A List of Technical Terms 79 



Height. — The measurement of a dog is taken at the shoulder in a similar manner to 

 that of a horse, from the ground to the level of the top of the shoulder-blade, and not from 

 the groimd to the top of the blade itself. Beagle judges usually have standards, miniatures 

 of the " Jack Ketch " gallows, one for each of the heights the classes call for. To measiure 

 a dog the simplest way is to stand him on level ground close to some upright. Place a 

 stick, spirit-level, across his shoulder, make a mark on the upright, and from that to the 

 ground is the height of the dog. The dog must stand naturally and not be pulled up to 

 increase his height. 



Hocks. — Properly this is the joint at the lower end of the stifle-bone, from which the 

 hind leg descends perpendicularly to the ground, but far too frequently one reads of a dog 

 being "straight in hocks" whereas by that is meant that he is straight in stifles — that is, 

 lacking in bend from stifle-joint to hock. Too upright in hind legs, in fact. 



Hip. — The forward point of the hind quarters on a level with the backbone. See 

 stifles. 



Knee. — The joint connecting the fore-arm with the pastern of the foreleg. 



Layhack. — ^A bulldog term used to indicate the rececUng line of profile in the head. 



Leather. — ^A term applied to the ear. A thin-eared dog is said to be thin in leather. 

 A heavy, pendulously eared bloodhound is sometimes said to be heavy in leather. It is 

 also used occasionally to mean that a dog's ears are somewhat too large. When a reporter 

 is coining a phrase and says "heavy in leather" in writing of a fox terrier he frequently 

 means that the dog's ears are rather large, but he may mean that the ear is thick and stiff. 



Level-mouthed. — When the front teeth of upper and lower jaws exactly meet. 



Occiput. — The rear end of the skull, which in the bloodhound should be prominent. 



Out at elbows. — Turning out the elbows too far from the chest while holding the feet 

 closer together. A position suggestive of the children when told to "keep your elbows 

 close by your sides, my dears," when at table. 



Outline. — ^Very good in outline is a phrase meant to imply that the dog is of a very 

 symmetrical appearance, supposing he were drawn in outline. In other words, that the 

 complete profile of the dog shows symmetry. See top. 



Overshot. — The upper teeth projecting beyond those of the lower jaw. 



Pads. — The thick leathery covering of the soles of the feet. 



Pastern. — The bones from the knee-joint to the forefoot. Properly speaking, pastern 

 applies also to the bone from the hock to hind foot, but that is never referred to and "weak 

 in pasterns," "straight in pasterns," "twisted in pasterns" and any similar phrase only 

 applies to the fore pasterns. 



Pig-jawed. — ^An exaggerated overshot jaw, to the extent of a decided gap between 

 the front-teeth of the two jaws, met with occasionally in collies. 



Pily. — See undercoat. 



Prick-eared. — An erect ear. Used in connection with the collie, the ears of which 

 should drop forward at the tips. 



Quality. — A term diflScult to define. A dog may be right in his proportions and yet 

 lack what in a man causes one to say "he looks the gentleman," in which case the man 

 shows quality. 



Roach or Roach-hacked. — The English fish known as the roach has an arched back, 

 hence the term for a back of similar formation as seen in the bulldog, greyhound and 

 wolfhound. An American synonym is "wheel-backed," but that suggests too sharp a 



ciuve. ^ .J J 1. 



Rose-ear. — ^An ear thrown back so as to show the inside burr. Considered the proper 

 carriage of the ear of the bulldog, which when the dog is excited should only be slightly 

 raised sideways. The greyhound and collie, when they "stand at ease," have rose ears. 

 Spread. — The width between the forelegs of the bulldog. See "front." 

 Shoulders. — Variously applied in compound terms. When the muscles along the 



