The Red Cloud chief., 1896-09-11

the great foreign military establish
mcnts will have troops Of four-lcgscd
soldiers. and 1t will not do for this
country to lag behind.
Dogs, properly selected and educated,
make the best sort Of scouts and the
most capable carriers Of orders IN the
Held. They are particularly useful Tor
transmitting information. In conveying
messages from advanced patrols and
in maintaining communication be
tween posts and pickctS. Also they do
excellent work in hunting nv missing
men. Several breeds Of dogs are found
highly suitable for military purposes.
rotably poodlcs, shepherd dogs and
bird dogs. The kind does not matter
50 much as the quality of the breed,
which must be pure. No monErcl
makes u good wal dog. 1t Is only In
a veil bred dog that the valuable quail
tiles above mentioned are developed
in n superior degree.
All points considered, bird dogs
make the best wal dogs. They unite
the good qualities of the poodle and
shepherd dog. and are distinguished
by a lively sense of duty and II de-
voted attachment to their masters.
The training OF the dog detachment
of a battalion Is managed by an oii-
Ger, who has special experiences In
such matters. lie selects assistants
from among the %corporals and privatcs,
ana gives them lessons in the art OF
training. II Is his duty to buy the
dogs, To distribute them among the
companies. to supervise the breeding
and rearing of pups, and to see that
The animals are properly cared for and
fed. The properly educated wal dog
must carry messages with certainty,
running back from advanced patrols
TO dctaChmcnts In the q a and then re-
turning. II is required to do this sort
Of work with such efficiency rs to main
tain communication between sentinels
and stationary dctachmcuts. The ami
NAL must be taught to give notice TO
sentinels of the approach of strang-
crs.
The business of training war dogs
has been reduced to a perfect system
There Is n complete course of canine
pedagogy, with lessons as carefully
formulated rs those of grammar and
arithmetic for children. The lessons
pass gradually from the simple to the
difficult, and care Is taken never to
demand more of the animal than Is in
tclligible TO him.
A certain amount of training goes
naturally with the bringing up of the
pup, but the education proper should
not be begun before he Is at least six
months old. 1t may be remarked here
that the wal dog Is always of the male
persuasion.
The war dog wears a collar that has
a metal plate. bearing the name Of the
company to which he Is attached-as,
for example, Rife Battery 8, . Comp
He carries n small canvas pouch, which
Is closed by a button or buckle. These
articles with n chain for fastening him
when required, constitute the whole of
his equipment. Tho canvas receptacle
Is called. a report pouch" An idea
OF It's purpose Is communicated to the
dog by putting written messages into
1t in his presence when he departs on
a mission, and taking them out on his
arrival. Ho soon learns that he Is car
rying something from one end OF the
trip that Ia wanted at the other. This
business OF conveying messages Is the
most important thing that the animal
has to learn. He ought to be able,
after a while to go a distance OF two
miles or more and return.