BREEDING AND WHELPING. 



581 



from that strain membL-rs who, while ex- 

 hibiting similar characteristics, are not 

 actually too closely allied in consanguinity. 

 To move perpetually from one strain to 

 another is only to court an undesirable 

 confusion of type. 



In connection with the theory of breed- 

 ing it is to be noted that many dogs and 

 bitches are more powerfully prepotent than 

 others. That is to say, they are found to 

 be more apt in impressing their likeness 

 upon their progeny. The famous prize- 

 winning dogs are not necessarily to be 

 relied upon to beget offspring similarly 

 endowed with merits, and a champion's 

 brother or sister who has gained no honours 

 may be far more profitable as a stock-getter. 



There are many perplexing points to be 

 taken into consideration by breeders, and 

 the phenomenon of atavism is one of them. 

 A dog is to be regarded not only as the 

 offspring of its immediate parents, but also 

 of generations of ancestors, and many are 

 found to be more liable than others to throw 

 back to their remote progenitors. Thus, 

 even in a kennel of related dogs, all ot 

 whom are similar in appearance, you may 

 sometimes have a litter of puppies in no 

 visible sense resembling their parents. A 

 white English Terrier bitch, for instance, 

 mated with a dog equally white, mav have 

 one or more puppies marked with brown 

 or brindle patches. Research would prob- 

 ably show that on some occasion, many 

 generations back, one of the ancestors was 

 crossed with a mate of brindle or brown 

 colouring. But the old-established breeds 

 seldom reveal a throwback, and one of the 

 best indications of a pure strain is that it 

 breeds true to its own type. 



Then, again, there are the influences of 

 environment and mental impression. Our 

 domesticated dogs lead artificial lives, and 

 we artificially restrict and direct their breed- 

 ing. It is therefore not to be wondered at 

 i' occasionally our experiments lead to 

 sterility. Mr. Theo Marples has declared 

 that probably forty per cent, of prize-bred 

 bitches which- visit prize-bred dogs are un- 

 productive, and his estimate is to be relied 

 upon. In a wild state dogs w-ould exercise 

 the freedom of natural selection, but we 

 do not permit them to do that. Still the 

 instinct to follow their own choice remains 



strong, and most dog-owners must have 

 experienced difficulties w ith what is called a 

 " shy breeder." It may be of either sex, 

 but usually it is a bitch who, refusing to 

 mate herself with the dog that we have 

 chosen, yet exhibits a mad desire for one 

 with whom we would not on any account 

 have her mated. The writer is of opinion 

 that, apart from the possibility of physical 

 defect on either side, this enforced and love- 

 less mating is accountable for the small and 

 feeble litters which frequently occur in 

 many of our modern breeds. To send a 

 bitch who is in temporarily delicate condi- 

 tion boxed up in a railway van on a long 

 journey, and to assist her immediately on 

 her arrival to a strange and possibly ab- 

 horrent dog cannot be good; yet this is 

 very frequently done. The chances of a 

 good and healthy litter are immeasurably 

 increased when inclination is added to 

 happy opportunity, and there is a possi- 

 bility of natural wooing and consent. 



On the other hand a too great familiarity 

 is not to be advised, and one has known 

 many instances of a bitch in season refus- 

 ing to be allied with a kennel mate with 

 whom she has fed and lodged and hunted 

 all the days of her life. The natural pro- 

 clivities and preferences of a bitch ought, 

 to some extent, to be considered. Give her 

 the privilege of choosing one out of three 

 or four approved mates; she will probably 

 select by instinct the one best suited to be 

 the sire of her puppies. But force her to 

 form an alliance with a dog whom she 

 hates, and the resulting litter is likely to 

 be a disappointment. 



Mental impression, both at the time of 

 connection and during the period of preg- 

 nancy, exercises a very considerable influ- 

 ence upon the physical condition and the 

 individual appearance of the offspring. 

 Even the bitch's surroundings during the 

 sixty-three days before the puppies are born 

 are believed to have a determining effect. 

 Obviously they must be of a kind calculated 

 to contribute to her comfort and peace of 

 mind; but some breeders go further, and 

 argue that even the colour of the immedi- 

 ate surroundings influences the colour of 

 the progeny, as that if you wish for pure 

 white puppies the interior of the kennel 

 should be white, and that black walls are 



