THE RETRIEVER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2520, 2 July 1902, Page 58

THE RETRIEVER.

Many a time has the writer (says C. D., 'In "the Field) been compelled to combat the /unfair and unthinking assertions that the «triever did not possess a nose equal to the aioiuter, and that his keenness was inferior Wo that of the spaniel; that no retriever waa «s "hard" as a nondescript rabbit-catcher ; kn short, it if» demanded that the retrievers fanwt embody in their highest development bhe peculiar virtues of half a dozen breeds— with none of their failings. Of course these qualities are, to a great extent, required of the ideal retriever, and more, for nojnin* has yet been said about companionibleneSs, looks, or breaking. Perhaps the former of thes£ three requirements may be dispensed with ; but let us remember while 3oing co that we have dismissed from the Het a virtue which retrievers almost invariably possess in a remarkable degree, and ffhioh goe3 no small way towards the plea»ujre of a day's shooting, and towards the fcnection which the retriever shows and inipires. It ie certainly desirable that our ideal >etrieveT should be good-looking in addition jko all the other physical attributes indicated fcbove, and when all the facts are remem>ered, is it surprising that a really first-class landsome worker is very rare, and will ilways be difficult to find? Without wishing to enlarge here upon what has rightly been (ailed '^he baneful influence of the showiench," it seems to the writer that it is pseless to dream of help frqm a cla^s who are concerned o,nly with look 3 (and with a rigidly-defined type of looks, too) as the loal of their ambition. Tho appeal, if it is 3 bt of any use, must teach the ears of

dog-loving shooting men, men who always have good dogs, but who cling too tenaciously to the dictum, "handsome is as handsome does," and who too often place good looks and the ability to "beg" or "dance" in the earn© category. To continue, a perfectly broken retriever is one whose education has ensured absolute steadiness under varied and exciting condition?, obedience, and fast retrieving right up to the hand. And nature must have bestowed on him (and care retained) a soft, dry mouth. The magnitude of the task will be apparent to all readers of this article, for while, as one writer truly says, it is easy enough to get a young retriever who is perfectly steady and with a nice delivery, the value in the field of many of these Begins and ends with their manners. But our ideal retriever puppy will be keen and: a bit excitable, and hardly' ever wearied- into soberness, and such a' one will present plenty of difficulty. When o.ne has read the requirements enumerated above, does it seem strange that this canine "Admiral" Crichton is very rarely met with? Is it no.t -a. fact beyond dispute, that the ideal retriever, to meet the requirements of the varied conditions of modern shooting, must combine more qualities 4n a high degree than any other trained- -sporting dog, and the writer would add, is not the retriever also the most neglected, as well as the most numerous, of all Brilish gun-dogs? The conditions of shooting have altered considerably in the last generation, but they have not lightened the need for or the work of retrievers; indeed, driving has imposed tests of 6teadinesß far in excess of any obtainable when "walking up," and what more severe toek can be eet in retrieving than to ask your dog- to find » "runner" who dropped early in a drive, and who ha« had, perhaps, more than 10 minutes' start? In conclusion, the good retriever will always be scarce ; his education is long 1 , and he must be heavily ehot over to become first class ; so he seems scai car to-day than yesterday, because the demsjids made of him are more exacting, while shooters no longer share to the same extent m the collection of the game they kill, go that less trouble is taken to see that the dog' s'work is quickly and skilfully performed — "like master like man."