The Bob-Tailed Sheep Dog 383 



as companions, there are too many good-looking dogs of other breeds for 

 an oddity, such as the bob-tail most undoubtedly is, to succeed with Amer- 

 icans. 



Our opinion is that the English fancy is developing a dog too large 

 for use. A small or medium-sized dog is far better for sheep work than 

 one of the large, carthorse style, which will wear himself out through his 

 own excessive weight. The late Doctor Edwardes-Ker, who was the 

 recognised authority on the breed, was of the opinion that the dog was 

 formerly much larger, and that the short back and thick-set body, making 

 the dog "a little big 'un," showed this. In place of this being so, the size 

 has increased astonishingly, through better rearing and feeding, and he 

 has left his companion, the smooth dog, behind in the race for size. On 

 this question of size we quote from a short contribution by the well-known 

 English exhibitors, the Tilley Brothers, from whom so many good dogs have 

 come to this country: "We are satisfied with the type of the breed in all 

 features but two, which are size and lack of courage. Bob-tails are now 

 too large (i. e., the winning dogs) to be of great value as workers. A large 

 and heavy dog tires far more quickly than a cobby and more active one, 

 such as the original sheep and cattle dogs were." Another quotation from 

 Mr. Tilley may perhaps be considered as supporting our contention as to 

 the origin of the breed: "They make splendid dogs for the gun, having 

 a keen scent, are easily trained, will face any fence, most obedient to com- 

 mand, and ready and natural retrievers." 



The exhibition bob-tail is a dog having no resemblance to any other 

 member of the dog family. Naturally a short-coupled dog, he looks still 

 shorter in body, owing to his coat giving him additional size or bulk of 

 body. He stands slightly lower at the withers than at the loin, which 

 gives him his bear-like appearance of body and movement, and this is 

 added to by his gait being a pace, or perhaps it is more of racking than 

 pacing, being an independent foot movement in all his slow paces. At his 

 fast gait he gallops with great power and determination. 



As much difference in texture of coat is to be met with as in wire- 

 haired terriers, but the right thing is a coat with a bit of a kink in it. Mrs. 

 Fare Fosse got it about right when she wrote: "A hard, shaggy coat, 

 not curly or straight (which is worse), but broken in disposition — that is, 

 with just one twist in the hair, as two twists make a curl." It is a very 

 difficult coat to describe, as there is nothing to compare it with in any 



