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    The Whole Art Of Setter Training
    The Whole Art Of Setter Training
    The Whole Art Of Setter Training
    Ebook73 pages1 hour

    The Whole Art Of Setter Training

    By R. L. Russell

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    About this ebook

    A helpful historic guide for anybody wishing to train their Irish setter.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRead Books Ltd.
    Release dateMay 31, 2013
    ISBN9781473388765
    The Whole Art Of Setter Training

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      Book preview

      The Whole Art Of Setter Training - R. L. Russell

      INTRODUCTION

      THE experience on the strength of which the present writer makes so bold as to attempt to instruct others has been confined mainly to red setters. That fact should not, he hopes, compel an apology. It will be generally agreed, on the principle that the greater includes the less, that the methods which will make a controlled, steady worker of a red setter should succeed with any other variety. That does not mean that the writer subscribes to the too prevalent notion that the Irish setter is a wild, excitable, uncontrollable brute, which needs an unlimited amount of leather on all occasions. But there is no question that the red setter is, to paraphrase R.L.S.’s description of the horse, a fine lady among dogs. His good qualities are such as make him easily spoiled, and he has suffered in consequence. He is boiling over with life and energy, which, if not directed in the proper channel, are prone to run riot. He has a temperament, so they say. They say he is obstinate, too, and hard to control.

      The writer would venture to point out that there is not a fault which has been ascribed to the red setter which will not be found in the other breeds of setters, and in the pointer. The main difference, I think, is that the red setter is inclined to be more sensitive than the others. He is more highly strung, to use a somewhat hackneyed term, and when he does go off, he goes off with a vengeance.

      In faithful affection for his master, in nose, in intelligence, and in sporting enthusiasm for his work, he is unbeaten and unbeatable. His handsome coat and appearance speak for themselves.

      Having trained these wild brutes for some years, and found them not wild, but very, very teachable, very intelligent, not headstrong unless made so by bad handling, faithful and affectionate beyond description, the writer has come to the conclusion that the faults so commonly ascribed to the breed have been produced by bad methods of training. It is a pity the breed should remain under a cloud through the use of such antediluvian methods as spike-collars, clogs, drag-ropes, etc., etc.

      The spike-collar is a very useful instrument if properly employed. It should be securely fastened round the neck of the trainer of the dog on whose behalf it is to be used, and the dog should then be secured to it by a strong rope.

      Few of us can train a dog without recourse to leather, but there is no doubt whatever that the ideal trainer can train an Irish setter to perfection, given an untampered puppy of the right quality, without once leathering him. Leathering may be necessary, but it is nearly always the fault of the trainer, or owing to his previous neglect.

      Let the novice rid his mind of ancient notions as to the wildness and stubbornness of setters in general, and remember that dogs are just like men—there are good and bad among them. If he uses the methods outlined in this book I can assure him he will need neither choke-collars nor clogs, and will find the faults of which he has heard so much conspicuous by their absence.

      It will be noticed that I have included instructions for teaching retrieving. In so doing I hope I shall not be taken as setting up for an authority on the training of retrievers. Far be it from me. The subject of retriever-handling has been dealt with, fortunately, by those capable of instructing the novice in the most up-to-date methods, and excellent books on the subject are available to all who are interested.

      Now get your pup.

      The Whole Art of Setter

      Training

      CHAPTER I

      THE DOG

      FIRST catch your dog, of course. You will hear sundry tales of the marvellous performances of setters of mysterious ancestry and doubtful paternity. They may be true, but it is better to take no risks. Good setter puppies are cheap enough in all conscience, so that there is no excuse whatever for accepting an inferior article. By good puppies the writer does not mean puppies certain to win at shows; he is thinking first of all of working qualities, and unfortunately working and show-bench qualities are not always the same, though they ought to be. Let the novice get in touch with breeders of repute and he will have no great difficulty in securing a puppy which, with proper handling, will turn out a worker. Let him look for a puppy of working parents and of the longest and most honourable pedigree from a working point of view. And let him not buy a pig in a poke, but see what kind of dog he is getting, unless he knows his breeder and can rely upon him, in which case the novice can let the breeder do the selecting.

      If the prospective trainer is selecting for himself, he ought to have some idea of what he wants. He will want a strong, healthy puppy, likely to develop into a dog capable of standing a hard day’s work. A setter’s job is no sinecure, and none but the best can stand a day of it. He will therefore look for good bone and growth with the appearance of general good health, of which a healthy coat is a sure indication. A puppy of six or eight weeks cannot be expected to show the points of a grown dog, but he should at least look sound, active, and healthy, with nothing weedy about him. In-breeding is sadly blamed for the production of a nervous, weedy type in all breeds, but it is, I think, more generally resorted to for bench than working purposes. If the puppy is three to six

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