THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG. 



121 



question as to whether the practice of dog- 

 showing tends to the improvement or de- 

 terioration of the breed. Much has been 

 said on both sides in the past ; much more, 

 no doubt, will be duly set forth in the 

 future. 



But it is obvious that, if an owner elect 

 to show his dogs at all, he will do so with 

 the intention of winning if he can ; and, 

 in order to win under modern conditions, he 

 must put his dog into the ring 

 in the best form possible. 



At the outset, he will save 

 himself a lot of disappoint- 

 ment and expense if he de- 

 termine never to exhibit an 

 animal unless it be at its best. 

 If out of coat, or poor in flesh 

 and condition, he may easily 

 find himself beaten by an in- 

 ferior animal at the top of its 

 form. This is disheartening to 

 the beginner, and might easily 

 be avoided by the exercise of 

 a little patience. 



Let the owner see to it, then, 

 that the dog is at his best be- 

 fore entering him. Probably 

 he needs a bath ; if so, it 

 should be given three or four 

 days before the show. 



A plentiful application of 

 soap and lukewarm water cer- 

 tainly enhances the animal's 

 appearance enormously, but it 

 has an unfortunate tendency 

 temporarily to soften the tex- 

 ture of the coat, which will 

 take a day or two to resume its natural 

 condition. After being thoroughly rough 

 dried, the dog must be brushed up with 

 stiff brushes, and the operation must always 

 be performed against the grain that is to 

 say, upwards, and from tail to head. 



White hairs on head or legs and chest are 

 apt to become discoloured with mud, or 

 sand, or stains of travel, and it is per- 

 missible in such cases to clean them with 

 whitening, which must subsequently be 

 thoroughly brushed out again. 



This use of whitening, solely for cleansing 



16 



purposes, is specifically allowed by Kennel 

 Club regulations, always provided that no 

 trace of it is permitted to remain on any 

 portion of the dog at the time of exhibition. 

 In recent times a foolish practice arose 

 amongst a few exhibitors of covering their 

 dogs with powder or whitening, and lead- 

 ing them into the ring in this condition. 

 Apart from the fact that the animals should 

 have been disqualified, the spectacle of a 



MRS. SIDNEY CHARTER'S SHEPTON HERO 



BY LORD CEDRIC AVALON LASS. 



BRED BY MESSRS. TILLEY BROTHERS. 

 Photograph by T. Reveley, Wantage. 



powdered bob-tail was ludicrous and dis- 

 tressing. Fortunately the good sense of the 

 majority speedily recognised this, and the 

 practice soon died out ; one hopes for ever. 

 Once thoroughly cleaned and brushed, 

 the dog should be shown in his natural con- 

 dition, and on no consideration whatever 

 should any attempt at trimming, plucking, 

 or removing live coat be countenanced. 

 Any such practice, if detected, should bring 

 its just reward in a sentence of disqualifica- 

 tion, and it should be the pride of every 

 exhibitor to keep the breed free from any 



