THE POODLE. 621 



animal heat when he is in the water. In most respects, he 

 is like the German Poodle, though generally a smaller and 

 more slightly built dog than his Teutonic cousin. The 

 colors of Caniches are the same as those of the German 

 Poodle, and solid colors are deemed absolutely essential for 

 a good dog. 



The skull should show a well-defined stop, very broad 

 across the ears, and with a pronounced dome. The eyes 

 should be larger in proportion than in the German Poodle; 

 should be of a clear dark-red in black dogs, of a dark-brown 

 in white specimens, and without any inclination to weep. 



The ears should be set on rather high, the leather sel- 

 dom reaching to the tip of the nose. The neck should be 

 moderately long, and the shoulders rather upright, the 

 barrel well ribbed up, with strong arched loins. The feet 

 should be round, slightly splayed, with the toes webbed 

 down to the nails. 



The legs should be long and muscular; the hind ones 

 are usually rather straighter than those of the German 

 Poodle, thereby giving the dog a proud, though rather 

 stilty, action when walking. 



The coat, all over the body, should separate into tightly 

 curled ringlets, but with no tendency to cord. 



In France it is not customary to shave Poodles as elab- 

 orately as is done in England, and the majority of Caniches 

 that you see have only the mustache, imperial, wristlets, 

 and anklets, with perhaps a back-strap and tufts. They 

 are also shaved much higher up the body, nearly to the 

 shoulder, while German Poodles are never shaved farther 

 forward than the last rib. 



For many years the Poodle has been the national dog of 

 France, and no cartoonist would think of drawing a picture of 

 " Johnny Crapeau" without his Caniche sitting on its hind 

 legs beside him; and indeed it is this dog's innate love of 

 fun and drollery, in contrast to his very wise and dignified 

 expression, that particularly endears him to a Frenchman's 

 heart. 



The Barbet is, or should be, a miniature Caniche, though 



