256 DOGS AND ALL ABOUT THEM

loins, with a very slight gradual drop from top of loins to root of tail; both sides of backbone well supplied with muscle. Tail-Rather short, say from eight inches to ten inches, and covered on the upper side with wiry hair of darker colour than that of the body, the hair on the under side being lighter in colour, and not so wiry, with a nice feather, about two inches long, getting shorter as it nears the tip ; rather thick at the root, getting thicker for about four inches, then tapering off to a point. It should not be twisted or curled in any way, but should come up with a curve like a scimitar, the tip, when excited, being in a perpendicular line with the root of the tail. It should neither be set on too high nor too low. When not excited it is carried gaily, and a little above the level of the body. Legs-The fore-legs short, with immense muscular development and bone, set wide apart, the chest coming well down between them. The feet well formed, and not flat, with very strong brown or dark-coloured claws. Bandy legs and flat feet are objectionable. The hair on the fore-legs and feet of a pepper dog should be tan, varying according to the body colour from a rich tan to a pale fawn ; of a mustard dog they are of a darker shade than its head, which is a creamy white. In both colours there is a nice feather, about two inches long, rather lighter in colour than the hair on the fore-part of the leg. The hind-legs are a little longer than the fore ones, and are set rather wide apart, but not spread out in an unnatural manner, while the feet are much smaller, the thighs are well developed, and the hair of the same colour and texture as the fore ones, but having no feather or dew claws ; the whole claws should be dark ; but the claws of all vary in shade according to the colour of the dog's body. Coat-This is a very important point ; the hair should be about two inches long ; that from skull to root of tail a mixture of hardish and soft hair, which gives a sort of crisp feel to the hand. The hair should not be wiry ; the coat is termed pily or pencilled. The hair on the under part of the body is lighter in colour and softer than that on the top. The skin on the belly accords with the colour of dog. Colour-The colour is pepper or mustard. The pepper ranges from a dark bluish black to a light silver grey, the intermediate shades being preferred, the body colour coming well down the shoulder and hips, gradually merging into the leg colour. The mustards vary from a reddish brown to a pale fawn, the head being a creamy white, the legs and feet of a shade darker than the head. The claws are dark as in other colours. (Nearly all Dandie Dinmonts have some white on the chest, and some have also white claws.) Size-The height should be from 8 to 11 inches at the top of shoulder. Length from top of shoulder to root of tail should not be more than twice the dog's height, but, preferably, one or two inches less. Weight-From 14 lb. to 24 lb. the best weight as near 18 lb. as possible. These weights are for dogs in good working order.

In the above standard of points we have a very full and detailed account of what a Dandie should be like, and if only judges at shows would bear them in mind a little more, we should have fewer conflicting decisions given, and Dandie

THE DANDIE DINMONT   257

fanciers and the public generally would not from time to time be set wondering as to what is the correct type of the breed.

A Dandie makes an excellent house guard ; for such a small dog he has an amazingly deep, loud bark, so that the stranger, who has heard him barking on the far side of the door, is quite astonished when he sees the small owner of the big voice. When kept as a companion he becomes a most devoted and affectionate little friend, and is very intelligent. As a dog to be kept in kennels there is certainly one great drawback where large kennels are desired, and that is the risk of keeping two or more dogs in one kennel ; sooner or later there is sure to be a fight, and when Dandies fight it is generally a very serious matter ; if no one is present to separate them, one or both of the combatants is pretty certain to be killed. But when out walking the Dandie is no more quarrelsome than other breeds of terriers, if properly trained from puppyhood.

There is one little matter in breeding Dandies that is generally a surprise to the novice, and that is the very great difference in the appearance of the young pups and the adult dog. The pups are born quite smooth-haired, the peppers are black and tan in colour, and the mustards have a great deal of black in their colouring. The topknot begins to appear sometimes when the dog is a few months old, and sometimes not till he is a year or so old. It is generally best to mate a mustard to a pepper, to prevent the mustards becoming too light in colour, though two rich-coloured mustards may be mated together with good results. It is a rather curious fact that when two mustards are mated some of the progeny are usually pepper in colour, though when two peppers are mated there are very seldom any mustard puppies.

The popularity of the Dandie has now lasted for nearly a hundred years, and there is no reason why it should not last for another century, if breeders will only steer clear of the exaggeration of show points, and continue to breed a sound, active, and

hardy terrier.

R