THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



249 



came from Brussels; others say that he origi- 

 nated in the coal mines of England. In any 

 case, he is one of the funniest-looking dogs in 

 the world, and has little to commend him to 

 popular taste but his entirely bizarre appear- 

 ance. His weight is below nine pounds, the 

 best class having six pounds as a maximum. 



The rather oversized round head is carried 

 with an alert cockiness, and the perky expres- 

 sion is heightened by the bright, full, dark 

 eyes. The muzzle is very short. The ears, if 

 clipped, stand erect; if in their natural form 

 they lop a little, being held semi-erect. 



The most peculiar feature is perhaps the 

 fringed beard, which gives the griffon a very 

 human expression. The hair, red in color, is 

 harsh and wiry. He should be a rather stock- 

 ily built little animal, with straight, strong, 

 though slender legs. He is a toy, pure and 

 simple, however, and these qualities are rather 

 the aim than the achievement of the breeders. 

 In truth, he must, at present at least, be con- 

 sidered rather a grotesque, spindly little crea- 

 ture. 



There is a smooth griffon and a larger 

 "Brabangon," but they have never become 

 known in this country. 



THE DACHSHUND 



(For illustration, see page 258) 



The dachshund, or badger dog, combines to 

 a high degree the qualities of the hound and 

 the terrier, and probably both of these were 

 used in his development, but where he got his 

 crumpled legs is less apparent. He is the fa- 

 vorite dog of Germany, where his special work 

 is to enter a badger hole and hold the attention 

 of the animal until it can be dug out. 



Badgers often work serious havoc in the cul- 

 tivated fields, and they can dig their way 

 through the ground so rapidly that it is very 

 difficult for diggers to overtake one without the 

 use of a dog. To follow this fierce, belligerent, 

 and really dangerous animal into his burrow 

 and drag him out requires a dog of great cour- 

 age and tenacity, not to mention peculiar de- 

 sign. His long body, short legs, and large, out- 

 turned fore feet subject him to much ridicule, 

 and it is often said that in Germany he is sold 

 by the yard. 



The dachshund usually seen in this country 

 has a short and very silky coat, but there are 

 also a long-haired and a rough-coated variety. 



The well-formed dachshund should be three 

 times as long, from nose to base of tail, as he 

 is high at the shoulder. The head should be 

 long and slender, but far from snipy, the nose 

 running smoothly into the line of the forehead, 

 with little depression at the top, and the occi- 

 put should be evident. The hound-like ears, 

 combined with this more terrier-like head, give 

 him an expression all his own. 



The body and neck are long, but muscular 

 and compact, entirely free from sagginess or 

 weakness, and the tail is the true, tapering, ter- 

 rier style, as nearly straight as may be. 



The legs and feet are very important. While 

 extremely short, they must be very strong and 



well boned. The fore legs, while bowed and 

 twisted somewhat, must be strong, elbows out, 

 wrists in, and feet turned out. The hind legs 

 are to be strong and capable, and viewed from 

 behind must go down straight and by no means 

 show the turning in at the heel, known as cow- 

 hocks. This is very common and very bad. 

 The thigh, when standing, goes down nearly 

 straight; the shank (between stifle and hock) 

 goes straight back horizontally, and the last 

 joint, or rear pastern, is about vertical, parallel 

 to the thigh. The feet are large, deep, and well 

 padded. 



They are generally black and tan, revealing 

 the terrier strain here in the persistency of this 

 dominant color-pattern. There are strains, how- 

 ever, of a whole-colored dark red tan, or 

 "cherry," or even solid brown. The last named 

 are not considered as good, and must be excel- 

 lent in other respects to be given a favorable 

 rating with the better-known colors. 



In disposition they combine to an unusual 

 degree the virtues of their respective ancestors, 

 having the affectionate, companionable quali- 

 ties of the hound and the tenacity, courage, 

 and self-reliance of the terrier. 



THE SCHIPPERKE 



(For illustration, see page 258) 



The schipperke got his name from being so 

 frequently seen on the canal barges of Belgium, 

 where he makes a good "watch" and keeps 

 down the rats. The word is pronounced "skip- 

 perkee" and is the Flemish for ''little skipper." 



Doubtless an offshoot of the "wolfspitz," of 

 Central Europe, this Belgian pet dog has at- 

 tained a marked individuality, and really re- 

 sembles no other dog at all closely. 



He is a glossy, shining black all over, has a 

 fox-like head, with rather small but very bright 

 and intelligent eyes, a small, sharp nose, and 

 erect, prick ears. The whole neck and breast 

 are covered with an erect frill of longer hair, as 

 are the back margins of the thighs. The shoul- 

 ders and chest are deep and strong, and the 

 well-tucked-up little body is firm and springy. 

 The legs are light, but strong, and the feet small 

 and dainty. The tail is a mere stump, or but- 

 ton, more than an inch being a disqualification. 

 They are said to be born tailless, and probably 

 some are. But it is easy to meet this require- 

 ment, and it is certain that not any grow up 

 with a tail, however they started in. 



The "little skipper" finds his congenial home 

 on the canal-boats of Belgium and Holland, but 

 has discovered a satisfactory substitute in the 

 pampered homes of the rich in other countries. 

 Like all spitz offshoots, he is bright, active, and 

 affectionate, but just a little snobbish, and apt 

 to be very jealous of any other pets in his 

 household. He is a small "dog, weighing about 

 12 pounds. 



POODLES 



(For illustration, see page 259) 



The poodle is admitted to be among the most 

 intelligent of dogs, and why he should have 



