PART II.
BREEDING AND CARE OF DOGS.
Some Ideals.
CHAPTER XI.
SELECTING THE DOG.
Different hunters have different ideas as to the style of dog best suited to their purposes. We can only approach the subject, by giving views of experienced breeders, and the reader may choose as he is inclined.
From a Canadian Hunter comes the following:
This question of the right kind of dogs to select is a matter on which many sportsmen differ in opinion. Some prefer the small, some the medium and others the large hound. For me I like a hound to be from 24 to 27 inches high at the shoulder and well put together, with a lot of bones, straight front legs with strong and compact feet, "but not too large" with good strong nails well set in, the body to be long and not short of flank with a wide chest and a moderate deep chest and with a strong broad back, hind legs with the right kind of bend, that is neither straight or too much curved in, with well furnished thighs.
Dogs with straight hind legs cannot run and jump over logs and fences with the same ease as those having a marked bend. These dogs can buckle and unbuckle with more quickness and power, such as is required in the gallop than dogs having a round barrel shaped chest, with both the front and hind legs straight. Dogs having a nearly round chest cannot stand any length of hard running, such as those having a narrow chest because a dog with a moderate deep and narrow chest has better wind as he is able to alter the cubic contents of his chest more rapidly and thus inhale and expire a larger volume of air. Therefore, a dog with a deep or flat chest will always have a greater speed than one with a round one. This is a well known fact in all animals remarkable for their speed, such as deer, wolf and greyhound.
I like dogs with good muscular thighs with a fine long tapering and graceful wavering stern, ears to be well set and not too long and not thick and slabby, neck to be long and well set between the shoulders, the head and muzzle, this is only a matter of taste. Those I prefer are those having a long and narrow forehead and a fairly square muzzle, ears from 7 to 9 inches long, lips loose but not hanging low, throat loose and roomy in the skin and a good coat of hair so they can stand cold and water, and with a good loud tongue and keen nose. The color has nothing to do, the main point is the staying quality, the speed, scent and endurance; the intelligence and the particular style of ranging or beating the ground for trail as well as to run it once found, with great speed.
Some say a fine looking hound should be a good hunter. Well, any hunter of experience in the handling of hounds is fully aware that it is not always the dog which carries the prizes at the shows that is the best dog in the field. The same thing exists with the horse. Some people claim that it all depends on the breeding, others on the training. The fact is that both are required as well as the right shape the dog should have to be able to stand hard work day after day.
The most essential thing to the value and working capabilities of fox hounds is purity of blood, declares another. Too much care, therefore, cannot be taken in selecting and breeding fox hounds. Hounds for running the red fox should be selected from the best possible blood that can be obtained. I like a hound with a long clear voice — one that can be heard at least two miles away on an ordinary calm day — and one that gives tongue freely when running and trailing but not one that gives tongue when he has run over the trail and lost scent.
In selecting a night hunting dog I prefer one that is three-quarters or at least one-half fox hound. The reason is, the fox hound has a good nose, also a good voice and speed. While I do not condemn a dog that is bred in any other way, I prefer one bred as I have stated for the reasons given above.
Some prefer a dog that is part beagle, but if any reader of this book has ever tried to train a dog with good beagle blood in his veins to hunt coon, he has been up against the real thing. The trouble is, the beagle has it bred right in him to run rabbits, and blood will tell. The only point in favor of the beagle is his nose. With the exception of the bird dog the beagle has the finest scent of the whole dog family. I know this to be true by observation. A fox gives off more scent than a rabbit, so does a coon and all the other animals.
During the "nesting season" birds give scarcely any. This is a wise provision of Nature to protect them from their enemies during this important period.
One day I saw a fine English setter almost step on a grouse that was sitting on her nest. He never scented her until she went whirling out the ridge right in front of his nose. That dog's actions told more plainly than words could have done, how deeply he regretted the incident. I have also seen a beagle run a rabbit after a heavy rain, the rabbit, to my knowledge, having run before the rain fell.
Many writers say that a dog's pedigree and his being registered, does not amount to the paper it is written on. Now I do not wish to criticize any of my brother sportsmen, but I think it is the only way to know if one's dog is well bred, and to have a well bred dog means much less trouble in training him. Do not get discouraged if your dog does not train as easily as he should, and always remember that much depends upon you. Stay with your dog if you want him to be a good sticker. Many a dog has been spoiled by leaving him to run for nothing.
In selecting a dog to hunt all kinds of game, get a good bred hound. I have no use for mongrels or curs. They are dear at any price. Get a thick, hard, round-footed, long ears coming out of head low down, well developed chest, shortish tail, large at root or next to body, long from hip to gamble joint, with broad strong back, wide nostrils and long pendant lip. Now this is my idea of a good all around hunting dog. I don't expect you to find all of these qualifications in any one dog.
Have decided that for my use, a full blooded hound. That is a good, fast and reliable trailer, one that will stay with the trail, cold or hot, and never think of giving up until asked to. One that will bark treed on a cold trail just the same as if he had run him up a sight chase. One that should he in cold trailing run across a hot trail and tree, will after catching go and take up cold trail again and tree.
When it comes to large hounds for coon, fox, etc., a cross of the right kind of American fox hounds and the right kind of blood hounds fills the bill to perfection. The blood hound has the keenest scent of any dog living. The American fox hound has the speed. If a man has a combination of the two he is starting on the right trail. I prefer a fox hound bitch bred to bloodhound dog. How many ever saw a thoroughbred bloodhound? They are a heavy built hound, medium size heavy head, long ears, square deep muzzle, with heavy rolls of wrinkles on head just over the eyes, which gives him a surly look. I have seen what were called and sold for bloodhounds to a sheriff to trail man. They would trail fairly well, but they came a long ways from being thoroughbred bloodhounds. Any hound trained when young can be taught to trail man or beast.
Hunters differ as to the kind of dog to use for coon hunting. The best coon dog I ever had (and I've had a good many) was a half Scotch terrier and I don't know what the other half was. He was black and white spotted with curly hair and weighed but thirty-two pounds.
Some hunters prefer the shepherd dog and again some would hunt with nothing else but a hound. I don't know as it makes much difference what kind of a dog one uses, just so it is one of the hunting kind, a good trailer and thoroughly well trained. Of course, not every dog, even of the hunting kind, will make a good coon dog; about the only way to tell is to try.
As to picking a pup for a coon hound, it is very hard to do, but I want a full bloodhound, one that tongues on trail and a free barker at tree. I want the old style hound, as the modern fox hounds are too nervous for good coon hounds, although you may get one once in a while that will work a cold trail very well.
A cross between the old style, long eared hound and the fast trailing hound with large, heavy shoulders, deep chest, a large fore leg, large broad head, long ears, rather short coupled back, slightly roached back, with a good square nose, rather large neck, set well down in the shoulders. While this is my kind of hound for coon, do not understand me to say that I want an extra slow trailer, for I do not, but I want him to be steady, and when he has a trail he can work it fast. This is my kind of a dog for coon, but he would not be in it with an up to date fox hound on a fox chase, but running fox and coon are different, and I want a different kind of a hound.
We have made a success in raising bear hounds, and find the only way to get a good pup with the hunting habit, is to have it bred in them first, says a California Brother. One has to have good parent hounds, and while the mother dog is carrying the pups she must be worked on whatever you want your pups to run. For instance, we have a black and tan long eared bitch, bred her to a good hound, one quarter stag. Before she had these puppies we caught three bears with others, letting her get in and fight hard.
These puppies when a month old would crawl on a bear hide rug, chew and shake at it, and when three months old, would track, bark and fight. Now they are five months old and know considerable about it. We treed an old bear, and these pups kept right on and treed two cubs, and barked up and stayed until we found them after we had the old one skinned and cut up. They have the instinct in them, and are beauties with just enough stag in them to have a good crop of whiskers.
Embryo Trailers.
CHAPTER XII.
CARE AND BREEDING.
As we must raise the dog before concerning ourselves with his culture, let us begin with the pup.
I commence to care for the pups by giving the bitch plenty of exercise before they are born. Then as soon as they are born, put them in a clean, dry place, where they will be comfortable, — if in winter, where cold winds cannot reach them; if in summer, in a cool place out of the hot sun. Feed the bitch well on good food of different varieties; do not chain her, but rather shut her up in a park of something of the kind, where she can exercise but not get out to run, for if she should run she gets hot and you may loose some if not all of your puppies.
By the time the pups are three weeks old, you will need to commence feeding some milk twice each day, gradually increasing the amount as the bitch becomes dry, and when she weans them, feed three times a day, until about six months old; after which I only feed twice a day.
In this connection we quote from an article in a current magazine, the truth of the contentions being borne out to a greater or less extent by our own observations:
After her puppies are about five weeks of age a bitch will begin to vomit the contents of her stomach for the puppies. I have known many breeders of experience argue that but few bitches do so. Over and over again have I been able to convince persons who, having immediate care of the bitch and her litter, deny that the bitch ever vomits to her puppies, that they are wrong. Many bitches never vomit when the attendant is about, and only appear to do so at night; hence the belief that they do not do so at all. It is the natural manner in which the bitch feeds her whelp with partially digested food, after her milk supply ceases to suffice for their requirements. If the bitch is of good constitution and in good health, the puppies flourish remarkably on the diet thus provided, and in such cases my experience leads me to believe that puppies left with their dams do better than when separated from them and, strange to say, bitches who are in the habit of picking up all sorts of apparently undesirable odds and ends do not seem to do their puppies less well under these circumstances than cleaner feeders do.
Many bitches eat the young soon as they come if not closely watched, especially the first time. There should be an attendant at time of whelping. Whelps must be removed to a basket of warm cloths and kept away till all have come and then place to matron for nursing. There is no danger of her devouring them thereafter.
To resume: This is what I feed pups: grind rye without bolting and sometimes oats ground very fine; then run through a coarse sieve, and bake into bread without soda or baking powder, or make into a thick mush and feed it with plenty of milk if convenient. As they grow older add cornmeal and scraps from the butcher shop to the feed, and give them enough to keep them nice and sleek, but do not overfeed.
By the time they are three weeks old they will be running everywhere, and let them have plenty of room to run and play. Change their beds as often as needed, which is a good way to prevent fleas. Should fleas get on them as they are sure to do, put a tablespoonful of oil of tar in a quart of warm water, take a fine tooth comb, dip in tar water, and comb them until the hair is thoroughly saturated; repeating as often as needed.
For bedding, the best is leaves from the woods; straw will answer, but I prefer the leaves to anything I have ever tried, but whatever is used it should be changed often and kept dry. For the dog with a damp place to sleep, will soon have the mange, and it is far easier to keep a dog healthy than to cure him after he has become diseased. In warm weather I use no bedding as it is only a harbor for vermin.
The best place by far, to keep your dogs, is in a park, where there is shade in summer, with running water, and slope enough to the land, to allow it to be well washed whenever it rains. Then provide dry, comfortable quarters to sleep, and you have an ideal home for dogs. In case you cannot have a place of this kind nor even a small park, and must keep your dog chained, attach a good heavy wire to the dog house and the other end to a tree, where your dog can get to a shade if possible; then attach a chain to the wire so your dog can travel along the wire; but be sure that he cannot get tangled up and have to lay out some wet night.
Some are situated far better than others for taking care of dogs and I am sorry to say there is an occasional sportsman (or at least he owns a dog or two), who is inclined to let his dogs shift for themselves. I pity the dog that is unfortunate enough to have such an owner.
My experience is that too much meat is not good for the foxhound, and if they get a mess of old stale meat just before you want to run them, the chances are that they can't make the race. I have seen good dogs that couldn't run an hour, simply because they were filled up with old dead hog or horse. If you want to make a good race with your dog, keep him tied two or three days before you intend to run him, feed him corn bread (well baked) and sweet milk. If you run at night, give your dog a good feed at noon and very little at night when you start, and if your hound has the "stuff" in him he is good for all night.
I think rotten meat will affect the smelling of a dog as well as heat them up, so they can't make a good race. To let your dog run loose until you are ready for a chase, where he can find slop and such stuff to be filled up on, and have your friend meet you with his hounds in fine shape and lead your hound all the time, well you know how you would feel.
Some say you must have it bred in a hound to run. That is all true enough, but a well bred hound with all grit can't make a good race if he isn't in shape to do it.
The foregoing is borne out and added detail given in the following contribution from New York State:
I find that fox hounds which I feed on old stinking pork or stinking meat of any kind are quite stupid and very careless about hunting. They cannot keep on the trail, neither do they wish to run fast or continue running long. Old stinking pork seems to be the worst I could feed to a fox hound, and corn bread and some milk on it seems to be the best.
When my dogs are fed on cornbread and milk they display the most activity, and can follow a fox or rabbit more accurately and accordingly run faster. When I want to make my hound run slow I feed him some meat, and the more it stinks the less he can smell anything but the fumes of this in his stomach. I can easily tell by the smell of my dog's breath whether he has eaten fresh mutton or rotten horse recently, and I think any healthy person can easily.
Here are another hunter's views on this same subject:
In rearing hounds, to have them hardy and intelligent you must feed them right and provide them with a lot of good fresh water as well as to give them daily exercise. When I feed beef, I have a small axe with which I chop all the bones into fine pieces. They also get scraps from the table with some vegetables mixed with cooked rolled oats. I feed the old ones once a day with raw meat and once with porridge. I see that they get just enough to keep them always in good running condition, that is neither fat nor thin. I like a dog with a good rolling skin. I never take a skeleton dog in the woods as I have often seen hunters going deer hunting with dogs which you could read a newspaper through.
Now of what use are such animals as these? Some say that a thin dog will run better than a fat one. Yes, if the fat one is hog fat; but a dog with about one-half inch of hard fat on the ribs will out-do a dozen of these starved dogs of which you can count the bones at one hundred yards from them. No, a dog with just the skin and bones cannot stand any work for the reason that he has no bottom.
Young pups should be fed at the very least three times daily, four times is still better. Never give them more than what they can eat, and in the meantime see that they just get enough so as to clean the dish well at every meal and in no case should the pan containing the food be left in the intervals with the puppies if they have not cleaned it out as they will become disgusted with it and next time refuse to feed. Keep everything clean and dry and always feed at the same hour daily. It is much easier to rear a pair of pups than a single one.
Before weaning the dew-claw should always be removed. These are of no use but only serve to bother the dogs and hounds should always have them cut off.
Worm medicine should always be given to all young dogs and kennels should be lime washed at least three times a year and never allow your dogs to sleep near the stove and then turn them out in the cold. If you desire a lazy hound allow him to burn himself at the stove, but if on the contrary you wish a lively dog, provide him with a good dry kennel and if you keep several dogs see that each one has his own stall. This has the advantage of preventing them from fighting and from the risk of taking cold by lying out of the kennel.
When your dogs return from the hunt always examine their feet and legs and if you find any sore spots attend to them at once. If the dogs return wet to camp always allow them to dry near a stove before turning them to their kennel which should be a good dry one.
If you desire your dogs to stand hard work day after day you must look after them with as much care as a jockey attends to his horse.
The very moment you notice your dog is looking dull ascertain at once what is the cause, and if you are of the opinion that it is a cold or distemper, don't wait until you see his eyes and nose running, to doctor him, but attend to him immediately.
A Versatile Ontario, Canada, Dog Family.
CHAPTER XIII.
BREEDING.
The main and most important question in breeding race horses as well as hounds is to get always the very best and to do this, one has to be on the move and watch the hunting and staying quality as well as the style of looking for trails, etc.; and a breeder should always be ready to pay the price for a good sire or dam. And he should always bear in mind that there is no more trouble or bother and that it does not cost more to raise a pair of dogs from well known hunting stock than from unknown stock but where it tells is when the dogs are of age for training. It is here where the great difference exists and where a sportsman is willing to look at the right side of the matter finds his mistake and where he regrets not having paid a few dollars more for the right stock.
Some say that if pedigreed dogs were trained they would beat the other dogs. The question is to train them. Hounds which come from untrained or from partly or badly trained stock will always be poor hunters. They will never be the dogs that they would have been had they come from highly trained stock, that is that their sire and dam and grand sire and grand dam were all trained by persons who thoroughly understood the way of breeding and rearing as well as the age and proper way of training. A hound coming from such selected stock will learn and pick up in a day what will take others months and probably a whole season to learn. I never kept a hound which after having shown him the game and also blooded him once or twice would not at once start to hunt because I consider that the sooner a sportsman will shoot such dogs the better.
There are plenty of fox dogs that are good coon dogs, and a great many coon dogs will run a fox to a finish, but the fox and coon dogs are two very different dogs. There is also a greater difference in the opinions of hunters, in regard to the coon dog than in any other dogs.
Some want the full blooded hound, and some a cross with a foxhound; here they differ again as to what dog to cross with; others want no hound blood at all, but a shepherd; one wants a collie and another just a dog. Then here is a hunter who insists on a silent dog; and the next one says the silent trailer doesn't camp with him.
Now as I am not looking for trouble, I will agree with all of you. Where coons are plentiful and you are likely to strike a coon track in every cornfield, the half hound or even a cur dog, will get coons; but where they are scarce and you may tramp until near morning, and then strike a trail five or six hours old, if you get that coon, you will need a dog with a good nose and one that tongues on a trail. But there is one point on which you will all agree — if your dog does not stay at a tree and bark good and plenty, he isn't much of a coon dog. Consequently in breeding for coon dogs, this is the most important point. Get as many other coon points as you can, but be sure his ancestors have been good tree dogs, as far back as you can trace them.
The very reason that there are so many culls in this country, is because many hunters think a dog is a dog, and that any dog with long ears is a hound. Ears count for nothing but looks; bent legs, ditto; the only way that you can perfect the breed, which in your estimation, is the ideal, is by choosing the dogs of the best particular kind which you prefer. For instance, how could a hunter expect to produce a strain of dogs with good, loud voices, if he chooses as his breeders the poorest squallers in the lot? Nature is nature, and it is only by studying her laws that we are able to produce our ideal of any kind; also, if he wants an intelligent dog, he must pick out the one with the most desired good points, and then he is on the fair way to success.
In short, in order to have a hound that will repay you for his training, he must be bred right in every detail or the hunter is doomed to disappointment. If the hunter does not own a first class pair to breed from and cannot secure a good strain in his locality, he should buy from a reliable dealer, one whom he knows has made a success of breeding this class of dogs. It is also advisable to buy a young pup as the chances of securing the best are alike to all, or even though the parent dogs are No. 1 in every respect, there will be some in the litter that will be weak in points before they have reached the age of eight months, the breeder himself will have difficulty in choosing any one as the best.
There is a standard for judging the so-called high class pedigree show dogs but which does not cut much ice with a fox and coon hunter. Regardless of color, the qualities most desirable in an all around fox hound are: 1st, staying qualities and powers of endurance. 2d, voice, feet and general make up.
One-half English Bloodhound Pups.
Personally, I like a hound that stands from 20 to 24 inches at shoulder, long in body, deep chested, heavy boned with a coat of rather long hair, the feet should be round in shape with a good covering of hair to protect the soles or pads. A foxhound should not have a second claw on the hind leg for this shows a cross in his breeding. A dog that has these claws will not stand much hard running in crust for by rubbing against trees, etc., they will gradually become sore and bleeding, and the hound although willing enough is handicapped with a pair of sore legs. Some hunters cut these claws off while young. In the pure strain of fox dogs this would be unnecessary as they would not have them on.
The first cost of a young hound is nothing compared with the time and trouble it takes to bring him to a hunting age. Therefore, it is advisable to buy the best obtainable for even though the price be high at first cost, the hunter will be better satisfied for his time and money when the dog has fully developed for the chase. In making a choice for breeding, select a pair that has been thoroughly tried and are known to have no weak points, such as poor voice, quitters, back trackers, etc. It is also advisable to hunt with the bitch as much as possible up to the very time the pups are whelped. The pups will be stronger and better in every way than if the mother had been housed in all the time, and a hunter will find that a pup so bred will take to hunting almost as soon as he can run.
Do not breed a pair of young dogs, rather select if possible, an old dog for a young bitch for by breeding two young dogs their pups are apt to be hot-headed, over-anxious and these qualities are not wanted in a foxhound.
To be sure of a strain of dogs the breeder must know their ancestors three generations back for it is surprising how far back a pup will breed from, not only in color but in characteristics, habits, etc.
Fox Hounds.
Some Young Hunters.
CHAPTER XIV — BREEDING (Continued).
Crossing for Coon Dogs.
My experience has been that the crossing of an English pointer dog and American fox hound slut for 'coon dogs, are the best I ever saw, writes an Ohio night hunter of rare judgment and experience, and I will illustrate by relating the accomplishments of a certain dog of the breeding. I will say further that the sire of this dog I mention was the most remarkable I ever heard of — a fine large pointer, and often when hunting quails or pheasants in the woods he would bark up and had done it many times before they found out the cause.
One day while hunting pheasants he began to bark up a hollow beech stub, and when called, refused to leave his post, and his hair was slightly raised, which excited the hunter's curiosity and they procured an axe and felled the stub. To their surprise, two large 'coons came rolling out and were dispatched. This solved the problem, and after that, he was the cause of many 'coons losing their life, as he located them in the den and trees where they had not stepped a foot on the ground. I for one can surely recommend this cross to make good 'coon dogs.
A few points in regard to a stud dog for fox. Pick a dog with a deep chest, good strong loin, long head and stands with his feet well under him. About the feet — take the foot in your hand, press gently, and if it feels firm and springy like a piece of rubber, that dog has a good foot, which is very necessary in a fox dog, but if he has a soft, mushy foot, let that dog alone, no matter how good he looks, for he will not stand long chases, and the old adage that like begets like, will surely show itself in this case.
There are a great many worthless dogs, but the dogs are not to blame. I am writing on fox dogs, but it holds good on all dogs. There is always a worthless bitch, and sometimes several of them to be had for nothing, and some fellow who wants a dog but don't want to pay a fair price says, "I'll get that bitch and breed her to that dog down at Graysville. They say he's a crackerjack, and I'll get some good dogs and they won't cost me anything either."
Well, when the time comes to breed it's five miles to Graysville, and the roads are awful muddy, and he concluded to breed to Jim Jones' dog just over the way, saying he ain't much of a dog, and a cousin to the bitch, but his great-grandmother got more foxes than any dog over in these parts, and some of the pups will breed back. He gets eight or ten pups, which he gets perhaps $1.00 a piece for, and it costs just as much to raise a poor one as a good one. The owners spend a lot of time trying to make dogs of them and have nothing at last.
In a running dog these are the qualities I think are needed. First, endurance, because no dog can make a race after a red fox without it. Then speed, a good nose, lots of ambition, good sense and the more of that the better; and will need to be able to hear well to enable him to cut corners if he happens to get behind, as any dog is liable to do.
After the pups are born, don't let the bitch run until they are weaned, for it will hurt both mother and puppies. Should she get very hot and then get to her pups you would likely lose some or perhaps all of them.
Here we have still another favorite breed for 'coon hunting, advanced by an old and tried hunter. Says he: My choice of a breed of coon dog is a grade hound crossed on a bull or one-half hound, one-fourth rat terrier and one-fourth Scotch collie or shepherd or fox hound and beagle.
Says another: A hound to be a fine ranger does not require many years of training if he comes from a sire and dam that were both good rangers and which their own sire and dam and grand sire and grand dam were all good and highly trained dogs. He is sure to hang from them and any sportsman having dogs of that strain will enjoy the use of his dog at once, but where it takes three or five seasons and sometimes more to make a good dog, is when they come from exhibition stock or from stock that have never been broken right. If a hound is wrongly taught to hunt he will always be a crazy dog and will, if bred, give poor hunters exactly like himself.
An Ohio Fox Hunter goes on record thus: In breeding hounds some seem to expect great work on any line they wish to see the hound, not stopping to think everything to its kind and everything to be perfect must be true to his nature. The bloodhound is true to his nature with reasonable opportunity. He is a man trailer, a large, strong dog, built for strength and endurance but not for fleetness which all breeders concede the 'coon dog should be built upon. Strong in my opinion with strong jaws, good size and a good muzzle, a good scent with as much speed and determination as you can inject into their blood.
I am now speaking of coon dogs. They may be bred almost any way and yet be good coon dogs but I find it is just as necessary to have them bred from coon hunting stock as for any dog or animal to be trained for any specific or especial purpose. It must be bred with that object in view and as much of that blood and disposition injected into the veins as is possible to get.
The fox hound is a special or specific type or breed of dog. He is bred for it, built for it, trained for it and if a true type of hound, is it. Not all well bred dogs are fox dogs nor are all well bred horses fast. Only one in many. But in order to have grounds to expect speed, we must have breeding, as the saying goes, "Blood will tell." Some are daffy on pedigree, others must have everything registered, others ask only for the swing and staying qualities of their ancestors, etc.
All breeds of hounds have some worthless, yet some may be fairly good along some particular line and very much at fault in others. Some have speed but cannot be got to use it, will not get in with a pack and run to a finish. Some will run with a slow pack all right but put them in with a fast pack and they will have their gallop out in from one to two hours. They seem to have all the courage necessary but not the speed. Some will go after the first fox trail they ever smell of and others you have to train to follow.
I think this difference largely between the dog that is allowed to run at large and one raised in a corral. One is fearful of everything, the other fearless and full of self-confidence. Confidence is worth much in both dog and man. So many cannot run unless they have their noses directly over the trail and have no driving instinct. If they lose the trail, go back and get it and bring it up to where they lost it before. So for several times, perhaps, before getting away, the dog running all the time, Mr. Fox sitting down waiting, resting. You never hear of such dogs catching or holding a fox. They seem to be willing but lack the tact and fox sense.
I would say to breeders there are only a few characteristics necessary for good foxhounds and every breeder should see to this with careful study and tests. First — Courage. Do not breed a dog on either side that has not got it. It will crop out to make you ashamed of your dog some time. Second — Speed. It is just as natural for the lover of a chase to want to be ahead, as for the lover of the horse race, but we cannot all be so; often we find it easy to beat our slow packs in the neighborhood and how we swell up and think we can best anybody until we get away from home and get that bubble pricked.
Other qualifications as to form and shape. A dog should be compact enough to be strong. He should be just as long as he can be to gather quickly. A dog too long turning on all kinds of ground is like a horse with a very long stride trying to go fast on a short track. His stride is too long for the lay of the ground. Another qualification and not in the least, — is voice. The dog that has no voice holds not the highest place in his owner's pride. A good hound, one prized by his owner and loved by the lover of the chase must do three things at once, run fast, carry the trail and tongue well. These requisitions make a good fox dog and if his shape and symmetry is good, he is a valued dog.
Breeders should look to it that these qualities are bred for at the sacrifice of everything else. There may be places, especially in very hilly country, that a small hound is best. In this section, give me a good, medium large dog, say from 22 to 24 inches at shoulder and built in proportion with from 16 to 18 inches earage. Color is a matter of taste. I believe that our English cousins breed them so straight that the spots and marks are stamped on all alike. I have heard it said so much that a stranger could hardly see any difference in a pack and when the American breeder gets to giving so much attention to their breeding, then we will soon have a true type of hound.
Then I will say courage, driving with courage goes largely, speed and voice, good sound chest and body, good wide head and long muzzle, good bone and heavy forearm, good long back, good sound feet, well padded, with black upper mouth, a hazel eye, a strong loin and not too much flank. Regardless of color you have my ideal fox hound.
CHAPTER XV.
PECULIARITIES OF DOGS AND PRACTICAL HINTS.
Never purchase a dog from an unknown party unless the said party can supply good references and testimonials regarding the square dealing and the merits of his strain of dogs. If a man cannot give you this, wait until you find one who can.
Some people are inclined to believe that a big dog cannot compete with a smaller one. Most of them have to come to this conclusion because they have seen some big sloppy and lazy hound, but take a big, well built, lively, fleet and nervous hound, and full of grit and he will hold his own and more. It is just like trying to make a pony cover the same ground as a roadster, declares a lover of hounds.
A pup of most any large breed of dogs will make a good watch dog if properly brought up. If fondled and played with while young by everybody that happened to come to the house, then the dog will be playful and friendly with people always later on. If to be made cross and shun strangers, the pup should be reared in a lot with high board fence to prevent him seeing what goes on outside. The owner, in disguise, or better still some other person, should now and then pound against the fence, look over the top so the dog gets a glimpse at supposed intruders; partly open the gate and peek in, let the dog make a rush towards him but slam gate shut before quite coming up, etc. Such practice will make any dog watchful and cross towards all strangers, and will never make friends with any but his master. For an imposing, powerful and the best of watch dogs get a Mastiff or a Great Dane.
It is not wise to expect too much of a new dog. Some of them will fret and worry after their friends and home for a long time, will hardly eat or drink, and it takes the best of care and attention to bring good results. Eventually they will become acquainted and regain their old form, if properly encouraged.
I never pet my dogs while hunting except after killing game which in my opinion is pretty good policy as a dog like a man likes to have credit for what he had done. Remember also, though contrary to the old fashioned theory that it is just as unreasonable to ask a dog to hunt without food as it would be to hitch up a horse and drive him all day without either hay or grain, there has been many a good dog called a "quitter" simply because he was weak from the lack of food. As for a quitter, in my opinion a vast majority of them have never commenced, not because they had a "yellow streak," as most hunters say, but because like the Irishman's pig, they have too many streaks of lean. As your dog is a better friend to you than most people of the J. Sneakum caliber, why not treat him right?
In some journals there is considerable criticism and complaints, and sometimes one feels like steering shy of many advertisements of fox hounds. One publication invites all persons to inform its editor where any dog has been misrepresented and sold through its columns. No doubt in many instances it may be the fault of the purchaser handling a strange dog. I purchased a dog that followed at my heels for several trips and would not leave me until one day he put his nose in a fresh trail. The other dog was out of hearing when he went out in a good race, tongueing in good shape, and was a No. 1 fox hound.
When a sportsman wishes to purchase a strange hound if he desires to get a good one he must pay the price and the way for him to not be fooled is to deposit his money at the express office and then have the dog sent on trial and if not satisfactory, he returns the dog and pays the express charges one way. This is the only safe way to get a good dog, as a man that will accept these conditions will most certainly send you the right stuff at once and not a "cull", that he has scraped somewhere for $5.00 and sells you from $15 to $30.
It's detrimental to allow a bird dog to roam and go self-hunting. Not being restricted he gets in all sorts of mischief. Keeping at home is the only remedy. To give ample exercise arrange a trolley in the yard by driving two stakes into ground without projecting; fasten a strong wire to top of posts and on this slip a ring to slide on; to this snap the chain and the dog can run up and down the full length of wire. Within a few days he will learn the extent of run and chase up and down the full length for hours at a time, then be content and restful.
By nature dogs are cleanly and will not soil their bed or kennel if to be avoided. Being shut up in a small place may cause them to be uncleanly and soil the floor, making it disagreeable, as by rolling in play all the dogs will constantly present soiled appearance. However, even in a small kennel this can be regulated as follows: Thoroughly clean out the place and scrub; in one corner bore some holes into floor and spread sawdust over this part only; litter the rest of space with clean straw and besprinkle this with some strong disinfectant. Turn in the dogs. At once one or more will go to sawdust portion, — this done the ice is broken and henceforth all the dogs will use this part only as retiring place, leaving the remainder perfectly clean.
Teach your hound not to be afraid of water, and to circle the tree and to keep an eye on the coon and to bark treed, but never allow him to get whipped by any coon at first as this will discourage him. Not only this, but the coon may blind him should he strike him in the eye. It is better always to hold or tie the dog before shooting the coon, and when he drops to make sure that he cannot fight much more before allowing the dog near him.
CHAPTER XVI.
AILMENTS OF THE DOG.
Dogs as well as people sometimes fall ill. Proper care and sanitary lodgings will reduce the danger, but sickness will occasionally occur, no matter how great the precautions.
Dog owners should therefore acquaint themselves with the commoner forms of ailment to which dogs are subject and thus be in a position to quickly administer such relief as is possible, thereby frequently stopping a sick spell promptly that might otherwise result seriously if not fatally.
The dog is very similar to man in his ailments as well as in his susceptibility to drugs. As a general thing medicine that is good for a human being is good for a dog under similar circumstances. "While no definite rule can be laid down" says an eminent authority, "it may be said that a dose suitable for an adult person is correct for the largest dogs, such as St. Bernards; for dogs from forty to fifty pounds the dose should correspond with that given to a child twelve to fourteen years of age, and so on down."
Few veterinarians make a study of the dog, and they rarely are of any use when called. However, those who have made a special study may be consulted with advantage and saving.
We have not the space here to go into an exhaustive recitation of dog diseases, symptoms, treatment and remedies. If you are at a loss concerning your dog, write to one of the Dog Doctors, whose advertisements appear in sporting magazines, and he can no doubt diagnose the case and forward the medicine you require at a minimum cost. In nearly all cases he will forward you a free booklet describing the prevalent diseases and his remedies applicable to same.
The following from the pen of H. Clay Glover, V. S., will no doubt give many readers some light on one of the common afflictions that prove so troublesome.
INDIGESTION IN DOGS.
Eczema is a frequent symptom, and let me state right here that I find more cases of eczematous eruptions arising from a disordered condition of the digestion than any other cause. Doubtless many who will read this will recognize the fact that at some time some certain dog has had some obstinate skin trouble, all kinds of which are by the layman diagnosed as "mange", and that, after trying various mange cures to which the trouble has not yielded, the blood has been treated with no better results.
To any one who have, or may have in the future, indigestion cases, let me advise the following treatment, viz.: Feed rather sparingly three times a day on raw or scraped beef, this being the most readily accepted and most easily digested of all foods when the digestion is disordered, allowing no other diet, and giving immediately after each meal one of the digestive pills. Add to the drinking water lime water in the proportion of one to thirty.
By following this treatment as laid down, many cases of eczema will disappear. Some probably, may be accelerated by the use of a skin lotion in conjunction. Eczema in these cases is merely a symptom appearing in evidence of disordered digestion. Indigestion may be considered as a mild form of gastritis, which if not corrected, will be followed by true gastritis, the stomach then being in such condition that nothing is retained, even water being returned immediately after drinking. This will be accompanied by fever, colic, emaciation and only too often followed by death.
DISTEMPER.
We quote further from Dr. Glover's booklet, some practical information on another of the more common dog ailments:
The term distemper is particularly applied to animals of the brute creation; to the dog when afflicted with that disease somewhat resembling typhus fever in the human race. We have now become quite familiar with the nature of the disease and the remedies indicated; consequently the loss by death is comparatively small when proper treatment and attention are employed. In early days, those dogs that were fortunate enough to survive this disease did so merely through strength of constitution and not from the assistance of any remedial agent, as utter ignorance of the subject then prevailed. The disease doubtless then appeared in a much milder form than that with which our present highly bred animals are afflicted.
Owing to more or less inbreeding that has been indulged in to intensify certain forms and characteristics in dogs of most all breeds, constitution has to some extent been sacrificed. Animals bred in this way are in consequence less able to resist or combat disease than those with less pretentious claims to family distinction.
CAUSES — Bad sanitary conditions, crowded or poorly drained kennels, exposure to dampness, insufficient or over feeding, improper diet, lack of fresh air and exercise, all conduce to the development of distemper. It is contagious, infectious, and will frequently appear spontaneously without any apparent cause in certain localities, assuming an epidemic form. Age is no exemption from distemper, though it more frequently attacks young animals than adults. Very few dogs pass through life without having it at some period.
SYMPTOMS — In early stages, dullness, loss of appetite, sneezing, chills, fever, undue moisture of the nose, congestion of the eyes, nausea, a gagging cough accompanied by the act of vomition, though rarely anything is voided (if anything, it will be a little mucous), thirst, a desire to lie in a warm place, and rapid emaciation. This is quickly followed by mucopurulent discharge from the eyes and nose; later, perhaps, ulceration of either eyes or eyelids. Labored respiration, constipation or obstinate diarrhoea, usually the latter, which frequently runs into inflammation of the bowels.
In some cases many of the above symptoms will be absent, the bowels being the first parts attacked. The following, which sometimes, but not necessarily, occur with distemper, I classify as complications, viz.: Fits, Chorea, Paralysis, Pneumonia or Bronco-Pneumonia, Jaundice, and Inflammation of the Bowels, and will require treatment independent of any one remedy that may be given.
TREATMENT — The animal should be placed in warm, dry quarters, and hygienic conditions strictly observed. With puppies, at the start give vermifuge, as nearly all have worms which add greatly to the irritation of stomach, bowels and nervous system.
The bedding should be changed daily and the apartment disinfected twice a week.
Feed frequently on easily digested, nutritious diet, such as beef tea or mutton broth, thickened with rice. Let all food be slightly cool, and keep fresh cold water at all times within reach of the animal. If constipation be present give warm water and glycerine enemas, and an occasional dose of castor oil if necessary. Should the bowels become too much relaxed with any tendency to inflammation, feed entirely upon food, such as arrowroot, farina or corn starch with well boiled milk, as even beef tea is somewhat of an irritation to the stomach and bowels.
In the treatment of distemper, one great object is to keep up the general strength, so in case of extreme debility a little whisky in milk or milk punches may be allowed.
If your efforts are not successful and you are in danger of losing one or more good dogs, write a specialist. It would require fifty pages of this book to go into the subject fully.
RHEUMATISM.
Acute rheumatism in the dog is similar to that in the human body, effecting the joints. Muscular rheumatism settles in the muscles. If given early 5 to 15 grains, twice a day, of salicate of sodium is a most excellent preventative measure. A severe case demands more elaborate care.
RICKETS.
Those accustomed to dogs have seen cases of rickets. It is a constitutional or inherited affliction, and attacks puppies most frequently. Nothing can be done save kill the sufferer if the attack is severe, or build up the health generally, toward outgrowing the trouble, if mild.
These are only a few of the ailments the faithful dog is heir to; yet in a general way, a healthy dog is no more subject to disease than a healthy person, and in many cases the old family watch dog will pass a long and useful life with no more serious trouble than he can readily cope with, with the assistance of nature.
We add some practical advice from Mr. Amer Braley of Dade Co., Florida, as to what will cure canker in the ears of dogs, a prevalent and aggravating trouble: Will say I have cured cases of it of long standing by working boracic acid well into their ears, usually a few applications does the work.
There is a disease that kills more dogs in Florida than all the other causes put together. It is called sore mouth, black tongue, new disease and other names. I lost some fine hounds of this disease, usually dying from six to eight days from the time of showing disease. Symptoms of it are generally languor, dullness about the eyes, little or no appetite, sometimes feverish and a dryness about the mouth and at other times slobbers hang down from the mouth.
They seem anxious to drink water but are unable to swallow it. Their tongues seem to be somewhat paralyzed, they can hardly pick up anything. They usually want to roam around where they will not be molested. I will give a remedy that I have which has cured several cases of this disease with the only ones I ever knew to survive it. I will give it for it may be the means of saving the lives of some good dogs.
"A gelatin coated pill or capsule of quinine containing five grains twice a day for two days, then one each day for a week." Also swab out their mouth with the following: "Chlorate potassium half ounce, murvate tincture iron half ounce. Put into one pint of water and shake well. Tie rag or cotton to stick, letting it protrude over the end, and swab out the mouth two or three times a day."
You want to go right at once to giving the remedy for if the disease runs 36 hours I don't think there is any cure for it. The size doses mentioned here are for good-sized dogs as grown hounds. Smaller ones and pups reduce accordingly.
There is another disease that dogs are sometimes taken with in this country. Some say it is caused by ticks. It is called "staggers" as the dog that is affected with it staggers as he walks. It seems as though they can't manage their hind parts. Sometimes they break down and have to drag their hind parts (sled fashion.)
A remedy that I have never known to fail yet for that is: Lard and spirits of turpentine about equal parts mixed and bathe in well across the kidneys and also across the back of head where it joins to neck. Usually two or three applications makes a cure.