THE DANDIE DINMONT. 
all the points of the dog, without any undue 
leaning towards any one or more particular 
point or points. And here I would utter 
a word of warning to breeders and admirers 
of the Dandie, to the effect that they should 
be careful not unduly to exaggerate the 
points and peculiarities of the breed. 
The Dandie should be “long and low.” 
Quite so; but though one often hears it 
said that a Dandie’s legs cannot be too 
short, such a statement is inaccurate and 
very mischievous. It should always be 
remembered that the Dandie was originally 
famous as a sporting terrier, as a dog that 
was active enough to follow his master 
all day over a rugged country, and, when- 
ever the opportunity arose, to give battle 
to fox, otter, or badger, and to follow his 
quarry into its underground fastnesses. 
If the Dandie is bred with too short legs, 
or too big and heavy a body, it is impossible 
for him to do his work in aiding man in 
hunting and destroying vermin. 
The so-called “ top-knot ” of the Dandie 
is another point which is in danger of 
over-exaggeration for show purposes at 
the present time. The standard of points 
says that the head should be covered with 
very soft, silky hair; but it does not say 
that that covering should be of exces- 
sively long hair, standing up very high over 
the head of the dog and giving him anything 
but the appearance of a working terrier. 
The top-knot should be abundant and long 
enough to give the dog the appearance 
of a “silver-domed ”’ terrier, and then we 
have what is quite sufficient. An excessively 
long top-knot generally goes with too soft 
a body coat, and also generally induces too 
much growth of hair in front of the eyes, 
and too much hair on the ears. Then 
to enhance the appearance of smartness, 
“trimming”? is often resorted to. In the 
interest of the dog, as well as of his owner, 
the less trimming that is attempted the 
better. 
An excessive top-knot is a great pitfall 
for the unwary, for very often it covers 
a multitude of sins in the shape of a flat 
skull, perhaps also a narrow one, and ears 
that are set too high on the head. 
or 
401 
The eye of the Dandie is an all-important 
point, as herein lies a great feature of his 
beauty and attractiveness. Many speci- 
mens at the present time have eyes too 
small, or eyes of too light a shade. The 
eyes should be large, dark hazel (not black). 
I emphasise this point, as one often sees it 
stated as a great recommendation of some 
Dandie that he possesses black eyes. Here 
we have an instance of the way in which 
a feature which is a good point is apt to be 
exaggerated until it becomes a fault. 
MR E. W. H. BLAGG'S KATRINE ROB 
BY KATRINE WIZARD——KATRINE REBEL. 
From A DRAWING BY CECIL HUNT. 
Many Dandies fail with regard to the 
ear; either it is set too high on the skull, 
or is too big and heavy, or lacks the feather 
at the tip. 
The long, flexible body is not always in 
evidence, the body very often being too 
stiff and cobby-looking, or the arched back 
is over-exaggerated, which seems to stiffen 
the body and cause a loss of flexibility, 
and therefore of activity and usefulness in 
the dog. On the other hand, a straight 
back is a very common failing ; a dog with 
this fault loses much of the typical appear- 
ance of the breed. 
With regard to legs and feet there is 
no doubt that specimens that have been 
very faulty in this respect have on certain 
occasions won high honours in the show ring ; 
at the same time, I think there is no doubt 
that there has been a very great all round 
improvement in these points in recent years, 
