6 THE AMERICAN FOXHOUND 



In order to produce a good hound, such as are wanted by all 

 lovers of the chase, they must first be properly bred; to do this I 

 always select a bitcli of good avei-age size, of good style and 

 formation, one whose breeding is first-class in every respect, 

 whose qualities as a hunter, trailer, tonguer, speed and en- 

 durance would satisfy the most exacting huntsman ; besides this 

 I want to know that her ancestors were of the same quality. 

 The bitch should be mated to a dog possessing all of the above 

 mentioned qualities; when this is done we may have a right to 

 expect the progeny to develop into dogs of the desired kind, pro- 

 vided they are properly handled from their puppyhood to 

 maturity. 



Puppies should be kept in good, strong, growing condition, 

 but not overfed, nor crowded too much in their growth; they 

 should never be burdened with flesh, as I have known dogs to 

 develop spning legs caused by carrying too much weight when 

 quite young while their joints were soft and watery. Puppies 

 should not be confined to, nor raised in a kennel if it can be 

 avoided; they should have room to get out and play around, and 

 take all the exercise necessary, as liberty and exercise is con- 

 ducive to their health. I have always had my pups raised out in 

 the country, so that as they grow up they become accustomed to 

 stock of all kinds. They are permitted to run rabbits at their 

 pleasure. By running them their feet and muscles become 

 hardened and toughened, their lungs develop better, and of 

 course their powers of endurance are developed in proportion to 

 the chances they have had for development. I never take a 

 hound out for a red fox chase until he is a year old, as I feel that 

 until then they have not sufficiently developed to stand the wear 

 and tear of a long hard contest witli aged and seasoned dogs. 

 During the fall, winter and early spring seasons many red foxes 

 will run from four to eight or ten hours, and occasionally 

 longer, so long that dogs under twelve months of age cannot 

 stand the strain. However game and ambitious they may be, 

 they will tire and naturally have to fall behind. If game 

 enough they will follow on until from exliaustion they may 

 possibly have to quit and abandon the chase altogether. Then 

 they become discouraged to a certain extent, and if such trials 

 are repeated often there is more or less danger of making 

 quitters of them, or at least dogs that will become reconciled to 

 run behind. If gray foxes are the game to be run, then the 



