along a few yards in front of him, or the lack of interest he displays in hunting for birds, but day by day he will see the dog go out farther and farther, and after he has got the scent of birds, and enjoyed the flash and chase, he will soon reach out in his haste to catch up with the old one, and the resulting excitement. Even after the young dog has developed a pointing instinct and is stanch on point, or remains steady after the birds are flushed, he should be worked alone. There are many things for him yet to learn. Now and then you will see him puzzled by some movement of a bird, then, and on certain days, with different weather conditions the scent will come to his nostrils peculiarly, so  THE FIELD TRAIL - A TALE OF THE LATE CAPT. JAMES COOK. Drawn by C. G. Williams, Member, 1st Class.  A blank page with a light yellow background.  Modern Breaking 147

that he will not know exactly what to make of it. If worked alone, he will study the matter over himself and will have confidence in his conclusions and his own ability, such as posses the boy who unaided solves his first geometrical proposition, and fearlessly approaches the next. These are the traits and cultivated instincts that go to make a really high-class dog, and are the results of time, patience and repeated opportunities. Even so, the young dog hunts fearlessly and displays plenty of reliance and confidence in his own ability, care must be exercised in putting him down to hunt in company with other dogs. This is particu- larly true if he is to be entered for field trial competition. Dogs are composable crea- tures, but possess many good qualities, traits among them cunning, some laziness and per- fect willingness in many cases to profit by the efforts of others. Nothing penalizes a dog so quickly in the eyes of an intelligent field trial judge as to see him trailing his running mate or loafing or pottering around carelessly, while the hunter is engaged with the scent of birds and their proper location.

RABBIT CHASING.

This vice is easily checked in a young dog by scolding, and if necessary the use of the whip. When the habit becomes confirmed in an older dog sterner measures are necessary,  148 Modern Breaking

The following methods are practiced by experi- enced breakers: Shoot a rabbit in front of a chasing dog, tie the rabbit about the dog's neck and force him to carry it on a day's hunt. This is calculated to disgust the rabbit- hunting dog with the entire rabbit family. If it does not break him in one day, make him carry it a second, and a third day or even longer, about the kennel.

Whipping a dog with a rabbit you have shot in front of him is sometimes effective in im- pressing upon him the undesirability of hunting them. If this does not succeed in breaking him of the habit, put on the spike collar, attach the long check cord, that may be allowed to drag or be attached after he establishes a point. When the rabbit is jumped he should be allowed to clasp the length of the cord, which will cause it to a sudden stop. A few experiences of this kind will bring the most confirmed rabbit chaser to a realization of the fact that he must give up the reprehensible practice,

egg sucking.

Some dogs get into this habit and pursue it most industriously. Scolding and whipping if caught in the act will cure such dogs. Hand- ling the dog hot ears also usually successful. If it is not, the contents of an egg may be partially drawn through a small hole drilled at one end with the point of a knife, and a quan-  Modern Breaking 149

tity of red pepper inserted. If an egg or sev- eral eggs thus prepared are placed so that the dog 'n his quests can get hold of them, it will effectually cure him of his propensities in this direction.

SHEEP CHASING. This habit is prevented more easily than it is cured. A young dog should be taken into the presence of sheep and a sharp lookout kept on its actions, and the slightest tendency to chase shoulb be sternly checked. If necessary, get a long check cord & a whip, and when the dog starts to chase them give him the full length of the cord, and then strike him sharply. Go to him, scold him well and if he commences this practice give him a good thrashing. No half-way measures will do, as a dog which once gets a taste of mutton is never safe by him- self, and must be kept under the constant eye of his owner or killer.

If a young dog which has shown an incli- nation to chase sheep is confined in a large room, such as a barn, with some seasoned and aggressive old back which is ready to fight and assert himself on slight provocation, the ram will give the young dog a lesson that will cause him in after years to make long detours to avoid a flock of sheep. Another fault more easily prevented than cured is that of barking at the heels of horses.  150 Modern Breaking

Some dogs take the greatest delight in doing this. Check the first tendency of this kind that appears by scolding a puppy and ordering to heel a dog which has had some training.

HOWLING DOGS.

Dogs often howl at night because of hunger or of being tormented by fleas as well as from a spirit of loneliness. Therefore see that the dog is comfortably housed and well fed at night. If tormenting continues, use measures to effect their removal. If possible give him a companion. If not, his howling should be checked by the command, "quiet," and a few blows on the kennel roof with a pole or whip. This should be repeated every time he howls, even if it is necessary to go into his kennel a dozen times. If the noise subsides and it still persists, the whip should be lightly applied. After he learns that his howling will bring nothing more than a rating, with perhaps a thrashing, he will discontinue harking.

MURDY PAWS.

Most dogs have the habit of jumping up and placing their paws on their owners or strangers. This is bad manners at all times, and particularly annoying if the dog's paws are muddy. It is a fault easily cured. When the dog jumps upon you, grasp his forepaws in your hands and speak kindly to him as if  Modern Breaking 151

you were well pleased with his attentions, and with the toe of your foot step on first one and then the other of his hind feet. This need not be done harshly, but just enough to bother him, and after two or three repetitions of the lesson, the dog cannot be induced to place his paws against you; and then a harsh word or a par- ticle of punishment is necessary in this lesson; just step on his toes enough to annoy him.

A standing dog with a long, lean body and a long tail.  CHAPTER XVII

CQDITIOEINSS.—Bachowice methods: feeding; exercise; the thermometer; massage; pectora; sore feet; lameness; slipping.

GOOD work in the hunting field and the chances of success in a field trial often are lessened by lack of attention to the details of proper physical form that will enable an ambitious field performer to sustain the prolonged and excessive muscular strain necessitated by a closely contested race. The success of the American horses on the English turf is attributed largely to superior methods of training and conditioning. The quality and quantity of grass and other food are carefully watched by the American horseman and the water is frequently transported long distances to obviate any derangement of the bowels that might arise from a change.

The proper massaging of the limbs to prevent any checking of the capillary circulation and supporting the exhausted tissues has careful bandaging is certainly an art, and the study of the characteristics of the animal so as to preserve that careful balance between overtraining and drawing too fine, with a stiffening of the muscles and lack of elasticity, and that point  Modern Breaking 153

where the muscles are full of fire and tone, strong, yet pliable, with just sufficient fat to act as a reserve force for Nature, are details apparently unimportant, but which are large enough in the aggregate to bring success.

These matters can be studied by trainers of field trial dogs with an assurance of profit to themselves, and in only a slightly less degree are they subjects with which every dog-owning sportsman should concern himself.

The dog is a carnivorous animal, but doc- mentation and association with man have al- tered or affected his organs of digestion, and he thrives best on a mixed diet or one con- taining meat, grain and vegetables. The pro- portions of these depend altogether upon the individual's constitution, peculiar existing state of health, and the amount of work he is to do. These matters can be determined only by ex- periment and observation. Food and water are to the muscular system what fuel and steam are to the locomotive. Muscular exertion causes a destruction of muscular elements; the destruc- tion of muscular elements generates heat in varying degrees and produces a large amount of effluvia, which must pass through the kidneys and bowels are called upon to remove.

If the dog is in good condition, the muscles firm, elastic and properly nurtured by a fe  154 Modern Breaking

diet, muscular efforts will, if severe, produce only the minimum amount of heat and effete matter. If the animal is in poor condition, the intake of food will be limited by fat, slight exercise will consume a large amount of heat and waste products. It is these poisonous waste products that the athlete, horse and dog have to contend with, and, no matter how carefully trained, it is these waste products that eventually limit their performance.

A dog's wind may be all right and he may be really in good working order but if the production of these waste products is too rapid for their removal by the kidneys and other organs, they remain in the system and partially paralyze the nerves controlling the muscles and they refuse to act.

The fat or muscle making possibilities of various foods and the animal's actual condition can be studied very intelligently by the use, after exercise or work, of a small clinical thermometer. When the maximum amount of work short of actual exhaustion produces the minimum degree of heat as registered by the thermometer, the animal is in the best condition and the foods which will produce this result are the foods to be adopted, i.e., those that create the greatest heat for a given amount of work are to be avoided.

As a general working system it can be laid  CHAMPION SPURREROPHILUS MUFFY GLADSTONE Owned by James Berwood, Chichester

A duck standing on a grassy field with trees in the background.  A blank page with a light yellow background.  Modern Breaking 157

down that the quantity of meat can be reduced during the close season and increased during the working season to almost an all-meat diet with satisfactory results. Unbolted wheat flour is the most desirable of grains. Wheat flour, rye or barley shorts, should be baked as bread and eaten allowed to cool and afterwards broken up and mixed with meat broth, soup or milk. Corn-meal is a popular food with trainers, probably on account of its price, ease in obtaining and preparing; but it is a fat producer and not a muscle builder. No horse trainer would feed it to a thoroughbred when conditioning it for work, while some trainers find satisfaction with the way their dogs thrive on it. The animals would undoubtedly be capable of greater muscular development if fed on one of the other grains.

A very good way of preparing food for a string of dogs is to purchase a few sheep's heads, a couple of beefeaters' heads, or twenty or thirty pounds of chucks or neck pieces chopped into small pieces and cooked until they are thoroughly cooked, and the meat can be scraped easily from the bones. This meat then should be chopped or shredded into small pieces and mixed with from three to six times its weight of whole wheat flour, rye or cornmeal, softened and worked up with the soup liquor. To this may be added enough black  158 Modern Breaking

molasses to slightly sweeten the whole. Bake thoroughly over a slow fire and afterward al- low it to cool and dry, in which condition it will keep indefinitely. When it is to be fed break it up into pieces and feed dry, or soften it with meat or vegetable soup. This food can also be improved by adding vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, beets, onions or cabbage, in the proportion of one pound of vegetables to from five to ten pounds of meat or grain. The special diet should only be used on two dogs, who conditions his dogs on food prepared in this way, and who carries with him a sufficient quantity to provide for his dogs while on a hunting trip, will be amply repaid by their superior condition, and will never go back to a makeshift diet of table scraps. Spratt's special biscuits solve the feeding problem and the professional trainer or sports- man who uses them as a staple diet can go on an extended hunting trip or even to remote sections of the country, where there are no conveniences for preparing food, and feel sure of his dog having a properly balanced ration. The ordinary biscuit is made up of a proportion of meat sufficient only for a dog during the close season. When hunting or training it is advisable to use Spratt's special biscuits pre- pared with the proportion of meat doubled or trebled. It is an ideal food for a hunting dog  Modern Breaking 159

and when everything is taken into considera- tion far more economical than any minkshift. The number of meals a dog should be given daily is a matter frequently discussed. A light meal in the morning (fed dry), such as two or three dogs on one plate, is convenient, and a full meal at night will be found satisfactory. If the dog is to be worked in the morning omit the morning meal entirely or let it consist of something that will be promptly digested, such as one or two raw eggs beaten up with cracker crumbs. Under no circumstances should a dog be allowed to go to bed after feeding a full meal. The stomach, like all muscles and or- gans, requires, during action, an increased blood supply. During exercise the blood is drawn from the stomach and other internal organs to other parts of the body, and the food, instead of being digested lies in the hollow bowels with a fermenting form and produce a diarrea or dysentery that will incapacitate the animal. Table scraps and "pick ups," if clean and fresh, free from fat and grease (they sel- dom are), may be tolerated for home or pet dogs, but the sportsman who attempts to take his dog through a hard season's hunting on such food is blind to his own interests.

EXERCISE.

The young dog during his training season or during preparation for a field trial generally  :60

Modern Breaking

gets all the exercise he needs, that should be limited only by his powers of endurance and the trainer's judgment. At least one month is required to get an old dog, which has had a six months' rest, more or less, into condition to do good field work. During the close season the dog is provided with food at the owner's home, office shop, being irregular at his meals, and has been an expert beggar of dainties. He is pounds overweight, with a thick, woolly coat, short of breath, flabby of muscle, and the pads of his feet are soft and spongy. His bowels are irregular, generally with a tendency to constipation. A short run leaves him exhausted and foot sore.

He must be taken in hand and brought down to a systematic routine of diet and exercise. If necessary, claim him up so that his time is accountable. If there is a tendency to constipation, give him two ounces of castor oil, and if necessary repeat it. The dog should be placed on two rations of his ordinary homoeopathic food, such as has been described previously; the proportion of meat can be increased slightly. Give him a short run in the morning before feeding, and at some time during the day give a mile or two of slow road work, following a bicycle or buggy—and the distance you travel with him should be gradually increased until he is allowed to exercise while you are  Modern Breaking 161

traveling from three to six miles, or even fur- ther. On returning carefully brush his coat, sponge the dirt from the corners of his eyes and nostrils, and examine his feet for cuts and bruises or obstructions between his toes. His entire body and limbs then should be mas- saged gently and hand rubbed; this will pre- vent stiffness and soreness, and if he is given a good meal, one of Dent's Pepsinoid Condition Pills and a comfortable bed in which to sleep he will lie down contented and be as bright as a new dollar the next morning. Dent's Pepsi- minated Condition Pills are a wonderful tonic for dogs that every owner should keep on hand. They cure a variety of ailments that are characteristic of the condition of con- dition. Their use insures the proper action of the liver, kidneys and bowels. Dogs which are hard to get into condition, those which are weak, thin and unthrifty, constantly shelling hair or having harsh, staring coats, weak, wa- tery eyes, high-colored urine frequently passed, in different colors, with a constant desire to go out and attempt to vomit, drowsy, disturbed sleep, rumbling of the bowels and a general air of neglect, should be given a full course of treatment with these pills, as they come very near being a true canine panacea.

Nothing in the entire range of hygienic knowledge is so easy of application and of such

MASAGE  162 Modern Breaking

prompt and lasting benefit as massage. The medical profession is applying it more and more, while among horsemen and athletes it is as old as is their history.

During severe exercise the heart beats with increased force and rapidity, and the blood is forced through the large arteries into the analal capillaries which thread through the muscles and give them their nourishment. A muscle is made up of many thousands of minute fibers that move more or less upon each other. So long as the exercise continues up to the point of exhaustion, the blood supply is forced by the heart down through these small vessels, and then is drawn back to the heart by the vacuum created in the chest when the alternate expansion and contraction of the lungs and the pressure upon the veins of the constantly moving muscles surrounding them. (The veins are fitted with small valves, so that the pressure upon them will only permit of the blood being sent one way and that toward the heart.)

When exercise ceases the heart for a time continues its rapidity of action and forces the blood to the extremities, but as there is no action of the muscles to keep up the return circulation in the veins the blood stagnates in the small capillaries surrounding the muscle fibers and agglutinates them together; the  Modern Breaking 163

limbs stock or swell or stiffness or soreness results. Hand rubbing of the muscles and limbs breaks down this agglutination, forces the blood out of the veins, and opens up the larger veins, where it is distributed to the stomach, liver, lungs, brain and other organs that require it, allowing digestion to proceed naturally, thereby resting and soothing the ani- mal and leaving the muscles pliable and elastic. There are different methods of massage. Some conduct the movement toward the body, others towards the extremities. That is necessary. A very satisfactory result is a gentle kneading of the muscles to stimulate the superficial circulation and prevent and break down any agglutination of the muscular fibers. Ten or fifteen minutes' work on a dog after he has had a hard day's work, either in the hunting field or after a field trial heat, is all that is required for this treatment.

EXCESSIVE FATNESS.

Some dogs take on flesh so rapidly as to almost constitute a disease. Ditches which are not allowed to rest and get fat are prone to accumulation of fat about the lungs, heart, liver, kidneys and vital organs. Ex- cessive fat brings on wheezing, asthmatic coughing and panting at the slightest exertion. It is impossible to get these flabby subjects to  164 Modern Breaking

exercise to a proper extent, and to get them in working condition is a serious task.

Treatment.—Give a brisk purgative two or three times daily, and a course of Dent's Blood Purifying and Cooling Pills three times a day after feeding. Gradually decrease the allowance of food and feed only stale bread, dog biscuits or crackers, dry if they will eat them; if not, moisten with a very little milk or thin soup; do not feed greasy fat, potatoes or sweets of any kind. As the animal gains strength, gradually increase the amount of exercise, and as the animal gradually comes into form omit the purgatives and feed raw lean beef, chopped fine—gradually increasing the amount.

SORE FEET.

The spongy, elastic pads which form the foot covering require considerable attention.

Dogs out of condition and suffering from lack of exercise, when put down for field work on rough ground, short stubble or hard prairie, frequently develop sores on their feet or badly bruised after a few hours' work as to be unable to proceed, and it is not an uncommon thing for inflammation to set in of such severity that the feet swell, becoming hot and painful, so that the dog cannot stand on them. Mutter forms between the layers of the soles of the feet and the outer covering of the pads sloughs  Modern Breaking 165

off, thus at the beginning of the season com- pletely incapacitating the dog for work. Trouble of this kind can be avoided by grad- ually hardening the feet by daily road runs. Carefully examine the feet at night for cuts or bruises, and if any be found dust them with powdered boracic acid. Hound trainers fre- quently resort to the following treatment for hardening the soles of the dogs' feet which are short of work. Take half a pint of the oil of tar; pour a small quantity on a plank, shingle or shallow dish; put the dog's foot squarely into this, then remove and place the foot in a pan of Fuller's earth. Do this with all four feet, every other day, for a week, and once a week during the rest of the season, and there will be little danger of sore feet.

All dogs come in at feet. Do not wash them in cold water, all dirt or obstructions between the toes removed, and the foot placed for ten minutes in a saturated solution of boracic acid. This may be repeated one morning. The fol- lowing lotion can be freely used: Tincture of arnica, calendula and matric. of each one-half ounce, tincture of opium one ounce, witch-hazel and water in equal parts to make one pint.

When the soles slough off, as they do some- times, trim off all ragged portions and poultice  166 Modern Breaking

the feet for twenty-four hours with linseed meal so as to reduce the inflammation; then paint the bottom of the feet three times a day with a three per cent solution of the bichloride of mercury; nothing equals it as a grower of shoe leather for dogs, and within forty-eight hours the dog, which, to all appearances, appeared to be laid up for a week or ten days, will be able to walk around fairly comfortably.

LAMENESS. Lameness may be ascribed to innumerable causes. Thorns sometimes work up into the sole or between the toes, or a sudden wrench may affect the muscles of the back or a ligament of the legs or shoulders. Field dogs are seriously affected with rheumatism as the result of a sudden fall from a fence or rain in a damp kennel. When the dog is called in the morning and does not respond, and is not inclined to move, or comes dragging himself out with his back arched or forefoot advanced, and shrinks from the hand, it can be set down that he has rheumatism. The hindquarters and fore-quarters generally are affected, and even if the animal is able to move, a stiffness is noticed in the forelegs, particularly when moving down hill, where the weight is thrown forward.

Even a slight attack of this kind should receive treatment. Give the patient a warm bath, in a warm room, rub dry and carefully  Modern Breaking 167

massage the limbs. Then take ofaconite liniment two ounces, of camphor liniment six ounces, and rub well into the limbs for at least half an hour—wipe off all the liniment that remains on the dog's coat—blanket warmly and muzzle the dog so that he cannot lick the liniment, as it is a powerful poison; give a purgative of one ounce of sals, and three times a day give ten grains of saltpeter and three grains of quinine in either water or in a gelatin capsule, until a cure is effected.

CLIPPING.

Some trainers resort to clipping the coats of setters during the warm season. This leaves the setter in the same condition as a pointer so far as his coat is concerned, and while the removal of the dead hair is a relief to him both as to heat and the accumulation of burrs, it is an operation that must be repeated yearly, and its effect upon the coat is not the best. There can be no objection raised to clipping off the feather on the tail and legs, as during the course of the season it would be worn off.  CH A P T E R X V I I I

D ON'T begin training a young dog too early or repeat his lessons too often. Don't strike a puppy, neither should you scold nor rave at him. Don't strike an aged dog until you have tried the effects of scolding. Don't let a dog go away from you after whipping him without gaining his friendship, but don't pet or caress him too much. Don't play with a club; use a whip and a small one at that. Don't kick a dog or be a brute. Don't shout at a dog or attempt to bully him. Don't have spectators around when you are training your dog. Don't continue his lessons too long or tire him out. Don't talk; too much to your dog or keep nagging at him. Don't confuse your dog with too many orders. Don't try to show off your dog to friends; he may disappoint you. Don't keep a dog chained to a kennel.  Modern Breaking 169

Don't forget to feed a puppy little and often. Don't forget to treat a puppy for worms. Don't forget to take precautions against dis- temper. Don't dose a dog with everybody's cure-alls. Don't allow your puppy to sleep on wet straw or in a cold, damp, drafty kennel.

• Don't forget to feed your dog yourself, nor to frequently change his bedding and clean his yard.
• Don't forget the importance of a variety in his diet and a goodly proportion of vegetables.
• Don't believe that the more a dog eats the better it will be for him. A full meal in the morning and a full meal at night are what he needs.
• Don't loan your dog.
• Don't feed your dog between meals.
• Don't forget that your dog is a sociable ani- mal and needs companionship.
• Don't forget that a dog which is afraid of you is easily confused.
• Don't forget to retain your dog's confidence by rational actions.
• Don't forget that a six-month-old puppy is lacking in experience in the world's affairs.

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