458 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



very greatly in size, sometimes, as in the 

 case of Copthorne Squirrel, weighing 

 under 3 lb., or as much as 9 lb., which is 

 the approximate weight of Ch. Copthorne 

 Sieglinde. 



A mistake often made by novices is the 



A MORNING WALK. 



MRS. HANDLEY SPICER'S GRIFFONS AT EXERCISE. 



3ESIDFS SEVERAL BROOD BITCHES. THE QHOUP INCLUDES CH. COPTHORNE WISEACRE, CH. C. 

 C. BETTY, C. JOSEPHINE. THE VETERAN C. PASHA, C. WIZARD, AND CH. C. TREASURE. 



attempt to breed from small bitches ; not 

 only is the result of such experiments, when 

 successful, a lack of type and quality, but 

 it is, in the present stage of the breed's 

 advancement, very dangerous. With Toy 

 Pomeranians or Japanese or Miniature 

 Black-and-tan Terriers, small size has pre- 

 vailed very much longer than with Griffons, 

 and the dangers of a throw-back are not 

 so great. As a rule, the minimum weight 

 at which a Griffon bitch should be allowed 

 to breed is 6 lb., and 7 lb. is safer still. 

 It is, I think, the invariable experience of 

 breeders that small bitches have small 

 litters of large puppies, while large bitches 



more often have larger litters which contain 

 at any rate one or more small ones. In 

 this connection it may be pointed out that 

 weight is a particularly deceptive gauge 

 with regard to Griffons, for the ideal 

 Griffon is of the cobby, cart-horse build, 

 and should therefore be 

 compact, with plenty of 

 bone and muscle (at the 

 same time without being 

 coarse). I have many 

 times seen two dogs 

 weighing 4 and 5!- lb. 

 respectively, and the dog 

 of the latter weight was 

 undoubtedly the smaller 

 and better. The reason 

 for this is, of course, 

 that a dog of 4 lb. weight 

 may be lanky, leggy, 

 and lacking in bone and 

 substance, whereas a dog 

 of the higher weight may 

 look smaller by being 

 more compact and 

 " conkier " in every way. 

 Purchasers of Griffons 

 should remember this 

 fact when buying a dog 

 by correspondence. 

 Another thing experi- 

 ence teaches one in con- 

 nection with the size of 

 one's stock is this the 

 small stud-dogs do not, 

 as a rule, possess the 

 same power of stamping 

 their likeness on their progeny as the larger 

 ones. The day of the small Griffon may 

 come, as it has with the Pomeranian, but it 

 will probably bring with it a similar loss of 

 character. In the meantime the ideal weight 

 for a show Griffon of either sex is from 5 to 

 6 lb., and I prefer a stud-dog to be nearer 

 the latter weight than the former. 



Griffons are hardy little dogs, though, 

 like most others, they are more susceptible 

 to damp than to cold. While not greedy, 

 like the Terrier tribe, they are usually 

 good feeders and good doers, and not 

 tiresomely dainty with regard to food, as 

 is so often the case with Toy Spaniels. 



