Chapter 30

SETTER TO RETRIEVE. BLOODHOUNDS. RETRIEVERS TO "BEAT." WOUNDED WILD FOWL RETRIEVED FIRST.

SETTER TO RETRIEVE.

292. Undeniably there is some value in the extra number of shots obtained by means of highly-broken dogs; and nearly as undeniable is it that no man, who is not over-rich, will term that teaching superfluous which enables him to secure in one dog the services of two. Now, I take it for granted--as I cannot suppose you are willing to lose many head of killed game--that you would be glad to be always accompanied in the field by a dog that retrieves. Unless you have such a companion, there will be but little chance of your often securing a slightly winged bird in turnips. Indeed, in all rough shooting, the services of a dog so trained are desirable to prevent many an unfortunate hare and rabbit from getting away to die a painful, lingering death; and yet, if the possession of a large kennel is ever likely to prove half as inconvenient to you as it would to me, you would do well, according to my idea of the matter, to dispense with a regular retriever, provided you have a highly-broken setter who retrieves well.

293. I say setter rather than pointer, not on account of his more affectionate, and perhaps more docile disposition--for certainly he is less liable to sulk under punishment,--but because, thanks to his long coat, he will be able to work in any cover, and that from nature he "roads" quicker.

I must, however, plead _guilty_--for many good sportsmen will think I evince bad taste--to a predilection for setters--meaning always _cautious_ setters--a partiality, perhaps, attributable to having shot more over wild, uncertain ground than in well-stocked preserves. Doubtless, in a very inclosed country, where game is abundant, pointers are preferable, far preferable,--more especially should there be a scarcity of water; but for severe and fast work, and as a servant of all work, there is nothing, I humbly conceive, like the setter. He may be, and generally is, the more difficult to break; but, when success has crowned your efforts, what a noble, enduring, sociable, attached animal you possess. I greatly, too, admire his long, stealthy, blood-like action,--for I am not speaking of the large heavy sort before which in old days whole coveys used to be netted,--and the animated waving of his stern, so strongly indicative of high breeding; though strange to say, in gracefulness of carriage, the fox, when hunting, and actually on game, far excels him. But we are again getting astray beyond our proper limits; let us keep to the subject of dog-breaking.

294. As it will be your endeavor, during your pupil's first season, to make him thoroughly stanch and steady, I cannot advise you, as a general rule--liable, of course, to many exceptions--one of which is named in 219--to let him retrieve--by retrieve I always mean fetch--until the following year. There is another advantage in the delay. His sagacity will have shown him that the design of every shot is to bag the game--when, therefore, he has once been permitted to pick up a bird, he will be desirous of carrying it immediately to you, and will resist the temptation to loiter with it, mouthing and spoiling it; and however keenly he may have heretofore "sought dead," he will henceforth search with redoubled zeal, from the delight he will experience in being permitted to carry his game. Moreover, the season's shooting, without lifting, will have so thoroughly confirmed him in the "down charge," that the increased[47] inclination to bolt off in search of a falling bird will be successfully resisted. If he has been taught while young to "fetch"--92, 94, &c.,--he will be so anxious to take the birds to you, that instead of there being any difficulty in teaching him this accomplishment, you will often, during his first season, have to restrain him from lifting when he is "pointing dead." The least encouragement will make him gladly pick up the birds, and give them, as he ought, to no one but yourself.

295. You need hardly be cautioned not to let more than one dog retrieve the same bird. With more dogs than one the bird would, almost to a certainty, be torn; and if a dog once becomes sensible of the enjoyment he would derive in pulling out the feathers of a bird, you will find it difficult to make him deliver it up before he has in some way disfigured it. If you shoot with several dogs that retrieve, be careful always to let the dog who finds the game be the one to bring it. It is but fair that he should be so rewarded, and thus all will be stimulated to hunt with increased diligence.

296. If the dog that found the covey be not able to wind the bird you have shot, make one of the other dogs take a large circuit. The latter may thus, without interfering with the first dog, come upon the bird, should it have run far. Send him in the direction the covey has taken--the chances are great that the bird is travelling towards the same point. By pursuing this plan, obviously there will be much less chance of your losing a bird than if you allow the dogs to keep close together while searching.--See also 98.

297. Do not think that by making your setter lift--after his first season--instead of "pointing dead," there will be any increased risk of his raising unsprung birds. The difference between the scent of dead or wounded game, and that of game perfectly uninjured, is so vast, that no steady, experienced dog will fail to point any fresh bird he may come across whilst seeking for that which is lost.

As a proof of this I may mention that,

298. In North America I once saw, lying on the ground, three snipe, which a pointer, that retrieved, had regularly set one after the other, having found a couple on his way to retrieve the first, and which he afterwards brought in succession to his master, who had all the time governed the dog entirely by signs, never having been obliged to use his voice beyond saying, in a low tone, "Dead," or "Find." I remember, also, hearing of a retrieving setter that on one occasion pointed a fresh bird, still retaining in her mouth the winged partridge which she was carrying,--and of a pointer who did the same when he was bringing a hare; there must, too, be few sportsmen who will not admit that they have found it more difficult to make a dog give up the pursuit of a wounded hare than of one perfectly uninjured. I know of a sportsman's saying he felt certain that the hare his retriever was _coursing_ over the moors must have been struck, although the only person who had fired stoutly maintained that the shot was a regular miss.[48] The owner of the dog, however, averred that this was impossible, as he never could get the discerning animal to follow any kind of unwounded game; and, on the other hand, that no rating would make him quit the pursuit of _injured_ running feather or fur. The retriever's speedy return with puss, conveniently balanced between his jaws, bore satisfactory testimony to the accuracy of both his own and his master's judgment.

299. Some good sportsmen maintain that a retrieving setter--or pointer--on finding a dead bird ought to point it until desired to lift it. This training they hold to be advisable, on the ground that it conduces to the dog's steadiness by diminishing his wish to run forward on seeing a bird fall; but the plan has necessarily this evil consequence, that should the setter, when searching for the dead bird, come across and point, _as he ought_, any fresh game, on your telling him to fetch it--as you naturally will--he must spring it if he attempt to obey you. Surely this would tend more to unsteady him than the habit of lifting his dead birds as soon as found? Your dog and you ought always to work in the greatest harmony--in the mutual confidence of your, at all times, thoroughly understanding each other--and you should carefully avoid the possibility of ever perplexing him by giving him any order it is out of his power to obey, however much he may exert himself. Moreover, if you teach your retrieving setter to "point dead," you at once relinquish--surely unnecessarily?--all hope of ever witnessing such a fine display of sagacity and steadiness as has just been related in the first part of 298.

300. If you object to a setter's being taught to lift on the ground that it will make the other dogs jealous, pray remember that the argument has equal force against the employment of a regular retriever in their presence.

FOOTNOTES:

[47] "Increased:" the gratification of carrying being far greater than that of merely "pointing dead."

[48] I retain this anecdote because every one of the occurrences related has happened to myself. The first many times in the United States; the second once in the United States when my dog Chavee pointed a fresh woodcock with a dead bird in his mouth, and a winged bird under his fore paw; the last, many times in England over an old Russian setter, Charm.--H.W.H.

REGULAR RETRIEVER TO BEAT.

301. We all have our prejudices--every Englishman has a right to many. One of mine is to think a _regular_ retriever positively not worth his keep for general shooting _if one of your setting dogs will retrieve well_. However, if you shoot much in cover, I admit that a regular retriever which can be worked in perfect silence, never refusing to come in when he is merely signalled to, or, if out of sight, softly whistled to, is better[49]--particularly when you employ beaters[50]--but even then he need not be the idle rascal that one generally sees--he might be broken in to hunt close to you, and give you the same service as a mute spaniel. I grant this is somewhat difficult to accomplish, for it much tends to unsteady him, but it can be effected--I have seen it--and, being practicable, it is at least worth trying; for if you succeed, you, as before--292--make one dog perform the work of two; and, besides its evident advantage in thick cover, if he accompany you in your every-day shooting, you will thus obtain, in the course of a season, many a shot which your other dogs, especially in hot weather, would pass over. If, too, the retriever hunts quite close to you, he can in no way annoy his companions, or interfere with them, for I take it for granted he will be so obedient as to come to "heel" the instant he gets your signal.

FOOTNOTES:

[49] Of course, a regular retriever is absolutely necessary when a team of spaniels is hunted, none of which are accustomed to retrieve.

[50] Regular retrievers are never used in America except on the Chesapeake bay for fowl-shooting.--H.W.H.

WATER RETRIEVERS--OR WATER SPANIELS--TO RETRIEVE WOUNDED BEFORE PICKING UP DEAD WILD FOWL.

302. This a knowing old dog will often do of his own accord; but you must not attempt to teach a young one this useful habit until you are satisfied that there is no risk of making him blink his birds. You can then call him off when he is swimming towards dead birds, and signal to him to follow those that are fluttering away. If the water is not too deep, rush in yourself, and set him a good example by actively pursuing the runaways; and until all the cripples that can be recovered are safely bagged, do not let him lift one of those killed outright. If very intelligent, he will before long perceive the advantage of the system, or at least find it the more exciting method, and adhere to it without obliging you to continue your aquatic excursions. For advice about water retrievers, see 81 to 85. I have placed this paragraph among the "refinements" in breaking; but I ought, perhaps, to have entered it sooner; for if you are fond of duck-shooting, and live in a neighborhood where you have good opportunities of following it, you should regard this accomplishment as a necessary part of your spaniel's education.

303. In your part of the country none of these extra, or, as some will say, always superfluous accomplishments may be required; but if you consider that a pupil of yours attaining any one of them would be serviceable, be not deterred from teaching it by the idea that you would be undertaking a difficult task. Any one of them, I was nearly saying all of them, could be taught a dog with far greater ease, and in a shorter time, than a well-established, judicious range.

304. It would be quite unreasonable to expect a regular breaker--"mark" I do not say your game-keeper--to teach your dog any of these accomplishments. He may be fully aware of the judiciousness of the system, and be sensible of its great advantages, but the many imperious calls upon his time would preclude his pursuing it in all its details. At the usual present prices, it would not pay him to break in dogs so highly.

305. In following Beckford's advice respecting your making, as far as is practicable, your dog your "constant companion," do not, however, forget that you require him to evince great diligence and perseverance in the field; and, therefore, that his highest enjoyment must consist in being allowed to hunt.

306. Now, it seems to be a principle of nature,--of canine as well as human nature,--to feel, through life, most attachment to that pursuit, whatever it may be, which is most followed in youth. If a dog is permitted as a youngster to have the run of the kitchen, he will be too fond of it when grown up. If he is allowed to amuse himself in every way his fancy dictates, he will think little of the privilege of hunting. Therefore, the hours he cannot pass with you--after you have commenced his education,--I am sorry to say it, but I must do so, he ought to be in his _kennel_--loose in his kennel,[51] not tied up; for straining at his collar would throw out his elbows, and so make him grow up bandy-legged. If, however, he must be fastened, let it be by a chain. He would soon learn to gnaw through a cord, especially if a young puppy, who, from nature, is constantly using his teeth, and thus acquire a trick that some day might prove very inconvenient were no chain at hand. You would greatly consult his comfort by having the chain attached, with a loose ring and swivel, to a spike fixed a few paces in front of his kennel, so that he could take some exercise by trotting round and round.

307. When your dog has attained some age, and hunting has become with him a regular passion, I believe you may give him as much liberty as you please without diminishing his zeal--but most carefully prevent his ever hunting alone, technically called "self-hunting." At that advanced time of life, too, a few occasional irregularities in the field may be innocuously permitted. The steadiest dogs will, at times, deviate from the usual routine of their business, sagaciously thinking that such departure from rule must be acceptable if it tends to obtain the game; and it will be advisable to leave an experienced dog to himself whenever he evinces great perseverance in spontaneously following some unusual plan. You may have seen an old fellow, instead of cautiously "roading" and "pointing dead," rush forward and seize an unfortunate winged bird, while it was making the best use of its legs after the flight of the rest of the covey--some peculiarity in the scent emitted having probably betrayed to the dog's _practised_ nose that the bird was injured. When your pup arrives at such years of discrimination, you need not so vigorously insist upon a patient "down charge" should you see a winged cock-pheasant running into cover. Your dog's habits of discipline would be, I should hope, too well confirmed by his previous course of long drill for such a temporary departure from rule to effect any permanent mischief; but oh! beware of any such laxity with a _young_ pupil, however strongly you may be tempted. In five minutes you may wholly undo the labor of a month. On days, therefore, when you are anxious, _coûte qui coûte_, to fill the game-bag, pray leave him at home. Let him acquire any bad habit when you are thus pressed for birds, and you will have more difficulty in eradicating it than you would have in teaching him almost any accomplishment. This reason made me all along keep steadily in view the supposition, that you had commenced with a dog unvitiated by evil associates, either biped or quadruped; for assuredly you would find it far easier to give a thoroughly good education to such a pupil, than to complete the tuition (particularly in his range) of one usually considered broken, and who must, in the natural order of things, have acquired some habits more or less opposed to your own system. If, as a puppy, he had been allowed to self-hunt and chase, your labor would be herculean. And inevitably this would have been your task had you ever allowed him to associate with any dog who "self-hunted." The oldest friend in your kennel might be led astray by forming an intimacy with the veriest cur, if a "self-hunter." There is a fascination in the vice--above all, in killing young hares and rabbits--that the steadiest dog cannot resist when he has been persuaded to join in the sport by some vagabond of a poacher possessing a tolerable nose, rendered keenly discerning by experience.

308. I hope that by this time we too well understand each other for you now to wonder why I think that you should not commence hunting your young dog where game is abundant. Professional breakers prefer such ground, because, from getting plenty of points, it enables them to train their dogs more quickly, and _sufficiently well_ to ensure an early sale. This is _their_ object, and they succeed. _My_ object is that you shall establish _ultimately_ great perseverance and a fine range in your young dog, let birds be ever so scarce. If you show him too many at first, he will subsequently become easily dispirited whenever he fails in getting a point.

309. The good condition of a dog's nose is far from being an immaterial part of his conditioning, for on the preservation of its sensitiveness chiefly depends your hope of sport. If it be dry from being feverish, or if it be habituated to the villanous smells of an impure kennel, how are you to expect it to acknowledge the faintest taint of game--yet one that, if followed up by olfactory nerves in high order, would lead to a sure find? Sweetness of breath is a strong indication of health. Cleanliness is as essential as a judicious diet; and you may be assured, that if you look for excellence, you must always have your youngster's kennel clean, dry, airy, and yet sufficiently warm. The more you attend to this, the greater will be his bodily strength and the finer his nose.

In India the kennels are, of course, too hot; but in the best constructed which fell under my observation, the heat was much mitigated by the roofs being thickly thatched with grass. In England, however, nearly all kennels--I am not speaking of those for hounds--are far too cold in winter.

310. There must be _sufficient_ warmth. Observe how a petted dog, especially after severe exercise, lays himself down close to the fire, and enjoys it. Do you not see that instinct teaches him to do this? and must it not be of great service to him? Why, therefore, deny him in cold weather, after a hard day's work, a place on the hearth-rug? It is the want of sufficient heat in the kennels, and good drying and brushing after hard work, that makes sporting dogs, particularly if they are long-coated ones, suffer from rheumatism, blear eyes, and many ills that generally, but not necessarily, attend them in old age.

FOOTNOTES:

[51] Twice a day he should be allowed to run out, that he may not be compelled to adopt habits wholly opposed to his natural propensities. If he has acquired the disagreeable trick of howling when shut up, put a muzzle on him.

CONCLUSION.

311. Gentle Reader, according to the courteous phraseology of old novels, though most probably I ought to say Brother Sportsman;--If you have had the patience to attend me, through the preceding pages, while I have been describing the educational course of a dog from almost his infancy, up to maturity, I will hope that I may construe that patience into an evidence that they have afforded you some amusement, and perhaps, some useful instruction.

312. Though I may have failed in persuading you to undertake the instruction of your dogs yourself, yet I trust I have shown you how they ought to be broken in: and if you are a novice in the field, I hope I have clearly explained to you in what manner they ought to be shot over--a knowledge which no one can possess by intuition, and which you will find nearly as essential to the preservation of the good qualities of well-tutored dogs as to the education of uninformed ones.

313. I believe that all I have said is perfectly true, and, as the system which I have described advocates kind treatment of man's most faithful companion, and his instruction with mildness rather than severity, I trust that you will be induced to give it a fair trial, and if you find it successful, recommend its adoption.

314. I dare not ask for the same favor at the hands of the generality of regular trainers--I have no right to expect such liberality. They, naturally enough, will not readily forgive my intruding upon what they consider exclusively their own domain,--and, above all, they will not easily pardon my urging every sportsman to break in his own dogs. They will, I know, endeavor to persuade their employers that the finished education which I have described is useless, or quite unattainable, without a great sacrifice of time; and that, therefore, the system which I advocate is a bad one. They will wish it to be forgotten--that I advise a gradual advance, step by step, from the A, B, C;--that accomplishments have only been recommended _after_ the acquisition of essentials--never at the expense of essentials; that at any moment it is in the instructor's power to say, "I am now satisfied with the extent of my pupil's acquirements, and have neither leisure nor inclination to teach him more;"--and that they cannot suggest quicker means of imparting any grade of education, however incomplete; at least they do not--I wish they would; few would thank them more than myself.

315. Greatly vexed at the erroneous way in which I saw some dogs instructed in the north by one who from his profession should have known better, I promised, on the impulse of the moment, to write. If I could have purchased any work which treated the subject in what I considered a judicious and perspicuous manner, and, above all, which taught by what means a _finished_ education could be imparted, I would gladly have recommended the study of it,--have spared myself the trouble of detailing the results of my own observations and experience,--and not have sought to impose on any one the task of reading them. When I began the book, and even when I had finished it, I intended to put it forth without any token by which the writer might be discovered. Mr. Murray, however, forcibly represented that unless the public had some guarantee for the fidelity of the details there would be no chance of the little work being circulated, or proving useful; therefore, having written solely from a desire to assist my brother sportsmen and to show the injudiciousness of severity, with a wish that my readers might feel as keen a zest for shooting as I once possessed, and with a charitable hope that they might not be compelled to seek it in as varied climates as was my lot, I at once annexed my address and initials to the manuscript.

W.N.H.

_United Service Club, Pall Mall._

EDITOR'S NOTE.

In section 299, page 643, Col. Hutchinson argues _against_ a retrieving Pointer or Setter, pointing a dead bird when ordered "_find_," and not lifting it until ordered to "fetch." This is the single rule of breaking in which I wholly differ from the Colonel; but _here_ I differ so widely, that I would not own a dog which did _not_ point until ordered to "fetch;" and I consider that one which "fetches" without pointing, when simply ordered to "find," is worthless.

Col. Hutchinson argues that there is a difference in the scent of a wounded and an unwounded bird, which enables a dog certainly to discriminate between the two, so that he may be trusted to point all the live birds he may meet in the way to find his dead bird, and yet to rush upon the latter and pick him up without making any pause. On the other hand, he argues as if there were _no_ difference in the scent of the two, when he says that if the dog be taught to point until ordered to "fetch," and chance to point a live bird before finding the dead, he will _flush_ the live bird on being ordered to "fetch" the dead. I admit that there _is_ a difference of scent at all times to the best nosed dogs, but very faint, even to the best, in bad scenting weather; but that difference will more easily make the dog refuse to flush a live bird, if he do point before fetching, than make him pause to point a live one, if allowed to rush in upon dead ones. The only rule that will keep a dog always up to his business is, that he shall always "_point_" every game bird or animal he comes upon, dead or living, and always "_drop_," when it runs or rises, whether a shot be fired or not. I have always shot over dogs broken to point before fetching. I have often been deceived in supposing a fresh bird newly pointed to be the killed one, but have always found my dogs to hesitate so distinctly, before obeying the order to "_fetch_," as to make it evident that I was in error, and allow me to correct it.

For the better comprehension of the above admirable treatise on breaking, I wish to add, for the benefit of the American sportsmen, that, wherever Col. Hutchinson speaks of the partridge, it is the English bird which he intends, which, in its habits, is closely analogous to our quail; and that all his precepts as to breaking on partridge hold good precisely for the quail with us. In the same way all his precepts for grouse-shooting apply, letter for letter, to our prairie-fowl-shooting; and his precepts for pheasant-shooting to the hunting and shooting of our ruffed grouse, called in the northern states the partridge, and in the southern and western the pheasant. When he speaks of the rabbit as distinct from the hare, he alludes to a European animal which does not exist in America, the original stock of the tame rabbit, which has the habit of burrowing in the ground and dwelling in great communities, known as warrens. We have two kinds of hare, the small one commonly known as the rabbit, and the large Canadian hare, which turns white in winter; but no genuine rabbit. Hutchinson's rules as to breaking, in regard to the English hares and rabbits, hold good of both our varieties.

I will only say farther, that when he speaks of shooting in turnips or potatoes, we may apply his rules to any tall-growing vegetable covert, such as clover, rag weed, wild meadow-grass, or the like, those crops not being so extensively cultivated with us as to be haunted in general by game. Similarly, when he mentions breaking spaniels to gorse, we may substitute hollies, black-brush, cat-briers, and any other thorny covert common in any section of the country; but, in fact, no especial breaking is needed with us, as we have no brake which exactly compares with furze. H.W.H.

INDEX.

A.

Abscess, about the tail, 283, 284. treatment of, 284 in the flap of the ear, 427. treatment of, ib.

Accomplishments or Refinements-- distinguishing dog whistles, 629. dog to back the gun, 630. to head running birds, 635. to hunt without gun, 633. to retreat and resume point, 632. regular retrievers to beat, 644. setter to retrieve, 638. water retriever to fetch cripples, 645.

Action of physic on dogs, 107.

Acute purgation, 263. treatment of, 264. rheumatism, 274. treatment of, 276.

Administration of medicine, 106.

Advice to practitioners, 80.

Affection an incentive, 565.

After-discharge, 394.

Age for education, 470, 495, 527.

Aids to promote labor, 376.

Assistance, when to be afforded during pupping, 360.

Asthma, 218. treatment of, 220.

Attention, necessary, for the sucking bitch, 400. necessary, to the teeth of the dog, 183.

Author's cause of writing, 653.

Avoid having a battle with a dog, 82.

Axioms, 576, 618.

B.

Back, turned brings dog away, 557.

Backing, how taught, 614, 615. initiatory lesson in, 488. the gun, 630.

Battle, avoid having one with a dog, 82.

Beagles, 21.

Beat, a range, taught, 527, 529, 538, 541, 544. bad, hard to cure, 581.

Beat, good, difficult but invaluable, 548 Herbert's opinion, 560. without gun, 633. of five or six dogs, 562. of four dogs, 561. of three dogs, 560. of two dogs, 558. taught following dog, 549.

Beef-tea, how to make, 97.

Beckon, why useful signal, 482. and "Heel" differ, 485.

Bitch, in use, 24. in pup, 26.

Bells put on dogs, 496.

Best dogs err, concise hints, 623.

Bird, dead, loss of discourages dog, 592 dead, seized and torn by dog, 597. shot on ground steadies dog, 610. shot, search for, 570, 589, 591, 593, 597, 641. shot, signal heel, 573. winged, shoot on ground, 591.

Birds, lie well, dog winding them, 547. wild, intercepted, 635, 636. wounded, scent differs, 641. wounded, first retrieved, 645. wounded, make for covey, 641. wounded, found evening, 595. wounded, the search for, 570. wounded, observed by dog, 518.

Black too conspicuous a color, 508.

Blacksmith shoeing kicker, 494.

Blinking dead bird, 571. from punishment, 611. initiatory lessons prevent, 471.

Bones of the dog not rightly placed in the skeleton at the London Veterinary College, 109. stones and bricks not good for dogs, 185. when large, do not injure dogs, 91.

Boots, to render waterproof, 57.

Bowel diseases, 56, 246.

Brace of dogs sufficient, if good, 137.

Breaking of young dogs, 29.

Break in dogs yourself, 464.

Breaker, qualifications required, 466. one better than two, 470.

Breaker, hunt too many, 475, 620. idle, dislike bold dogs, 554.

Breaking fence prevented, 556.

Breeding in-and-in bad, 579.

Breeding, 15, 21, 25.

Bronchocele, 148. treatment of, 199.

Bruises, remedy for, 55.

Bull-dogs, remarks upon, 402.

C.

Cancer of the scrotum, 319. of the teats, 408. of the vagina, 344.

Canker, within and without the ear, 53, 54, 419. causes, ib. external, 421. treatment of, 423. internal, 424. former accounts of, ib. treatment of, 423. of the mouth, 189. treatment of, 190.

Capped hock or elbow, 452. treatment for, 453.

Care, necessary for the pups, 378. required after pupping, 391. signal for, 484.

Carrots for horses, 469.

Carrying, how taught, 510.

Carts, dog, 442.

Cases, details of various, 61

Castor oil, 116.

Castration, 323.

Cataract, 429. causes of, 430.

Catheter, passing of the, 329, 377.

Caution, taught to fast dogs, 516, 552. in excess, 583. cure for, 584.

Cautious and wild dog contrasted, 551. dog rarely too fast, 551.

Chain better than cord, 647.

Check cord, 489, 490, 581, 588. spike to, 476, 580, 609.

Chemists to be avoided as doctors for dogs, 196.

Choice of a male, 347.

Chronic diarrhoea, 265. treatment of, 266.

Chronic hepatitis, 221. symptoms of, 222. treatment of, 225.

Circle wide when heading dog, 569.

Claws, 437. to cut, 438. dew, 437. falling off of the, 439. sinuses up the, 440.

Clean, to, the dog's teeth, 186.

Clumber spaniels, 502.

Cock shooting, 482.

Cocker, the, 20.

Cold or coriza, 209.

Colic, 252. symptoms of, 258. treatment of, 255.

Collar and chain, 102. a light one on dog, 565.

Colors for concealment, 508.

Commands, given in a low tone, 473. understood before seeing game, 471.

Comb and brush, 101.

Companion, dog to be yours, 473. initiatory lessons with, 487, 488.

Condition, 42.

Confidence of the dog, how to gain, 82.

Consistency necessary, 466, 578.

Coolness recommended, 578.

Costiveness, 247. treatment of, 250.

Cough, 202. treatment of, 203.

Couple to older dog, 479.

Couples, accustomed to, 487.

Courage, created, 530, 614.

Covert, pointers in, 506.

Cripples, first retrieved, 645.

Crochet, 384.

D.

Danger of domestic remedies, 77.

Dead bird, blinking of, 571. lifted by you, error of, 511. loss of, discourages dog, 592. rushing into, 597, 622. search for, 626, 647, 649. search for, with two dogs, 641. the first killed, 569. to be pointed, 571. but not by retrieving pointer, &c., 643. torn by dog, 597.

Dead, initiatory lesson in, 473, 480.

Death of unborn pups, sign of, 383.

Dew-claws, 437.

Diarrhoea, 261.

Digestive discharge, 313. symptoms of, 314. treatment of, 316.

Diseases dependent on internal organs, 240. of the limbs, 437.

Distance, between parallels, 546. dog's knowledge of, 582.

Distemper, 46, 58, 120. brain not subject to disease in, 138. chorea in, 145. disposition of dogs to gnaw their bodies in, 143. dogs may have the disease many times, 135. the dogs that most escape its attacks, 126.

Distemper, earliest symptoms of, 126. eruption in, 142. exercise and food influence the disorder, 126. eyes in, 132. fainting fits in, 149. fearful cries in, 137. fits in, 140. its causes undiscovered, 124. importance of diet in, 152. liver involved in, 134. lungs diseased in, 133. morbid appetite during the fits in, 167. ordinary treatment for, 121. paralysis of the hind legs in, 145. periods when it attacks animals, 125. popular remedies for, 122. resembles continued fever, 123. skin peels after an attack of, 149. stomach and intestinal diseases in, 135. symptoms when it abates, 132. treatment for, 154. tumours in, 144. very treacherous, 130. when the disease is established, 127.

Distribution of the dog, 73.

Diving, how taught, 513.

Dog-carts, 442.

Dog's tooth-brush, 188.

Dogs, are generally misunderstood, 76. are very intelligent, 103. shape of, 639. slow beating, more than faster, 503. wildest, most energetic, 489, 531.

Down, _see_ "Drop." charge, dog pointing not to, 618. initiatory lesson in, 478. why retrievers should, 521.

"Drop," a better word than "down," 536. dog, to another dropping, 488. dog, to game rising, 601. Initiatory lessons in, 474, 476, 478. unnatural, "Toho," natural, 476.

Dropsy of the chest, 217. treatment of, 217. of the uterus, 345. of the perinæum, 289. treatment of, 291.

Duck, wood duck of America, 631. shooting, in wild rice, 509.

Ducks, wounded, first retrieved, 645.

Dysentery, 261.

E.

Ear, canker within and without, 53, 54, 419. causes, 420. torn, 56. rounding of the dog's, 422.

Ears, not pulled violently, 601.

Eating, dogs have lively sympathies for, 95. of the young by the mother, 393.

Education, age when commenced, 471. best conducted by one, 470. commenced from A B C, 652. expeditious, economical,489.

Ejection of the eye, 435. treatment for, 436.

Emetics, 117.

Energy, wildest dogs have most, 489, 531.

Enlargement of the testicle, 335. treatment of, ib.

Enteritis, 257. symptoms of, 258. treatment of, 259.

Ergot of rye not a good uterine excitant to the bitch, 365.

Examination of a dog, how to conduct, 81.

Example, advantageous, 615. especially to spaniels, 495. yours, has influence, 569, 622.

Exercise, 42, 90. on the road, 493.

Experiments, 108.

External canker, 421. treatment of, 423.

Eye, the, 429. films over, 56. ejection of, 435. treatment for, 436.

F.

Falling off of the claw, 439. of the vagina, 402.

Fastest dogs not beating most, 502. walkers not beating most, 564.

Fasting, initiatory lessons in, 469.

Fatigued, dog not hunted when, 557.

Faults, punishment expected for, 614.

Feeding time, lessons at, 479. pistol fired at, 478.

Feet, 53. ailments of, 437-443. of partridges given to dogs, 642.

Fence, not to be broken, 556. "ware fence," initiatory lesson in, 486.

Fetching, evil of not, 638. lessons in, 510, 512.

Fevers, bilious, 55.

Fields, largest beat, 539.

Films over the eyes, 56.

"Find," initiatory lessons, 480, 481.

"Finder" not to advance, 617.

"Finder" retrieves, 641.

Fire, dog to bask before, 558.

First good point, 568. bird killed, 569.

Fits in the dog, 55, 295. sucking, 396. what to do when they occur, 296. treatment of, 297.

Flap of the ear, abscess in, 427. treatment of, ib.

Flapper shooting, 647.

Fleas, remedy for, 56.

Flogging, how administered, 598. reprobated, 468, 611.

"Flown," initiatory lesson, 486. real, 603.

Fluids, to give, 118.

Food for a diseased dog, 96. proper for dogs, 40, 90.

Foot-sore, 53, 440.

Footing a scent, 487, 511, 581.

Forceps ought not to be used during parturition, 371.

Form desirable in a bitch for breeding, 349.

Forward initiatory lesson, 481.

"Foul," 239.

Fowls, killing of, the cure, 627.

Fractures, 444. treatment for, 446.

Fungoid tumours, 340.

G.

Gain, to, the confidence of a dog, 82.

Game book, form of, 68. lies too close in turnips, 551. not shown too soon to dog, 471, 588. spring toward gun, 496, 508.

Gastritis, 233. what dogs most liable to, 234. treatment of, 236.

Generative organs, female, 337. male, 313.

Give, to, solids, 111. fluids 113.

Glans, swelling of, 327.

Gone, initiatory lesson, 486. real, 603.

Gorse, spaniels to be habituated to, 495.

Greyhounds, food for, in training, 56.

Growths, morbid, in the bitch, 338.

Gun, dog to back the, 630. first over fence, not dog, 556. game flushed toward the, 496, 508, 603.

Guns, a few words on, 41. to preserve the barrels from rust of salt water, 57. water-proofing for the locks, 58.

Gutta Serena, 431. causes, ib.

H.

Hæmaturia, 326.

Hand, bird delivered into, 511.

Hand, rewards taken from, 478.

Hare, chase of, checked, 607, 608. heavy, tempts dog to drop, 519. killed in form, steadies dog, 610. scent of strong, 607. shooting of condemned, 604. wounded, dog may pursue, 610.

Haste, when imperative, during pupping, 383.

Heading birds, 635. dog, making too stanch, 583. circle wide, 509.

Heat, 55, 353.

Hedge, farthest side hunted, 496. rows not to be hunted, 542.

Heel, signal to, on killing, 573, 577. signal to, 482, 485.

Hepatitis, 221. chronic, ib. symptoms of, 223. treatment of, 225.

Herbert's Field Sports in the United States, 560.

Hereditary instincts, 525, 597.

Horses how taught at Astley's, 468. fed on firing, 478.

Hot bath kills during parturition, 364.

I.

Imitative, dogs are, 568.

In-and-in breeding injudicious, 579.

Independence imparted, 623.

Indigestion, 237, 282. symptoms of, 228. treatment of, 229.

Inflammation of the bowels, 56. of the lungs, 211. treatment of, 215.

Initiatory lessons important, 469, 471, 480, 529, 532.

Injuries to the tongue, 195. treatment of, ib.

Instrument, parturition, recommended, 381.

Instruments, certain, when lawful to employ them in pupping, 372. as a rule deadly in parturition, 368.

Internal canker, 424. former accounts of, ib. treatment for, 425.

Intestines, peculiarity of, 246.

Introsusception, 268.

Inversion of the womb, 404.

K.

Kennel, the, 44. dog ought to be in his, 646.

Killing fowls, the remedy, 627. sheep, cure attempted, 625.

Kind of dogs alluded to in this book, 89.

L.

Labor pains, false, 361.

Large bone may be given to dogs, 91.

Larynx, 201.

Leeward, beat from, 555.

Left hand signals "down charge," 476. less than right, 535. side of dog, keep on, 583. signal for dog to go on the, 481.

Lessons, initiatory, reasonable, 469, 471, 488, 529. walking in the fields, 527.

Lice, 27, 55, 105.

Lifting a dog, 591, 636, 642.

Limbs, diseases of the, 437.

Liver, a mild laxative to dogs, 93. hard-boiled, 519.

Lungs, inflammation of, 211. treatment of, 215.

Luxuries hurt the teeth of dogs, 182.

M.

Make beef-tea, how to, 97.

Mange, a general term only, 410. a second description of, 412. treatment for, 413. true, ib. treatment for, ib. another form, 414. treatment for, 51, 415. a fourth sort, 417. treatment for, ib. a fifth kind, ib. treatment for, ib.

Markers used with spaniels, 505.

Medicine, how to administer, 50, 106. generally alluded to, 119.

Milk, how to draw from a bitch, 401.

Morbid growths in the bitch, 338.

Mouth, how to hold open, 111. teeth, tongue, gullet, &c., 179. canker of the, 189. treatment of, 190.

Mute spaniels, old sportsmen prefer, 506.

Muzzle, to, the dog with tape for operations, 428.

N.

Names ending in "O" dissimilar, 536.

Nervous diseases, 295. system, 299.

Nipping the teeth off, 193.

"No," Better word than "ware," 487.

Noise spoils sport, 466, 473, 539.

Nose carried high, 485, 547.

Nosing allowed, 593.

Number of pups a bitch can rear, 26, 395.

Numerous pretenders to cure the dog's diseases, 76.

O.

OEstrum, 353.

Old dog allowed liberties, 648. range taught with, 549.

"On," initiatory lesson in, 473, 474.

Opening pills, 116.

Operations, 450. mode of performing, 451.

Ophthalmia, simple, 432. symptoms of, ib. treatment for, 433.

Original of the dog inquired after, 73.

P.

Parallels, distance between, 546, 547.

Paralysis, 270. treatment of, 273. of the tongue, 193.

Parturition, 346. what is necessary at, 359.

Passing the catheter, 330.

Patience enjoined, 568. required at a pupping, 376.

Peculiarity of the intestines, 246.

Peg or spike on a check-cord, 580, 609.

Perseverance and range attained, 649. in seeking taught, 593.

Perinæum, dropsy of, 345.

Physic, how to administer, 50, 106. action of, on dogs, 107.

Piles, 278. treatment of, 281.

Pills, opening, 116.

Pincushion, retrievers fetch, 513.

Pistol, horse fed at discharge of, 478.

Point, dead, 570. left and resumed, 633. not quitted for down charge, 576, 618. the first good one, 568.

Pointers, 16, 28. out of place in strong cover, 506. points, 638.

Pointing, dog not soon, 528, 580, 589. dog when not to down, 618. origin of, 476.

Poisoning, what to do in case of, 55.

Polypus, 341. how to recognise, 342.

Pot-hunting sportsmen ruin dogs, 621.

Preparatory lessons, important, 469, 471, 529, 522, 563.

Presentations, false, rare in the bitch, 375.

Pretenders are numerous in the cure of canine diseases, 76.

Protrusion of the rectum, 287. treatment of, ib.

Punishment avoided by lessons, 471. causes blinking, 611. decreases, whip carried, 611. not shunned by dogs, 614. how administered, 598. making dogs too stanch, 583. not inflicted on suspicion, 601.

Punishment, reprobated, 468, 611.

Pupping, 346.

Pups, when they may be felt in the mother, 356. when broken difficult to bring away, 379. feeding and weaning, 27, 397.

Purchasers of dogs, hints to, 536.

Purgation, acute, 263. treatment of, 264.

Purgatives, 53, 115.

Puzzle-peg saved by the word "up," 484.

"Puzzling" with nose to ground, 547.

Q.

Quail, large in Canada, 578.

Qualities expected in good dog, 468.

Quarter ground, _see_ Beat.

Quartering, how taught, 33.

R.

Rabbit-shooting reprobated, 604.

Rabies, 299.

"Range," _see_ Beat.

Ranging, how taught, 30.

Receipts, various, 50. _See_ the names of diseases for which remedies are sought.

Rectum, 278. protrusion of, 287. treatment of, ib.

Refinements, _see_ Accomplishments.

Regularity essential in the feeding of dogs, 94.

Relays desirable, not a pack, 563.

Remedies, domestic, the danger of, 77.

Requisites in a dog, 467. in a breaker, 466.

Respiratory organs, 200.

Retention of urine, 328.

Retriever, the, 21. bit for one that mouths, 521. evil of assisting, 519. footing scent, lesson in, 517. for water, qualities in, 508. made whipper in, 492. observes struck bird, 518. to "down charge," or not, 521.

Retrievers, shape, &c. of, 523. to beat, 644. to fetch, taught, 514. to pursue faster, 521. water, to fetch cripples first, 645. how fed, 524.

Retrieving, not taught first season, 640. pointers or setters not to point dead, 643, 654. setters not pointers, 639.

Rewards always given, 478, 481.

Rheumatism, 274. acute, ib. treatment of, 276.

Rice, wild lakes, duck-shooting in 509.

Right, the signal to go toward, 482. hand for "toho" and "drop," 476. signals more than left, 536.

Rounding dogs' ears, 422.

Rope to dog, 647.

Running bird, firing at, 590.

Rushing in to "dead" cured, 622.

S.

Saint Vitus's dance, 240. symptoms of, 241. treatment of, 242.

Scent bad in calm or gale, 540. differently recognized by pointers or setters, 541. of birds not left for hare, 607. "footing," an initiatory lesson in, 485. of wounded and unwounded birds differs, 641.

Scrotum, cancer of the, 319.

Search, "dead," 570. with two dogs, 641. for wounded bird to leeward, 589. to windward, 591.

Seeking dead, how taught, 593.

Self-hunting, prevent, 647.

Servant useful in the field, 580.

Seton, to make a, 54.

Setter, the, 18, 25, 28. the Russian, 10. to retrieve, 638.

Setters crouch more than pointers, 475. for covert shooting, 506. points in, 639.

Shoes, to render waterproof, 57.

Shooting excellence in breaker, not necessary, 465.

Shot-belt on spaniels and setters, 496, 602.

Shy birds to be intercepted, 582, 635, 636.

Sight, dog not to be out of, 625.

Sign when parturition is concluded, 390.

Silence enjoined, 467, 539.

Simple ophthalmia, 432. symptoms of, ib. treatment for, 433.

Single-handed, shot to, 623.

Sinuses up the claws, 440.

Skin diseases, 410.

Slow dog associate for young one, 615. hunting more than fast one, 564.

Snake, bite of a, 57.

Snipes, three lifted in succession, 642.

Snoring, 207.

Snorting, ib.

Spaniel, 20.

Spaniels, age when shown game, 495. hunted in gorse, ib. mute preferred, 504. numbers for a team, 500, 508.

Spaniels, requisites in, 498. shot-belt on wildest, 494. that pointed, 498. water, how broken in, 508.

Spike-collar, 586. fastened to check-cord, 580, 609.

Sportsmen to break dogs, 464.

Spring, dogs broken in, 537.

Springing the other birds after pointing one, 575.

Staggers, 55.

Stanch, made too by heading, 583.

Stone, error of retrieving with, 512. in the bladder, 325.

Stoppage, 268.

Strain, remedy for, 54.

Strangulation, 267.

Substances fit for sick dogs, 96.

Summary imparted by lessons, 532.

Swelling of the glans, 327.

T.

Tape, to make a muzzle of, for operations, 428.

Tapes, their use objected to when giving medicine, 114.

Teats, swelling, 56. cancer of the, 408.

Teeth of the dog are hurt by luxuries, 182. to clean the dog's, 188. nipping off the, 193.

Temperament of the dog, 79.

Temper, hereditary, 525. in breaker necessary, 466.

Temporary teeth, how to extract them, 184.

Testicle, the absence of, 333. enlargement of, 335. treatment of, ib.

Thorns, to extract, 51.

Time proper for putting to the dog, 355. given determines education, 463. saved by initiatory lessons, 488.

Timidity cured, 530, 612, 613.

"Toho," first good one in the field, 568. initiatory lessons in, 473, 474, 476.

Tongue, paralysis, 193. injuries to, 195. treatment of, ib.

Tooth-brush, 188

To tell when the bitch is in pup, 357.

Tranquillity, how to ascertain when the dog has recovered it, 83.

Tumours, fungoid, 340.

Turning back brings dog away, 577.

Two dogs, beat of, 558, 559.

U.

"Up," signal for, initiatory lesson, 484.

Uterus, dropsy of, 345. form of the, 372.

V.

Vagina, cancer of the, 344. falling of the, 402.

Vermin, 104.

W.

Walkers, fastest, not beating most, 564.

Ware not so good a word as "No," 487.

Warmth necessary for dog, 318.

Water-brash, 231. spaniels, 507. retrievers, how broken, 508. observe struck bird, 518. qualities in, 508. dog taught to plunge in, 512.

Whip carried saves punishment, 611. to crack loudly, 548.

Whistle, low, 473, 630. dissimilar notes on one, 629. distinguishing for each dog, 628. inattentive to, how to punish, 548. initiatory lesson in, 473.

Whistling, to animate, injudicious, 466, 539.

White too conspicuous a color, 508.

Wild birds intercepted, 582, 635, 636.

Wild dog compared with cautious, 551. dogs turning out best, 553.

Wild fowl, wounded, retrieved first, 645 reconnoitred with glass, 508.

Winged birds, _see_ Bird winged.

Womb, shape of, 372 inversion of, 404. treatment for, 405

Worming, 192.

Worms, 51.

Wounds, 53.

Wounded birds, _see_ Bird wounded.

Y.

Youth, game followed in, liked, 498. occupation followed in, liked 647.

Transcriber's notes

The following typographical errors have been corrected as noted below.

Page 57 headed corrected to healed Page 66 Rhubard corrected to Rhubarb Page 87 membrance corrected to membrane Page 90 greese corrected to grease Page 243 vonica corrected to vomica Page 394 pleaseed corrected to pleased Page 457 SHOOITNG corrected to SHOOTING Page 658 Crotchet corrected to Crochet Page 660 Hane corrected to Hand

Errors in Table of contents and List of Illustration descriptions have not been corrected.

End of Project Gutenberg's The Dog, by Dinks, Mayhew, and Hutchinson