208 The Fox Terrier. 



undoubtedly would be were they discovered to have done 

 so. Surely in these cases what is sauce for the goose 

 must be sauce for the gander. 



The only method by which such malpractices are to be 

 stopped is by drawing a hard-and-fast rule as to what 

 constitutes this faking and over-trimming; and tacit consent 

 having allowed a certain degree of latitude with some 

 varieties, the difficulty of dealing with the abuse is con- 

 siderably increased. Some competent person ought to 

 be appointed whose duty it would be to make examina- 

 tions and to lay objections, and not leave the latter, as 

 is the case now, to the judge or to interested parties. An 

 attempt to attain neatness and prettiness in the show dog 

 is usually made by cutting the whiskers of bull terriers, 

 black and tan terriers, and white English terriers, which 

 is always allowed. By so doing, a perky and smart 

 appearance is given to the dog, and so it became the 

 fashion to do the same with fox terriers. Happily, so far 

 as regards the breed of which I write, the custom has now 

 almost lapsed, though occasionally one does come across 

 a smooth fox terrier robbed of those useful appendages 

 with which Nature had provided him. 



But to return to the washing of wire-haired terriers. A 

 continual course of tubbing softens the coat of both 

 varieties, and to remedy this in the one, various means are 

 resorted to, as also for making a naturally soft coat feel 

 harder and crisper than it really is. Here again " faking " 

 crops in, but how to " fake " is not a gospel I intend to 

 preach, and I mention it as one of the weaknesses in the 

 system of modern canine exhibitions. 



That dog shows have done a great deal towards the 

 popularisation of the fox terrier there is little doubt, and, 



