THE CURLY POODLE, CH. ORCHARD MINSTREL
Among the many intelligent non-sporting dogs is the Large Poodle, a dog somewhat larger than the chow. He is in every sense of the word a larger edition of the toy poodle, but a much more useful dog because of his size and superior intelligence. The poodle is one of the most readily trained dogs in existence today. As a trick dog he has no equals and he may be broken to retrieve from land and water with the same facility as any of the sporting retrievers or spaniels. There are two varieties of the poodle; the corded and the curly. The latter is the more common and also the more practical, for the corded poodle’s coat is the most difficult of any among the canine race, to care for. The hair on the latter hangs from the dog in long rope-like strands, almost touching the ground and unless it is given daily attention it is likely to become matted and soiled. The corded poodle is covered with short curls all over his body. It is customary to clip them about one-third; that is, the coat is left on head, neck and front, extending well back of the shoulders while the loin, hips and back legs are closely clipped, leaving a tuft here and there and on the end of the docked tail. A well cared for poodle makes a unique appearance. The breed comes in all black, all white, all blue and all red. The colors should be solid—that is, on blacks there should be no white and vice versa.
A breed that promised to come into popularity some years ago is the foreign born Samoyede. Although it is not so many years ago that this breed lived in a semi-wild state in Siberia where reclaimed specimens were used for hunting bear, and by the natives of Lapland, he was used for rounding up tame elk. The samoyede is peculiarly amenable to civilization and the companionship of human beings. Fifteen or twenty years ago the breed was seen in fairly large numbers on the show benches of this country and England. After that there came a lull, but of late he seems to be gaining in popularity. In the far north he was used as a sledge dog like the husky and other arctic breeds. The dog is long-coated and in many respects resembles the Spitz, though he is larger than the average of those specimens. He may not be the ideal dog to have about in the home where there are children as he is of uncertain temperament, but he is a rather unusual looking animal for which reason he has gained a certain amount of notoriety.
THE DOBERMAN PINSCHER CH. BETEL DOBERMAN.
The Doberman Pinscher, which is really a terrier possessing characteristics of the Airedale, is another dog which, when he once becomes fully known and appreciated for his sterling qualities, will become a more general home favorite. He is smooth coated, prick-eared and black and tan in color, weighing in the neighborhood of thirty-five to forty pounds. He is very intelligent and is as easily taught to perform the duties of an allround “varmint dog” as any breed in existence. As a police dog he is said to be even more readily trained than the breed which is supposed to be a specialist in that sphere—namely the shepherd dog—until lately known as the German or Belgian shepherd dog.
While on the subject of the latter breed, it might be said in passing, that this dog is gaining in popularity each year. He is said to be intelligent, in fact he is easily trained, but here also is a breed which is somewhat uncertain in temper despite the stories to the contrary. As a watch dog he cannot be surpassed. For those having country estates or large enough out-door space, this dog is a very desirable one, but it is scarcely possible to keep one of these in limited quarters.
The same may be said of any of the larger breeds, and as this book is devoted to the dogs that are suitable for the large towns and cities we shall refer the aspiring fancier who is bent upon going in for the large dogs to procure a copy of “Dogcraft,” a former work of mine which gives the standards of all breeds, large and small.