The all-round dog - the general-purpose fellow who is, after all, about the best canine companion a red-blooded man, woman or child can have - is not a product of large cities. His place is in the country, where there are vermin to be destroyed, walks and tramps afield to be taken, streams and ponds to be: swum in, and room to breathe and run and play as a dog should. Give any normal pup of active nature these blessings, and he will be in a fair way to becoming an all-round dog. Encourage and guide him among them, and his development is assured.
Let us first consider accustoming the dog to taking to the water. Of course, he is, unlike human beings, endowed with an instinctive knowledge of how to swim, but if inexperienced he is probably afraid of deep water. To overcome this fear, never throw him bodily into the pond, under the mistaken notion that such is the best way to accustom a dog to water; think what the result would be on yourself were you in the dog's place.
Let the dog become accustomed to swimming gradually. Go on a warm day to where the bank shelves off gradually, wade into the shallow water a little way, and encourage the dog to follow. .Never lose patience and drag him in. Arouse his interest and enthusiasm by a sort of "come-on-in-the-water's-fine" attitude; throw in sticks and pebbles for him to chase. A few days of this will overcome any fear he may have had, provided no abrupt change is made from & wading to a swimming depth.
Do not at first give the dog the impression that entering the water is something he must do as a matter of duty; endeavor to show him that it is all for fun, and he will soon learn to enjoy swimming for the sake of its novelty and the relief it affords him in hot weather.
Let us turn now to the destruction of rats, mice and such vermin, a thing which is instinctive in nearly all dogs, especially the various breeds of terrier. There is nothing particular which can be done to develop such a propensity, except a general policy of encouragement and frequent opportunities, but it should be borne in mind that some individuals do not show any aptitude as vermin destroyers until they are two or three years old; then it all comes to them suddenly.
It is well to start the rodent-hunting career of a young dog with very small game. If in his inexperience he tackles a battle-scarred old warrior rat, the chances are that the results will discourage him from similar efforts for sometime to come, for be it known that a rat can fight like "all possessed."
For the sake of the appearance of the lawn, it is not well to encourage your dog to promiscuous digging for ground moles, but if he shows any propensity for hunting these: pests you may be able to teach him to catch them with neatness and dispatch. Moles are active usually in mid-morning' and again in the afternoon, and if at such times you approach a fresh burrow quietly, without jarring the ground with your footfalls, you will probably see the stirring of the turf which indicates where the tunnel is being extended. Have in your hand a short spade or some similar implement, and let the dog follow at heel. Directly below where the surface of the soil is stirring is the mole, busily digging and unconscious of your stealthy approach. Yon can get within a couple of feet without disturbing him; then crush down the tunnel 'roof immediately behind him with your foot to prevent a retreat, simultaneously driving in the spade and unearthing the mole. Once on the surface, he will be an easy prey for the dog.
Now, the point of the foregoing is this: If your dog is keen and observant, he will realize that the thing to do is to hunt for the place where the mole is actually working, approach carefully, and then dig right in in a hurry. Knowing these things, he may learn to do them alone and unaided. I have known several dogs that were most successful at this style of hunting, and their actions while stalking some unsuspecting "mound-builder" were most conclusive proof of the adaptability of the canine mind. One of these dogs worked it out to such a fine point that he disturbed the turf but little in unearthing a mole. He would creep to within striking distance, poise himself for an upward spring, and come down with fore feet and muzzle so unerringly on top of the "varmint" that the latter was usually disabled by the first shock.