278 MODERN SHEEP : BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



time, pants violently, and drinks a good deal of water, it is over- 

 heated or foundered. 



Shearing a show sheep on the circuit is not a very pleasant 

 thing to do, but it is about the only thing to do with sheep that 

 have become overheated. After shearing it should be dosed with 

 some cooling medicine such as Epsom Salts. Of course all grain 

 rations must be cut off and nothing but -cooling, succulent rations 

 fed. This is not quite in harmony with ordinary, rules of good 

 feeding, but it is the only hope of saving the afflicted animal. 



TRAINING. 



Prizes are often lost on account of the different entries not 

 being properly trained. A sheep that "stands out" properly cer- 

 tainly appeals more to the judge, all things being equal, than does 

 that which "stands out" indifferently, therefore the importance 

 of thoroughly training your exhibition animals. The animal that 

 stands "all of a heap" certainly does not show at its best. While 

 most of our showyards have regular exhibition rings, some do 

 not, and the exhibits, consequently, are taken outside of the build- 

 ing and arraigned for the inspection of the judge, on what some- 

 times is anything but level ground. Where such is the case, 

 care should be taken that the animal is stood as level as circum- 

 stances will allow and on no account should the fore-end of the 

 sheep be lower than its rear end. " Vice versa would be much the 

 better position. Of course we have to have a good sheep to win 

 where competition is keen, but, nevertheless, there is a good deal 

 in how a sheep is shown out. 



Show sheep should be handled as much as possible, as hand- 

 ling makes them tame and manageable. Although sheep are sup- 

 posed to be a very dumb animal, there are a good many things that 

 they learn very rapidly, and one of them is how to stand out 

 properly and how to follow their shepherd. The writer has seen 

 show sheep follow their shepherd through dense crowds to and 

 from the show ring and pen much as a lamb would follow its 

 mother. 



A sheep is best made to stand squarely and naturally by put- 

 ting the left hand under its lower jaw and the other on its loin 

 and gently pressing it. As a natural consequence, it spreads out 

 its feet with a view of supporting the extra weight on its body. 

 Of course violence or force must not be used or injury may result. 

 It takes but very little time for a sheep to learn what is expected 

 of it and to acquire the proper pose. 



REDUCING EXHIBITION SHEEP. 



There is just as much skill in reducing show sheep to normal 

 condition as there is in fitting them for the battles of the show- 



