Page:The American Boy's Handy Book edition 1.djvu/262

As every sportsman has a peculiar system of his own for breaking a dog, it is scarcely necessary for me to give more than these few hints; only let me again caution you against using the whip too often. Spare the lash and keep a good stock of patience on hand; otherwise in breaking the dog you will also break his spirit and have a mean, treacherous animal that will slink and cringe at your slightest look, but seldom obey you when he thinks he is out of reach of the dreaded whip.

All dogs, whether intended for the field, for pets, or for companions, should be taught to follow at their master's heels at the command of "heel," to run ahead at the command of "hi on," and to drop at the command of "charge" or "down charge." When your dog learns to obey these simple commands, it will be found an easy matter to extricate and keep your canine friend out of scrapes. Suppose you have a small but pugnacious dog and in your walk you meet a large, ugly. tempered brute much too powerful for your own dog to master in the fight that is certain to ensue unless by some command you can prevent it. The strange dog will not obey you, but if you give the order to "heel" to your own dog he will follow with his nose at your heels, and the enemy will seldom if ever attack a dog while so near his master.

Study the characteristics of your dog, and by taking advantage of its peculiarities it may be taught many amusing tricks. I have a little dog called Monad, and whether his master walks, drives, sails or rows Monad always accompanies him, even sitting in front of the sliding seat of a single shell boat for hours at a time, perfectly happy and apparently conscious of the attention he attracts from all people on the shore or in the passing boats; the latter he generally salutes with a bark. Monad will, when requested to do so, close a door, sneeze, bark, or sit