CLASSIFICATION OP DOGS. 47 



The neck must suit the head and body ; chest, loin, 

 quarters, legs, and feet must be those of a strong, active 

 animal, capable of considerable speed, and hence approxi- 

 mating those of the great Dane, already described, which 

 is a sort of larger terrier in form. 



Tail and ears are in many breeds cut, to add, as it is 

 thought, to terrier expression. It is to be hoped, how- 

 ever, that all such cruel practices will soon be abandoned, 

 as they are plainly against nature. 



The coat should, whether long or short, be hard gen- 

 erally and durable in all cases, so as to resist wear with 

 work and protect the skin of the animal. It must be re- 

 membered that the terrier is frequently required to dig 

 and to enter burrows (" go to earth "), hence the necessity 

 of strong legs, good feet well armed with strong nails, a 

 resisting coat, etc. 



Color is variable but rarely striking, as that would dis- 

 cover the dog to the creatures he seeks to surprise. 



The faults to be specially avoided in a terrier are 

 a heavy, thick skull ; prominent brows ; full eyes ; large, 

 badly carried ears ; weak jaws and poor teeth, not meet- 

 ing in front ; a cloddy form ; crooked or weak legs, and 

 splayed, soft, or thin feet ; tucked-up belly ; weak loin ; 

 legginess or the reverse ; a broad breast, straight shoul- 

 ders, or stifles ; uneven back ; flat sides ; general deficiency 

 of muscle ; a coat lacking in quality and quantity. 



If the dog has a perfect form he may still lack to the 

 eye terrier character, in which case he will not do for the 

 bench ; and if he really is deficient in the psychical char- 

 acteristics of the breed, he is, of course, useless in a de- 

 gree as a vermin dog. 

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