4 88 BRITISH DOGS 



or hound-like, slightly curved upward, but not directly curled over the back. 

 N.B. When not excited, nearly in a horizontal line, but otherwise hound-like. 



Legs. The fbre legs should be very short in proportion to the dog's size, 

 very stout, and set wide apart, thick, and straight, with immense muscular 

 development in the fore arm ; this, with the ankles being very slightly turned 

 inwards, makes the dog appear somewhat bandy-legged, but the leg bones 

 themselves should be stout and straight, and not curved. The feet should be 

 well framed and broad, but not flat, standing firm, and well under the chest, 

 with very little or no feather on the legs. Hind legs thick and strong, longer 

 than the fore legs, well spread, with a good bend in the hocks, the muscles of 

 the thighs being very thick and well developed. The feet are much smaller, 

 with no feather or dew-claws ; the toes rather short, forming rather a round than 

 a hare-foot ; the claws black, and very strong. White claws, however, should 

 not be a disqualification. 



ff eight and Weight. Height, from Sin. to I2in. at top of shoulder, but never 

 above I2in., even for a dog. Weight, of dogs, from i61b. to 24lb. ; of bitches, 

 from I4lb. to 2olb. The most desirable weights are 2olb. for dogs and i61b. 

 for bitches, but 24lb. dogs are very useful to give bone, rnuscle, and stamina to 

 the produce of the smaller ones. 



Coat and Coloiir. The coat is a very important feature. The hair (about 2in. 

 long) along the top of the neck and upper part of the body should be a mixture 

 of about two-thirds rather hard (but not wiry) with one-third soft, linty (not 

 silky) hair, which gives a sort of crisp feeling to the hand, and constitutes what 

 old John Stoddart used to term " a pily coat." It becomes lighter in colour and 

 finer in texture as it nears the lower part of the body and legs. The head is 

 covered with hair of a longer, lighter, and much more silky texture, giving it 

 a silvery appearance, but not so long as to hang completely over the eyes, like 

 a Skye or a Poodle. The lighter in colour and softer, the better. The colour 

 is either mustard or pepper, and their mixtures. Mustard is a reddish or sandy 

 brown of various shades. Pepper is a bluish grey, either dark in shade, ranging 

 from a dark bluish black to slaty grey, or even a much paler or silvery grey ; 

 sometimes a combination of both, in which case the back is grey, while the legs, 

 inside of ears, chest, and under side of tail are mustard, verging on a pale red 

 or fawn colour. No other colours admitted, and any white, even on chest, is 

 considered objectionable. 



In the excellent advice given by the late Mr. Thomson Gray, 

 and printed elsewhere, the novice will find described most of the 

 faults that he must avoid in either purchasing or breeding. Little 

 therefore remains to be said. The silky top-knot that is considered 

 so characteristic of the modern dog has been condemned by the 

 older admirers of sporting Terriers as a useless sort of appendage 

 to a dog that at one time had to face any kind of vermin. Some- 

 times the two colours of the Dandie are combined, and needless 

 to say that such specimens are useless for exhibition. Dogs showing 

 such a colour combination are known as " Saddlebacks." Mr. Cook 

 states that when two or three years old the " Saddleback" some- 

 times turns into a spurious " Mustard," the Pepper " Saddle " 

 gradually dying out." In the puppy stage Dandie Dinmont Terriers 

 differ materially from the adult. The Peppers are born black, often 

 with a white patch on chest, that remains, and sometimes with tan 

 legs. When born black, the tan on the legs soon asserts itself. At 



