THE SMOOTH FOX-TERRIER. 



343 



would not be looked at if a hard-and-fast 

 line were drawn over which no dog should 

 win a prize. There are hundreds of 

 Fox-terriers about quite as capable of 

 doing their work as their ancestors ever 

 were, and there is hardly a large kennel 

 which has not from time to time furnished 

 our leading packs with one or more dogs, 

 and with gratifying results. It is, there- 

 fore, a great pity that our leading ex- 

 hibitors should often be the greatest delin- 

 quents in showing dogs which they know in 

 their hearts should be kept at home or 

 drafted altogether, and it is 

 deplorable that some of our 

 oldest judges should by their 

 awards encourage them. 



So much for the utility of 

 the present breed. Now as to 

 a comparison of its appear- 

 ance with bygone genera- 

 tions. I have no hesitation 

 whatever in saying that if 

 the old time worthies could 

 come to life again they 

 would look a sorry crew, 

 and hold no chance what- 

 ever with our average 

 specimens ; while as to our 

 first flight they are incom- 

 parably ahead of them. It 

 is true that far too many 

 Fox-terriers are now bred, 

 and one sees many indiffer- 

 ent ones ; but the type is 

 vastly improved, and with 

 it, heads, shoulders, fronts 

 character. 



Before concluding this chapter it may 

 not be out of place to say a few words as 

 to the breeding and rearing of Fox-terriers, 

 and in doing so I will presume I am address- 

 ing those of my readers who are novices 

 striving to compete with older hands. 



In the first place, never breed from an 

 animal whose pedigree is not authenticated 

 beyond a shadow of a doubt ; and remem- 

 ber that while like may beget like, the in- 

 evitable tendency is to throw back to 

 former generations. The man who elects 



MR. REDMOND'S 



DUSKY DALESMAN 



BY DARLEY DALE DURI 



LASSIE. 



Photograph by Rcvelcy, Wantage 



feet, and 



to breed Fox-terriers must have the bumps 

 of patience and hope very strongly developed, 

 as if the tyro imagines that he has only 

 to mate his bitch to one of the known prize- 

 winning dogs of the day in order to pro- 

 duce a champion, he had better try some 

 other breed. Let him fix in his mind the 

 ideal dog, and set to work by patient effort 

 and in the face of many disappointments 

 to produce it. It is not sufficient that, 

 having acquired a bitch good in all points 

 save in head, that he breeds her to the 

 best-headed dog he can find. He must 

 satisfy himself that the head 

 is not a chance one, but is 

 an inherited one, handed 

 down from many genera- 

 tions, good in this particu- 

 lar, and consequently potent 

 to reproduce its like. So in 

 all other points that he 

 wislies to reproduce. In 

 tlie writer's experience, httle 

 bitches with quality are the 

 most successful. Those hav- 

 ing masculine characteristics 

 should be avoided, and the 

 best results will be obtained 

 from the first three litters, 

 after which a bitch rarely 

 breeds anything so good. 

 See that your bitch is free 

 from worms before she goes 

 to the dog, then feed her 

 well, and beyond a dose of 

 castor oil some days before 

 she is due to whelp, let Nature take its 

 course. Dose your puppies weU for worms 

 at eight weeks old, give them practicaUy 

 as much as they will eat, and unlimited 

 exercise. Avoid the various advertised 

 nostrums, and rely rather on the friendly 

 advice of some fancier or your veterinary 

 surgeon. 



Take your hobby seriousl}', and you will 

 be amply repaid, even if success does not 

 always crown your efforts, as while the 

 breeding of most animals is a fascinating 

 pursuit, that of the Fox-terrier presents 

 many varying delights. 



