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Trailing or Tracking - Continued

Exercise 1—LAYING THE TRAIL

In the previous lesson, we observed that at long range the dog brings his nose to the ground before he reaches the object, this being the case especially when the guide has paid attention to the direction of the wind. When the dog is facing into the wind, instantly recognized scent particles are carried to him from the object, these particles serving as a magnet to draw him in the right direction. This small accomplishment must be used to develop further trailing.

In order to make the start easier for the dog, many different angles must be considered when a trail is laid for the first time. Advice given in the chapter preceding—I refer specifically to the matter of ground and weather conditions—must now be followed implicitly.

For the beginner, an open field of short grass, such as a golf course or polo field for example, is ideal, and early morning, before the grounds have been used by others, the most auspicious time. This so-called "virgin ground" should be used by no one except guide and dog before the latter has profited by a certain amount of experience.

Even spectators who might divert the dog's attention should be banned. In summer, early morning hours arc chosen in order to avoid intense heat; likewise, at this time of day the direction of the wind may be more easily observed. And though cigarette or cigar smoke constitutes one means of determining wind direction, smoking should be eliminated because of its deleterious influence upon the dog.

What type of footgear shall the guide wear? This is a very important point. Well-worn shoes arc probably the best help to the dog, not however rubbers or rubber soled shoes. Some of my pupils, during the summer months, practise this lesson barefoot, thus rendering it easier for the dog to scent the trail and bringing success right off!

We are now ready to lay the first trail. The guide marks the starting point with a stick; with his feet scratching up the earth where he stands, before starting out on the trail. Hold the object of search under the arm and walk slowly against the wind in a straight line for perhaps fifty yards. Drop the article in front—don't toss it away—and remain in standing position for a few seconds to inttensify the scent on the ground. This is the end of the trail, commonly called the "warm point" because naturally the end of the trail is fresher than the starting point which, having had a chance to cool off, is known as the "cold point." About face now, and return to the starting point. Walk with the wind, circling to avoid returning over the freshly laid trail.   Consult illustration on page  169,
sketch No. 1.

Take care to lay the first trail in a straight line without deviating from the course, because the dog must be given all possible assistance at the start in order to teach him to find the article through his sense of smell, not by searching with his eyes.

A moot point was raised during a discussion of some years ago when a. well known expert declared that the original scent could be influenced by the juices of broken grass as the guide scraped his feet on the ground to mark the grass-plot trail. Experiments, however, have proved the claim groundless. In fact, investigation showed exactly the same chemical analyses at different points along the trail as at the beginning. The entire trail was laid on grass-covered ground and naturally the grass was broken at every step, yet the scent was just as pronounced.

Exercise 2—TAKING THE SCENT

While the trail is being laid the dog should be tied, in the DOWN position, near the starting point. The dog has watched the entire procedure. He noted what the guide did, the specific direction he took, and he even sensed that the guide returned without the article. Shortly, he will discover that it is his job to find the article when given the necessary assistance.

Giving the scent by gently letting the dog take the scent.

Now comes the work of explaining to the dog exactly what he is to do. The guide should go about this systematically, quietly and without exciting the dog. By this time the dog will be eager to sec what is going on: he'll be ready to run right off in the direction taken by the guide, the moment the leash is picked up.

It is advisable to have the dog at the end of the long leash, and to lead him to the marked spot or starting point, praising him as he goes along. Here again the guide must be calm in his movements, never shouting or giving sharp commands, which might excite the dog. The sign DOWN is given as soon as the starting point is reached.

The guide must hold the leash short in his left hand, then pass his right hand over the dog's nose in order to familiarize him with the scent. Next, he brings the dog's nose gently to the ground where the footprints of the trail have been made.

The guide is now in kneeling position, with the dog's nose to the ground. Give the command FIND IT, at the same time pointing the right hand in the direction the dog is to take. Do not push the dog's nose to the ground, or onto the trail, in fact, the gentler the action the better will be the result. And do not rush toward the trail or issue sharp commands. The calmer the execution of this exercise, the more easily the dog will react and the better the performance of succeeding trailing lessons.

First impressions remain with the dog all his life, consequently future success in trailing will depend largely upon the proper start. For this reason great emphasis is placed on the right beginning. Remember, the prime object of trailing is to allow the dog to take a scent but not to give him a scent!

Exercise 3—SENDING THE DOG ON THE TRAIL

At the command, the dog will sense that he is to go in the direction indicated by the guide. With the scent of his guide's hand still in his nose, the dog as a rule will follow the path taken by the guide comparing the hand scent with the scent of the trail. The guide must give constant, steady encouragement, using quite frequently the gentle command FIND IT, and the familiar praise words, "soisfine" or "that's it." There is no limit to the number of commands, also the more convincing the encouragement: given the better the result is bound to be.

Too hard pulling on the long leash tends to promote "eye trailing," as the opened mouth practically compels the dog to "spy" the object. Thus he is not using Tits nose for real trailing.

The guide should follow closely, playing out more and more rope until the dog reaches the end of the trail. When he finds the article and is given the command FETCH, he should retrieve it correctly as described in Lesson No, 12. Too, the guide must observe carefully that RETRIEVING is executed right through to the FINISH. Naturally, the praise received at the end of the trail should be more pronounced than that accorded along the trail, in that manner indicating to the dog that he has done a good job satisfactory to the guide.

As learned in our first obedience lesson, the dog should not HEEL off the leash until he heels correctly without pulling on the leash. So it is with trailing. He mast trail exactly right on the leash before he is allowed to trail off the leash else, the moment he is free, he will rush right after the article, looking for it, in other words, using his eyes instead of his nose. Close observation will serve to prove this statement. Usually, he will run with his mouth open and his nose high. As has been said before, a dog trailing with his nose in the air is not a trailer; and he'll be a distinct disappointment when worked over territory with which he is not familiar.

On various occasions I have met unskilled guides who seemed intensely proud of their dogs' trailing ability. The dog's nose was pushed to the ground: given the command, he sped away to return in a short while with the article! But, observation disclosed that in practically all of these cases the dog was looking for the article, that he was already familiar with the terrain, that no obstacle interfered and that nothing happened to attract the animal's attention in any way. To be exact; he rushed the trail with his nose in the air!

In those cases where I laid a very plain trail, not one of the dogs was able to work it out for this reason: They had been too superficially trained in taking the scent but had never been taught to discriminate between the scent of different individuals. This proves also that there exists considerable difference in trailing.

The instance, however, is cited not with any intention of discouraging future guides but merely to impress upon them the necessity of taking the exercises seriously and of following instructions to the letter.

THE SEVEN FUNDAMENTAL TRAILS

After the first trail is satisfactorily worked out by the dog as well as by the guide, the straight fifty-yard trail has to be practised, at different places, until the dog is absolutely certain of this type of plain trail.

Let me warn the guide against proceeding, in his eagerness to accomplish the following exercises, if the dog is not sure of his first trail. We must consider that we are teaching the dog something that has to be built up on the basis of all previous exercises, and that the preliminary ex ercise must necessarily be practised more than once or twice if we desire a really dependable trailer. Successful workouts in three, four or even five lessons do not signify that the dog is a trailer. Far from it, the work has not yet begun!

Scientific study of trailing is based upon seven fundamentals which, in more or less varied combinations, will repeat themselves in manifold forms. Regardless of the manner in which a trail is laid, regardless of the way in which it has to be worked out, we will always find these fundamentals in one way or another

1. These fundamentals I will list as follows:
2. The straight trail.
3. The plain angle.
4. The double angle.
5. The circle or round trail.
6. The cross trail.
7. The multi-cross trail (two or more crossings).
8. The parallel trail.

THE STRAIGHT TRAIL-This type of trail, already explained in the preceding chapter, should be practised for several weeks before advancing to practise of the plain angle trail.

THE PLAIN ANGLE TRAIL-First, consult sketch No. 2, on page 179. This trail of, say, fifty yards, is followed by a sharp angle turn to the right or left (but only one turn) and then continued for about ten to twenty yards. By scratching the ground with his shoe the guide marks the angle and, as the dog works this trail, he pays special attention to see that the dog does not over-run the angle. If he does, then the extension of ten yards is usually too short. This drives the scent of the article to the dog, which will not bother further with trailing but instead go right after the article in order to pick it up. The extension will thus have to be made longer. This trail must be practised several times until the dog actually works it out directly with the proscribed angle.

THE DOUBLE ANGLE TRAIL-~Now consult sketch No. 3. This exercise, which is closely related, will cause no difficulty when the advice given for the previous trail is strictly observed. Angle trails should not be made invariably in the same way, that is, always to the right or always to the left, but as varied as possible.

THE CIRCLE OR ROUND TRAIL-See sketch No. 4. Again we start off with a plain trail of fifty yards, but this time in a half or quarter circle. We must in this case make certain that the dog is actually working the trail and that he does not take a straight line to the hidden article because perchance the wind drives the scent directly to him. Nothing but steady, continuous, faithful practice will develop a good trailer on this type of trail which, as a matter of fact, is more difficult than it would appear.

THE CROSS TRAIL-See sketch No. 5. The cross trail offers another innovation owing to the strange trail we meet in our path for the first time, the so-called "decoy." Here, the guide will need a helper or assistant at the start, and to render the work easier for the dog a stranger
is preferable. Naturally, the dog might be tempted to desert the trail if the cross trail or decoy carried the scent of a relative or friend.   We must teach this gradually, helping the dog as much as possible and not making the work harder in the beginning.

The decoy, or the person who crosses the trail, will not need any experience at all: he should be instructed merely to cross the trail of the guide after it has been laid. We need a fresh trail, of course, on the one already laid. A plain crossing is probably the best, and will attract the dog's attention anyway. Upon reaching the decoy's trail, the dog must be encouraged to keep on going: he must understand that this decoy has nothing to do with the article he has to find. In the beginning, the trail of the decoy ought not to be too close to the starting point of the guide's own trail, but at least two-thirds along. Consult sketch No. 5.

THE MULTI-CROSS TRAIL-Sketch No. 6. With its two or more crosstrails, this trail will offer the same opportunity for the dog to make mistakes by losing the right way. Two decoys arc now used. And again be sure to lay the decoy trails after the guide's own trail has been laid because we want fresh trails laid over the main trail.

THE PARALLEL TRAIL-See sketch No. 7. This is the last and final test which offers new difficulties especially when the decoy's trail is right after or along the guide's own trail. Should the dog become uncertain and change over to the decoy's trail, it will be found advisable to make the angle in the beginning not too close to or too absolutely parallel with the guide's trail. Close the angle gradually, however, following longer practise.

The guide will have noted that the distances employed are always the same. Purposely I have not mentioned any other distance because the dog is a new pupil in process of getting acquainted with the fundamentals. If the dog were to be sent a longer distance before finding the article, he might be bored to the extent of losing all interesting further trailing. This is the reason why the short distance is practised throughout until such time as the dog understands fully the seven fundamentals of trailing.

When the dog has advanced to the point of being able to work out the various trails with no difficulty, he may then proceed to the next step which includes working under different weather conditions, at other hours of the day, and even at night when he cannot see hence must use his sense of smell unassisted by his sense of sight.

Definitely, the real sport, the real joy begins when we work under varying conditions, depending upon the guide's interest and inventiveness in devising new trails after the fundamentals are mastered. A most intriguing departure, for example, is to let a longer period of time elapse between the laying of the trail and the working out. And night work especially was enjoyed by many of my former pupils. True, during the course of the work there were innumerable disappointments but with practise and real seriousness of purpose these were in the end successfully overcome.

While, as shown in the various sketches referred to, the dog can always observe the laying of the trail, it is necessary that he be removed later so that he cannot know its complete direction. He is forced then to use his nose to far greater extent than his eyes.

SEEKING BACK

The final lesson on the guide's own trail is SEEKING BACK and, naturally, none but good retrieving dogs will be equipped to perform it. The dog's task is to find, and retrieve, a lost article belonging to the guide, this while walking with the dog. The exercise is interesting because of the fact that it offers greater opportunity for practical use than any of the trailing exercises taught thus far.

I once lost in a field covered with high grass a bunch of keys, which I had used for another dog as a substitute for a throwing chain. After an unsuccessful search I finally gave up, but returned that night to the same place with a dog I had in training. First crossing the field several times,

I gave the dog the scent and the command FIND IT. Only a few minutes had elapsed when the rattling of the keys told me the dog had found them.

In executing this lesson, the guide walks in a straight line with the dog on his left, and the dumbbell carried in his right hand. After proceeding for about ten yards, the dumbbell is dropped—not thrown away—quite obviously so the dog can see it, then the walk continued for ten yards more.

At this point the guide stops, shows the dog his empty hands, turns around, and with his right hand over the dog's nose, sends him back in the direction from which they came, with the encouraging command FIND IT.

The guide should remain in his place, encouraging the dog to locate the dumbbell, and walking forward only in the event the dog makes no attempt to seek the object. Just as soon as he reaches the dumbbell, the guide issues the command FETCH whereupon the dog retrieves and delivers it in the correct manner.

Sometimes the dog makes no effort to go after the dumbbell or other object, because the guide has walked too long a distance in the beginning. The distance from the start to the point of dropping the object must then be shortened, as well as the distance from the dropping point to the end when the dog is sent back. Both distances may be lengthened gradually, and later decoys should be included in the lesson.

Other faults committed in the execution of this exercise include incorrect retrieving and movement of the guide. Retrieving, of course, must be strictly done as described in Lesson No. 12, while the guide should remain in the same place and the identical position from which the dog is sent back.

Subsequently, the SEEKING BACK may be perfected by "losing" the article without the dog's knowledge, without attracting his attention at all.

TRACKING A STRANGER'S TRAIL

The most serious exercise in trailing is to teach the dog to follow or work out the trail of strangers or persons unknown to him. It requires great skill, real understanding between master and dog and, last but not least, patience, patience and more patience! The guide who is not endowed with an enormous amount of this valuable quality had better not start in with this lesson, for only disappointment awaits him.

Dogs lacking in correct scent discrimination and in the trailing of the guide's trail, likewise those in the slightest degree uncertain in solving such problems, should at once be eliminated from the class. There is scant hope of making them even fairly good trailers, and there is danger too that all accomplishments learned up to now may be doomed to failure. The time and effort necessarily expended on this lesson can never be worthwhile if the work is done superficially or in haste. Frequently it requires months and even years to develop satisfactory trailers, while perfect trailers are extremely limited in number.

Granted that the dog is really a trailer insofar as previous lessons are concerned, we can begin with the same procedure as that of the scent discrimination exercise except that this time about three strangers arc brought in to lay down articles exactly as explained in the scent discrimination lesson. The distance is identical in the beginning.

The exercise, however, has three points of difference. First, the articles belong to strangers. Second, the trail is new while the dog is unfamiliar with the scent and has nothing to do with his guide. Third, the dog cannot have known the trail layer.

Study of the foregoing paragraph will disclose that, in this lesson, we expect more from the dog than in any other. Now, the "giving the scent" phase of the trailing exercise must have been practised carefully, and oh so thoroughly, otherwise the exercise now under consideration is foredoomed to failure. If the dog is not firmly grounded in it, then by all means go back to it rather than start off insufficiently prepared.

In this exercise, giving the scent is executed by taking the hat or the coat, preferably the part under the arms, and bringing it gently close to the dog's nose for about one-half minute while the dog rests in the DOWN position. The guide must exert caution not to interfere with the dog's breathing, and not to stay in the wind. By so doing he will intensify his own scent and thus eliminate the scent of the article.

'On the trail."

Other preferred articles for giving a dog the scent include old hats, socks or stockings, well worn coats which hold a good scent in the sleeves and around the underarms, or old shoes. Regarding these last named, the inside rather than the soles are best equipped to furnish scent. Underwear also is an excellent medium of scent if it has come in direct contact with the wearer's body.

Sending the dog on the trail is done in the same manner as in the SCENT DISCRIMINATION exercise on the guide's own trail, and praise and encouragement must be freely employed. The SCENT DISCRIMINATION has to be practised many times with the command FIND IT, and no specified time can be set for that exercise. The guide must use his own judgment. But let me say this that too rapid progress will end in failure.

In no other lesson have so many warnings appeared. But for them I have good reason. All too many dogs, which pass as “perfect” trailers, are as unreliable as can be, and no one in reality can lay down a strict routine for trailing on a stranger's trail. Experts, so-called, who claim they can are in my opinion unworthy of the name trainers because this is one phase of dog training which cannot be taught by the written word, or by personal explanation, unassisted. I can only say that the procedure must be evolved from within the trainer, that it depends upon his creative ability and initiative.

TRAILING FOR PERSONS

Up to now articles alone have been the objects for trailing. Let us turn to the trailing of people. It constitutes another important factor in the trailing exercise, its execution similar to the SCENT DISCRIMINATION.

When we trail human beings we must employ different commands without confusing the dog, the best of these being probably FORWARD-FIND IT given in the same tone of voice as that used in previous lessons.

The laying of the trail is identical with laying the guide's own trail. First, the dog sees the trail laid. Later, though, he is left somewhere else so he cannot watch the trail layer, and finally the same method is utilized to send him out on the trail after he has received the scent.

The innumerable successes I have enjoyed with my dogs I attribute to an original little trick which I will disclose to the public here for the first time. I have however, given it upon request to many well known guides of international reputation.

When I practise TRAILING FOR PEOPLE, I first teach the dog to SPEAK ON COMMAND and the moment he is schooled in that, I teach him the trailing of my own scent, but I do not permit him to retrieve the article. Instead, he must ANNOUNCE his find by BARKING. He sits in front of the article and barks until I arrive.  He is then praised and given the command FETCH. Even when I remain in front of the article, I let him retrieve it. Now to the secret! . . . When I employ a stranger as trail layer, I request him to remain at the end of the trail in lying down position! After the dog has been sent on the trail, and has worked it out, he finds at the trail's end, to his great surprise, a stranger. And because of his surprise he will BARK. He has found something he cannot retrieve; more, he has found something absolutely new to him, and that is, the stranger is wearing a coat of mine! The scent is familiar, but the wearer is a stranger and so in his consternation, he does the only thing a dog can dohe barks! In all my practise I have never had one single dog fail to act in that way. High praise, of course, is his reward for barking.

"Found . . ."

Just one final thought before leaving this lesson: Try to avoid any command similar in sound to commands used in other lessons or exercises, especially in trailing. Some novices have been inclined of late to use the command "seek" which in my opinion is inadvisable. The dog does not know what it means; he can in fact be trained to any word at all. Suppose the word were "chocolate" or "sauerkraut"; to him the meaning would still be obscure. The word "seek" sounds quite too much like SIT and can, in a pinch, be pronounced the same.

Recently I had at my training field a visitor who was quite proud that his dog had been trained by an amateur under the command "seek," but the moment the command was given, the dog went into sitting position! This guide attempted to persuade me that the dog has first to go through all the other obedience exercises on the field before he can be used for trailing, and that then he will readily understand what "seek" means! A typical example, this, of the mechanical, routine worker, the result of machine-like training but, of a certainty, not a trained dog destined to be companion and friend.

SPEAKING ON COMMAND (BARKING)

Occasionally there comes a time when it is helpful to have a dog bark on command. To teach any dog this little trick requires only a small amount of observation in order to determine when he barks on his own initiative.

Practically every dog barks at the sound of the doorbell. Or possibly, if he is on leash, when his food is put down out of reach, he will express impatience by barking.

These and countless other habits must be observed by the guide who can take advantage of them in training him to bark on command. In this exercise, the guide issues the command SPEAK, and gives the usual words of praise when the dog responds. The command should be accompanied by a sign, such as swaying the forefinger of the right hand to the right and left.

Shortly, he will associate the sign and the command and will bark without the stimulus of the doorbell, his food dish, etc. By means of just a little practise we can so train him that he will bark not only in the SIT, DOWN, STAY, HEEL and all other desired positions, but at any time and in any place we wish him to do so.

At the command OUT, he should cease at once, the rattling of the throwing chain serving as a warning in case he does not heed. If the warning is ignored and still he keeps on barking, then the chainette is thrown at him with the command OUT. Again, never forget to praise him when he executes the command SPEAK by barking.

POSING

For those owners who are interested in taking pictures of their dogs, cither at home or when participating in dog shows, it is quite important that they be taught to pose.

Now, the dog has learned the meaning of the command STAY which signifies that he is to remain just where he is when the command is issued. Surely, it would confuse him to employ another command, so again we use STAY for instruction in POSING.

To make the dog pose in standing position, as for example in dog shows, we walk along with him and step suddenly in front of him (facing him) coincidentally issuing the command STAY. Upon hearing this order the dog is bewildered because he expects his guide to be right beside him. But, it is easily seen that, to stand beside him, might cause him to go into the sitting position which is what we want most to avoid. This is the reason, then, why we stand directly in front and facing him.

If he makes any attempt to sit, we lift him up with the right hand under his body, thus bringing him to standing position, all the while praising him and repeating the command STAY. Here too, as advised earlier, the guide must be careful not to change the position of his feet. After a few repetitions, the dog will remain in the desired position. When he "stays" he may be brought into the position required in dog show competition.

Stepping suddenly in front of the dog, with the command Stay, will induce him to remain standing. He will not Sit because the guide is not at his side.

It will be observed that the skilled handler of dogs, in organized competition at shows, invariably stands in front of his dog, never beside him, except perhaps in the case of certain breeds which need special assistance from the handler to bring out certain pointy as stressed in the standard. Therefore the practise of this exercise is advisable because a good dog so often can spoil his chances of taking a prize in the show ring when he is unmanageable. And that is exactly what constitutes "bad ring manners" or "lack of ring manners" which count against a dog in bench show competition.

This provides ample opportunity for posing a dog in the show ring and for the taking of photographs.

Training of the sort is likewise of great benefit in picture taking. In fact every photographer will testify that dogs and children are trying and difficult subjects before the camera. But once trained to pose they can be stood in any desired place, as well as in the best available light. All of my own dogs are so trained that I can keep them in any position at all in order to obtain satisfactory snapshots.

GUN SHYNESS

Not infrequently do I receive requests for advice on the best method of training dogs to be "gun-sure." These requests emanate for the most part from rural districts where housedogs have grown nervous throughout the hunting season.

In cases of the kind, we have to investigate so as to determine whether the condition is merely of occasional occurrence hence will prove temporary, as during the hunting season, or whether it is a chronic, nervous condition and the dog timid, even continuously shy. Condilions of the latter type require medical treatment by the veterinarian, usually in the form of high vitamin administration.

Temporary shyness can be overcome by acquainting the dog systematically with the sound of gunfire. Let me explain the system I have used successfully with dogs brought to me on account of just such a fault.

An extremely good retriever in water and on land was at times quite gunshy. The owner could advance no explanation as to the cause. I took the dog in for training and, while in process of getting acquainted with him, I discovered that he was a very good feeder. This clue, then, furnished the key to the corrective system used. One day, I skipped the dog's afternoon meal, after which he kept me awake that night by continued howling for his dinner. Next morning I removed him from his stall into his run where his food was waiting for him.

At a distance of about 200 yards, I posted my helper with a gun where he would be invisible to the dog. On the instant the dog jumped for his dish, I signalled the assistant to fire. Straightway the dog disappeared to the farthest available corner, forgetting food and appetite! From an adjoining window on the second floor, I watched developments.

Shortly the dog approached his food again, but as soon as he started to cat it, he heard another shot. Of course the noise once more drove him into the corner. Again the performance was repeated.But on each succeeding occasion, less time intervened between the sound of the shot and the dog's next trip to the food dish. In fact, he was discovering that the shot meant no danger, and, too, hunger drove him on until such time as he concluded that gunfire actually meant nothing at all.Before I could come down from the second floor, his dish was empty! Then lavish praise from me convinced him that no one intended him the slightest harm. That same day, at the usual feeding time, the assistant with the gun was placed within sight, and when the shot rang out, the dog merely looked around but went right on eating. A few days more, and nothing remained capable of disturbing him.

The owner wrote me later that this dog is now a first class hunter, with a habit of running to the kitchen for food whenever he hears a shot or an automobile backfire. However, as the benefit derived from the training so far overbalanced this small disadvantage, the owner was perfectly satisfied.

An experience of this type may be of assistance to those beset by a similar situation, and the lesson can of course be utilized with like results. Although I have stated that I never train a dog through his skin, by whipping, or through his stomach, by starving, this somewhat exceptional case could not possibly weaken the dog because no manual or physical work of his is connected with it.

REFUSING FOOD FROM STRANGERS

Although REFUSING FOOD FROM A STRANGER is a lesson requiring several special exercises, it is of prime value for practical use. Unfortunately, obedience test rules do not mention it at all. But in my opinion it is a needed lesson if for no other purpose than the annoying habit, at home, and perhaps in restaurants or other public places, of seeing a dog go from table to table, from guest to guest, begging food.

To break a dog of the habit of accepting food involves a little diplomacy with one's friends. Tell them for instance, that you do not doubt their friendliness toward the dog, but that you would appreciate it more if they would refrain from offering him anything.

If the dog has already formed the habit, he can be cured without too much trouble. Induce a stranger to offer the dog a piece of meat withhis LEFT hand. The right hand must be ready for action. The moment the dog snaps at the meat, down comes the right hand to give the dog a good slap on the muzzle. At such a sudden, a really surprising move, the dog will usually drop the meat and thereafter be quite skeptical of food offers in future.

Practise the above a few times on different days, then proceed to offer the food with the right hand! And the guide will see, as explained earlier in this book, that the dog respects the right hand as the punishing hand. And here, warning must be inserted that under no circumstances should the guide attempt to punish the dog or to practise this with his own dog! For surely it would he destined to shake the latter's confidence in his master. Strangers only may practise this exercise.

If it does not work, the fault lies with the stranger himself. He is cither too slow in delivering the slap on the muzzle, or he gives merely a light slap that the dog considers a playful pat.

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