The Bull Terrier, a smooth coated white dog, makes an attractive animal for the premises. He may not be so certain as a companion for children unless brought up in their company from puppyhood, but he is a good vermin dog and also a watchful guardian of the home. A pure bred white bull terrier without the admixture of bulldog blood like one finds so many among the brindled varieties, commands a good price, but he is worth the money. Because of his pure white color he may not be so easily kept immaculately clean, but having a short coat, he is easily washed and in his case frequent bathing can do little or no harm, which cannot be said of a number of breeds.
CHAPTER III.
Suitable Breeds. Group Three—Medium-Sized Dogs.
As with the terrier varieties, there is a wide field for selection among the medium-sized dogs, both sporting and non-sporting; consequently much depends upon what the dog is intended for. If any of the members of the household are inclined to sports afield, then one of the many varieties of spaniels would make a suitable house companion, for aside from being an alert watch dog, he is a natural all round hunter and is equally good on upland game as on water fowl. Spaniels make excellent retrievers, very good grouse and quail dogs where the mere questing for and finding of game is desired, but naturally the dog should be educated for the purpose. Unlike the pointer, the setter, or the griffon, the spaniel does not point, but finds the game and flushes it in front of the sportsman; in view of this fact he must be trained to quest within gun range. This, however, is easily taught the spaniel, for all of the many varieties are intelligent animals and therefore easily educated. A spaniel makes an excellent dog for ladies who enjoy field shooting, for the reason that he is so much more easily handled than any of the bird dog varieties, and peculiarly amenable to the gentler sex.
As a guardian of the home the spaniel might not strike terror to the hearts of unwelcome intruders, like some of the terrier or other breeds, but they are good watch dogs, quick to give the alarm upon the approach of strangers, and besides, they are very docile and cleanly about the premises. There may be some objection to the long coat, on the ground that if the animal is shedding, he is prone to leave stray hairs on rugs and furniture, but in this connection it might be said that daily grooming will ameliorate this evil to a great extent, for after all is said, a dog that is allowed to frequent the house even during only a small part of the day, must be kept clean whether he is a long or a short-haired one.
THE COCKER SPANIEL, CHAMPION OBO II.
Of the many varieties of spaniel, the Cocker is the most popular. They come in all colors; solid blacks, reds, creams, orange and browns, but if of the latter color, it should be of a rich liver and not the washed out shades which sometimes crop out in a litter. These off-color ones should be eschewed if one wishes to conform to the standard. Neither should the whole-colored dogs have white on them, but a strip of this color on the chest, while objectionable, should not disqualify. The parti-colors are also very handsome animals. These are white and black, liver and white, orange and white, cream and white, and roans; either blue or red.
The standard weight calls for cockers ranging from eighteen to twenty-four pounds. Here of late it has become fashionable to breed them down to the minimum weight, but this is almost making toys of what was once considered one of the principal sporting breeds. If the prospective purchaser intends to use his dog for sporting purposes he is advised to select one from stock that will come nearer reaching the maximum rather than the minimum weight, for the eighteen pound cocker is entirely too small for utility purposes. As a matter of fact, some years ago twenty-eight pounds was the standard maximum weight of working cockers which is really more logical in a dog that is intended for field work. At all events, it is better to have a cocker over, than under the weight allowed by the standard, if one expects to make use of him afield.
The cocker should be a neat-headed, wide-awake, serviceable looking little dog, with rather large dark eyes and an intelligent expression. He should stand on strong, well-boned, but short legs absolutely straight in front, with well bent stifles behind. His quarters should be muscular and powerful, especially when viewed from behind; short in body when viewed from above, yet standing over considerable ground. He should, in short, give one the impression of a massive little dog, yet at the same time, he must have considerable speed and endurance. The coat is flat or slightly wavy, silky and very dense, with ample feather on legs and his feet should also be well supplied with hair, but the coat should never be curly. The stern is usually docked to a length of about two or three inches. This should be carried just below the level of the back and when the dog is working or animated, its action should be merry, but never carried gaily.
The Field Spaniel may be described as a larger edition of the cocker; longer and lower in body in proportion to his general make-up, but a well-knit, massive dog, the males weighing from thirty-seven to forty-five pounds, the bitches about five pounds less. The true field spaniel is always black, though his near kin is the springer which comes in parti-colors also. There are various strains of the springer spaniel, as for instance the Welsh and the English, but in all essentials they are identical. The difference between the springer and the field spaniel is that the former is usually shorter in body and higher on the leg. In the matter of intelligence he is fully the equal of the cocker or the field spaniel and for field work he is probably the most practical of the three, especially when it comes to retrieving waterfowl.