affectionate, and faithful to his master, not demonstrative with strangers; intelligent, courageous, and always alert. His value as a guard is unrivalled. He is easily controlled when well trained, but he may grow savage if confined too much, kept on chain, or ill treated. HEIGHT—The minimum height of an adult dog should be 30 ins.; that of a bitch, 28 ins. WEIGHT—The minimum weight of an adult dog should be 120 lbs.; that of a bitch, 100 lbs. The greater height and weight to be preferred, provided that quality and proportion are also combined. HEAD—Taken altogether, the head should give the idea of great length and strength of jaw. The muzzle, or foreface, is broad, and the skull proportionately narrow, so that the whole head, when viewed from above and in front, has the appearance of equal breadth throughout. LENGTH OF HEAD—The entire length of head varies with the height of the dog, 13 ins. from the tip of the nose to the back of the occiput is a good measurement for a dog of 32 ins. at the shoulder. The length from the end of the nose to the point between the eyes should be about equal, or preferably of greater length than from this point to the back of the occiput. SKULL—The skull should be flat rather than domed, and have a slight indentation running up the centre, the occipital peak not prominent. There should be a decided rise or brow over the eyes, but no abrupt stop between them. FACE—The face should be chiselled well and foreface long, of equal depth throughout, and well filled in below the eyes with no appearance of being pinched. MUSCLES OF THE CHEEK—The muscles of the cheeks should be quite flat, with no lumpiness or cheek bumps, the angle of the jaw-bone well defined. LIPS—The lips should hang quite square in front, forming a right angle with the upper line of foreface. UNDERLINE—The underline of the head, viewed in profile, runs almost in a straight line from the corner of the lip to the corner of the jawbone, allowing for the fold of the lip, but with no loose skin to hang down. JAW—The lower jaw should be about level, or at any rate not project more than the sixteenth of an inch. NOSE AND NOSTRILS—The bridge of the nose should be very wide, with a slight ridge where the cartilage joins the bone. (This is quite a characteristic of the breed.) The nostrils should be large, wide, and open, giving a blunt look to the nose. A butterfly or flesh-coloured nose is not objected to in harlequins. EARS—The ears should be small, set high on the skull, and carried slightly erect, with the tips falling forward. NECK—Next to the head, the neck is one of the chief characteristics. It should be long, well arched, and quite clean and free from loose skin, held well up, snakelike in carriage, well set in the shoulders, and the junction of head and neck well defined. SHOULDERS—The shoulders should be muscular but not loaded, and well sloped back, with the elbows well under the body, so that, when viewed in front, the dog does not stand too wide. FORE-LEGS AND FEET—The fore-legs should be perfectly straight, with big flat bone. The feet large and round, the toes well arched and close, the nails strong and curved. BODY—The body is very deep, with ribs well sprung and belly well drawn up. BACK AND LOINS—The back and loins are strong, the latter slightly arched, as in the Greyhound. HIND-QUARTERS—The hind-quarters and thighs are extremely muscular, giving the idea of great strength and galloping power. The second thigh is long and well developed as in a Greyhound, and the hocks set low, turning neither out nor in. TAIL—The tail is strong at the root and ends in a fine point, reaching to or just below the hocks. It should be carried, when the dog is in action, in a straight line level with the back, slightly curved towards the end, but should not curl over the back. COAT—The hair is short and dense, and sleek-looking, and in no case should it incline to coarseness. GAIT OR ACTION—The gait should be lithe, springy, and free, the action high. The hocks should move very freely, and the head should be held well up. COLOUR—The colours are brindle, fawn, blue, black, and harlequin. The harlequin should have jet black patches and spots on a pure white ground; grey patches are admissible but not desired; but fawn or brindle shades are objectionable.
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[Illustration: MRS. H. HORSFALL'S GREAT DANE CH. VIOLA OF REDGRAVE
Photograph by Coe, Norwich]
CHAPTER VII
THE DALMATIAN
Before the Kennel Club found it necessary to insist upon a precise definition of each breed, the Dalmatian was known as the Coach Dog, a name appropriately derived from his fondness for following a carriage, for living in and about the stable, and for accompanying his master's horses at exercise. As an adjunct to the carriage he is peculiarly suitable, for in fine weather he will follow between the wheels for long distances without showing fatigue, keeping easy pace with the best horses. He appears almost to prefer equine to human companionship, and he is as fond of being among horses as the Collie is of being in the midst of sheep. Yet he is of friendly disposition, and it must be insisted that he is by no means so destitute of intelligence as he is often represented to be. On the contrary, he is capable of being trained into remarkable cleverness, as circus proprietors have discovered.
The earliest authorities agree that this breed was first introduced from Dalmatia, and that he was brought into this country purely on account of his sporting proclivities. Of late years, however, these dogs have so far degenerated as to be looked upon simply as companions, or as exhibition dogs, for only very occasionally can it be found that any pains have been taken to train them systematically for gun-work.
The first of the variety which appeared in the show ring was Mr. James Fawdry's Captain, in 1873. At that period they were looked upon as a novelty, and, though the generosity and influence of a few admirers ensured separate classes being provided for the breed at the leading shows, it did not necessitate the production of such perfect specimens as those which a few years afterwards won prizes. At the first they were more popular in the North of England than in any other part of Great Britain. It was at Kirkby Lonsdale that Dr. James's Spotted Dick was bred, and an early exploiter of the breed who made his dogs famous was Mr. Newby Wilson, of Lakeside, Windermere. He was indebted to Mr. Hugo Droesse, of London, for the foundation of his stud, inasmuch as it was from Mr. Droesse that he purchased Ch. Acrobat and Ch. Berolina. At a later date the famed Coming Still and Prince IV. were secured from the same kennel, the latter dog being the progenitor of most of the best liver-spotted specimens that have attained notoriety as prize-winners down to the present day.
In appearance the Dalmatian should be very similar to a Pointer except in head and marking. Still, though not so long in muzzle nor so pendulous in lip as a Pointer, there should be no coarseness or common look about the skull, a fault which is much too prevalent. Then, again, some judges do not attach sufficient importance to the eyelids, or rather sears, which should invariably be edged round with black or brown. Those which are flesh-coloured in this particular should be discarded, however good they may be in other respects. The density and pureness of colour, in both blacks and browns, is of great importance, but should not be permitted to outweigh the evenness of the distribution of spots on the body; no black patches, or even mingling of the spots, should meet with favour, any more than a ring-tail or a clumsy-looking, heavy-shouldered dog should command attention.
The darker-spotted variety usually prevails in a cross between the two colours, the offspring very seldom having the liver-coloured markings. The uninitiated may be informed that Dalmatian puppies are always born pure white. The clearer and whiter they are the better they are likely to be. There should not be the shadow of a mark or spot on them. When about a fortnight old, however, they generally develop a dark ridge on the belly, and the spots will then begin to show themselves; first about the neck and ears, and afterwards along the back, until at about the sixteenth day the markings are distinct over the body, excepting only the tail, which frequently remains white for a few weeks longer.
The standard of points as laid down by the leading club is sufficiently explicit to be easily understood, and is as follows:—
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GENERAL APPEARANCE—The Dalmatian should represent a strong, muscular, and active dog, symmetrical in
