78 THE BOSTON TERRIER 



not scared. This explained the low price of 

 the dog, and it is needless to add, he ornamented 

 my kennels no longer. I can only state in con- 

 nection with this that that dealer has sold very 

 few dogs since. I never purchase a dog now, 

 unless I know the man from whom I buy. 



How to breed dogs possessing an ideal dispo- 

 sition is the all-important question, and I give 

 the rules as followed in our kennels with com- 

 plete success. Breed only from stock that you 

 know comes from an ancestry noted for this 

 particular feature. Many dogs are naturally of 

 an affectionate nature, but have been made 

 snappish by ill treatemnt, or teasing. This can 

 be bred out by judicious care, but where a 

 vicious tendency is hereditary, look out for trouble 

 ahead. Damages for dog bites come high, and 

 he must be either a very rich man, or a very poor 

 one, that can afford to keep this kind of stock. 



Use only thoroughly healthy stock; disease 

 is often productive of an uneven, sullen dispo- 

 sition. See that the bitch especially never 

 shows a tendency to be cross or snappy. The 

 male dog usually controls the shape, color and 

 markings, and the dam the constitution and dis- 

 position. Hence it is, if anything, of more 

 importance that the female should be strong in 

 this feature than the male, although the male, of 

 course, should be first class also. So well known 



