Edward Axtell

“ How many a one has come away from a dog show utterly disgusted with perhaps one of the best looking dogs on the bench, who, after admiring its attractiveness in every detail, discovers on too near an approach to him that he possesses a snappy, vicious disposition? ”

“ Let the marriage last for life. Somewhat closely connected with this last fact is another equally important, the fact of prepotency in a stud dog, consisting of the capacity on the part of the dog to transmit his share of characteristics to his offspring in a far larger degree than is imparted by the average dog. Those who closely follow the breed will discover how certain dogs do, and have done in the past, from “Barnard’s Mike” down to certain dogs of the present time, stamp the hall-mark of excellence on all the pups they sire, in a greater or less degree. ”

“ Unlike any established breed, there was practically no data to fall back on, no books of instruction to follow, but if the pioneer work has been arduous the results obtained have far outbalanced it, and the dog today stands as a monument to all the faithful, conscientious and determined body of men who would never acknowledge defeat, but who, in spite of all discouragements from all quarters, and from many where it should have been least expected, have pressed forward until they find the object of their unfailing endeavors the supreme favorite in dogdom the continent over. ”

“ Does any one imagine that the so-called terrier type one so often hears of, and which a large number of people are apparently led today to believe to be “par excellence,” the correct thing, would have been capable of so doing? No one realizes more fully than the writer the fact that the bully type can be carried too far, and great harm will inevitably ensue, but the swing of the pendulum to the exaggerated terrier type will in time, I firmly believe, ring in his death knell. ”

“ I think that all people will agree, from all parts of the country, that New York sets the style for practically everything, from my lady’s headgear to the pattern of her equipages, and the edict from that city has decreed that the correct color in Boston terriers is a rich seal brindle, with white markings, with plenty of luster to it, and all sections of the continent promptly say amen! ”

“ I prefer a symmetrical dog weighing from sixteen to twenty pounds, rather finer in his make-up than the bitch, and possessing the indefinable quality of style, and evidences in his make-up courage and a fine, open, generous temperament. Do not breed to a dog that is overworked in the stud, kept on a board floor chained up in a kennel or barn, and never given a chance to properly exercise. ”

“ Every one who has a Boston terrier for sale knows that a handsome seal or mahogany brindle with correct markings, with plenty of luster in the coat, provided all other things are equal, sells more readily at a far higher price than any other. When one considers the number of points given in the standard for this particular feature, and the very important factor it occupies in the sale of the dog, too much attention cannot be given by breeders for the attainment of this desideratum. ”

“ Whenever one finds a dog eminently suited to his bitch, do not make a change, always breed to the same dog. I am perfectly cognizant of the fact that a great temptation presents itself to want to breed to a better dog, a noted prize winner probably, expecting, of course, that inasmuch as the dam did so well with a somewhat inferior dog, she must of necessity do correspondingly better with an A 1 dog. The reasoning is perfectly correct, but the result does not correspond. Very inferior pups to her previous litter by the inferior dog surprise and disgust the owner. ”

“ But be it ever remembered that the show ring and the selling of a dog are two separate and distinct propositions. In the writer’s opinion and experience a wide gulf opens up between a perfect white or black dog comporting absolutely to the standard, and one of desirable color and markings that is off a number of points. I have always found a white, black, mouse, or liver colored dog, I care not how good in every other respect, almost impossible to get rid of at any decent price. People simply would not take them. ”

“ A dog that has in 35 years or less so thoroughly established himself in the affections of the great body of the American people, so that his friends offer no apology whatever in calling him the American dog, must possess peculiar qualities that endear him to all classes and conditions of men, and I firmly believe that when all the fads for which his native city is so well known have died a natural death, he will be in the early bloom of youth. ”

“ It will readily be admitted by all who have given the matter any consideration that a dog of an affectionate nature, whose fidelity has always been constant, and whose devotion to its owner has always under all circumstances been perfectly sincere and lasting, makes an appeal to something that is inherent in human nature. The fact of the case is that the love of such a dog is imbedded in the soul of every normal man and woman who have red blood in their veins. ”

“ You have no right whatever to show such a dog.” Since then I went to the kennels where a noted prize winner is placed at public stud, and he showed such a vicious disposition and attempt to bite through the bars of his pen that the attendant had to cover the bars over with a blanket. Such dogs as these should be given at once a sufficient amount of chloroform and a suitable burial without mourners. If a man must keep such a brute, then a strong chain and a secure place where his owner alone can visit him is absolutely imperative. ”

“ So well known is this physiological fact that breeders of standard bred horses, particularly hunters and carriage horses, will never breed a vicious mare to a quiet stallion, and yet they are generally willing to risk breeding a quiet mare to a stallion not as good in this respect.
The education of the puppies should begin as soon as they can run around. Very much depends upon a right start. We are admonished to “train up a child in the way he should go,” and this applies with equal force to the dog. Treat them with the utmost kindness, but with a firm hand. ”

“ While personally I am in favor of a dog weighing from sixteen to twenty pounds, or even somewhat heavier, there is absolutely no reason why one should not have any sized dog one desires, but please observe, do not breed small dogs at the expense of the type. Let the ten or twelve pound dog conform to the standard as much as if it weighed twenty. I think an object lesson will be of inestimable value here. Every one who has visited the poultry shows of the past few years must have been delighted and impressed to see the beautiful varieties of bantams. ”

“ It will be somewhat of a temptation to resist taking what a party, liberally supplied with this world’s goods, will frequently in their ignorance offer for a dog that appeals to them, but which the owner knows perfectly well is not worth the price offered. If he belongs to the class that behaves themselves he will tell the prospective buyer what the dog is intrinsically worth, and point out the reasons why he is not worth more. You may depend that you have not only obtained a customer for life, but one that will readily advertise your kennels under all circumstances. ”

“ In spite of this vast number of unscrupulous breeders and dealers scattered abroad, I think the chances for reliable kennels was never so good as now in the history of the breed. Cream will always rise, and right dealing, whether in dogs or diamonds, will ever meet with their just returns. Remember that one never forgets being “taken in” in a horse trade, and when, instead of a horse a dog is involved, I think one never forgives as well. ”

“ In speaking of the breeding stock I am aware that I am going contrary to the opinion of many breeders when I state that I believe that the dam should possess equal or more quality than the sire, that her influence and characteristics are perpetuated in her posterity to a greater degree than are those of the sire’s, especially that feature of paramount importance, a beautiful disposition, hence I speak of the maternal side of the house first. ”

“ I am perfectly well aware that due allowance must be made for the unnatural excitement that surrounds a dog, perhaps for the first time shown, away from all he knows, and surrounded by strange noises and faces. ”

“ How to breed the dogs so that the brindle will not become too dark, with the bright reddish sheen that sparkles in the sun, is the important question, and I am surprised at the ignorance displayed by kennel men that one would naturally suppose would have made the necessary scientific experiments to obtain this desirable shading. Only a short time ago a doctor, a friend of mine, told me he had just started a kennel of Bostons, buying several bitches at a bargain on account of their being black in color, and that he proposed breeding them to a white dog to get puppies of a desirable brindle. ”

“ In regard to the differences of opinion that different judges exhibit when passing upon a dog in the show room, one preferring one type of a dog and the other another, this, of course, is morally wrong. The standard requirements should govern, and not individual preferences. We hear a good deal said nowadays about the cleaning up of the head, and the so-called terrier finish. That seems to be the thing to do, but does not the standard call for a compactly built dog, finished in every part of his make-up, and possessing style and a graceful carriage? ”

“ The Boston terrier dog was never intended, in the writer’s estimation, to be a dog to be carried in one’s pocket, but such an one as the standard calls for, and which the oldest breeders have persistently and consistently bred. To my mind the ideal dog is one weighing from 15 pounds for my lady’s parlor, to 20 or 25 pounds for the dog intended as a man’s companion, suitable to tackle any kind of vermin, and to be an ideal watch dog in the house should any knights of the dark lantern make their nocturnal calls. ”

“ Yea, we would repeat the command of a greater than Shakespeare, to whom, I trust, we all pay reverence, when He lays down for us all the Golden Rule: “Whatsoever ye would that men would do to you, do ye even so to them.” ”

“ One does not have to look very far to discover numbers of men who started in the breeding of the American dog with high hopes and enthusiastic endeavors to success, who have fallen by the wayside, owing largely to the fact that proper attention was not paid to the selection of suitable breeding stock, especially the matrons. Said a man to me last year: “Much as I love the dog, and crazy as I am to raise some good pups, I have given up for all time trying to breed Boston terriers. ”

“ Damages for dog bites come high, and he must be either a very rich man, or a very poor one, that can afford to keep this kind of stock.
Use only thoroughly healthy stock; disease is often productive of an uneven, sullen disposition. See that the bitch especially never shows a tendency to be cross or snappy. The male dog usually controls the shape, color and markings, and the dam the constitution and disposition. Hence it is, if anything, of more importance that the female should be strong in this feature than the male, although the male, of course, should be first class also. ”