COLLIE BREEDING IN HEW ZEALAND.

Otago Witness, Volume 11, Issue 2280, 11 November 1897, Page 40

COLLIE BREEDING IN HEW ZEALAND.

Deab Terkoh, — I am often asked to undertake the training of young dogs, and am promised remuneration according to the " finish" I can put on. Some of these would-be clients of mine seem to think that it is quite an easy matter to teach the young canirse idea how to shoot, forgetting or ignoring the fact that the canine intellect individually varies quite as much as does the human. To me — as to most shepherds — the handling of a keen, intelligent young dog is a'labonr of love, but on the other hand no reasonable sum of money can- fully recompense a man for bothering for any length of time with a stupid, brainless fool. But why, may I ask, should we breed these at all P

In New Zealand most old shepherds admit that working collias have of late years very much deteriorated both in appearance and ia working qualities. This is partly attributed to crossing with rabbiting dogs, and partly to the younger generation of shepherds not taking the same interest in breeding as did their predecessors. There can be no question but many of the very pick of the collies in Scotland and the border counties of England came out here in the early days, as a shepherd leaviDg home and bringing a dog 15,000 miles would certainly

endeavour to bring a choree one ; .so thai ia this colony, say 30 yean ago, there most have been an army of working collies which could scarcely be beaten in any part of the world. These good sorts are, however, a fast diminishing quaatity, and this despite the facb that many high-priced dogs are being imported from the Home country. Many of these, though very handsome pets, are not calculated to improve the breed from a shepherd's point of view, and I think ' that the owners will eventually find out that collie breeding to be * paying hobby in New Zealand must be followed up with an eye to the useful as well as the beautiful.

In England it is very different, became there are an unlimited number of customers who can afford to pay fancy prices for their pets, and so long as th«ee pets are attractive to the eye their intelligence — or Uck of ib— is a matter of secondary importance. ' In this democratic - colony of ouri, where the " nobility and gentry" are conspicuous by their absence, m very different class of' clients have to ba catered for} ss we have very few men who oare to invest even £20 in a dog to be used solely as a pet ; so that I repeat if * collie breedar hera wishes to m&ke his favourites pay their way ha - must keep the shepherd's requirements steadily in view. This iv my opinion can be done by \. fanciers without at all detracting from tho appearance of their dogs if, in the first instance, due regard is paid to formation of head ; and, secondly, by haviug all their dog* trained, more etpacially the matrons of the kennel. This latter is, I maintain, mwt essential, bebau'se if ■ certain faculties are allowed for generations to, lie dormant, it stands to reason that they will degenerate ia the canine as in the human . species. Take, for instance, the Britwa aris-, tocracy — said to* ba the handsomest race of people in the world — if fresh blood "had notbeen regularly introduced into their ranks through intermarriage with the professional classes, what would have been their intellectual status to-day ? A life of ease is incompatible . with high intellectual attainments, and though - there may be a certain amount of brain power inherent in a man, yet it requires a corresponding ji mount of work to develop it properly, aud if left undeveloped for a few generations it will assuredly in each succeeding generation get; smaller by degrees and beautifully lets until - the vanishing point is practically reached. This I think you will admit. Then why should the, same rule not apoly to th« canine as totha human cpeoies. Bat to follow out this line of reasoning to its logical 00Mclu«i«n would land me in controversial matter which I am anxious to avoid as mu«h as possible, as there is too much of an antagonize feeling already existing botwe«n the two seotioss of collie breeders, which is greatly to be regretted, and which it is to be hoped the New Zealand C»Hie Club will direct it's influence towards eliminating.' They have at least oae interest iv common — tbe improvement of tile breed ; and though ' opinions may differ as to how best that object ia to be attained, yet an unbiassed observer may very reasonably contend' that both sections want educating. Fanciers as a rule do cot give,, shepherds credit for having an eye to the beau-, tiful, but they forgeV.tHfit iv the first instance ' in choosing a dog I moist be certain that I am ' getting a reliable help in the work which I am ■ paid for perfe-rtniog. This. is tie main con-" «id<?ration, bat it does not necessarily follow, that, though I may for the time beiag content; ' mj6eJf with a very ootn«#n-l««kiag,* < belp," I • altogether lack appre6i»ti«a »f the baaoty of the o»ni&e aristocrat. I admit, however,, that many shepherds leave fcbestcelvcs open to be charged with utter indiffecejwo regarding the. quality of their dogs, M th«y breed on lines which are without system or sense. They keep and rear pups without the -remot*afj ; idea* whether the sire ia a greyhound ©r a oolite' or a cross between the t«r», and profess ttea fa; be disappointed when the pups do riot, tarn oub » well. • , ■ ,

I think there is a wide fixld of work "open fop the lately-formed C«lHe dab, bat to be permanent, and in the bmt inUrMto of .th» breed, tbe committee should e*«U*v«ur as f«r m pos•ible to enlist the support of the shepherd element. — I am, &o , •

Stjitiom Shhfherd.