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Show The advanced school entails an increase in search difficulties on the avalanche ( depth of burial, large search fields, etc.) 2. THE BASIC SCHOOL Principle of education. The dog, his sensory organs and instincts are made useful for man as follows: a) The master leaves the animal, used to living in a pack, and disappears in the snow. This brings the pack- instinct of the dog to the highest alarm level* The dog loses his comrade whom he loves above all. He begins to shiver with excitement and to howl. He tries to tear himself loose in order to be able to follow his master as soon as possible. The search fever, the singular interest in the task is thus awakened. The dog has been given the nicest task, he can possibly receive. He is permitted to search for his master. b) The dog is finally turned loose. He rushes in the direction his master disappeared; the finely developed sense of smell of the dog's nose now goes into action. It is a pleasant, good- smelling scent, which he can recognize out of thousands. c) The scent, of course, is concentrated in a given spot. However, the master is still out of range, lying under a cover of snow. Almost every dog is by nature a passionate digger ( he digs up bones and digs for mice, etc.)• The most succulent bones pale beside the beloved scent of his master, which emanates like a cloud from the snow. Such pleasant work, digging to one's master! d) The joy of meeting him again is combined with the praise, the scratching, the delicacies. What more could the soul of a dog ask for?! According to educational principles, the dog will react only to painful or pleasurable, bad or good, sensations; and on these he bases his behavior. Since the dog receives a delicacy and vigorous praise for every detection success on the training avalanche, he soon considers searching under the snow his favorite activity. He always remembers this as a pleasurable sensation. - 25 - |