CHAPTER II 

 The Correct Type 



1 HE first care of the beginner must be to familiarise 

 himself, once and for all, with the points which go to 

 make a perfect bob-tail. Until he has mastered, beyond 

 all possibility of mistake, the essentials of the correct type, 

 until he carries in his eye a mental picture of the ideal 

 dog, he is necessarily working in the dark. 



The process of building up this standard of perfection 

 is a task which will vary according to the pupil's aptitude. 

 Some men possess an unerring instinct for type which 

 seldom plays them false from the beginning, while others, 

 after years of study, remain inconsistent, variable, and 

 unreliable. But it is absolutely essential to success that 

 the lesson should be learned. 



At the outset many pitfalls beset the beginner's path, 

 for the truism that " Experts differ " is specially applicable 

 to canine matters. Moreover, one of the commonest 

 failings of the average human being is that of over- 

 estimating the excellence of his own property. The 

 sportsmanlike instinct which generously recognises the 

 merits of a rival is all too rare, and the tendency of the 



