CHAPTER VII

THE CHOICE OF BREEDS

The choice of a breed to take up is generally dictated by personal preference, and fashion has a large spoke in the wheel. Just at present, the fashionable breeds among toys are certainly Pomeranians, or Spitz toys--commonly known as "Poms," Japanese spaniels, Pekingese or Chinese spaniels--sometimes called Chinese pugs, toy bulldogs, and Griffons Bruxellois. Of the choice of a breed for profit I have spoken before, and will now consider the question from the point of view of a lonely dame seeking a pet, or pets, and having no preconceived prejudices.

The Pom, then, is a little dog, hard to get good, but really valuable when so secured. A good toy Pom means one as small as possible, certainly under 8 lbs., and preferably under 6 lbs., not long-legged and weedy, but short-backed and compact; with tiny erect ears, a fine-pointed muzzle, small dark eyes, tail--or plume, as it should be called--well over the exact median line of the back; small, fine, and delicate legs and feet, covered with short hair; and last, but far from least, a profuse coat standing out well all over the body, and amplified about the neck with the characteristic frill, and at the backs of the hind legs with the criniere. Bright brown and chocolate are very much more common than they were a year or two ago, when either was scarce and much desired, but blacks are always favourites. Black-pointed sables (wolf-coloured Poms) seldom have good stiff coats, and, like the beautiful orange sables, are apt to be flat-coated, thus are not so popular; while parti-coloured dogs depend for attraction upon their quality otherwise. Blues, which, unless large, generally have hairless ears, are very charming, and carry excellent coats, but are comparatively seldom seen. The usual faults of toy Poms are "apple-headedness"--a term which explains itself--scarcity of coat, coarseness in head or leg, tails badly carried, big ears, or protuberant eyes, legginess and weediness, or curliness. A wave in the coat spoils some from a show point of view, and though washing with borax and water, and combing out with a comb dipped in a weak solution of gelatine, will temporarily remedy the defect, it spoils the desirable bushy look of a Pom to a great extent.

Poms are capital little companions, faithful, exceedingly sharp and intelligent, and generally devoted to one person; they are good with children if brought up with them; but they are fussy and excitable little things, bark a great deal, and have nerves. I do not consider the character some people give them of snappishness at all justified by facts; but here and there a sharp-tempered Pom may be found. Their quality of disdain towards strangers is one which ought to be considered a virtue in all pet dogs. They are not of the easiest dogs to train to the house, especially when kept in numbers, and are not always reliable in this way, mainly on account of their quick, nervous disposition; but for cleverness, affection, and beauty, they have few, if any, equals among toy dogs, and they are never likely to lose their popularity; a really good toy Pom is always immensely admired and courted wherever it is taken. Puppies are not now so easily saleable at high prices as was formerly the case, as so many people took them up that they have become plentiful: and it is not worth while to breed second-raters; but a good Pom will still sell.

Illustration: SCHIPPERKE. _"Fandango," owned by Dr. Freeman._

Next to toy Poms I will mention toy Schipperkes, because, though they are not as yet so fashionable, and probably never will be, they resemble Poms in many ways. As house dogs they are eminently desirable, wonderfully clean and well-mannered, and like the Pom in cleverness and fidelity to one person, while they are much hardier and easier to rear and keep in good condition. They are not at all nervous dogs; but wildly full of life and greedy for exercise; their incessant activity vying with that of the merry little Spitz. They are decidedly "barky" and exceedingly inquisitive, good travellers, and dogs which settle themselves down anywhere, and are content so long as they are with the favourite "human" they specially possess. Schipperkes are extremely heavy dogs for their size, and quite a wee one will weigh four times as much as a Pom which hardly looks smaller. Both breeds require a meat diet and plenty of good food, which they work off by their active ways; but the bulk of the Schip's meals should be larger. As a rule, Schips are very good-tempered dogs, and, like Poms, sharp followers at heel. They are, however, pugnacious little things, and have only the grand forbearance of bigger dogs to thank for the prevention of many a tragedy due to uppish self-assertion. Black is their colour, and taillessness their most intimate quality; some, we are told, are born tailless, most--are not! Brown and fawn Schips are common enough in Belgium, the home of the race; and we have now not infrequently classes for them over here; while whites, which are really fawns, exist, occurring in litters now and then from a throwing back to some distant ancestor, and are really pretty dogs, though I confess the piquancy and charm of the blacks, with their sharply-pricked, thin ears, their rounded-off flank, hard, shiny coats, and dense masses of mane and _culotte_, the Schip's distinctive points, are to me lost in an "off-coloured" dog. Their faults, as toys, are soft, silky coats, toyish or apple or badly-shaped heads (that universal stumbling block), "Pommy," quality of coat (there is no blemish on a Schip's escutcheon greater than a putative cross with a Pom), white hairs or markings, ears which are rounded at the tip instead of pointed, too big, or badly carried, short faces, unlevel jaws, spread feet, crooked or distorted legs, and long backs. The whole appearance of the dog should be very smart and cobby, intensely alert, and altogether clean and well put together, qualities difficult to describe, but which "_sautent aux yeux_."

Toy bulldogs are yearly becoming more popular. They are absolutely ideal dogs as to temper and all the other qualities necessary for a pet and companion, and almost uncannily intelligent, but alas! they are delicate beyond denying. They are hard to breed, and hard to rear; few of the bitches are good mothers, while their babies have little stamina; they are shy breeders moreover, and altogether need incessant care and watchfulness. If they can have this, well and good, and their puppies will sell immediately; so that, as a source of profit, they may be recommended, always provided luck and a capacity for taking much well-directed pains are on the owner's side. The prices obtained for these dogs, if really small and of good strain, are somewhat high for the ordinary amateur, while a small bulldog bred from bigger ones, such as can be most cheaply obtained, in the way of a toy, is but a poor speculation, since her first litter will probably kill her. The limit of weight at which a toy bulldog ends and the bulldog proper begins, has been matter of controversy, and the original limit of some 20 lbs. was found to present so many difficulties that many breeders desired to have it altered. An equal, or even greater, amount of discussion raged round the question of drop, rose, or bat ears--that is, of upright or falling ones. Finally the sensible decision of having two clubs, one for toys in all respects like the large English bulldogs, and one for dogs of French origin, though now of English breeding, with upright or "bat" ears, to be called French toy bulldogs, was arrived at. The English type is now known as the Miniature Bulldog.

Illustration: PEKINGESE. _"Foo-Kwai of Newnham," owned by Mrs. W. H. Herbert._

Japanese spaniels are quite one of the _derniers cris_ of fashion.[1] With them I include Pekingese, as although the latter are hardier dogs altogether, and easier to manage, they are also Eastern, so making things even. Japs are pretty little dogs, of average intelligence and affection, if not quite equal in these respects to the first two breeds discussed. Up to the present "distemper" has been their chief scourge, and keeping them in numbers seems to be an invariable invitation for a visit from some pest, to the contagion of all which they seem peculiarly susceptible. Griffon breeders say that if a Griffon feels ill it dies, and this is in some measure applicable to Japs also. There is no reason why it should be so, for in their native country they are hardy enough, and the cause is traceable to inbreeding, occasioned by the difficulties put in the way of their importation both by the Japanese authorities and our own, and resorted to with the idea of keeping them small; the delicacy caused by the hardships of the voyage, which they stood very badly; to the pioneers of the race over here, and the rush for small sires, often too much used, and over shown. If breeders would buy young, unrelated puppies, feed them on meat, bring them up healthily, and so found fresh strains, this delicacy could surely be overcome with comparative ease. In appearance, Japs are extremely fascinating. Their colours are black and white, red and white, and yellow or lemon and white--the latter two combinations being the rarest; their coloured ears, like butterfly wings, the short-faced head between forming the body, their heavily fringed feet, and their plumed tail making up a charming and piquant _tout ensemble_. They are frequently confounded with Pekingese, which are whole coloured, red or yellow, with black markings, and whose ears are not set on at the same angle. A Pekingese pup is perhaps the _very_ prettiest puppy going, before it reaches the lanky stage, which breeders of all toys, except perhaps pugs and Schips, know means the utter indifference, even scorn, of the uninitiated public. The prices of Japs rule fairly high, and a good puppy cannot be obtained, unless by special luck, for less than L10 10s.; a larger female pup for a trifle less perhaps--but such, if good in points, are quickly snapped up for brood bitches. Japs have the same toy weight limit as Poms--8 lbs.--and the over toy weight dogs are far hardier and easier to breed than the midgets.

Footnote 1: _Japanese Spaniels._--The five rules of Japanese spaniel beauty, according to the _Delhi Morning Post_, are these: (1) The butterfly head; (2) the sacred V; (3) the bump of knowledge; (4) vulture feet; (5) the chrysanthemum tail. To attain the "butterfly head" and the "sacred V," a Jap must own a broad skull with a white V-shape up it (the body of the butterfly), the small, black, V-shaped ears forming the butterfly's wings. The "bump of knowledge" is a small, round, black spot between the ears. The hair on the "vulture feet" feathers to a point in front, but must not widen the slender foot, and to the eye of faith the beautiful, silky, plumed tail, tightly curled over the back, presents the semblance of the national flower, the chrysanthemum.

Griffons Bruxellois are quaintness personified, and their funny little characters, full of dignity and self-sufficiency, are indicated by their no less funny little exteriors. The characteristics of a good Griffon are smallness, hardness of coat, deep, rich red colour, huge black eyes, _a fleur de tete_, the shortest possible black-ended nose, as flat as may be with the face (this appearance generally aided by the breeder, who presses the baby cartilage upwards at every opportunity), and fine and sound legs and feet. The tail is docked, but the ears may not now be interfered with--a righteous rule. An undershot "monkey face" is the desideratum, and though sometimes shy breeders, these little dogs are well worth having, and make the best of house pets.

Of black-and-tan toy terriers there is not much to be said, for the simple reason that they are at present quite out of fashion. A vague idea still, I believe, prevails that the bare and leathery, not to say mangy, appearance some of the former little creatures present about their appleheads and big ears, is a sign of good breeding; indeed, I have often been seriously invited to consider the high claims of a spidery, ill-shaped atom so affected to distinction on the score of aristocratic descent.

In the show-ring things like this are not tolerated, and the really well-bred black-and-tan is not like the little abortions sold--but seldom now, though frequently of old--by itinerant vendors whose characters were far from being above suspicion, and by dog-dealers, as the _creme de la creme_ of pet dogdom. The show black-and-tan toy is like a miniature Manchester terrier--glossy of skin, long and neat in head, with small, dark eyes, oval, not round and goggling; fine, well-made limbs, with the correct pencilling of deep, rich tan on the toes. There must be no tan down the backs of the hind legs, and the ears must be neat and well carried; the tail a whip.

Illustration: YORKSHIRE TERRIER. _"Trixie," owned by Miss O'Donnell._

Yorkshire terriers, if small and well coated, always find a sale, and will never be without friends. I like them much as single pet dogs, but a kennel of Yorkshires is a life's work, and only the enthusiast can give them all the care they need. A Yorkie _must_ be brushed (lengthily) every day: it _must_ be rubbed with oils and washes, especially when its hair is breaking, the process which turns the short-coated black-and-tan puppy into the full-blown blue-and-tan beauty of mature age. If the coat is to be done justice to, the puppy must, when necessary, be most carefully washed (though washed as little as possible), restrained from scratching by having little wash-leather socks kept upon its hind feet, and dieted with every attention directed towards the prevention of any skin disorder. No dog can carry a heavy coat unless well nourished, and the old idea that farinaceous foods sufficed for this is exploded. To avoid anaemia, keep the blood pure and rich, and give strength, a Yorkie must have the nourishment of meat. Withal, it is a merry little soul, and if its coat can be to some extent sacrificed, a good companion, fond of outdoor life, very barky and lively, and tolerably affectionate; but a really lovely show Yorkie is not a being for every day. The breed does not suffer much from "distemper," and, strange to say, in spite of generations of coddling and fussing, and breeding for smallness and coat, is a decidedly healthy one. The white Yorkshires, a new variety some folk have tried to push, is, I think, in no way especially desirable--the Maltese can do all that is necessary in that line; while the attempt to make "silver" Yorkshires popular, too, simply means that bad-coloured dogs without any tan (paleness of tan is the stumbling-block in many a Yorkshire's career), are classed by themselves and offered prizes.

Toy pugs are, I think, invariably fascinating to those who have a liking for pug kind; they are big pugs in little, and everyone knows the points of a pug. My own toy fawn pugs loved their comforts too much to be perfect dogs for companioning a person of active outdoor habits, but they were sweet-tempered, gentle things, and, as such, to be commended. Pugs as a race seem strangely apt to skin trouble, and the toys are no exception. I have not seen many really good and very small fawn toys, but there are some, and where a pug is to be bought, a toy is really most desirable. They make good house dogs, and are seldom or never noisy, while those of a comparatively active strain, bred to plenty of outdoor fun, and not indulged in the greediness which, alas! is generally a feature in their character, need by no means acquire the stout, snoring wheeziness which some folk think an elderly pug cannot escape. All the same, I can but say that I prefer the black variety on the whole, for they unite the sweet temper, faithfulness, and gentleness of the fawns with an untiring energy, to my mind one of the best qualities a dog can possess. They are also hardier, less subject to "distemper" and kindred ills, and very alert and intelligent. One merit, if such it be, they do not share with the fawns--the latter are not expensive dogs, for they are almost always good mothers and prolific breeders. Not that the blacks fail in these respects, but as yet they are comparatively dear--that is, the really good ones. Head properties make much of their value just now, for a good-headed black pug, with a broad skull, large eyes, and plenty of skin and wrinkle, is not in every litter, and narrow skulls are much disliked, though Nature, with characteristic contrariety, seems to rejoice in producing them.

Pugs cannot stand heating foods any more than Yorkshires, which agree with them in doing better upon boiled rice as an addition to meat to make needful bulk, than upon any other farinaceous food. Next to it in value comes wheat meal; oatmeal and Indian corn meal will surely bring skin disaster. Lean meat, underdone for choice, fish, and chicken, may be varied to make the meals, with a small amount of the needful staple as bulk.

Toy spaniels in general are not difficult dogs to deal with. They are faithful and extremely affectionate dogs, and the Blenheims make good country pets, having often a considerable amount of sporting instinct, even when they come of stock which has been kept for show only for many years. The Marlborough Blenheims are, of course, examples of the sporting Blenheim, though they are not correct in show points; and there is no reason why one of these dogs, toys though they be, and fit to win, should not be a good little country companion. For towns, white long-haired dogs are not to be recommended, because of the occasional washing, which is a vexation alike to dog and owner. The colouring of the Blenheims is very taking, and one with all the show points, spot on the head included, is sure to be admired; but toy spaniels, as a race, the Jap and Pekingese excepted, are very much in the hands of professional exhibitors, and but seldom now seen as pets. The black-and-tan King Charles is inclined to be rather a silly dog, pretty enough, but not "brainy"; a loving little thing, but unintellectual--such, at least, is my experience of him. The faults of both breeds are generally too much leg, long heads and noses, instead of the big round skulls desired; small eyes, and curliness--the latter a direful mistake. The Prince Charles, or Tricolour, is the King Charles over again in three colours--black, tan, and white; and the Ruby is, as its name implies, all red; rather scarce, this is, to my mind, the prettiest of the toy spaniels. All are very susceptible to damp and cold, and should be carefully dried, especially as to the feet, after being out in rain or mud. They are sweet dogs in skin, and seldom smell "doggy"--a great virtue.

Maltese have a good many friends. These are the oldest of all lap dogs, and a good specimen, with perfectly straight hair--which is, however, but seldom found--is really a thing of beauty. They should be treated like Yorkshire terriers, except that some of the ever-recurring tubs may be avoided by dusting flour or violet powder (pure starch) into the coat and well brushing it out again. They are often spoiled by brown noses, which are a great handicap, and also by the brown marks caused by running of the eyes, which are a great disfigurement in a white dog. Here I may break off to remark that these marks would also spoil white toy Poms, but for the fact that white toys of that breed are scarce. Breeders have done their best to get them, and a good many small ones--under 6 lbs.--have been bred, but the tiny whites shown are generally deficient in some point. Of toy whites, over 6 lbs. and under 8 lbs., there are now many, and good; especially in a certain west-country kennel; but some of the best are dangerously near the limit of weights.

The "tear-channels" which led to this digression can be helped _not_ to exist by using a boracic acid lotion to the eye; but the stains are often ineffaceable.