Refusal of Food

REFUSAL OF FOOD AND CURE OF THE
HABITS OF EATING OR ROLLING IN
REFUSE RETRIEVING

CHAPTER VII

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I REFUSAL

WE MAY never assume that the dog has any idea of the reason for the services we demand of him. Even if, for example, the dog has already learnt that eating in a particular environmental situation, as when tied up, is associated with pain, and he consequently avoids eating in such a situation, there still remain a number of gaps in his cerebral processes which have to be filled in by a similar experience. For, in addition to that of being tied up, there are many quite different environmental conditions in which the taking of food is not painful.

These conditions have to be introduced into the exercises, for every one of them represents a new exercise which has to be specially learnt by the dog.

In all such cases strict compulsion is required, as otherwise the intense satisfaction obtained in eating cannot be transformed into a disagreeable experience.

The most important of such conditions are as follows: Refusal of food already on the ground, in other words not recognizable by the dog as offered or thrown to him, and when he is either at liberty, ahead of his master, or at the latter's side, either on or off the lead. Next, refusal of food found by the dog while at liberty or offered or thrown to him in such circumstances, for example during reconnaissance, in the absence of his master, by a stranger. Again, refusal or rejection of food offered or thrown to the dog in its kennel or in strangers' houses. Finally, a similar situation when the animal is tied up.

The most difficult thing to do is to get the dog to refuse food anywhere and under any circumstances while he is at liberty. Even animal or human excrement as well as putrid meat, on which the dog enjoys rolling, must be included here. To cure a dog of this habit while he is at liberty is excessively difficult owing to the fact that the trainer is often not in a position to apply the requisite strict form of compulsion the moment the undesirable act occurs. As we know, even the strictest compulsion is of no use 'after the fact'.

Accordingly, we must be prepared, when taking the dog out off the lead, to keep him constantly in view, in order to be able to intervene at once when he seems about to pick up food or roll on it. Objects likely to entice the dog are placed beforehand on the route to be taken, which must be regularly changed. These exercises have to be repeated methodically and over and over again, to prevent the dog forgetting the disagreeable experience which ensues.

Good opportunities for breaking the habit will occur while other types of training are being carried out, if objects of enticement, such as raw and cooked meat, raw and smoked pieces of herring, the carcasses of small animals such as mice, or birds or frogs, dung and so on are scattered about the training ground. These objects are not removed, but others are placed from time to time at different points of the ground.

After a time these objects decompose and represent a strong temptation to the dog to eat and roll in them. He should often be deliberately enticed to perform such undesirable acts, for this will be the quickest way to break him of the habit. Meanwhile the trainer must, of course, never cease to keep the animal under observation, so as to be able to intervene at the decisive moments.

When the dog is at liberty the inducement brought to bear is a loud and threatening 'Bah !'. If the casting chain or throwing stick is being used, it should be held in readiness and thrown at the dog at the decisive moment, with a simultaneous 'Bahl', the throw being applied in immediate connection with the recall of the animal (see page 92). When the chain or stick is used, followed immediately by recalling the dog, the objects of enticement, i.e. food and refuse, will in the course of training come to form a secondary inducement to the recall. The dog will then, as soon as he picks up the relative scent, come to the trainer of his own accord. This type of training, however, can only proceed if the recall thereby induced does not prejudice the purpose in view. If it does so, a different method must be employed. In cases where the loud and threatening 'Bahl' has no effect there is nothing for it but to take the dog at once, on the lead, to the objects of enticement and employ strict compulsion if the animal shows the least sign of being attracted by them. It will not be until the dog's inclination to these objects has been turned to disinclination that he will be set at liberty during training, always, of course, in different localities, and the sternly accentuated 'Bah!' uttered, if inclination again becomes evident. Should this secondary compulsive inducement be in vain, the dog must be made to approach by switching to an amiable attitude. One then pauses while the animal is again treated in friendly fashion, and not until then are the objects of enticement once more visited, with the dog on the lead, and a strict form of compulsion applied as soon as it becomes certain that the animal has noticed the scent.

In order to get the dog used to rejecting food in the neighbourhood of the kennel or in the house, similar preventive measures will at first be necessary. The animal should be given good and abundant food. He is always easier to manage in the kennel or in the house. The unchanging environment associated by the animal with the disagreeable experiences imposed upon him facilitates the result.

The dog should only be fed by his trainer and feeding should only take place at certain times of the day, at a certain place and from a certain dish. As soon as the animal has taken its food the dish should be removed, together with the fragments of the meal that remain in it or near it. It is a good plan to train the animal not to take food offered him by the trainer or anyone else, for instance at table, except at the usual place and from the usual dish.

As the dog must be taken on long expeditions and thus fed away from the kennel or house, he has to be trained only to take food at a certain sound of a secret nature. Both results can easily be achieved. Food is held out to the dog, and as soon as he snaps or only merely sniffs at it he is given a smart blow. This procedure is followed repeatedly and it is essential that it should occur at different places. If it is desired to train the animal to take food at a certain auditory signal, he is only fed after this has been uttered, previous inducements being given as described. Similarly he may be thrown something, the switch being held in readiness, unseen by the dog, for instant intervention if required. If the dog ceases to take food offered to him while the trainer is near, he is thrown a special tit bit while in his kennel or, if he has been taken into the house, one is dropped beside his usual place or, if he is left down, at that point. The trainer then observes him from some hiding place, without the animal suspecting his presence, for some considerable time. The primary rule must, however, always be that correction must instantly be imposed if the dog shows the least inclination to take the food.

Similar exercises should be undertaken with the help of a number of strangers, though the inducement to refuse food must only come from the trainer. If the dog ceases to take any interest in the food thrown to him, even if he is left alone for a long time, food is offered or thrown by a stranger when he is working at a distance from the trainer, for instance during reconnaissance, or the morsel may be laid on the trail. It is easiest to induce the dog to abstain from food when he is tied up. Here, too, inducement to refuse food must come only from the trainer. He offers or throws food to the tied dog and applies strong correction if there is any sign of a desire to eat. If the animal ceases to pick up food from the ground, the trainer retires, hides himself and observes the unsuspecting dog for longer and longer periods. One should also remember to make frequent changes in the kind of objects used for enticement. It must again be emphasized that in all cases where a certain environment, e.g. house or kennel, is not being used in teaching food refusal, locations must be varied, as must the way in which the animal is tied up if he is to be kept under such restraint. Otherwise certain stimuli from the environment will become associated with the act of refusal and if they are absent the dog will fail to respond to its previous training. For example, if the dog during training is always fastened to a post by a chain, the reaction of the painful stimulus consisting in the refusal of food will become associated with the visual stimulus of the post and the chain, and the auditory stimulus provided by the latter. The dog may then decline the act of refusal if for once in a way he is not tied to a post or a lead is used to tie him instead of a chain. One must, therefore, dissolve the association of the painful stimulus with the reaction of food refusal, to prevent its being the only effective one, by varying the environmental stimuli. The latter then become less important and play no part in the association formed.

2. RETRIEVING

(a) General.

The house dog which is allowed unlimited freedom will relapse into the wild state if it gets a chance. It will pursue animals that run from it, bite them viciously on overhauling them and kill its prey. It will even devour its victims if it is hungry and before doing so will often drag or carry them to a hiding﷓place. Dogs which have to find their food by hunting and which have young, may drag their prey, or some part of it, to feed their pups, as is the invariable practice of the wild dog.

Young dogs pursue their companions, in play, as if they were their prey and will do the same with inanimate objects such as a ball or a piece of wood that rolls away. They will snap at the living prey image and engage in sham fights with it, or may seize the inanimate substitute and carry it off. We take advantage of this natural instinct in teaching a dog to retrieve, and also call the submissive and pack instincts to our aid.

The dog's acquisitive instinct operates on his own behalf and that of his kind when he is at liberty, but a trainer transforms a dog's natural behaviour to suit human purposes. The dog is required to bring his prey or prey image always to the trainer and give it up to him. The animal must do so even with objects the smell, taste and weight of which are highly uncongenial to it. Since such extreme demands are made, a strict form of compulsion is indispensable if regular and reliable services are to be obtained. One cannot, of course, say for certain what degree of compulsion is necessary with an individual dog that is to be taught to retrieve, and sometimes strict compulsion is applied from the start. This course prevents our discovering whether the dog has any talent for the service required or not. Nothing is such a hindrance to an inexperienced trainer who is anxious to learn, as having to begin at once with strict compulsion. If anthropomorphic tendencies exist, bungling by the trainer results and the dog is caused unnecessary suffering. Retrieving, when practiced as a game, is most educative for the human participant. Consequently, retrieving in play should always be the method employed by the novice trainer, and indeed in all cases where the object of training can be thereby achieved.

The observant trainer will discover that many dogs soon develop a very strong inclination to seize and bring objects if the exercise is made to resemble play. If it appears in the course of training that satisfactory progress is not being made towards the end in view, a stricter form of compulsion should be initiated. By that time both trainer and dog will have re~ched an advanced stage of learning. The trainer will be able to impose compulsion correctly and the dog, since it is working in an accustomed groove, will learn much more quickly to evade strict compulsion by doing what is required than it would if strict compulsion had been used from the start.

Those who try to teach retrieving as a game must be guided by the following principles. In this case the man does not confront the dog as a pack leader; he is often not even a teacher, but a pupil. He behaves as would a pack companion of the dog and, as such, attempts to stimulate the animal to act in the manner required. Man and dog, so to speak, become playmates playing with the same prey image.

The trainer must first decide how the dog is to be put into the right mood for a game, this being an absolute necessity for the exercise in view. The mood required is dependent upon three factors, the first being the sense stimuli provided by the trainer, the second that of the environment and the third the psychological condition to which the dog has been brought as the result of internal stimuli. The individual character of the dog also affects the situation and is dependent upon inheritance and past experience up to the time at which training in retrieving begins. The strength and duration of the playful mood will at first vary, and one must take due account of this. Later on the mood grows steadily more constant until at last it hardens into a fixed habit.

If one rushes up, with angry shouts, to a dog that is reverting to nature and is at the moment carrying a young hare in its Jaws, the animal will ran off and in so doing may drop the prey. The same thing often occurs in teaching the retrieve, though the dropping of the object at such a time is the last thing the trainer desires. The dog may be alarmed in some way, for instance by being unintentionally hurt or shouted at, and the mood that renders him willing to retrieve is gone. We must remember that in teaching the retrieve only inanimate prey images are involved, and these are naturally abandoned when there is the least excuse for so doing, before the habit of seizing and bringing has been formed.

If compulsion is applied before this habit has been fixed, the inclination to fetch is weakened instead of being excited. The preliminary condition for the practice of retrieving in play is to avoid under any circumstances producing a sullen mood in the dog. He must take nothing but pleasure in the affair. He cannot do so if he does not completely trust the trainer.

An undisciplined animal cannot immediately be taught to retrieve. If a course of training is given under expert supervision, such training may be begun on the third day. In the case of a single trainer working from a book, the retrieve should not be begun until the dog feels at home. The exercises should await the formation of the pack instinct in relation to the trainer and this only comes as confidence in, and dependence on, the new master grows. Training is best begun with the dog on the lead and should so continue until the flight instinct has completely ceased to operate. At this stage some slight habituation of the dog to fondling, the sound of encouragement, approach and the gesture of opening the jaws with the hand as described on page III is also desirable. This practice should be performed at intervals separated in time from other exercises, so as to avoid the formation of undesirable associations.

Teaching the retrieve may be begun with a dog that has had little training beforehand, since we may at first neglect to some extent such requirements as the sitting or standing of the dog close to the trainer, its abstention from engaging the prey image until told to do so and its sitting down before giving up the object retrieved. These requirements should not be introduced until a later stage in order to avoid anything that involves compulsion, or has involved it in the past. Further remarks on this subject will be found in the next Section.

As regards environmental stimuli, the right mood for fetching cannot be induced in a training room where exercises involving compulsion are or have been undertaken. The dog's recollections of the discomfort suffered there renders such a place wholly unsuitable. A room free from recollections of this kind will be satisfactory for starting the retrieve. It is, however, equally possible to make a start in the open, provided the place chosen is not one where distractions which may excite the dog more powerfully than the prey images are likely to be present. The animal must be prevented from becoming aware of other dogs, cats or game of any kind, whether by sight, scent or hearing. We must always remember that retrieving only entails the seizure of inanimate prey images. Training should take place quite apart from exercises which involve compulsion. If, for example, the down has just been performed in a certain place, the retrieve must proceed elsewhere and after a time interval during which the dog is encouraged, by being fondled and played with.

A dog learns to retrieve with the aid of some object congenial to him, for which purpose a small piece of wood or light wooden dumb bell will be found appropriate. Other articles should not be used till a later stage of training.

Though all the stimuli proceeding from the trainer and from environment may have been taken into consideration, it does not necessarily follow that we shall immediately achieve our first aim, the seizure of the object in question. We have in most cases no comprehensive knowledge of the dog's past and cannot, therefore, tell what associations he may have formed and what events may evoke memories of previous experiences which are connected with discomfort. In consequence, the reason why a dog cannot be put into the right mood for retrieving often remains obscure.

Internal stimuli play a part here. For example, a dog which is suffering from thirst, hunger, fatigue or some other disability, or one that has just eaten a meal, will be difficult to influence.

The duration of training and the number of repetitions required depend on the individual dog. The exercise should be interrupted as soon as the animal can no longer be persuaded to execute the movement required. Even a slight application of compulsion may well prevent the return of the right mood for some considerable time.

One does not start by throwing the object. At first the trainer keeps it in his hand while trying to induce the dog to seize it and then give it up. Were the object thrown at this stage an untrained animal would dash after it, gnaw at it and play with it. He would also be very likely to try and run off with it, even if he were on the lead. It is advisable to prevent any such attempts from the start.

The result may be different when the retrieve is being taught to a dog that has already had some training in the recall. In these circumstances we may make the experiment of observing how the animal behaves when the object is thrown at first for quite a short distance. If the dog picks it up at once and holds it in his jaws, and if there is no trouble with the recall, teaching the retrieve may be begun and gradually extended, with due discretion, as described in the following sections.

(b) Retrieving Drill.

Auditory signal: 'Fetch it'.

Service requirement: methodical performance of the following acts: From a sitting or standing posture at the left side of the trainer the dog, on receiving an auditory signal, is to run, if possible at a gallop, to the object thrown, seize it immediately, without trying to crush or worry it, and dash back by the shortest way, again, if possible, at a gallop, to the trainer. The animal is then to sit or otherwise place itself close to and facing I the trainer, holding the object in its jaws, until the trainer, by I an auditory signal, causes it to be given up.

The important point is that the dog is to be allowed, not obliged, to take the object in its jaws.

The primary inducements causing seizure of the dumb bell proceed not only from the movements of the object but also from those of the trainer. We must execute rapid retreating movements to and fro, right in front of the dog and away fro him. Our aim is to awaken the instinct of the chase in the animal by movements both of the dumb bell and of ourselves, and thus arouse the desire to seize it.

The trainer himself acts like a dog at play; one which has got possession of prey his playmate would like to have. Every effort should be made, right from the start, to arrange for the dumb bell to be seized as near as possible to the ground, so that the dog may get accustomed at an early stage to the subsequent situation in which the object is picked up from the ground. It will not, however, usually be found possible to make a perfect job of this at the beginning of training, as it is hardly feasible to carry out the extremely lively movements which are at first required if the dumb bell is held in close proximity to the ground.

Training proceeds as follows:

The dog snaps at the dumb bell held in the trainer's hand. He dumb bell is brought from behind the trainer's back, made to touch the dog's body and dance about before his eyes, then it snatched away and hidden again. The dog's attention has by this time been attracted. Then the game begins again. The dumb bell is rapped on the ground, struck againist the animal and rapidly withdrawn, while the trainer himself runs a few paces away, encouraging the dog by 'There's a good boy'. The dog then makes a leap but does not succeed in seizing the dumb bell. At that moment the dumb bell is trust swiftly between his jaws, great care being taken to avoid giving him any pain, while simultaneously a caressing 'Fetch it' is uttered. The dumb bell must not be pushed far into the jaws but should be placed close behind the lower canines. If the animal has not opened his jaws wide enough, the upper or lower jaw should be gently grasped with the left hand, while the thumb and the middle finger are discreetly inserted between the jaws to make them open. As soon as the dumb bell is in position between the jaws both fingers are removed, but the left hand should hold the under jaw gently from below. The whole time the dumb bell remains in position a few moments will be enough a continuous, caressing utterance of the words 'There's a good boy fetch it' is maintained, while the right hand strokes the dog's head. If the animal tries to open its jaws, one must allow it to do so (as any form of compulsion would end the mood for fetching) and the dumb bell taken in the right hand. Next, the dog is again stroked and the sound of encouragement repeated.

Further inducements are repeated in the same way. The dumb bell is brought into action, the dog tries to get it and it is inserted in his jaws with a caressing 'Fetch it', then the left hand grasps the under jaw gently, while at the same time the right hand strokes the head and the words 'There's a good boy fetch it' are continuously uttered. The period during which the jaw is held is prolonged very gradually, so as to avoid any suggestion of compulsion.

Inducements for giving up the dumb bell.

The first step forward is made when the dog takes the dumb bell of its own accord, so that it need no longer be thrust into the jaws. If the trainer proceeds correctly the dog will soon try to retain the dumb bell in its jaws. One should encourage the animal to do so but at the same time take the opportunity to initiate use of the primary inducement for giving up the dumb bell. For this purpose the handhold already described is employed. But the thumb is now laid against the upper or lower lip of the animal, pressing it gently against the teeth, while the word 'Out' is uttered in a friendly way. If this does not produce the desired result, pressure should be increased to a corresponding extent, but always only gradually. If one is able to remove the dumb bell from the jaws, the dog is stroked and the sound of encouragement is employed.

Even if the dog does not as yet retain the dumb bell in its jaws without assistance, training is proceeded with, though the following exercise is then omitted.

Beginning of the inducement to sit while giving up the dumb bell. If the dog retains the dumb bell in its jaws without assistance until the word 'Out' is uttered, inducement to sit while giving up may begin. It is recommended that at the beginning of this inducement the left hand should take up its former auxiliary position by grasping the under jaw, while the right hand presses down the dog's hindquarters and the word 'Sit' is uttered. This action is followed by the usual head stroking, etc. If any trouble is experienced with sitting, this exercise should not be imposed while teaching the retrieve but should be carried out separately at a different time and place.

The taking up of the dumb bell close to the ground.

The next step is gradually to accustom the dog to picking up the object from the ground. The dumb bell is moved to and fro on the ground right in front of the standing animal, so that he is obliged to make a leap in order to reach the thing as it dodges about. But it is not dropped on the ground. It is kept in the hand as before, but attempts are now made to get the dog to seize it as near as possible to ground level. It will be necessary from time to time to thrust the article into the animal's jaws again. Other inducements follow as before. As soon as the dog has made enough progress to be able to seize the object when it almost touches the ground, a first attempt may be made to let it drop.

It is to be observed in this connection that a dog much prefers to pick up an object that is rolling away. At this stage of training a motionless prey image still exercises too slight a stimulus upon the animal.

The dog Picks up the rolling dumb bell from the ground.

The dumb bell is allowed to drop from the trainer's hand at a moment when it is moving close to the ground and the dog is just snapping at it. It then rolls along the ground and the sound 'Fetch it', uttered in a caressing tone, further encourages the animal to pick it up. The sound in question has, of course, hitherto always been associated with being allowed to seize the object.

As soon as the dog has the dumb bell in its jaws a primary inducement to recall is brought to bear by the trainer, as he, facing the dog, runs a few paces backwards while observing the other rules recommended in connection with the recall. If the action gives any trouble, it is to be practiced on its own account, as a special item, apart from retrieving exercises. As a rule the dog will approach without hesitation, in accordance with the habit already formed, and give up the object. The exercise is then concluded in the usual way.

The dog does not pick up the rolling dumb bell.

We will now assume that the dog did not pick up the dumb bell from the ground at either the first or the second attempt. He simply stood in front of it and stared at the motionless thing. In that case the trainer should immediately make a dash for it and put it into action again by kicking it or, as before, using his hand to start the business all over again. In order to increase the dog's desire to pick up the object, he may be held back by the collar for a few moments when he tries to make a leap for the article as it is thrown. If he shows signs of intending to pick it up, he is immediately encouraged by the words 'There's a good boy fetch it'. If he still refuses, the whole series of actions must be repeated. The article will be pushed into his jaws with a 'Fetch it there's a good boy', after which inducement concludes, as usual, with 'Sit', 'There's a good boy', 'Out' and 'There's a good boy'. The exercise is then interrupted.

It should be noted that whenever the dog does not pick up of its own accord on the attempt being renewed, the exercise is to end as described.

The dog picks up the article while it is not rolling. The dumb bell is no longer moved about in front of the dog before being thrown.

Progress will be made when the dog picks up the object even after it has ceased moving on the ground, and a further step forward will be taken when the article does not have to be given any special movement before the dog's eyes but only need be thrown.

As already stated, even a slight form of compulsion will be sufficient to hold up progress several days. Training must, therefore, still proceed in the absence of any sort of discomfort for the dog.

A trainer who can acquire the least degree of influence over the dog will not have to wait long for success. He will find that need for preliminary movement of the object will steadily diminish. The inclination to retrieve the moment any indication of movement is shown will already have been formed. But there will constantly be intervals during which the dog's mood weakens; at such times the earlier actions must be renewed.

It is natural enough that for the time being the dog should pick up one day and refuse the next. Only gradually will it become an agreeable habit for him to pick up the object each time it is thrown. Until picking up occurs immediately after the throw no sort of compulsion should be imposed.

The dog lets the dumb bell drop prematurely.

Special consideration must be given to the case of the dog which at an early stage drops the object which he has picked up before he sits, or before the trainer utters the word 'Out'. This occurrence may be avoided by gently grasping the under jaw with the left hand. If the animal has already dropped the object prematurely, it is at once thrust back into the jaws with a 'Fetch it there's a good boy'. Thus the practice will again end with an agreeable experience for the dog.

Application of firmer compulsion on premature dropping.

As training proceeds a firmer form of compulsion is applied when premature dropping takes place. The moment the object is prematurely dropped a sharp 'Fetch it' is uttered. It must be borne in mind that the way in which these words are pronounced represents a certain amount of compulsion. Consequently, the accent should be quite mild at first. Immediately after this 'Fetch it' the dumb jaws with a caressing 'Fetch it', instantly followed by the sound of encouragement, whereupon inducement concludes as before. If it is desired to use stricter compulsion to counteract premature dropping, such an exercise will be best carried out as a special item at a different time and place from retrieving, otherwise discomfort will be associated with retrieving and the right mood obliterated.

One should remember that the dog can only learn to retain the object in its jaws by finding that to drop it leads to discomfort, while to retain it leads to comfort. Consequently, discomfort should only be applied at the instant when the object is dropped, the latter being immediately afterwards put back in the jaws to the accompaniment of stroking, the sound of encouragement and 'Fetch it'.

Picking up the prematurely dropped dumbbell.

The independent picking up by the dog of the object it has prematurely dropped is regarded by the animal as a process distinct from picking up the object when thrown by the trainer. The life given to the object by throwing it is in the former case lacking; it simply lies motionless before the dog. It can be restored to life by kicking it. If this is done, the words 'Fetch it' should be uttered at the same time. If the object has been dropped at some distance from the trainer, the desired action can often be induced by the trainer stepping backwards a few paces and simultaneously uttering the words 'Fetch it'. If the dog, in response to the harsh intonation now given to these words, shows the least sign of intending to seize the object, the sound of encouragement is instantly and repeatedly uttered. On the animal picking the article up a further 'There's a good boy' is immediately uttered. But if the dog refuses, a sharply accented 'Fetch it' is used the moment he desists. Immediately afterwards the dumbbell is put back in his jaws with a caressing 'Fetch it', followed by the usual stroking of the head and the use of the sound of encouragement. The dog thus constantly finds that all discomfort ceases as soon as the object is in his jaws. If the inducements described have succeeded in causing the animal once to pick up a prematurely dropped object at the words 'Fetch it', the article is never again put into his jaws. He will always have to pick it up himself.

As soon as the dog is expert at picking up, carrying and retaining the dumbbell, fast recall after picking up the object is taught, with the aid, of course, of the primary inducements noted in the Section on the recall.

Three undesirable associations.

Three undesirable and inevitable associations must now be eliminated. Hitherto one has always, on uttering the word 'Out', laid one's hand on the dumbbell to remove it. This movement of the hand, as well as the sound 'Out', have therefore become associated with the reaction of opening the jaws. Thus the dog often lets the object drop at the very moment that the right hand is approaching the jaws to take the article out. The association is eliminated by frequently moving the hand towards the jaws without taking the dumbbell away. The dog will then come to concentrate only on the word 'Out'.

The second undesirable association consists in the dog springing forward as soon as the dumbbell is thrown. This action has been deliberately permitted in order not to disturb the animal's inclination to pick up. As soon as this inclination has become a habit, procedure is altered. The dog has to sit and is held by the collar while the object is thrown. The animal is then released. If he now tries to make a forward leap he is prevented from doing so by the appropriate inducement. He is not to leap forward until the words 'Fetch it' are uttered. Unless the trainer is well aware of the sense stimuli he is producing, a fresh undesirable association may now be formed. Many trainers are in the habit of signaling the dog to retrieve by a wave of the hand. This gesture has the same effect as 'Fetch it'. As the trainer, in his ignorance of this fact may at one time use the words 'Fetch it' before he waves his 'hand and at another wave his hand before he speaks, not regularly employing both at once, it will be impossible to form any stable association. Consequently, the dog will sometimes make its leap before the words 'Fetch it' and sometimes after.

As it is our purpose to get the animal to act only in response to the auditory signal, bodily movements should be progressively discarded in combination with the signal.

Method of applying strict compulsion

As was mentioned at the beginning of this Section, retrieving is not learnt voluntarily by all dogs. The reason is to be found partly in the individual character of a dog and partly in lack of appropriate inducement by the trainer. It may also be attributable to the fact that in training the animal a number of objects have to be used which the dog will take into his mouth only with the greatest reluctance, restrict compulsion is to cause the dog to find that picking up and bringing in are more agreeable actions than refusal to do so. The animal must invariably be kept on the lead, so as to prevent flight. We are not concerned with punishing a refractory animal and compelling its obedience, but merely with facilitating the discovery just mentioned, which inevitably involves extreme discomfort. The abrupt alternation of discomfort with comfort is particularly important in this connection. The animal must be freed from compulsion the moment the desired behaviour commences

PUBLISHERS' NOTE: British trainers do not normally use this method as described, although in a much less severe form it is used by some successful trainers.

Strict compulsion consists of two component parts: its operation is in the first place mechanical, when the dog's jaws are brought within snapping range of the object, and in the second place painful, causing the jaw to open by reflex action.

The dog, on the lead, wears a spiked collar, placed as close as possible to the shoulder, not forward towards the head, the spikes placed against the upper surface of the neck to the left. The following inducements must be applied in rapid succession as a single continuous treatment. The trainer seizes with his left hand the part of the collar on the right of the dog's neck. The dumbbell is then laid on the ground about a foot in a diagonal direction from the dog's jaws. With a commanding 'Fetch it' and a swift thrust forward of the collar with the left hand the dog's jaws are very quickly brought into snapping range of the dumb spikes cause pain. The dog tries to defend itself by biting, and the trainer then presses the dog's open jaws against the centrepiece of the dumbbell. The collar is now quickly loosened by being drawn back with the left hand. The dog's pain ceases, he closes his jaws and holds the dumbbell between his teeth. At once the trainer's left hand grasps the underjaw, holding the skin of the throat loosely, to prevent the dumbbell being dropped and the head being disengaged. At the same time the words 'There's a good boy' are several times repeated in a very caressing tone while the dog's head is again and again stroked by the right hand. At first it will only be necessary for the dumbbell to remain in the jaws for a few seconds. If the trainer does not get the dumbbell between the dog's teeth in the manner described, it should be thrust, with a sharp 'Fetch it', into the jaws as they open, while the collar is contracted with a jerk. All discomfort then ceases again and an agreeable experience at once ensues. If Compulsion is correctly employed the dog will, after a few lessons, grip and pick up the object on his own.

If the dog tries to get rid of the dumbbell or lets it drop after the left hand has been slowly withdrawn from the under jaw, a sharp 'Fetch it' is immediately uttered. Next follows, as rapidly as possible, the strict form of compulsion already described, involving picking up from the ground and inducing the animal to open its jaws, or, with the dog on the lead, the dumbbell is held, with a stem 'Fetch it', in front of its jaws and placed in position by hand as the jaws open, as detailed in 'retrieving at play'. An agreeable experience must always be given as soon as the dumbbell is held in the jaws. By this means the animal learns that dropping' the dumbbell means discomfort while carrying it means comfort, or, in the first stage of training, less discomfort.

If retention of the dumbbell, as distinct from picking it up, entails difficulty, this may be taught on its own account at a different time and place. The dumbbell is then placed in the jaws of the dog, and while it is on the lead and being fondled, the underjaw is held by hand and the animal is taken for a walk, at first cautiously and very slowly. Meanwhile the hand is discreetly withdrawn from the underjaw to the sound of 'Fetch it'. If the dumbbell is then dropped, inducement proceeds as described, but no compulsion is applied to induce the dog again to pick up the object. It is merely repeatedly thrust into the jaws accompanied by fondling, the underjaw being grasped for a certain time. In this way reliability of retention in the jaws is gradually increased.

The success of the strict compulsion described above depends upon the trainer's dexterity. The whole series of actions must, as already emphasized, invariably take place at great speed and one should not be put off by initial failures. Since the dog receives, to begin with, a shock, his mood becomes one inhibitive of any kind of action. This situation, however, is soon overcome, for dogs are quick to learn and soon find out how they can evade compulsion.

As soon as the dog grips the object of his own accord, it will be possible to weaken progressively the primary inducements of bringing the animal to close quarters with the dumbbell and the infliction of pain. In a short time the spiked collar will only have to be slightly contracted in order to cause the jaws to open. The next step will be merely to indicate such contraction. Finally, the sharp auditory signal alone need be used and the dog, while on the lead, can be compelled to pick up the object without primary inducements and without the trainer having to stoop to assist him. A contractile collar can always be used instead of a spiked one. Our ultimate aim is that the dog, at the signal 'Fetch it', should make a dash for the article, seize it and bring it at full speed to the trainer. Systematic training in this last exercise is undertaken with the dog on the lead as soon as he has ceased to drop the dumbbell.

Intimidation of the dog is not practiced at all after compulsion has succeeded; as a rule, it is unnecessary to use it again. Exercises are then performed without the lead. But one must resort to the lead and strict compulsion if the dog, in the presence of distractions or in teaching the retrieve with uncongenial objects that will be used on active service, refuses to act as desired.

After the retrieving lesson has been well learnt the next step is to teach the animal to bring different kinds of articles. The type of objects concerned will depend on the service the trainer requires. With a future police dog one would choose the kind of thing which people may lose, throw away or hide in open country scraps of paper, paper wrappings, cigarette cartons, keys, jemmies, knives, revolvers, shreds or whole articles of clothing. One must also include heavy objects, such as parcels of clothing up to a weight of ten pounds, or rolled up garments.

The articles must always bear traces of human scent, as the dog must get used to disregarding objects without it.

I should like to add one final word on strict compulsion in retrieving lessons.

No one, even the most sensitive, will repudiate the infliction of the pain necessary in such lessons if the following facts are taken into consideration. It is realized that human welfare and even human lives often depend on the reliability of the police dog. Moreover, the pain inflicted upon the dog by the methods here advocated is in its duration, intensity and application extraordinarily limited compared with that imposed in other methods of training which are based on anthropomorphic misconceptions.

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