ON BREEDING 5 



CHAPTER II 



ON BREEDING 



VERY small bitches, and especially those belonging to 

 certain breeds which are known to be " shy/' are not 

 only often reluctant to breed at all, but are not infre- 

 quently very indifferent mothers, while there are great 

 risks to the bitch in pupping where the sire is larger 

 than herself, or where larger dogs occur in the imme- 

 diate ancestry on either side. For these reasons, brood 

 bitches are always wisely chosen of medium size, and 

 mated to very tiny dogs. In all the breeds which come 

 under the head of toys, smallness is a desideratum, tut 

 the practice of inbreeding which has been extensively 

 resorted to cannot be too highly condemned ; while the 

 equally mistaken idea of attaining this end by under- 

 feeding puppies has also contributed to the weakliness 

 of constitution which is an immense drawback to some 

 breeds. Reckoning size by weight is another faulty 

 practice much against the true interests of toys, which 

 we want to be small and healthy at the same time ; for 

 a very tiny dog, if compact and sturdy, may weigh much 

 more than a leggy specimen which, to the eye, seems 

 half as large again. 



A bitch from 5 Ibs. to 7 Ibs., if, as I said before, of a 

 small strain, may be safely used for breeding, and the 

 smaller the dog the better, provided he is healthy. 

 The plan of sending away bitches to a stud dog saves 

 the expense of buying a dog of one's own ; the sire's 

 wins help to sell the puppies very materially, and the 

 good offices of his owner may generally be reckoned 

 upon to assist the novice ; but there are other facets 

 to the question. 



These tiny dogs, which are frequently exhibited, are 

 often very unreliable sires ; they work too hard, and 

 their owners are sometimes very indifferent as to 

 whether the visiting bitches are satisfactorily attended 



