204 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



is the favourite among amateur fanciers. 

 Red fawns, blue or slate coloured, black, 

 brindled of various shades, and these colours 

 intermingled with white, are most to be met 

 with, however. In some quarters the idea 

 is prevalent that Whippets are delicate in 

 their constitution, but this is a popular error. 

 Probably their disinclination to go out of 

 doors on their own initiative when the 

 weather is cold and wet may account for the 

 opinion, but given the opportunity to roam 

 about a house the Whippet will find a com- 

 fortable place, and will rarely ail anything. 

 In scores of houses Whippets go to bed 

 with the children, and are so clean that even 

 scrupulous housewives take no objection to 

 their finding their way under the clothes to 

 the foot of the bed, thereby securing their 

 own protection and serving as an excellent 

 footwarmer in the winter months. 



Probably in no other breed, except the 

 Greyhound, do judges attach so little im- 

 portance to the shape of the head ; so 

 long as the jaws are fairly long and the 

 colour of the eyes somewhat in keeping 

 with that of the body, very little else is 

 looked for in front of the ears. As in the 

 case of racing competitors, really good dogs 

 for show purposes are much more difficult 

 to find than bitches. The best of the males 

 are not so classical in outline as the 

 females, though some of them are as good 

 in legs and feet — points which are of the 

 greatest importance. Though it is not 

 quite in accordance with the standard laid 

 down by the club, it will be found that most 

 judges favour dogs which are about 17 lbs. 

 weight, and bitches which are between 15 lbs. 

 and 16 lbs., the 20 lbs. mentioned in the 



standard of points, without variation for 

 sex, being considered altogether too heavy. 

 Appearances are sometimes deceptive, but 

 these dogs are rarely weighed for exhibition 

 purposes, the trained eye of the judge being 

 sufficient guide to the size of the competitors 

 according to his partiality for middle-size, 

 big, or little animals. 



The South Durham and Yorkshire Show 

 at Darlington has the credit for first intro- 

 ducing classes for Whippets into the prize 

 list. Previous to this it had not long been 

 generally recognised as a distinct breed, and 

 it is within the last twenty years that the 

 Kennel Club has placed the breed on its 

 recognised list. 



The following is the standard of points 

 adopted by the Whippet Club : — 



1. Head. — Long and lean, rather wide between 

 the eyes and flat on the top ; the jaw powerful 

 yet cleanly cut ; the teeth level and white. 



2. Eyes. — Bright and fiery. 



3. Ears. — Small, fine in texture and rose 

 shape. 



4. Neck. — Long and muscular, elegantly arched 

 and free from throatiness. 



5. Shoulders. — Oblique and muscular. 



6. Chest. — Deep and capacious. 



7. Back. — Broad and square, rather long ana 

 slightly arched over the loin, which should be 

 strong and powerful. 



8. Fore-legs. — Rather long, well set under the 

 dog, possessing a fair amount of bone. 



9. Hind Quarters. — Strong and broad across 

 stifles, well bent thighs, broad and muscular ; 

 hocks well let down. 



10. Feet. — Round, well split up, with strong 

 soles. 



11. Coat. — Fine and close. 



12. Colour. — Black, red, white, brindle, fawn, 

 blue, and the various mixtures of each. 



13. Weight. — Twenty pounds. 



