The owner of Blanche stated that he was going home one night accompanied by the dog and on his way saw a man who was searching for some object that he had lost. “What are you seeking?” he asked. The man answered that he had lost 280 francs. “Possibly my dog may be able to find them for you; have you any money left? If you have, show her a piece of gold.” It was done and the dog directed to search. She at once set out and soon returned, bringing first one piece of gold, then another, and then a bank-note, till the whole sum that had been lost was regained.
M. du Rouil said that Blanche really knew all the letters and the playing-cards by their names, and Lyda really knew all the figures. In addition to this Blanche had studied about one hundred and fifty words in different languages, something like twenty in each language. So it was with Lyda and the figures. She knew each one by its name, and would bring the one called for. In describing the earlier stages of training through which these dogs had passed, their owner said the first thing was to make the dog fetch an object, the next to make him discriminate between one of two very different objects placed together, and bring one or the other as it was mentioned by its name. In beginning the alphabet he put two most dissimilar letters side by side to begin with, such as an O and an I, avoiding the confusion of similar ones, such as O and Q or B and R. Gradually the dog became observant enough to discriminate between letters in which the difference was not so marked. M. du Rouil said he had found the greatest difficulty in teaching Blanche to distinguish between the knaves and kings in playing-cards, but that she learned the aces very promptly. When he was asked what, after his ten years’ experience, was his opinion of the intelligence of dogs, he answered, with great emphasis, “that it is infinite.”
In subsequent pages I shall set forth my method of educating both dogs and horses to perform a variety of feats, which will be described, and from the ideas thus imparted the reader may multiply the number of tricks to any desired amount.
FERREN’S PATENTED STEEL HORSESHOE.
HOOF EXPANDING HORSE SHOE FOR CONTRACTED FEET & CORNS
Ground surface of shoe.
The hoof prepared for the shoe.
One of the most valuable patents for Horseshoes was granted to H. B. Ferren, of Batavia, N. Y., for a Steel Horseshoe, which promises to come into general use, and will, to a very large extent, supersede an Iron Shoe, whether made by a machine or by hand, because its form is the best, the material is durable, and the manner of making is such as to secure economy, and its adoption will prevent many of the prevalent cruel malpractices upon a horse’s foot.