And now a word or two as to what is a good dog for waterside hunting, or
working with the ferrets. I recommend a cross-bred dog, but I find that
it is always better to have the pointer breed in it, whatever other breed
you get, because the pointer always has the nose or scent. Pointer and
Airedale would be very good, or pointer and Irish terrier. I have often
noticed that pure-bred dogs are not much good for hunting in buildings or
rivers. I have frequently seen a cross-bred dog stand at one side of the
river, and if the wind has been in his favour he has winded his nose
across the river, and I have sent him over and he has turned a Rat out,
bolted it into the water, and killed it.

The best precaution to take in breaking a dog to Rat-catching and
waterside hunting (especially if it be a puppy) is to never allow anybody
but yourself to have anything to do with it, it being the worst thing
possible to let a working dog have too many masters. Break it in to the
ferrets first, and then it is a good plan to go up the river banks, with
either a dead Rat or rabbit skin, letting the dog play with it for a
while, and then burying it about 18 inches in the river bank; or you may
pull up a clod and put it under, only you must not let the dog see where
you place it. Then take the dog with you near to where the rat or skin
is buried, and you will soon see that the dog knows its work. Do this a
few times, and you will see that once the dog finds the dead Rat or the
skin it will never forget. The younger the dog the better, the right age
to break a puppy this way being about four or five months. Break it in
for taking to the water at the same time. If you want a good working dog
always keep it on the chain when at home, and feed it at the same time as
the ferrets, but do not over-feed it; also give it one dose of castor oil
or syrup of buckthorn every 14 days. I recommend this because you never