204 KENNEL SECRETS. 



backward as often as forward, no matter how good the 

 same or how good his mates. In fact, to buy a dog and 

 breed him to every bitch in the kennel is one of the worst 

 mistakes which a breeder can make, and one which, as a 

 rule, destroys many of the chances of eminent success. 



Therefore, he is wise who depends largely upon others 

 for his sires. He will naturally have a leaning towards 

 the most successful prize-winners, and rightly so, for in 

 them he will generally find the nearest approach to the 

 ideal, but he must not assume, as many seem to do, that 

 these winners comprise all the best stock-getters. As 

 a matter of fact no small proportion of them are practi- 

 cally valueless for breeding purposes. And of the various 

 reasons for this fatal defect the most pronounced is that 

 they are weakened by excessive use and the hardship they 

 undergo in their preparation for shows and while on 

 the bench ; in consequence of which they are liable to 

 produce offspring with constitutional taints that either 

 destroy them early or lead to deformities and disease. 

 Therefore, when selecting from prize-winners one must 

 needs be very cautious, and bear in mind that high health 

 and vigor are essentials of infinite importance. 



The bitch is of course an important element, yet a good 

 dog and a well-bred but rather indifferent bitch may breed 

 the very best. In fact, there is reason to believe that the 

 largest proportion of the winners have been from bitches 

 that could not win. 



Here intrudes another important fact, namely, that 

 those who are breeding for size almost always select large 

 bitches and large dogs, yet the majority of the big ones 

 have been offspring of bitches of undersize that were bred 

 to strong, heavy-boned dogs of substance. 



As for in-breeding, as a rule it should be discouraged. 

 But to produce certain results it is not only not harmful but 



