210 DOGS AND ALL ABOUT THEM

shelters such grand terriers as Doncaster, Dominie, Dodger, Dauphine, and many others well known to fame. Mrs. J. H. Brown, too, as the owner of Captain Double, a terrier which has won, and deservedly, more prizes than any Fox-terrier now or in the past, must not be omitted.

Whether the present Fox-terrier is as good, both on the score of utility and appearance, as his predecessors is a question which has many times been asked, and as many times decided in the negative as well as in the affirmative. It would be idle to pretend that a great many of the dogs now seen on the show bench are fitted to do the work Nature intended them for, as irrespective of their make and shape they are so oversized as to preclude the possibility of going to ground in any average sized earth.

This question of size is one that must sooner or later be tackled in some practical way by the Fox-terrier Club, unless we are to see a race of giants in the next few generations. Their own standard gives 20 lb.-a very liberal maximum ; but there are dogs several pounds heavier constantly winning prizes at shows, and consequently being bred from, with the result which we see. There are many little dogs, and good ones, to be seen, but as long as the judges favour the big ones these hold no chance, and as it is far easier to produce a good big one than a good little one, breeders are encouraged to use sires who would not be looked at if a hard-and-fast line were drawn over which no dogs should win a prize. There are hundreds of Fox-terriers about quite as capable of doing their work as their ancestors ever were, and there is hardly a large kennel which has not from time to time furnished our leading packs with one or more dogs, and with gratifying results. It is, therefore, a great pity that our leading exhibitors should often be the greatest delinquents in showin; dogs which they know in their hearts should be kept at home or drafted altogether, and it is deplorable that some of our oldest judges should by their awards encourage them.

Before concluding this chapter it may not be out of place to

THE SMOOTH FOX-TERRIER   211

say a few words as to the breeding and rearing of Fox

terriers.

In the first place, never breed from an animal whose pedigree

is not authenticated beyond a shadow of a doubt ; and re

member that while like may beget like, the inevitable tendency is to throw back to former generations. The man who elects to breed Fox-terriers must have the bumps of patience and hope very strongly developed, as if the tyro imagines that he has only to mate his bitch to one of the known prize-winning dogs of the day in order to produce a champion, he had better try some other breed. Let him fix in his mind the ideal dog, and set to work by patient effort and in the face of many disappointments to produce it. It is not sufficient that, having acquired a bitch good in all points save in head, that he breeds her to the best-headed dog he can find. He must satisfy himself that the head is not a chance one, but is an inherited one, handed down from many generations, good in this particular, and consequently potent to reproduce its like. So in all other points that he wishes to reproduce. In the writer's experience, little bitches with quality are the most successful. Those having masculine characteristics should be avoided, and the best results will be obtained from the first three litters, after which a bitch rarely breeds anything so good. See that your bitch is free from worms before she goes to the dog, then feed her well, and beyond a dose of castor oil some days before she is due to whelp, let Nature take its course. Dose your puppies well for worms at eight weeks old, give them practically as much as they will eat, and unlimited exercise. Avoid the various advertised nostrums, and rely rather on the friendly advice of some fancier or your veterinary surgeon.

Take your hobby seriously, and you will be amply repaid, even if success does not always crown your efforts, as while the breeding of most animals is a fascinating pursuit, that of the Fox-terrier presents many varying delights.

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