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Show MAKING PET OF HUNTING DOG PAYS OFF A closer understanding be-vvecn be-vvecn the hunter and his dog -i 1 devc"op if the dog is made a pet and it pays off in the hunting hunt-ing field, too, according to the -fuies Dog- Research Center York. The belief that a hunting dog should be treated much as a race '. kept stabled and fit but nothing more, has become prac-' prac-' . a ly extinct, says the Center. ; Sportsmen have found that a good dog is a better one if he has close association with his master mas-ter and the family life. If he has the run of the house, year 'round attention and affection, he becomes a much more useful companion in the field. A family pet of any breed is made "smarter" "smart-er" if he is given special attention, atten-tion, is talked to and petted, and a hunting dog is no exception to this. I Making a pet of a hunting dog doesn't mean lavish demonstra-! demonstra-! tion of affection or ?ax methods ! of training or correction, but it does mean giving him companionship compan-ionship and affection and care during the many hours when he isn't at work. An unpetted, unloved un-loved dog often becomes the ' U:at hard-headed seif -hunting rascal" or the "bolter." The ! dog that has been made a com-j com-j panion. and had a return of the I affection he is so ready to give forms a devotion to his owner that makes him more amenaoie in the field. He is anxious to please and eager for the reward i of praise and- petting for a job well done and tries his utmost to gain it. There are countless stories of the manner in which difficult or hard-to-handle dogs have become be-come useful in the field after they have been made house pets I he was taken to a trial and put in the kennel with the other dogs . he always looked reproachfully at his handler. At home, Zev slept in the house. and enjoyed a closer relationship with their owners. In addition, there is the enjoyable companionship compan-ionship with a dog all 12 months of the year and not just during the few monhs of gunning season. sea-son. When the hunter starts out on an autumn morning it will be a continuation of that year-round companionship and time isn't wasted in getting acquainted ac-quainted again or trying to bring under control a dog that has been kept remotely in a kennel ken-nel for months on end. As for field trial dogs, adds the Center, there are many examples of dogs that have been stars in field trials who are virtually house dogs. NaturaUy a trainer can't make a pet of every dog in his kennel but it is usually the successful trainer who is seen petting and fondling his dogs whenever the time or occasion occa-sion permits. As one veteran trainer often remarks, "You can't spoil a good one." Probably no better" illustration illustra-tion is the famous setter, Mississippi Missis-sippi Zev, winner of three championships, cham-pionships, climaxed by the National Na-tional Championship a few years ago. Zev had the run of his trainer-handler's house. When |