26 THE DOG IN HEALTH. 



Character refers to tlie whole constitution of the dog, 

 physical and psychic, in so far as the latter is evident in 

 his appearance. A dog may be fairly correct in form, 

 according to the standard as regards shape and proportion 

 of parts, yet his attitude, his carriage, his facial expression, 

 and much more that it is almost impossible to describe, 

 yet quite easy to recognize by the experienced eye, may 

 be so far from correct that he may be fitly said to be 

 lacking in character; and this is a most serious, indeed, 

 in the writer's estimation, a radical defect, and generally 

 accompanied by psychical imperfections which, if very 

 pronounced, render the specimen an undesirable posses- 

 sion. 



Quality is different from character, though it may 

 enter into the latter. It is a certain refinement arising 

 from perfection in details of form and character. A dog 

 of quality may be compared to a " gentleman " among hu- 

 man beings. 



A typical animal is one that may be taken as a sort of 

 model and is a living illustration of the standard, and 

 inasmuch as, at the largest bench shows, such animals are 

 to be found, these institutions become, even unconscious- 

 ly, powerful educators, while the study of the best speci- 

 mens with a critical eye is absolutely indispensable to the 

 breeder, the critic, and the judge. 



Returning to the subdivisions of the dog's form recog- 

 nized by the standards, we shall now speak of them in a 

 general way. 



Head. This is in reality the most important part of 

 the animal, since it contains the brain, is the seat of 

 most of the sense-organs, and, in consequence, deter- 



