Training and Management 81 



It will here be seen that the collies and lurchers take 

 the highest place as regards numbers, and Airedales the 

 next. Some of the other breeds were good at the work, 

 but were of a scarcer breed and therefore more difficult 

 to obtain. Of these I would particularly mention Welsh 

 terriers. Some deerhounds also, showed a great aptitude, 

 but they are of course rather scarce. 



It will be observed however, that the first four breeds 

 are all such as have been associated, some of them from 

 prehistoric times, with man, in connection with his work, 

 and therefore have instinctively a sense of calling inherent 

 in their minds. The collie, or the sheep dog, is, as I have 

 shown elsewhere, quite one of the most ancient breeds, and 

 has always been the companion of man, for guarding his 

 person and his flocks. The lurcher is a mixture of working 

 dogs, the greyhound part of him being adapted, on account 

 of the fleetness to be derived from this breed, to the intel- 

 ligence of the other part of him, which may be a collie or 

 an Airedale, the two portions combining into a very clever, 

 reasoning, working dog. The Airedale has, for many 

 generations, now been adopted as a very personal dog, 

 mostly for the guardian of person and property, and he 

 also takes life as quite a serious business. This natural 

 instinct for work is of course a great point on which to 

 base the training. 



