THE IRISH WATER SPANIEL, 463 



.ittle in common between the old North of Ireland Spaniel and the South of Ireland dog. 

 It may be that the former had some of the old English Water Spaniel in his composition 

 which his relative was deficient in, or that he was in reality a cross of the Spaniel formerly 

 identified with the Southern districts of the Emerald Isle; but, whatever the truth of the case 

 may be, one fact remains and that is, that in the present day no Irish Water Spaniel who 

 is disfigured with white markings can stand a chance of success in competing with the whole- 

 coloured puce liver-coloured specimens. Patches of white upon the body, chest, or legs, and 

 streaks up the face, are now looked upon as disqualifications in show competition, and care 

 should be taken by intending purchasers to avoid all dogs so marked. It should be borne 

 in mind that staining has been resorted to by unprincipled dealers in order to deceive their 

 customers before concluding a deal. There is, however, a very great chance of many 

 purely-bred sires and dams begetting puppies who show white markings, and it would be the 

 height of folly for breeders or sportsmen to destroy such progeny merely because they were 

 by reason of these white markings unlikely to win prizes on the show bench. A marked dog, 

 if purely bred, is just as likely to produce whole-coloured stock as his or her relations who 

 are self-coloured, and therefore it is always desirable to save all puppies, and give the " splashed" 

 ones that chance of distinguishing themselves at the stud which from force of circumstances is 

 denied them on the bench. If, after a good chance has been given them, it should still happen 

 that their stock is marked with white, the case becomes altered, and no further use of their 

 services would be made by experienced or careful breeders who had the reputation of their 

 strain at heart. 



We have been fortunate enough to obtain the following notes from the pen of Mr. J. S. 

 Skidmore, of Nantwich, who is one of the leading and most successful breeders of the Irish 

 Water Spaniel in the present day. The remarks made by Mr. Skidmore upon the breaking 

 of this class of dog we most earnestly impress upon our readers, for personal observation has 

 convinced us that hundreds of dogs of all breeds, who display a natural aptitude for retrieving, 

 are annually ruined by injudicious treatment when they are young. Mr. Skidmore writes : 



"Much has been said, and much more written, about the Irish Water Spaniel. Some 

 have called him hard-mouthed and headstrong, and consequently of no use in the field ; 

 whilst others have said that where a person only keeps one dog, and expects him to be 

 a Jack of all trades, there is nothing like an Irish Water Spaniel. I incline to the latter 

 opinion, as, when thoroughly trained, they will stand as steady as a Setter on game, retrieving 

 the dead or wounded as tenderly as possible ; whilst for wild-fowl retrieving I think it is 

 admitted that they have no equal. Their coats being of an oily nature, are well adapted to 

 resist the cold and wet, whilst their natural courage is such that they fearlessly dash into 

 the water in the coldest weather. I admit that I have seen a number of them that have 

 been hard-mouthed, but upon inquiry I have generally been able to attribute this failing 

 to their defective education. Being very companionable dogs, full of fun and frolic, ever 

 wishing to do something to please their master and show their abilities, they are often taught to 

 carry anything that comes to hand a stick or stone, for instance, being thrown repeatedly for 

 the puppy to retrieve. If this is done, it will surely cause the dog to be hard-mouthed, but 

 if he is allowed only to carry articles that are soft, such as a glove, a rabbit-skin stuffed 

 with hay, or an air-ball, when he comes to be trained to retrieve game he will be tender- 

 mouthed. 



" There used to be three different strains or varieties of this breed. One, now, I believe 



