Brood, Bitch and Puppies 77 



ried fairly well. Now there is no bitch which ever 

 I have seen perfect in all points. Before you choose 

 a sire, therefore, try to see him, or a good photo- 

 graph of him, and make sure he is strong in the 

 points your bitch lacks. Perhaps your St. Bernard 

 is a bit long in head, or sheep-doggy. This is an 

 ugly fault, but may be corrected by judicious choice 

 of sire. A worse fault, because more difficult to 

 correct, would be want of size and massiveness. 

 On the other hand, I would not hesitate to breed 

 from a bitch who was accidentally bandy-legged, 

 if good in all other points. Never breed, however 

 from a bitch that is flat ribbed and a bad doer. 

 There is some diathesis in her that the best of sires 

 cannot correct. 



"To have a good litter of puppies, then, a bitch 

 must not only possess blood free from all taint of 

 disease, but she must be strong and in good con- 

 dition about the time of aestrum, or heat. If you 

 have in any way neglected her, or if, through cir- 

 cumstances over which you have probably had no 

 control, she has fallen off a bit, begin to get her in 

 form three months before the time of her coming 

 on. It will pay you to do so. Some slight swelhng 

 will give you the first signal of her coming in 

 season. Then in a day or two, there will be blood. 

 This may continue for ten days. Some breeders 



