387. Notwithstanding Beckford’s capital story of the hounds making a dinner of the old ram which his lordship had left in their kennel to intimidate them, if your dog be unhappily too fond of mutton or lamb of his own killing, perhaps no better cure can be attempted, provided you superintend the operation, than that of muzzling him, and letting a strong ram give him a butting at the time that you are administering the lash, and hallooing out “Ware” or “Sheep.” But, unfortunately, this too often fails.
388. If you do not succeed, you must hang or drown him, (the latter is probably the less painful death, but a charge of shot well lodged behind the ear in the direction of the brain would be yet better.) Therefore you will not mind giving him another chance for his life, though confessedly the measure proposed is most barbarous. Procure an ash-pole about five feet long. Tie one extremity of the pole to a strong ram, by the part of the horns near the forehead. To the opposite extremity of the pole attach a strong spiked collar, and strap it round the dog’s throat, to the audible tune of “Ware” or “Sheep.” (To prevent the possibility of the cord slipping, through each end of the pole burn a hole.) The continued efforts of the ram for some hours either to free himself from his strange companion, or to attack him, will possibly so worry and punish the dog as to give him a distaste ever afterwards for anything of a woolly nature. The pole will so effectually separate these unwilling (but still too intimate) associates, that you need not muzzle the dog.
CURE ATTEMPTED.
389. There is yet another remedy, which I will name as it sounds reasonable, though I cannot speak of its merits from personal observation, never having seen it tried.
Wrap a narrow strip of sheep-skin, that has much wool on it, round the dog’s lower jaw, the wool outwards, and fasten it so that he cannot get rid of it. Put this on him for a few hours daily, and there is a chance that he will become as thoroughly disgusted, as even you could wish, with every animal of the race whose coat furnished such odious mouthfuls; but prevention being better than cure, pay great attention to your dog’s morals during the lambing season. Dogs not led away by evil companionship rarely commence their depredations upon sober, full-grown sheep. In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred,[73] they have previously yielded to the great temptation of running down some frisking lamb, whose animated gambols seemed to court pursuit.[74]
THE ADMIRAL’S PLAN.
390. A full admiral (Sir H——n S——d), as well known in the field as in the ballroom, and whose exhilarating society is coveted alike by young and old, had many years ago a valuable retriever named “Lion,” bred between a setter and a Newfoundland, fast and high-couraged, but which had not been properly trained.
His condemnation had been pronounced by his owner, the late Sir J——s D——n H——y, in the hearing of the admiral, who at once asked for and obtained the dog. Sir J——s’ keeper (P——n) had put a ring upon one of the animal’s fore-feet to prevent his travelling too fast. This the admiral immediately removed, and by making “Lion” his companion, and feeding him himself, he soon brought him into tolerable obedience, but he had the vexation of finding that the retriever always showed a great longing to chase sheep, and more than once had pulled one down in spite of all threats and admonitions.
One fine summer’s morning the cheery admiral, who is an excellent piscator, had started at sunrise across the moors to fish a distant loch. “Lion” quietly followed behind the dog-cart, but on getting sight of some sheep he started off and overturned one.