SHOOTING HARES. COURAGE IMPARTED.--"BACKING" TAUGHT.
230. Probably you may be in a part of the country where you may wish to
kill hares to your dog's point. I will, therefore, speak about them,
though I confess I cannot do it with much enthusiasm. Ah! my English
friend, what far happier autumns we should spend could we but pass them in
the Highlands! Then we should think little about those villanous hares. We
should direct the whole _undivided_ faculties of our dogs, to work out
the haunt of the noble grouse.[42] As for rabbits, I beg we may have no
further acquaintance, if you ever even in imagination, shoot them to your
young dog. Should you be betrayed into so vile a practice, you must resign
all hope of establishing in him a confirmed systematic range. He will
degenerate into a low potterer,--a regular hedge-hunter. In turnips he
will always be thinking more of rabbits than birds. It will be soon enough
to shoot the little wretches to him when he is a venerable grandfather.
The youngster's noticing them--which he would be sure to do if you had
ever killed one to him--might frequently lead to your mis-instructing him,
by earnestly enforcing "Care" at a moment when you ought to rate him
loudly with the command "Ware"--or "No." But to our immediate subject.
231. Defer as long as possible the evil day of shooting a hare over him,
that he may not get too fond--65--of such vermin--I beg pardon, I mean
game--and when you do kill one, so manage that he may not see it put into
the bag. On no account let him mouthe it. You want him to love the pursuit
of feather more than of fur, that he may never be taken off the faintest
scent of birds by coming across the taint of a hare. I therefore entreat
you, during his first season, if you will shoot hares, to fire only at
those which you are likely to kill outright; for the taint of a wounded
hare is so strong that it would probably diminish his zeal, and the
sensitiveness of his nose, in searching for a winged bird.
232. The temptation is always great to quit for a strong scent of
hare--which any coarse-nosed dog can follow--a feeble one of birds;
therefore it is a very satisfactory test of good breaking to see a dog,
when he is drawing upon birds, in no way interrupted by a hare having just
crossed before him. If you aim at such excellence, and it is frequently
attained in the Highlands, it is certain you must not shoot hares over
your youngster.
233. I hope that he will not see a hare before you have shot a few birds
over him. The first that springs up near him will test the perfection to
which he has attained in his initiatory lessons. Lose not a moment. It is
most essential to restrain instantaneously the naturally strong impulse of
the dog to run after four-footed game. Halloo out "Drop" to the extent of
your voice,--raise your hand,--crack your whip,--do all you can to prevent
his pursuing. Of course you will not move an inch. Should he commence
running, thunder out "No," "no." If, in spite of everything, he bolts
after the hare, you have nothing for it but patience. It's no use to give
yourself a fit of asthma by following him. You have only half as many legs
as he has--a deficiency you would do well to keep secret from him as long
as possible. Wait quietly where you are--for an hour if necessary. You
have one consolation,--puss, according to her usual custom, has run down
wind,--your dog has lost sight of her, and is, I see, with his nose to the
ground, giving himself an admirable lesson in reading out a haunt. After a
time he will come back looking rather ashamed of himself, conscious that
he did wrong in disobeying, and vexed with himself from having more than a
suspicion forced upon him, that he cannot run so fast as the hare. When he
has nearly reached you, make him "drop." Scold him severely, saying, "Ware
chase"--a command that applies to the chase of birds as well as of
hares.--Pull him to the place where he was when first he got a view of the
hare,--make him lie down--rate him well,--call out "No," or "Hare," or
"Ware chase," or any word you choose, provided you uniformly employ the
same. Smack the whip and punish him with it, but not so severely as you
did when we assumed that he tore the bird--end of 221. You then flogged
him for two offences: first, because he rushed in and seized the bird;
secondly, because he tore it and _tasted_ blood. If you had not then
punished him severely, you could never have expected him to be
tender-mouthed. On the next occasion he might have swallowed the bird,
feathers and all.
234. Should he persist in running after hares, you must employ the
checkcord. If you see the hare, at which he is pointing, in its form,
drive a peg firmly into the ground, and attach the cord to it, giving him
a few slack yards, so that after starting off he may be arrested with a
tremendous jerk. Fasten the line to the part of the spike close to the
ground, or he may pull it out.
235. I have known a dog to be arrested in a headlong chase by a shot fired
at him--an act which you will think yet more reprehensible than the
previous mismanagement for which his owner apparently knew no other remedy
than this hazardous severity.
236. When you are teaching your dog to refrain from chasing hares, take
him, if you can, where they are plentiful. If they are scarce, and you are
in the neighborhood of a rabbit-warren, visit it occasionally of an
evening. He will there get so accustomed to see the little animals running
about unpursued by either of you, that his natural anxiety to chase fur,
whether it grow on the back of hare or rabbit, will be gradually
diminished.
237. In Scotland there are tracts of heather where one may hunt for weeks
together and not find a hare; indeed, it is commonly observed, that hares
are always scarce on those hills where grouse most abound. In other parts
they are extremely numerous. Some sports men in the Highlands avail
themselves of this contrasted ground in order to break a young dog from
"chasing." They hunt him, as long as he continues fresh, where there are
no hares; and when he becomes tired, they take him to the Lowlands, where
they are plentiful. By then killing a good many over him, and severely
punishing him whenever he attempts to follow, a cure is often effected in
two or three days. In the yet higher ranges, the mountain-hares, from
possessing a peculiarly strong scent, and not running to a distance, are a
severe trial to the steadiest dog.
238. Killing a sitting hare to your dog's point will wonderfully steady
him from chasing; but do not fire until he has remained stanch for a
considerable time. This will show him that puss is far more likely to be
bagged by _your_ firing than by _his_ pursuing.
239. For the same object,--I mean to make your young dog stanch,--I would
recommend your killing a few birds on the ground to his point were it not
that you rarely have the opportunity.
240. When you have made your dog perfectly steady from chasing you
may--supposing you have no retriever at hand,--naturally enough, inquire
how you are to teach him to follow any hare you may be so unlucky as
merely to wound. I acknowledge that the task is difficult. I would say, at
once resolve to give up every wounded hare during his first season.[43]
The following year, provided you find that he remains quite steady, on
your wounding an unfortunate wretch, encourage your dog to pursue it by
running yourself after it. When he gets hold of it, check him if he mauls
it, and take it from him as quickly as possible. As I cannot suppose that
you are anxious to slaughter every hare you see, let the next two or three
go off without a shot. This forbearance will re-steady him, and after a
while his own sagacity and nose--297--will show him that the established
usage was departed from solely because puss was severely struck.
241. As you wish to flog your dog as little as possible, never go out
without your whip, paradoxical as this may appear. The dog's salutary awe
of the implement which he sees in your possession, like a horse's
consciousness of your heel being armed with a spur, will tend to keep him
in order. If your dog is a keen ranger, you may much spare the whip by
making him crouch at your feet for several minutes after he has committed
a fault. The detention will be felt by him, when he is all anxiety to be
off hunting, as a severe punishment. If he is a mettlesome, high-couraged
animal, he will regard as a yet severer punishment his being compelled to
follow at your heels for half-an-hour, while the other dogs are allowed
the enjoyment of hunting.
242. Excess of punishment has made many a dog of good promise a confirmed
blinker; and of far more has it quenched that keen ardor for the sport,
without which no dog can be first-rate. For this reason, if not from more
humane motives, make it a rule to give but few cuts; let them, however, be
tolerably severe. Your pupil's recollection of them, when he hears the
crack of the whip, will prevent the necessity of their frequent
repetition.
243. I knew of a young fellow's purchasing a pointer of an excellent breed
from a gamekeeper for a _few shillings_ merely, as the animal had become
so timid from over-chastisement, that she not only blinked her game, but
seldom quitted the man's heels. The lad had the good sense to treat the
bitch, at all times, with the greatest kindness: and in order to induce
her to hunt, he used to break off the feet of every bird he killed, and
give them to her to eat along with the sinews. The plan succeeded so well
that she eventually became an unusually keen and fast ranger. This would
be a hazardous step to take with a dog wanted to retrieve. There are few,
if any dogs who may not be tempted by hunger to eat game. A gentleman told
me, that, to his great astonishment, he one day saw an old tender-mouthed
retriever, that he had possessed for years, deliberately swallow a
partridge. Before he could get up to the dog even the tail-feathers had
disappeared. On inquiry it turned out that, through some neglect, the
animal had not been fed.
244. Some argue that blinking arises from a defective nose, not from
punishment; but surely it is the injudicious chastisement following the
blunders caused by a bad nose that makes a dog, through fear, go to "heel"
when he winds birds. A bad nose may lead to a dog's running up birds from
not noticing them, but it cannot _naturally_ induce him to run away from
them. Possibly he may be worthless from a deficiency in his olfactory
powers; but it is hard to conceive how these powers can be improved by a
dread of doing mischief when he finds himself near game. Some dogs that
have been unduly chastised do not even betray themselves by running to
"heel," but cunningly slink away from their birds without giving you the
slightest intimation of their vicinity. I have seen such instances. When a
young dog, who has betrayed symptoms of blinking, draws upon birds, _head_
him, if you can, before you give him the order to "toho:" he will then
have such a large circuit to make, that he will feel the less tempted to
run to your heels.
245. Obedience and intelligence are, as I have already remarked, best
secured by judicious ratings and encouragements--scoldings for bad
conduct,--praise, caresses, and rewards for good. Never forget, therefore,
to have some delicacy in your pocket to give the youngster whenever he may
deserve it. All dogs, however, even the most fearful, ought to be made
able to bear a little punishment. If, _unfortunately_, your dog is
constitutionally timid--I cannot help saying _unfortunately_, though so
many of the sort have fine noses--the whip must be employed with the
greatest gentleness, the lash being rather laid on the back than used,
until such forbearance, and many caresses before his dismissal, have
gradually banished the animal's alarm, and ultimately enabled you to give
him a very slight beating, on his misconducting himself, without any
danger of making him blink. By such means, odd as it may sound, you
_create_ courage, and with it give him self-confidence and range.
246. A judiciously-educated dog will know as well as you do whether or not
he has earned a chastisement, and many a one is of so noble a nature that
he will not wish to avoid it if he is conscious that he deserves it. He
will become as anxious for good sport as you are, and feel that he ought
to be punished, if from his own misconduct he mars it. Indeed, he will not
have much opinion of your sagacity if you do not then give him a sound
rating, or let him have a taste of the lash, though it matters not how
slight. Clearly this feeling, which it will be right to foster, must have
arisen from his belief that you are always conscious of his
actions--262--therefore never check him for coming towards you on his
committing any unseen error. Moreover, when he has been but a little shot
to, you will find that if you abstain from firing at a bird which through
his fault he has improperly flushed, although in its flight it affords you
an excellent shot, you will greatly vex him; and this will tend to make
him-more careful for the future.
247. When, after a few weeks, you perceive that the youngster has
confidence in himself, and is likely to hunt independently, not
deferentially following the footsteps of an older companion, take out a
well-broken dog with him, that you may have the opportunity of teaching
him to "back." Be careful to choose one not given to make false points;
for if he commits such mistakes, your pupil will soon utterly disregard
his pointing. Select also one who draws upon his birds in a fine,
determined attitude; not one to whose manner even _you_ must be habituated
to feel certain he is on game. Be watchful to prevent your dog ever
hunting in the wake of the other, which, in the humility of canine youth,
he probably will, unless you are on the alert to wave him in a different
direction, the moment you observe him inclined to seek the company of his
more experienced associate. By selecting a slow old dog you will probably
diminish the wish of the young one to follow him; for it is likely that
the youngster's eagerness will make him push on faster, and so take the
lead.
248. The example for a _few_ days--but only for a few days--of a good
stanch dog who is not a hedge-hunter,--has no bad habits, and does not
require being called to--will be advantageous to your inexperienced
animal.
249. On the old dog's pointing, catch the eye of the young one. If you
cannot readily do so, and are not afraid of too much alarming the birds,
call to the old fellow by name, and desire him to "toho." The order will
make the young one look round, and awaken him to a suspicion of what is
going forward. Hold up your right arm--stand still for a minute--and then,
carrying your gun as if you were prepared momentarily to fire, retreat, or
move sideways in crab-like fashion towards the old dog, continuing your
signal to the other to remain steady, and turning your face to him, so
that he may be restrained by the feeling that your eye is constantly fixed
upon him. He will soon remark the attitude of the old dog, and almost
intuitively guess its meaning. Should the old one draw upon his game,
still the other dog must remain stationary. If he advance but an inch,
rate him. Should he rush up--which is hardly to be expected--at him at
once;--having made him drop, catch hold of him, and drag him to the place
at which he should have backed--there--if you judge such strong measures
necessary--peg him down until after you have had your shot and are
reloaded. If by heading the birds you can drive them towards the young
dog, do so; and aim at the one most likely to fall near him. Endeavor to
make him comprehend that any sign or word to urge on or retard the leading
dog in no way applies to him. This he will soon understand, if he has been
properly instructed with an associate in the initiatory lesson described
in 45. After you have picked up the bird let him sniff at it.
250. It is most important that the dog which first winds birds should be
allowed to "road" them to a spring without being flurried, or in any way
interfered with by another dog. Few things are more trying to your temper
as a sportsman, than to see a self-sufficient cub, especially when birds
are wild, creep up to the old dog whom he observes pointing at a distance,
or cautiously drawing upon a covey. The young whipper-snapper pays no
attention to your most energetic signals: you are afraid to speak lest
you should alarm the birds, and before you can catch hold of the
presumptuous jackanapes, he not only steals close to the good old dog, but
actually ventures to head him; nay, possibly dares to crawl on yet nearer
to the birds in the hope of enjoying a more intoxicating sniff.
251. All dogs but the "finder" should stand wholly by sight,--just the
reverse of pointing. Your dog's nose ought to have nothing to do with
backing. If you permit it, he will get the abominable habit of creeping up
to his companions in the manner just described--250--when he observes them
to be winding birds; and though he may not presume to take the lead, nay,
even keep at so respectful a distance as in no way to annoy the "finder,"
yet a longing to inhale the "grateful steam"--as that good poet and
capital sportsman, Somerville, terms it--will make him constantly watch
the other dogs, instead of bestowing his undivided attention and faculties
upon finding game for himself. It is quite enough if he backs whenever you
order him, or he accidentally catches sight of another dog either
"pointing" or "roading;" and the less he is looking after his companions,
the more zealously will he attend to his own duties.
252. If you have any fears that the old dog when he is on birds will not
act steadily, should you have occasion to chide the young one, be careful
to give the old dog a word expressive of your approval, before you
commence to rate the other.
253. When your youngster is hereafter hunted in company, should he make a
point, and any intrusive companion, instead of properly backing him, be
impertinently pressing on, the youngster should not be induced--however
great may be the trial upon his patience and forbearance--to draw one foot
nearer to the game than his own knowledge of distance tells him is
correct; not even if his friend, or rather, jealous rival, boldly assumes
the front rank. Your pupil will have a right to look to you for
protection, and to expect that the rash intruder, however young, be _at
the least_ well rated.
254. It is a matter of little moment whether the "backer" attends to the
"down charge," or continues to back as long as the other dog remains at
his point. It appears, however, best that he should "drop," unless he is
so near that he winds the game, when he would be rather pointing than
backing--and should, consequently, behave as explained in 187;--for the
fewer exceptions there are to general rules the more readily are the rules
observed.
255. Should both dogs make separate points at the same moment, it is clear
that neither can back the other. They must act independently--each for
himself. Moreover, your firing over one should not induce the other to
"down charge," or in any way divert his attention from his own birds. He
ought to remain as immovable as a statue. Some dogs, whose high courage
has not been damped by over-correction, will do this from their own
sagacity; but to enable you to _teach_ them to behave thus steadily, game
should be plentiful. When you are lucky enough to observe both dogs
pointing at the same time, let your fellow-sportsman--or your
attendant--flush and fire at the birds found by the older dog, while you
remain stationary near the young one, quietly but earnestly cautioning him
to continue firm. When your companion has reloaded and picked up his
game--and made the other dog "back,"--let him join you and knock over the
bird at which your pupil is pointing. It will not be long before he--your
young dog--understands what is required of him, if he has been
practised--as recommended in 187--not to "down charge" when pointing
unsprung birds. In short, it may be received as an axiom, that _nothing
ought to make a dog voluntarily relinquish a point so long as he winds
birds; and nothing but the wish to continue his point should make him
neglect the "down charge" the instant he hears the near report of a gun_.
FOOTNOTES:
[42] A superior dog on grouse more easily becomes good on partridge than
a superior partridge-dog becomes good on grouse. Grouse run so much,
both when they are pairing, and after the first flight of the young
pack, that a dog broken on them has necessarily great practice in
"roading,"--"roading," too, with the nose carried high to avoid strong
heather--a valuable instructor,--whereas the dog broken on partridge
often becomes impatient, and breaks away when he first finds grouse. The
former dog, moreover, will learn not to "break fence," and the necessity
of moderating his pace when hunting stubbles and turnips, sooner than
the latter will acquire the extensive fast beat so desirable on heather,
where he can work for hours uninterrupted by hedge, ditch, or furrow;
making casts to the right and left a quarter of a mile in length. First
impressions are as strong in puppyhood as in childhood; therefore the
advantage of having such ground to commence on must be obvious. There
are, however, favored spots in Perthshire, &c., where game so abounds
that close rangers are as necessary as when hunting in England. Alas!
even the grouse-dog will take far too quickly to hedge hunting; and
pottering when on the stubbles. It is, of course, presumed that he is
broken from "chasing hare"--a task his trainer must have found
difficult--though none are ever shot to him--from the few that,
_comparatively_ speaking, his pupil could have seen. Independently,
however, of want of pace and practice in roading, it never would be fair
to take a dog direct from the Lowlands to contend on the Highlands with
one habituated to the latter,--and _vice versa_, for the stranger would
always be placed to great disadvantage. A _faint_ scent of game which
the other would instantly recognise, he would not acknowledge from being
wholly unaccustomed to it. Sometimes, however, a grouse dog of a
ticklish temper will not bear being constantly called to on "breaking
fence." A fine, free-ranging pointer, belonging to one of the brothers
Hy, when brought to an enclosed country, became quite subdued and
dispirited. He could not stand the rating he received for bounding over
the hedges, and he evidently derived no enjoyment from the sport, though
there were plenty of birds. On returning to the Highlands, he quite
recovered his animation and perseverance. He added another to the many
evidences that dogs are most attached to, and _at home_ on, the kind of
country they first hunted.
This note is applicable to the pointer, used to the pinnated grouse on the
Prairies, when brought into close shooting on quail, &c. H.W.H.
[43] This appears extremely cruel; remember, however, that I entreated you
to abstain entirely from shooting hares; but if you would not make this
sacrifice, at least "only to fire at those which you were likely to kill
outright"--231.