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Instinct and Treatment of Highland Hunting Dogs.
CHAPTER XIV.
Anecdotes and Instinct of Dogs-Anecdotes of Retriever-Shepherds' Dogs
-Sagacity - Dogs and Monkey-Bulldog - Anecdotes of Shooting a
Stag-Treatment of Dogs.
So much has been written, and so many anecdotes told, of the
cleverness and instinct of dogs, that I am almost afraid to add
anything more on the subject, lest I should be thought tedious.
Nevertheless I cannot refrain from relating one or two incidents
illustrating the instinct, almost amounting to reason, that some
of my canine acquaintances have evinced, and which have fallen
under my own notice. Different dogs are differently endowed in
this respect, but much also depends on their education, manner
of living, &c. The dog that lives with his master constantly,
sleeping before his fire, instead of in the kennel, and hearing and
seeing all that passes, learns, if at all quick-witted, to understand not only the meaning of what he sees going on, but also,
frequently in the most wonderful manner, all that is talked of.
I have a favourite retriever, a black water-spaniel, who for many
years has lived in the house, and been constantly with me ; he
understands and notices everything that is said, if it at all relates
to himself or to the sporting plans for the day : if at breakfast-time I say, without addressing the dog himself, "Rover must
stop at home today, I cannot take him out," he never attempts
to follow me ; if, on the contrary, I say, however quietly, " I
shall take Rover with me today," the moment that breakfast is
over he is all on the qui vive, following me wherever I go, evidently aware that he is to be allowed to accompany me. When
left at home, he sits on the step of the front door, looking out
for my return, occasionally howling and barking in an illtempered kind of voice ; his great delight is going with me when
I hunt the woods for roe and deer. I had some covers about
five miles from the house, w'here we were accustomed to look
for roe : we frequently made our plans over night while the dog
was in the room. One day, for some reason, I did not take
him : in consequence of this, invariably when he heard us at night
forming our plan to beat the woods, Rover started alone very
early in the morning, and met us up there. He always went
to the cottage where we assembled, and sitting on a hillock
in front of it, which commanded a view of the road by which
we came, waited for us; when he saw us coming, he met us
with a peculiar kind of grin on his face, expressing, as well as
words could, his half doubt of being well received, in consequence of his having come without permission : the moment he
saw that I was not angry with him, he threw off all his affectation
of shyness, and barked and jumped upon me with the most grateful delight.
As he was very clever at finding deer, I often sent him with
the beaters or hounds to assist, and he always plainly asked me on
starting, whether he was to go with me to the pass, or to accompany the men. In the latter case, though a very exclusive dog
in his company at other times, he would go with any one of the
beaters, although a stranger to him, whom I told him to accompany, and he would look to that one man for orders as long as he
wras with him. I never lost a wounded roe when lie was out,
for once on the track he would stick to it, the whole day if
necessary, not fatiguing himself uselessly, but quietly and determinedly following it up. If the roe fell and he found it, he
would return to me, and then lead me ud to the animal, whatever the distance might be. With red-deer he was also most
useful. The first time that he saw me kill a deer he was very
much surprised ; I was walking alone with him through some
woods in Ross-shire, looking for woodcocks ; I had killed two or
three, when I saw such recent signs of deer, that I drew the shot
from one barrel, and replaced it with ball. I then continued my
walk. Before I had gone far, a fine barren hind sprung out of
a thicket, and as she crossed a small hollow, going directly away
from me, I fired at her, breaking her backbone with the bullet;
of course she dropped immediately, and Rover, who was a short
distance behind me, rushed forward in the direction of the shot,
expecting to have to pick up a woodcock ; but on coming up to
the hind, who was struggling on the ground, he ran round her
with a look of astonishment, and then came back to me with an
expression in his face plainly saying, " What have you done now ?
.-you have shot a cow or something." But on my explaining
to him that the hind was fair game, he ran up to her and seized
her by the throat like a bulldog. Ever afterwards he was peculiarly fond of deer-hunting, and became a great adept, and of
great use. When I sent him to assist two or three hounds to
start a roe-as soon as the hounds were on the scent, Rover
always came back to me and waited at the pass: I could enumerate endless anecdotes of his clever feats in this way.
Though a most aristocratic dog in his usual habits, when staying with me in England once, he struck up an acquaintance with
a ratcatcher and his curs, and used to assist in their business
when he thought that nothing else was to be done, entering into
their way of going on, watching motionless at the rats' holes
when the ferrets were in, and as the ratcatcher told me, he was
the best dog of them all, and always to be depended on for showing
if a rat was in a hole, corn-stack, or elsewhere ; never giving a
false alarm, or failing to give a true one. The moment, however,
that he saw me, he instantly cut his humble friends, and denied
all acquaintance with them in the most comical manner.
The shepherds' dogs in the mountainous districts often show
the most wonderful instinct in assisting their masters, who, Avithout their aid, would have but little command over a large flock
of wild black-faced sheep. It is a most interesting sight to see
a clever dog turn a large flock of these sheep in whichever
direction his master wishes, taking advantage of the ground, and
making a wide sweep to get round the sheep without frightening
them, till he gets beyond them, and then rushing barking from
flank to flank of the flocks and bringing them all up in close array
to the desired spot. When, too, the shepherd wishes to catch a
particular sheep out of the flock, I have seen him point it out
to the dog, who would instantly distinguish it from the rest, and
follow it up till he caught it. Often I have seen the sheep rush
into the middle of the flock, but the dog, though he must necessarily have lost sight of it amongst the rest, would immediately
single it out again, and never leave the pursuit till he had the
sheep prostrate, but unhurt, under his feet. I have been with a
shepherd when he has consigned a certain part of his flock to a dog
to be driven home, the man accompanying me farther on to the
hill. On our return we invariably found that he had either
given up his charge to the shepherd's wife or some other responsible person, or had driven them, unassisted, into the fold, tying
down himself at the narrow entrance to keep them from getting
out till his master came home. At other times I have seen a
dog keeping watch on the hill on a flock of sheep, allowing
them to feed all day, but always keeping sight of them, and
bringing them home at a proper hour in the evening. In fact
it is difficult to say wrhat a shepherd's dog would not do to assist
his master, who would be quite helpless without him in a Highland district.
Generally speaking these Highland sheepdogs do not show
much aptness in learning to do anything not connected in some
way or other with sheep or cattle. They seem to have been
brought into the world for this express purpose, and for no
other.
They watch their master's small crop of oats or potatoes with
great fidelity and keenness, keeping off all intruders in the shape
of sheep, cattle, or horses. A shepherd once, to prove the
quickness of his dog, who was lying before the fire in the house
where wre were talking, said to me, in the middle of a sentence
concerning something else-"I'm thinking, Sir, the cow is in
the potatoes." Though he purposely laid no stress on these
words, and said them in a quiet unconcerned tone of voice, the
dog, who appeared to be asleep, immediately jumped up, and
leaping through the open window, scrambled up the turf roof of
the house, from which he could see the potato-field. He then
(not seeing the cow there) ran and looked into the byre where
she was, and finding that all was right, came back to the house.
After a short time the shepherd said the same words again, and
the dog repeated his lookout; but on the false alarm being a
third time given, the dog got up, and wagging his tail, looked
his master in the face with so comical an expression of interro
gation, that we could not help laughing aloud at him, on which,
with a slight growl, he laid himself down in his warm corner,
with an offended air, and as if determined not to be made a fool
of again.
Occasionally a poaching shepherd teaches his dog to be of
great service in assisting him to kill game. I remember one of
these men, who was in the habit of wiring hares, and though
the keepers knew of his malpractices, they were for some time
unable to catch him in the act, in consequence of his always
placing his three dogs as videttes in different directions, to warn
him of the approach of any person. A herd-boy at the farm
near my house puts his dog to a curious use. A great part of
his flock are sent to pasture on the carse ground across the river,
and when the boy does not want to go across to count them and
see that they are all right, deterred from doing so by the water
being flooded, or from any other reason, he sends his dog to
swim across and collect the sheep on the opposite bank, where
he can see them all distinctly. Though there are other sheep
on the carse belonging to different people, the dog only brings
his own flock. After they are counted and pronounced to be all
right by the boy, the dog swims back again to his master.
Were I to relate the numberless anecdotes of dogs that have
been told me, I could fill a volume.
I am often amused by observing the difference of temper and
disposition which is shown by my own dogs;-as great a difference, indeed, as would be perceived among the same number of
human beings.
Having for many years been a great collector of living pets,
there is always a vast number of these hangers-on about the
house-some useful, some ornamental, and some neither the one
nor the other.
Opposite one window of the room I am in at present are a
monkey and five dogs basking in the sun, a bloodhound, a Skye
terrier, a setter, a Russian poodle, and a young Newfoundland
bitch, who is being educated as a retriever ; they all live in great
friendship with the monkey, who is now in the most absurd
manner searching the poodle's coat for fleas, lifting up curl by
curl, and examining the roots of the hair. Occasionally, if she
thinks that she has pulled the hair, or lifted one of his legs rather
too roughly, she looks the dog in the face with an inquiring expression to see if he is angry. The dog, however, seems rather
to enjoy the operation, and showing no symptoms of displeasure,
the monkey continues his search, and when she sees a flea matches
it in the most active manner, looks at it for a moment, and then
eats it with great relish. Having exhausted the game on the
poodle, she jumps on the back of the bloodhound bitch, and
having looked into her face to see how she will bear it, begins a
-new search, but finding nothing, goes off for a game at romps
with the Newfoundland dog. While the bloodhound bitch, hearing the voice of one of the children, whom she has taken a particular fancy to, walks off to the nursery, the setter lies dozing
and dreaming of grouse ; while the little terrier sits with ears
pricked up, listening to any distant sounds of dog or man that
she may hear ; occasionally she trots off on three legs to look at
the back door of the house, for fear any rat-hunt or fun of that
sort may take place without her being invited. Why do Highland terriers so often run on three legs? particularly when
bent on any mischief? Is it to keep one in reserve in case of
emergencies ? I never had a Highland terrier who did not hop
along constantly on three legs, keeping one of the hind legs up
as if to rest it.
The Skye terrier has a great deal of quiet intelligence, learning to watch his master's looks, and understand his meaning in a
wonderful manner. Without the determined blind courage of
the English bull terrier, this kind of dog shows great intrepidity
in attacking vermin of all kinds, though often his courage is
accompanied by a kind of shyness and reserve ; but when once
roused by being bit or scratched in its attacks on vermin, the
Skye terrier fights to the last, and shows a great deal of cunning
and generalship, as well as courage. Unless well entered, when
young, however, they are very apt to be noisy, and yelp and
bark more than fight. The terriers which I have had of this
kind show some curious habits, unlike most other dogs. I have
observed that when young they frequently make a kind of seat
under a bush or hedge, where they will sit for hours together,
crouched like a wild animal. Unlike other dogs too, they will
eat (though not driven by hunger) almost any thing that is given
them, such as raw eggs, the bones and meat of wild-ducks, or
wood-pigeons, and other birds, that every other kind of dog,
however hungry, rejects with disgust. In fact, in many particulars, their habits resemble those of wild animals; they always
are excellent swimmers, taking the water quietly and fearlessly
when very young. In tracking wounded deer I have occasionally
seen a Skye terrier of very great use, leading his master quietly,
and with great precision, up to the place where the deer had
dropped, or had concealed himself; appearing too to be acting
more for the benefit of his master, and to show the game, than
for his own amusement. I have no doubt that a clever Skye
terrier would in many cases get the sportsman a second shot at
a wounded deer with more certainty than almost any other kind
of dog. Indeed, for this kind of work, a quiet though slow dog
often is of more use than the best deer-hound. I at one time
had an English bulldog, who accompanied me constantly in
deerstalking ; he learned to crouch and creep up to the deer
with me, never showing himself, and seemingly to understand
perfectly what I wished him to do. When necessary I could
leave him for hours together, lying alone on the hill, when he
would never stir till called by me. If a deer was wounded, he
would follow the track with untiring perseverance, distinguishing
the scent of the wounded animal, and singling it out from the
rest, never making a mistake in this respect; he would also
follow the stag till he brought him to bay, when, with great
address in avoiding the horns, he would rush in and seize him
either by the throat or the ear, holding on till I came up, or, as
he once did, strangling the animal, and then coming back to
show me where he had left it.
In driving some woods one day in Ross-shire, a fine stag broke
into a wide opening ; two or three sportsmen were stationed at
some distance above me ; as the deer passed, I saw the light puff
of smoke, and heard the crack of their rifles as they fired. At
every shot the poor animal doubled with the most extraordinary
bounds ; he tried to turn back to the cover from which he had
been driven, but the shouts of the beaters deterred him, and
after stopping for a moment to deliberate, he came back fully
determined to cross the opening, in order to gain the shelter of
some large woods beyond it. He was galloping across it, when
crack went another rifle, the ball striking with a splash into a
small pool of water close to him, this turned him towards me, and
down he came in my direction as hard as he could gallop ; he
appeared to be coming directly at me: just as he 'was about a
hundred yards from me, a shout from the beaters, who were coming in view, turned him again, and he passed me, going ventre à
terrey ¾i ith his head up and his horns back over his shoulders,
giving me a good broadside shot; I fired, and he reeled, turning
half round. Bang went my other barrel, and the stag rolled
over like a rabbit, with a force and crash that seemed as if it
would have broken every bone in his body. Up he got again,
and went off, apparently as sound as ever, into the large wood,
passing close to a sportsman who was loading ; when in the wood,
we saw him halt for a moment on a hillock and take a good
steady look at us all, who were lost in astonishment at his escape
after having been so fairly upset. He then went off at a steady
swinging gallop, and we heard him long after he was out of view
crushing through the dry branches of the young fir-trees. " Bring
the dog," was the cry, and a very large animal, something between a mastiff and a St. Bernard, was brought; the dog went
off for a little wh¾e, barking and making a great noise, but after
rushing up against half a dozen trees, and tumbling over amongst
the hidden stones, he came back limping and unwilling to renew
the hunt. I had left my bulldog with a servant at a point of
the wood some distance off, and I proposed sending for him;
one of the sportsmen, who had never seen him engaged in this
kind of duty, sarcastically said, " What, that dog who followed
us today, as we rode up ? He can be no use ; he looks more fit to
kill cats or pin a bull." Our host, however, who was better
acquainted with his merits, thought otherwise; and when the
bulldog came wagging his tail and jumping up on me, I took
him to the track and sent him upon it; down went his nose and
away he went as hard as he could go, and quite silently. The
wood was so close and thick that we could not keep him in sight,
so I proposed that we should commence our next beat, as the
dog would find me wherever I was, and the strangers did not
seem much to expect any success in getting the wounded stag.
During the following beat we saw the dog for a moment or two
pass an opening, and the next instant two deer came out from
the thicket into which he had gone. " He is on the wrong scent,
after all," said the shooter, who stood next to me. " Wait, and
we will see," was my answer.
We had finished this beat and were consulting what to do,
when the dog appeared in the middle of us, appearing very well
satisfied with himself though covered with blood, and with ail
ugly tear in his skin all along one side. " Ah ! " said seme one,
" he has got beaten off; by the .deer." Looking at him, I saw
that most of the' blood was not his own, the wound not being
at all deep ; I also knew that once having had hold of the deer,
he would not have let go as long as he had life in him. " Where
is he, old boy ? take us to him," said I; the dog perfectly understanding, me, looked up in my face, and set off slowly with a
whine of delight. He led us through a great extent of wood,
stopping every now and then that we might keep up with him ;
at last he came to the foot of a rock wlfere the stag was lying
quite dead with his throat torn open, and marks of a goodly
struggle all round the place; a fine deer he was too, and much
praise did the dog get for his courage and skill: I believe I
could hare sold him on the spot at any price which I had chosen
to ask, but the dog and I were too old friends to part, having
passed many years together, both in London, where he lived with
my horses and used to run with my cab, occasionally taking a
passing fight with a cat; and also in the country, where he had
also accompanied me in many a long and solitary ramble over
mountain and valley.
In choosing a young dog for a retriever, it is a great point to
fix upon one whose ancestors have been in the same line of business. Skill and inclination to become a good retriever are
hereditary, and one come of good parents scarcely requires any
breaking, taking to it naturally as soon as he can run about. It
is almost impossible to make some dogs useful in this way, no
teaching will do it unless there be a natural inclination-a first
rate retriever nascitur nonjit. You may break almost any dog
to carry a rabbit or bird, but it is a different thing entirely to
retrieve satisfactorily, or to 'be uniformly correct in distinguishing
and sticking to the scent of the animal which is wounded.
In the same way pointing is hereditary in pointers and setters,
and puppies of a good breed, and of a well educated ancestry,
take to pointing at game as naturally as to eating their food,-
and not only do they, of their own accord, point steadily, but
also back each other, quarter their ground regularly, and in fact
instinctively follow the example of their high bred and well
brought up ancestors. For my own part, I think it quite a
superfluous trouble crossing a good breed of pointers with foxhound, 'or any other kind of dog, by way of adding speed and
strength,-you lose more than you gain, by giving at the same
time hard-headedness and obstinacy. It is much better, if you
fancy your breed of pointers or setters to be growing small or
degenerate, to cross them with some different family of pointers
or setters of stronger or faster make, of which you will be sure
to find plenty with very little trouble. It is a great point
in all dogs to allow them to be as much at liberty as possible ;
no animal kept shut up in a kennel or place of confinement
can have the same use of his senses as one who is allowed to
be at large to gain opportunities of exerting his powers of observation and increase his knowledge in the ways of the world.
Dogs who are allowed to be always loose are very seldom
mischievous and troublesome, it is only those who are kept
too long shut up and in solitude that rush into mischief the
moment they are at liberty; of course it is necessary to keep
dogs confined to a certain extent, but my rule is to imprison them
as little as possible. Mine, therefore, seldom are troublesome,
but live at peace and friendship with numerous other animals
about the house and grounds, although many of those animals
are their natural enemies and objects of chace : dogs, Shetland
ponies, cats, tame rabbits, wild ducks, sheldrakes, pigeons, &c,
all associate together and feed out of the same hand ; and the
only one of my pets whose inclination to slaughter I cannot
subdue, is a peregrine falcon, who never loses an opportunity of
killing any duck or hen that may venture within his reach. Even
the wild partridges and wood-pigeons, who frequently feed with
the poultry, are left unmolested by the dogs. The terrier, who
is constantly at warfare with cats and rabbits in a state of
nature, leaves those about the house in perfect peace ; while the
wildest of all wild fowl, the common mallards and sheldrakes,
eat corn from the hand of the " hen-wife."
Though naturally all men are carnivorous, and therefore
animals of prey, and inclined by nature to hunt and destroy
other creatures, and although I share in this our natural instinct to a great extent, I have far more pleasure in seeing these
different animals enjoying themselves about me, and in observing
their different habits, than I have in hunting down and destroying
them.
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