THE YORKSHIRE TERRIER 583 



good rat-killers. Probably these belonged to a day when diminutive- 

 ness and length of coat were not the chief characteristics ; for the 

 older dogs were larger altogether than those of the present day. 

 Many of them are veritable little spitfires, as sharp as needles, and, 

 by their alertness, make excellent house-dogs. Those seen at 

 exhibitions are shown at their very best, and in parade uniform ; for 

 all that are purely bred do not prove to be fit for competition at a 

 show. Much depends, too, on the care taken of the dog, and his 

 preparation for show'; but some well-bred specimens cannot be got 

 into good coat, are wanting in colour, and always look scrubby and 

 ragged. 



Artificial means are used to encourage and stimulate the growth 

 of the hair. The four feet are kept encased in boots, made of soft 

 linen or rag, so that, even should the dog scratch, the claws being 

 covered, the coat is neither broken nor pulled out. The diet is also 

 regulated, and the general health carefully guarded, with a view to 

 obviate heating of the blood and skin disease. Various preparations 

 are applied to the skin to stimulate the growth of the hair, and 

 concerning these nostrums much mystery is often affected. 

 The following will be found a very safe and efficacious preparation : 

 Olive oil, 3oz. ; castor oil, 3oz. ; palm oil, loz. ; vaseline, loz. ; 

 tincture of cantharides, idr. ; oil of rosemary, idr. Mix the first 

 two together, and add the rest while simmering over a fire. Cocoa- 

 nut oil and paraffin oil in the proportion of two-thirds of the former 

 to one-third of the latter is also a capital application^ for promoting 

 growth of hair and rendering the coat soft and silky ; and when the 

 dog is at home, and in preparation for a show, he may be advan- 

 tageously dressed with it daily. 



It may be well to say, in respect of the liniment for which 

 a recipe has been given above, that as some dogs are much 

 tenderer in the skin than others, its effect should be watched, 

 and if undue irritation is produced by it, it should, for use on 

 such dogs, be weakened by mixing with it a portion of plain 

 olive oil ; and the bottle should always be well shaken before 

 using its contents. Lanolin has also been highly spoken of as a 

 coat grower. One often sees mercurial preparations suggested as 

 coat-growers, but constantly used, they are harmful and likely to 

 salivate the dog on whom they are applied. 



When born, Yorkshire Terrier pups are black-and-tan, and a story 

 is told of a celebrated judge who, having had a bitch about to become 

 a mother presented to him, when the pups came duly to hand 

 drowned them " right off," and wrote to his friend that there must 

 have been some mistake, as the pups were as black-and-tan as 

 Manchester Terriers ! 



In regard to the colour of puppies and the change that takes place 



