IN-AND-IN BREEDING. 265 



BEST AGE TO BREED FROM. 



The lest age to breed from, in almost all breeds, is soon after 

 the sire and dam have each reached maturity. "When, however, 

 the produce is desired to be very small, the older both animals 

 are, the more likely this result is, — excepting in the last litter 

 ■which the bitch has, for this being often composed of only one 

 or two puppies, they are not smaller than the average, and 

 sometimes even larger. All bitches should be allowed to reach 

 full maturity before they are allowed to breed, and this period 

 varies according to size, small dogs being adult at one year, 

 whereas large ones are still in their puppyhood at that time, and 

 take fully twice as long to develop their proportions. The mastiff 

 is barely full grown at two years ; large hounds at a year and a 

 half ; greyhounds at the same time ; pointers and setters from 

 a year and a quarter to a year and a half; while terriers and 

 small toy dogs reach maturity at a year old, or even earlier. 



IN-AND-IN BREEDING. 



The questions relating to in-and-in breeding and crossing are 

 of the greatest importance, each plan being strongly advocated 

 by some people, and by others as strenuously opposed. Like 

 many other practices essentially good, in-breeding has been 

 grossly abused ; owners of a good kennel having become bigoted 

 to their own strain, and, from keeping to it exclusively, having at 

 length reduced their dogs to a state of idiotcy and delicacy of 

 constitution which has rendered them quite useless. Thus I have 

 seen in the course of twenty years a most valuable breed of 

 pointers, by a persistence in avoiding any cross, become so full of 

 excitability that they were perpetually at " a false point,'- and 



