May 3, 1889.J 



FOREST AND STREAM, 



301 



JfTb fennel 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Mav 22 to 25.— Pacific Kennel Club Show, San Francisco, OaL 



Sept. 10 to 13 —Sixth Annual Dog Show of the London Kennel 

 Club, at London, Ont. 0. A. Stone, Manager. 



Sept. 10 to 13<— Dog Show of the Central Canada Exhibition As- 

 sociation, at Ottawa, Can. Capt. It. C. W. MacCu-n?, Secretary. 



Sept. 11 to 13.— First Annual Dog Show of the Toledo Kennel 

 Cluh, Toledo, O. T. B. Lee, Secretary. 



Feb. 18 to 21, 1890.— Fourteenth Aunual Show of the Westminster 

 Kennel Club, New York. James Mortimer, Superintendent. 

 FIELD TRIALS. 



Nov. 4.— Third Annual Field Trials of the Indiana Kennel Club. 

 P. T. Madison, Secretary, Indianapolis, Ind. 



Nov. 18.— Eleventh Annual Field Trials of the Eastern Field 

 Trials Club, at High Point, N. C. W. A. Coster, SecretaiT, Sara- 

 toga Springs, N. Y. 



Dec. 2.— Inaugural Field Trials of the Central Field Trial Cluh, 

 at Lexington, N. C. 0. H. Odell, Secretary pro tem., Mill's Build- 

 ing, N eW York, N. Y. 



DOG SHOW MANAGEMENT. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



As one of the oldest of dog show habitues I offer these 

 suggestion, few and simple in themselves, yet overlooked by 

 nearly all of our bench show managers. The very success- 

 ful season just closed gives promise that future seasons will 

 be still more prosperous, and that dog shows have come to 

 stay. As a rule the shows of the past season have been well 

 managed, but at the same time there have been many little 

 things left undone that if attended to would have added to 

 the comfort of the exhibitors, and consequently to the suc- 

 cess of the show. As soon as it is decided to hold a show it 

 is of paramount importance that the committee should first 

 select a competent man, one well versed in dog lore, for 

 superintendent, and a local man is always to be preferred, 

 as he will be more or less acquainted with parties in the city 

 or town that take an interest in dog matters, and will know 

 at once where to go to secure entries, his friends will take 

 an interest in the show 'on his account, and this will add 

 greatly to its success; being thoroughly acquainted in the 

 city, he will be able to give general information to visitors. 

 Persons coming to the show as a general thing wish to be 

 shown around the town, and ought to be placed in the hands 

 of responsible parties. Most handlers when they reach a 

 show wish to run out. and buy a few trinkets, either for 

 their dogs or to take home with them, and the first party 

 they look up is the superintendent. If he replies, "Indeed, 

 I don't know, I am a stranger here myself," the visitor, 

 being strange, feels as if he were lost. On the other hand, if 

 the superintendent says, "You can get what you want right 

 down here, and Mr. So andSo is going down that way now," 

 and calls some one up and introduces him to the stranger, 

 the latter feels as if he had fallen in with old friends. The 

 new acquaintance will be able to inform, the stranger of the 

 principal attractions of the city, where he can get a good 

 hotel at reasonable rates and the character of the same; in 

 fact he will find him a bureau of information on subjects 

 relating to his visit, and his kindly influence will have a 

 great deal to do with the success of the show. 



When the person is once selected for the position of super- 

 intendent, he should have absolute control of everybody and 

 everything connected with the show, and such work as mak- 

 ing premium lists, contracts for building, painting, feeding, 

 etc., should be made by him, subject to the approval of the 

 board of managers. One of the greatest troubles at shows 

 is the lack of discipline, the superintendent being often 

 such in name only. He issues his orders and tries to 

 live up to the printed rules, but one of the exhibitors asks 

 him to do something contrary to them. He replies that it is 

 impossible, and refers to the rules governing the matter. 

 The exhibitor, not satisfied, meets one of the board of man- 

 agers "and states his grievance. Mr. Manager swells out 

 with his importance and says: "I'll fix that for you. You 

 go and tell the superintendent that Mr. So-and-so wants 

 that done, and that will be all right." This opens up aloop- 

 hole for every crank at the show; very soon there is some 

 one else with a grievance or wanting a favor; he applies to 

 the superintendent and is refused; goes away grumbling, 

 meets the first exhibitor and tells the story, and gets for a 

 reply: "O, he has not got anything to say. I'll introduce 

 you to my friend, Mr. Manager, and he will fix it for you," 

 and they go through the same performance. Very soon the 

 superintendent finds there is no use issuing orders, and for 

 the rest of the week he tries to look pretty and lets the show 

 run itself. Now, if the manager had asked the first com- 

 plainant if he had spoken to the superintendent and had 

 received the reply that he had been refused, he then should 

 have said: "I can do no nothing for you, as we have given 

 him absolute control of the show. If you have any complaints 

 to make against the management, please make them in writ- 

 ing and hand them to the secretary, and the executive 

 committee will investigate them at their meeting." These 

 meetings, by the way, should be held at least once a day 

 during the show, to hear complaints and charges. Such a 

 course on the part of the managers would give the first les- 

 son in discipline, and would stop the grumbling that is 

 heard at nearly all the shows, and would at the same time 

 encourage the superintendent, who would feel "these people 

 respect me, and I must keep things moving along smoothly 

 to show the directors that 1 am worthy of their respect and 

 understand my business." 



A source of great complaint is the class of men that are 

 picked up for attendants, that branch of the business being 

 generally left until the last hour, when there is so much of 

 a rush to prepare the building for the reception of entries, 

 that the superintendent takes up anything that has two 

 hands on it, and as a general thing picks the men up around 

 some gin-mill corner, where they put in most of their time. 

 They know nothing about work or dogs, and even if they 

 did, from their physical condition from idleness they are un- 

 equal to the task of remaining on their feet from twelve to 

 fifteen hours. A very good lot of men could be obtained by 

 applying to the heads of the fire department, as they have 

 always a lot of applicants wanting to be placed on the regu- 

 lar list, and, as a rule, these are young men full of snap, and 

 the training they get by taking the place of regulars as sub- 

 stitutes makes them prompt in action, and they understand 

 the value of discipline; then, too, they must be men of nerve 

 and pluck or they could not stay in a fire department twenty- 

 four hours. As a rule, they are above the touting for "quar- 

 ters" for doing their proper duty, that is so disgustingly 

 common at shows. They sliould be young men and workers, 

 as they have plenty to do at a dog show. When they are 

 selected, they should be supplied with a cheap uniform, con- 

 sisting of cap, blouse and trousers. They should also be 

 numbered, and the show room be divided off into sections 

 according to the number of hands — the sections correspond- 

 ing with the number of the man in charge. Should any- 

 thing get out of order the exhibitors would know who has 

 the place in charge, and call his attention to it. If not re- 

 medied, a complaint to the superintendent would soon re- 

 medy it. There is nothing better to make a man tidy and 

 keep things tidy about him than a clean, neat suit of clothes. 

 Get uniforms; they will pay in the general appearance of the 

 show, for what detracts moro from the general appearance 

 of the show than a lot of fellows running around and going 

 into the judging ring, one with no coat on, but, with a dirty 

 shirt with, elbows out, and another with a greasy old cGat, 

 ■which be is afraid to take off as the remainder of'his apperel 

 YfiU Mft * tm< * inspection v 



Another source of complaint is the high benching. The 

 general custom is to have benches 3ft. high from floor for 

 setters and pointers. The stall being narrow and the dog 

 being chained, they have no chance to jump. Often the 

 handler has to pick up his dog in his arms and place him in 

 his stall and then crawl in after him to make fast his chain. 

 I think a bench 2ft. high would give more satisfaction both 

 to exhibitor and visitor. A dog could be placed in his stall 

 without trouble, and visitors would be able to see the ani- 

 mals in full. As it is at present, if a setter dog is stauding 

 on his feet in his stall, one-half of the lady visitors can only 

 see him one-half the way along his ribs. 



Bench shows are generally held in large, roomy buildings, 

 and the amount of dry straw and lumber used for benching 

 makes them very inflammable, and every precaution should 

 be taken for the safety of the building and of the dogs. Here 

 the firemen attendants will come in; half a dozen of them 

 at Columbus would have prevented that sacrifice. A very 

 cheap device for freeing the dogs could be arranged by pass- 

 ing a gas pipe the entire length of stalls, with a hole' in the 

 pipe about the middle of each stall. Into these holes an 

 iron pin should be driven into the pipe and extending out 

 about 2in. Place the pipe so as to let the ends of the pins 

 rest on the stall .floor, place a large ring around pins to 

 fasten the chain to. Now, by having a lever fastened to the 

 pipe at the ends of the stalls "you could let loose all the dogs 

 m the range of stalls in one motion, and with the right kind 

 of men for attendants, there should be no more Columbus 

 horrors. 



Another source of complaint among exhibitors is the con- 

 tracting of diseases among their stock. I think the fault 

 lies chiefly with the exhibitors, as you will find them always 

 looking up something for their dogs to eat, and if the poor 

 dog is full and does not wish any more they think he must 

 be sick, and at once run out and get him some dainty and 

 almost force him to eat, the dog having no exercise and 

 lying around for a week stuffed like a sausage. The princi- 

 ple I have used successfully, as I never lost a dog from 

 disease contracted at a show, is that as the dogs have very 

 little to do, I give them very little food, and if the dog re- 

 fuses it I take it away from him and don't try him again 

 until the next feeding time. If he still refuses, take it away 

 again, and he will find his appetite about the next meal 

 time; at least I have always found it the case. 



I think more dogs contract diseases at shows in the fol- 

 lowing manner than in any other way. When they are 

 taken into the exercising yard the handler thinks he is 

 doing them a great kindness by letting them loose to run 

 about. They keep snuffing and smelling and get their feet 

 covered with droppings to smell and lick wheiiireplaced in 

 their stalls. Now, if the previous dog has a disease I don't 

 know of any better way of inoculating a well one with it 

 than by filling his head and lungs with the fumes of it. 

 The evil could be obviated a great deal by having a man in 

 the yard whose duty should be to shake air-slacked lime 

 over the droppings and at once remove them. Another 

 essential to health is, after reaching home to give your dog 

 a thorough washing with carboli2 soap or Little's soluble 

 phenyle. By doing this you will remove at once all foul 

 taints or mucus that may remain on their coats or skins. 

 After washing, dry them well and take them out for a run. 

 If a dog looks a little off give him a good run and it will do 

 him more good than any physic. That is his natural medi- 

 cine and nothing kills him quicker than to be tied up when 

 not well. G. Wash. Moore. 



Pittsburgh, Pa. 



GRIT. 



TO put it mildly, it is exceedingly exasperating to invest 

 $50 in a high 'bred setter or pointer pup, spenda hundred 

 dollars more on having him broken, and then on the open- 

 ing of the season have him beaten out of sight by some old 

 scrub of a native, built on the lines of a beef steer. Yet I 

 do not believe that I am alone in this sort of experience. 



There is one quality in dogs which bench shows do not 

 encourage at all (and field trials very little) that is more es- 

 sential in an all day hunting dog than all other points com- 

 bined, an#l that is grit. How often do we see men having 

 naturally brilliant talents, beaten in the race for money or 

 fame by men who are their inferiors in everything except 

 grit. And it is just the same with dogs. 



I was first impressed by this fact as it appertains to dogs 

 some nine years ago, when 1 became possessed of just such, a 

 setter as is described a few paragraphs above. He was a 

 Laverack of the bluest blood, with magnificent chest, body 

 and legs, and he came from the breakers recommended as 

 "one of the best dogs he had ever handled." As I was a fair 

 shot, when the quail season opened, after promising some 

 dozens and half dozens of birds to sundry intimate friends, 

 I went to Beasley's Point, Cape May county, New Jersey, 

 where at that time very fair shooting could be had. 



The morning after arriving at the hotel I sauntered into 

 the barroom after my usual before breakfast "soda." The 

 landlord happened to be there and opened a conversation 

 with me. 



"That's a mighty purty dog of yourn, tied out in the barn." 

 "Yes," I answered, "rather a nice looker." 

 "Any good on birds ?" 

 "Supposed to be," I replied. 



and old Jerry had done nothing for six months except lie 

 around the bar-room. 



Before I left I offered my dog and $50 for Jerry, but the 

 owner respectfully declined. 



"You aint the fust man," he said, "that has come down 

 here with a fine dog, and wouldn't give a three-cent piece for 

 Jerry, that has offered to swop before he went home." 



The next time that I was forcibly impressed with the value 

 of "grit" in dogs was on the eastern shore of the Chesa- 

 peake Bay, There were several Chesapeake Bay dogs owned 

 by the man on whose land I was shooting, and which were 

 used to retrieve the ducks shot. Some were curly-haired and 

 others had flat coats. 



"Which," said I, "do you consider the better kind?]' 



"I dunno as it makes much difference; sometime it's the 

 straights, and sometimes it's the curlys— the kind as gets 

 the most ducks, and goes into the water when yer tell 'em to 

 is the best." 



This was his reply, and I saw afterward he was right, be- 

 cause on a very cold day one or two dogs with coats as close 

 as that of a seal refused to go into the water after a. few 

 times, while a bitch, who was so mangy that she resembled 

 a Mexican hairless, went in every time she was ordered. It 

 is grit, not coat, that is required in a Chesapeake Bay dog. 



I once had working for me a very mild-spoken Englishman, 

 who, contrary to manners and looks, was quite a celebrated 

 trainer of fighting dogs. When I discovered the fact, he had 

 a buil-terrier that he was putting in condition for a battle. 

 Being interested in dogs of all kinds, I went to inspect the 

 pit tighter. This dog was anything but a vicious looking 

 dog, and had the mildest brown eyes I had ever seen in any 

 breed, excepting a toy spaniel, tie was very loosely put 

 together, not suited in any way that I could see for the terri- 

 ble task before him. 



"How can vou tell, I inquired, whether a dog is game or 

 not?" 



"No one can," he replied, "except by trying him, nothing 

 counts in bull-terriers but grit." 



I afterward learned that this mild-looking, ill-put-up dog 

 had killed the dog he was matched with, after two hours 

 and thirty minutes' fighting, and in that time there were 

 only three scratches. 



In closing I would cite as an argument in favor of "grit," 

 the breeds of game fowls; the exhibition games have been 

 improved in "station," closeness of feathering, wicked eyes 

 and snake-like heads. Any one not acquainted with fowls 

 would say that a pit game had no show at all in a battle 

 with an exhibition game, but, in fact, the reverse is the case, 

 because in breeding for show points the chicken fancier has 

 neglected that most essential quality — grit. S. Reicnaf. 



better with company— most of them you city fellars bring 

 down does !" and with this he kicked out from behind the 

 bar about the worst specimen of a dog I had ever seen (1 had 

 never attended a bench show then). 



He was a double-nose pointer, about eight or nine years 

 old, and solid liver in color; his* front legs were as much out 

 at the elbows as the bulldog Robinson Crusoe, and his 

 stifles as straight as those of the St. Bernard champion Otho; 

 and he was as swaybacked as the cocker champion Doc. 



But as my trainer had written me that my dog hunted 

 better in company than alone, after breakfast I took him 

 along (as the landlord said he wotild follow any one with a 

 gun). Up the road he trotted at my heels, while my mag- 

 nificent Laverack was so eager that I had hard work to keep 

 him under control. 



The first good looking field we struck I sent my dog on 

 and tried to keep old Jerry back, but it was impossible. He 

 made a bee line for the edge of the woods on the opposite 

 side, and while the Laverack was prancing around in great 

 style, but to little purpose, had a point. 



This sort of thing kept up all day, and when I returned to 

 the hotel I had to acknowledge that old Jerry had found 

 about 90 per cent, of the birds. 



Every one who has hunted in this part of Jersey knows 

 that the country is very rough on dogs. Sand burrs are 

 thicker than grass, and briers flourish like the proverbial 

 green bay tree. The next morning old Jerry was the same 

 as ever, only perhaps a little more fresh, yesterday's hunt 

 having limbered up his old bones, while my youthful Laver- 

 ack resembled one of the pair of Kilkenney cats, that had 

 been hung together by their tails over a rope all night. His 

 pads were so sore that he could scarcely put them on the 

 ground, his ears all torn and his coat in a most ragged 

 condition. That day he worked until noon and then gave up. 



Now, the point 1 want to get at is this: Here were two 

 dogs, one fitted by nature with a superb formation of shoul- 

 ders, legs, chest and body to do almost any amount of work, 

 and the other built for nothing except lying alongside of a 

 hot stove; yet the ill-favored one by his "grit" entirely dis- 

 tanced tUe other in hunting qualities. My dog was better 

 broken in every respect, probably bad a better noso and was. 

 much, harder in flesh, Halt, was the heel airing of the season,. 



DOG TALK. 



THE Boston correspondent of the Providence Sunday 

 Journal is responsible for this: "The price which Mr. 

 B. paid for a pug for his wife is one of the themes for the 

 jokers at a certain club here. He determined to make a 

 Christmas present to the lady of a little dog that she wanted, 

 and although the price asked, $50, seemed to him rather 

 large, he agreed to it, and arranged to have the pug deliv- 

 ered at his office the afternoon before Christmas. At the 

 time agreed upon Mr. B. was obliged to be in New York, 

 and he arranged to have the dog sent to the office of his 

 brother. When the dog came to Mr. B.'s office, his clerk 

 paid for it; when it was brought to the office of his brother, 

 the latter paid for it again; and the dog seller, finding the 

 trade so profitable, offered to take the pug on to Mr. B.'s 

 house. His offer was accepted, and he not only took the 

 dog home, but collected from Mrs. B., to whom he had a 

 note from Mr. B.'s brother, an additional $50, with which 

 he disappeared, not to be found since." 



When attending a dog show, it is always interesting and 

 often amusing to watch the handlers while the judging is 

 going on. As a rule they are themselves excellent judges, 

 and it is nearly always an easy matter, by watching them 

 closely, for one to spot the dogs they fear will beat their 

 favorites, and the merest tyro can frequently by this means 

 select the dog that ought to win, whatever the judge may 

 think of him. We have often had no end of fun while 

 watching their proceedings and listening to their remarks 

 derogatory to some competitor, ostensibly addressed to a 

 brother handler, but carefully aimed and discreetly mod- 

 ulated for tbe judge's ear. Not many handlers venture this, 

 but some of them do, with what result the. judge alone can 

 tell. We do know, however, that more than one judge has 

 caught on to the defect of an animal, simply through the 

 painstaking care of the handler to cover it up. Some of 

 them are quite expert in putting the best part of their charge 

 forward, and the judge must understand his business if he 

 obtains more than a fleeting glimpse of any portion of the 

 dog's anatomy except that which shows him up to the best 

 possible advantage. All of these "tricks of the trade," how- 

 ever, are generally of little avail with an experienced judge, 

 but nevertheless they serve a very useful purpose in relieving 

 the tedious monotony of the reporter's task 



The fall campaign will open the second week in September 

 with three dog shows, London and Ottawa. Canada, and 

 Toledo, Ohio. \Ve are informed that several other shows 

 will be held during the fall, but the dates are not yet de- 

 cided upon. It seems a pity that the dates should clash 

 especially in places that are relatively neighbors, and it is to 

 be hoped that some arrangement will be made whereby this 

 may be avoided in future. 



Mr. W. H. Joeckel, Jr., of Hoboken, N. J., has recently 

 received from Sydney W. Smith, Esq., a letter dated April 

 16, in which he states his intention of visiting the United 

 States to benefit his health, and to observe how St. Bernard 

 interests are progressing. He will sail May 1 on the White 

 Star Line steamer Britannic, due in New York about May 

 9 or 10. 



The St. Joe Kennels, of Niles, Mich., have sold for a long 

 price their well-known mastiff dog Waeouta Nap to Mr. E. 

 Reyder, of Chicago, 111. We understand that the dog will 

 be 'withdrawn from the public stud. 



Entries for the Derby of the Pacific Coast Field Trial 

 Club, to be held at Bakersfield, Cal., Jan. 20, 1890, close 

 May 1. The address of the secretary is H. H. Briggs, 313 

 Bush street, San Francisco, Cal. 



We are sorry to learn that Mr. J. W. Dunlop, of Utica, 

 has had the misfortune to lose by death from distemper 

 several valuable St. Bernards. 



PROPOSED NEW YORK DOG- LAW.— New York, 

 April 20.— Editor Forest and Stream: I wish to call your 

 attention to Bill 578, Assembly, introduced by Mr. Mase, 

 and now in Committee of the Whole. It provides for tax- 

 ation of dogs for sheep pi-otection, but makes no exception 

 in favor of breeding^ kennels. It should be amended or de- 

 feated, as it would be a serious drawback to breeding inter- 

 ests if passed as at present.— H. T. Foote, [We have not 

 seen a copy of this bill. Its provisions should be carefully 

 guarded, so as to work no injustice to breeders.] 



TOLEDO DOG SHOW— Toledo, O., April 24.— Editor 

 Forest and Stream; The Toledo Kennel Co. claim Sept, 10 

 to 13, 1889, for their- first annual bench show, which will be 

 held in oonn^tlon with tbe TrLState Jniv at Toledo. O.— 

 TotEtto K>;vsi:r C<\ 



