THE MASTIFF. 583 



fort, chosen as an illustration of this article, a dog with the 

 extreme of short face and realizing as near the ideal of the 

 standard as a dog is likely ever to do, yet without a single 

 deformity and not overdone in a single particular. His only 

 fault, if fault it may be termed, is large dew-claws, which 

 impede his action behind, and which should have been 

 removed when a puppy, as they possess no " fancy" merit 

 or demerit, being simply "admissible." Beaufort's merits 

 are in his excellent fore legs, straight and strong, his deep, 

 capacious chest, his admirable hind legs, with perfection 

 in hocks, the very broad, flat kind most desirable in Mas- 

 tiffs, his vast skull, neat ears, and bulky loin. His head is 

 fashionable to-day, but should the longer head of Turk, 

 Colonel, etc., become the fashion in years to come, Beaufort 

 will still be thoroughly the Mastiff in bodily properties. 



As to breeding, I have treated that subject at some 

 length in the article in this book on the Old English Sheep 

 Dog, and the advice there given is equally applicable to the 

 breeding of Mastiffs. All I would add is that the dog to 

 breed to is the one noted for getting good ones, and when 

 you strike a good strain stick to it as long as it can be sus- 

 tained. Remember that, in many cases, great show bitches 

 are miserable failures as producers. The rules for rearing 

 Mastiffs, as distinct from those applying to other breeds, are 

 -few and simple, but it may be especially said of them that 

 above all other breeds they need the most abundant exercise 

 while young. They are certainly lazy dogs, indisposed to 

 exertion, and if reared singly are not likely to take the 

 required amount of exercise. To supply this it is well to 

 procure some kind of playmate for the youngsters; any cur 

 will answer, as long as it be playful and not too small. If 

 reared in litters, the Mastiff puppies will stimulate each other 

 sufficiently. Distrust a stud dog that is cooped up without 

 free exercise; some under these circumstances do not seem 

 to fail as stock-getters, others do. Lord Raglan was set 

 down as impotent until his last owner put him on the 

 road, following his buggy, then he got puppies with as much 

 certainty as the average stud dog. 



