Harry Woodworth Huntington

“ Hair on fore legs and feet of blue dog should be tan; on a mustard dog a darker shade than on head, which is creamy white. Hind legs are rather longer than front ones, rather wide apart, with feet smaller than front ones, without feather and dew-claws; claws should be dark.
Coat.—Very important. Hair should be 2 inches long, and that from skull to root of tail a mixture of hard and soft hair. The hard hair should be wiry, the coat being pily, that under body being softer and lighter in color than on top. ”

“ Provided always with clean, dry straw, the dog will thrive. Foul and damp bedding produces mange, rickets, distemper, rheumatism, etc. If possible avoid keeping the dog on chain, as it frets and irritates it and is very apt to sour its disposition.
Preparing a Dog for Exhibition.
To show a dog “for all there is in him,” its coat should be in perfect condition, free from all dead hair, and in the form as called for in the standard pertaining to its special breed. The body should be round, the ribs well covered; and in sporting and large specimens the muscles should be well developed and hard. ”

“ When exhaustion is very great, and the patient absolutely refuses to eat, soft, nutritious food should be forced down the throat by first placing it in the mouth, then closing the jaws gently yet firmly, and softly rubbing the windpipe with the hand, thus causing the patient to swallow. Strange to relate, almost any sick dog will eagerly eat meat which has been masticated by its attendant. ”

“ Uses.—A pet dog.
Description.—A smart-looking sort of terrier of some kind, with perhaps a bit of greyhound blood in it. There is no scale of points, nor is there any club organized to foster the breed. It is entirely devoid of hair, except sometimes a tuft or crest on its head and a few straggling hairs on various parts of the body. It is a lively little fellow, mostly of a brown color, and, though devoid of hair, can stand the cold very well. It has a rounded body, a bit cobby in appearance, with somewhat of a terrier head. Weight is about 15 pounds. ”

“ General Appearance.—A long-coated, well-proportioned pet dog; coat straight and hanging evenly down each side, parted from nose to end of tail; very compact in form, neat, sprightly, and bearing an important air.
Head.—Rather small, flat, not too round in skull, broad at muzzle; black nose. Hair on muzzle very long, of bright golden tan, unmixed with dark or sooty hair. Hair on sides of head very long, and of deeper tan than on center of head. Eyes medium in size, not prominent, dark, with intelligent expression; edges of eyelids dark. Ears cut or uncut, quite erect ”

“ Having used the foregoing diet both at home, with my favorite dog, and at my kennels, where I have had as many as ninety at one time, my experience with it for twenty years convinces me that it cannot be improved upon, whether used for a single dog or an entire pack.
Puppies from time of weaning up to six months of age should be fed four times daily, from six to nine months three times, and after that age feed same as grown dogs; they too thrive best on diet as already described. Fresh raw minced meat is good, especially for puppies; it strengthens them and tones the stomach. ”

“ Color and Coat.—The colors are dark blue, fawn, grizzle, and brindle, the latter with more or less tint of blue; the fawn should have tips of ears dark; the grizzle generally has a decided tint of blue; white on breast or toes should not disqualify a dog. Coat is coarser on back than elsewhere, and many claim it should be intermediate between silk and wool, and not the coarse hair often met with. The whole body is clothed with a rough coat, sometimes amounting to shagginess ”

“ If you find your dog has no appetite, don’t try to coax or force it, but cease to offer it any food whatever for at least twenty-four hours. A fast of forty-eight hours will do it no harm in such cases, and total abstinence often wards off sickness. Should it be disposed to eat grass or horse-droppings, don’t try to prevent it, as both are nature’s mild remedy for a disordered stomach. ”

“ The bane of a dog’s existence is fleas. They are especially troublesome to puppies, worrying them till they become fretful, causing them to irritate the skin and tear their coats through scratching, seeking relief from itching. In addition, where fleas are particularly numerous on a dog they will often so affect it that its appetite is impaired and its digestive organs affected by worriment.
Carbolic soaps will kill these pests, also destroy the hair if constantly used ”

“ Do not wash your dogs too often, as it removes the natural oil and consequently the gloss, which is so much desired. Careful and daily brushing with a dandy-brush, followed by a rubbing down with mittens made of chamois leather, will keep a dog’s coat in wonderfully fine condition and for a long while. The hound gloves are found to be of great value with smooth-coated dogs, such as Great Danes, pointers, bull-terriers, etc. ”

“ Lips not so tight as a bull-terrier’s, but well fitting. Nose black. Eyes dark hazel, small, not prominent, full of life, fire, and intelligence. Ears, when uncut, small and V-shaped, of moderate thickness, set well up, dropping forward close to cheek, free from fringe, and hair thereon shorter and generally darker in color than the body. ”

“ The dog should look compact and be possessed of great muscle in his hind quarters. A Scottish terrier cannot be too powerfully put together.
Head.—Skull long, slightly domed, covered with short, hard hair about 3⁄4 inch long or less; skull not quite flat. Muzzle very powerful, tapering toward nose, which should be black and of good size; jaws level; teeth square, though the nose projects somewhat over the mouth. Eyes wide apart, dark brown or hazel, small and piercing. Ears very small, prick or half prick, sharp-pointed, the hair not long, and free from any fringe on top. ”

“ Head.—Fair length; skull flat, broad between ears; moderate stop, and not in straight line from occiput to nose; no wrinkles; [18] muzzle long and powerful; lips clean cut, fitting jaws closely. Eyes moderately wide apart, medium size, round, bright. In black-spotted dogs eyes are dark; in livers, light or light brown (yellow) . Rims around eyes black in black-spotted varieties, and brown in the liver-spotted ones, never flesh-colored. Ears set on high, rather wide at base, tapering, carried close, thin, fine, always spotted. Nose black in blacks, brown in livers. ”

“ To discover the difference between colic and inflammation of the bowels, press the hand along the belly, and if the movement gives relief, the probable trouble is colic. If pain attends the pressure, it is probably inflammation. In these two cases, my advice is to consult a veterinarian at once. The symptoms of both affections are evidenced by the dog standing with arched back and feet drawn toward one another, or crouching with belly on the ground. Inflammation is generally of slower development than colic. ”

“ Head.—Skull resembles that of a coarse, large greyhound, long and wide between ears; stop very slight. Jaws long; teeth level [30] and strong; nostrils open, but not very wide; cheeks muscular; bone under eye neither prominent nor hollow. Ears small, thin, carried a trifle higher than those of the greyhound, but should turn over at tips; pricked ears very objectionable; they should be thinly fringed with hair at edges only. Eyes full, and dark hazel, sometimes blue.
Neck.—Long enough to allow the dog to stoop to the scent at a fast pace. ”

“ Powder, which kills instantly all Fleas, Lice, other Vermin, and their nits; heals sores; cures Mange and slicks up the coat, and overcomes the “dog odor”; saves all washing with strong carbolic soaps or other substances which are Dangerous and ruin the hair, and is also the best Disinfectant to use in Kennels, Stables, Hen-houses, etc. The P. D. Q. is guaranteed Non-Explosive and not Poisonous, even if taken internally by mistake. ”

“ The tail.
Stifles. The top joints of the hind legs.
Stop. The indentation below the eyes, which is most perceptible in the bulldog, but noticeable to a less extent in other breeds.
Trace. Black line extending from occiput to tail.
Tulip-ear. An erect ear.
Type. Every breed of dogs is possessed of certain characteristics of form and feature that stamp it so indelibly that a typical specimen once being seen it is never forgotten. In the human race, for instance, we say a man has a face of Malay type, Chinese type, etc. The same applies to a dog. ”

“ Color and Markings.—Red, orange, various shades of brindle, or white with patches of above colors. Markings should be: white muzzle and blaze on face, collar around neck; white on chest, fore legs, feet, and end of tail; black shadings on face and ears. If blaze be wide, running through collar, a spot of body-color should be on top of head.
Disqualifying Points.—Dudley, liver-colored nose; fawn if whole-colored or with black shadings only; black, black and tan, black and white, black, tan, and white, and all white, though an all white has taken high honors under one of our best judges. ”

“ Neck long and well crested.
Tail.—When hanging, upper half perpendicular, under half thrown backward in a curve. When raised, a prolongation of outline of back, not rising higher nor curling up.
Legs and Feet.—Legs short, straight, muscular, no dew-claws. Feet large, pointing forward.
Coat (Double) .—Under coat short, close, soft, and woolly; and over coat long (51⁄2 inches) , hard, straight, flat, free from crisp or curl. Hair on head shorter, softer, veiling forehead and eyes; on ears, overhanging inside, falling down, not heavily, but surrounding ear like fringe; tail also feathered. ”

“ Choking off its wind when it pulls hard, it will soon grow weary and act rationally. Should this treatment still prove inefficient, some people resort to the spike collar, which, however, should be used only with the greatest judgment. No one ever treated his dogs more kindly than I, yet, though I never had a dog upon which it became necessary to use a spike collar, still, perhaps I would have used one rather than have my shoulder pulled out of its socket by a dog which I took out for companionship. ”

“ In its native state it is quite devoid of courage, so the bitches are bred to bulldogs, and that product, showing most greyhound form and bulldog character, is then bred to a greyhound dog, continuing this same last breeding until in the fifth generation we produce the dog of the present day, which has indomitable courage, wonderful speed and endurance, and is possessed of a desire to kill. ”

“ Ears large, pendulous, set well back, wide apart, and low on skull, hanging close to cheek, tapering to a point, the tapering being mostly on the back part. They are covered with soft, straight brown hair (sometimes almost black) , with a feather of light hair about 2 inches from tip. The feather does not show, sometimes, till the dog is 2 years old. Leather rather thin. Length of ear 3 to 4 inches.
Neck.—Very muscular and strong, and well set into shoulders.
Body.—Long, strong, and flexible; ribs well sprung; chest deep; back rather low at shoulder ”

“ The dog in its wild state is nearly, if not wholly, carnivorous, but when domesticated becomes omnivorous and therefore thrives best on a mixed diet of bread, meat, and vegetables. Excepting when training or hunting your dogs, a purely meat diet is not desirable any more than it would be for a human being. ”

“ Mange as applied to animals is the same as itch in human beings, being beyond question caused by a parasite burrowing into the skin, resulting in the falling out of the hair, and sometimes in an exudation of an offensive-smelling pus, itching to such a degree that the patient scratches continuously. ”

“ Body and Quarters.—Body very long and low, well ribbed up, and long in the coupling; chest of great depth and volume; loins powerful, and not too much arched; back long, broad, and straight, free from droop or bow. Length an important characteristic; the nearer the dog is in length to being two and a half times its height at shoulder, the better. Quarters shapely and very muscular, neither drooping nor stilty.
Legs and Feet.—Fore legs short, straight, immensely heavy in bone, well in at elbow. Hind legs heavy in bone, but not as heavy as fore legs ”

“ In short, feed your dog as you would a human being, and the result will be satisfactory. The feeding of meat does not in any way affect the scenting powers of a dog, nor does it produce worms, distemper, or kindred diseases, as so often stated. ”

“ Scraps of all sorts from the table tend best to preserve the dog’s health.
For toy dogs well-cooked rice, finely chopped boiled tripe, warm milk, and lean meat scraps from the table, mixed with vegetables, should form the common diet. As these dogs are very light eaters, they may be fed three times a day, care being exercised that they do not overload their stomachs at any time. ”

“ Feathering.—The feather on upper portion of ears long and silky, on back of fore and hind legs long and fine; a fair amount of hair on belly, forming a nice fringe, which may extend on chest and throat; feet well feathered between toes; tail to have a nice fringe of moderately long hair, decreasing in length as it approaches the point. ”

“ These are particularly good for debility arising from distemper and kindred diseases.
Tonic No. 2.
Mix and give a teaspoonful daily to a pup (setter) . Graduate dose in proportion to size of dog.
Worms.
There are three principal worms infesting dogs.
First, the common roundworm, from two to six inches in length, of a pale pink color, very thin like vermicelli, and greatly resembling the common earth- or angleworm. This is the worm most common in puppies, and inhabits the stomach and lower intestines. ”