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.

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