Retriever pups born about the end of January are old enough, by August
or September, to begin their careers of usefulness. If given light
work, during the second half of their first year they may be ready
to take an important part in the next shooting season, when eighteen
months old. Spring puppies are certainly easier to rear than autumn
puppies--they grow faster, and are likely to become finer specimens
than the others, which must endure long months of trying weather during
puppyhood. But there is this in favour of autumn puppies--they come to
their first shooting season at a more mature age, and intellectually
are readier to learn than the six months old puppies of spring. At the
age of twelve months a puppy begins to put away puppyish things.
It is only possible to gain perfection in the education of a puppy by
beginning so soon as it is weaned. From that time the puppy should
be taken in hand by its future master, whom alone it should know and
understand. One can hardly begin too early to teach the meaning of the
word "No," which, to the puppy, is that it must not do something that
it had thought desirable to do--whether to chase a cat or rabbit, to be
excited at the rising of a lark, or to hunt a roadside hedge. Another
important early lesson is teaching the puppy its name. For stud-book
and show purposes the name may be, if you please, "Beelzebub of
Babylon," or any other high-flown title, but for common use it should
be distinct in sound, and preferably of not more than one syllable.
Puppies may be taught their names and obedience at the same time; in
classes perhaps more quickly and more thoroughly than individually. It
is a good plan at feeding-time to have the puppies together, and put
food outside an opening in their kennel; then to call out each puppy by
name, and on no account allow any other to come than the one called.
In a surprisingly short time it will be possible to set open the door
and call out each puppy by name, without forcibly keeping back the
uninvited. In this way a good grounding might be given to the favourite
fox-terriers in obedience, of which so many have not the slightest
notion.
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