t 5 6 ALL ABOUT DOGS 



sides of the face; ears small and either half erect, or 

 wholly pendant, and thin to the touch. Body: Chest 

 deep and thick through, broad between forelegs; loin, 

 broad, flat, heavy ; body long. Stern : Many good 

 breeders prefer a long one, but I do not care for it to 

 reach much below the hock. Legs, broad, round, mas- 

 sive, straight. Height : this is a much disputed point. 

 The taller the better, provided the weight corresponds 

 in proportion. A dog standing twenty-eight inches 

 high, ought to weigh in good condition one hundred 

 and twenty-five pounds, and for every inch in height 

 above that (i. c, twenty-eight inches) the weight ought 

 to increase from eight to ten pounds. But over thirty 

 inches, a still greater increase, in proportion. Many 

 good dogs are only twenty-eight and twenty-nine inches 

 high, but from thirty-one to thirty-three are to be de- 

 sired. Height should ever be accompanied with mas- 

 sive build and length, and should proceed from the 

 shoulder to the elbow, rather than from the elbow to the 

 foot. I mean the height of the dog should be derived 

 from the depth of the chest, rather than from " over- 

 legginess," as this must tend to develop the weight, 

 more or less, of the whole animal. Colour, after all, is 

 the last requisite, since you may breed in a few genera- 

 tions, any colour you please. The purest fawns have 

 descended from the most decided brindles, and from 

 time to time, the white face, especially, has and will 

 occur, and generally in the finest specimens, and those 

 which most closely resemble the paintings of their pro- 

 genitors. I am an advocate for fineness of coat, but 

 not at the expense of other more characteristic features. 



