CONDITIONING THE COAT. 167 



The amount and character of the work to be put in on 

 the coat of course depend upon the breed and the exist- 

 ing conditions. For instance, the standard for beagle 

 hounds calls for a coarse, not a fine, coat ; and obviously 

 were one of these dogs treated to the methods required 

 by setters a defect would be intensified if not actually 

 created. Again, the coats of some kinds of terriers 

 must be hard and wiry, and efforts to make them 

 soft and pliant would simply detract from the merits of 

 these dogs. On the -other hand, the coat of the Maltese 

 must be as soft and silky as possible ; that of the York- 

 shire bright and flossy ; while the toy spaniels must have 

 coats that are soft and fine. Manifestly were a German 

 poodle, whose coat is corded, treated to the same method 

 of brushing and combing that these toys demand his 

 identity could scarcely be retained. 



Going a little farther in this direction it is noted that 

 when the Clumber spaniel's coat is in good condition it 

 is straight and silky, while the coat of the Irish water 

 spaniel is in short, crisp curls. The greyhound's coat* 

 must be smooth and glossy ; and very evidently one would 

 have a hard time of it were he to try to bring the roughs 

 shaggy coat of the deerhound to this condition. 



But it is unnecessary to go farther in this direction, for 

 the tyro has simply to determine what the standard for 

 dogs of the same breed as his calls for and then adjust 

 his work of conditioning the coat accordingly. 



If a dog is kept right — that is, properly fed, given 

 ample exercise and groomed regularly — his coat ought to 

 be in fair condition always, and the work of bringing it 

 to its best should be comparatively easy and not require 

 more than three or four weeks, perhaps. If, however, it 

 should be fine, smooth and glossy yet is coarse, dry and 

 staring, then several months might be required to get it 



