THE KENNEL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22908, 16 June 1936, Page 2

THE KENNEL

By Breeder,

" Breeder" will be pleased if dogjwnere and others concerned will forward him notes of interest for his conlideration with a view to their insertion in this column. I have just received a schedule of the Southland Kennel Club's annual show, to be held on July 10 and 11. There will be a considerable number of special prizes, besides several cups presented by the various specialists' clubs. The entries close on June 27. Mr W. Henderson, of Dunedin, has been appointed judge ot oil breeds. The Wellington Kennel Club will hold an all-breed ribbon parade on June 27. The judges will be: —Toys,- Mr C. Drake; sporting dogs, Mr G. T. Murphy; nonsporting, Mr W. Barke; terriers, Mr Lucas. This will be the last parade to be held by the club before the Jubilee Show in October.

Mr D. 11. Edgar, of Wellington, reports that ch Gilford Reta has whelped a litter of Irish terrier puppies, four dogs and three bitches. They are by Gilford Kerry, a son of ch Roscrea Recruit and ch Gilford Portway Gem. Mrs Ivan Wood, of St. Albans, reports the arrival of her first litter of Pekingese puppies. Blossom, an attractive little bitch, purchased by Mrs Wood from the North Island some months ago, has whelped three dogs and one bitch, all dark brindle. The sire, Li Sun, also the property of Mrs Wood, is a particoloured dog and a son of ch Ming Wu of Seugemoor. Mrs N. F. Jamieson, of the Ranleigh Kennels, Auckland, has a nice litter ot cocker spaniel puppies in her kennels. These are by ch Meola Boy Blue (owned by Miss M. Moesman, of the Meola Kennels, Auckland), ex Ranleigh Susan. The litter comprises six puppies (four doge and two bitches) and are all blue roan. Mrs P. Simon, of Hoon Hay, reports a pleasing lifter of Cairn terriers, five dogs and two bitches, being whelped last week by Heather of Glendare. The puppies are sired by the winning Rosemoyne Rambler, who has proved himself as a sire of a preponderance of male puppies. Dr W. If. Rothwell, of Christchureh, is meeting with success with his imported Irish setter bitch Hartsbourne Jennifer , (Hartsbourne Rnadri Hartsbourne Sylva), bred in Australia. Only eight months old, she has impressed the southern critics with her conformation and outstanding quality. Her sire took the challenge at the recent Melbourne Dog Club show over the Sydney Royal winners. In her first appearance in New Zealand at a parade in Canterbury she defeated all other setters in the open class, and was made best bitch on parade. The same owner did well at Oamaru recently with Taid of Trashna, who won tho open classes, gun dog stakes, limit, and the Cumbrae Cup, open to English and Irish setters and pointers. The North Auckland Kennel Club will hold its first annual show at Whangarei on July 3 and 4. Tho judge of all breeds will be Mr Norman Wade, of Auckland, president of the New Zealand Kennel Club,

Mr Owen M'Cottnack, of Christchurch, reports that his Irish terrier bitch Lady Wicklow is rearing a fine litter of six—sexes equal—sired by the same owner's Tipperary Commander, the best Irish terrier dog at the last Canterbury Kennel Club show. Lady Wicklow is by Wick' low Ringer from Red Lady. The bulldog bitch Willochra Suzanne, the property of Mr P. C. Manson, of Nelson, has whelped a fine litter of nine puppies—three dogs and six bitches—to ch Suncrest Peacemaker, owned by Mr S. H. Rastall, of the Peacemaker Kennels, Wellington, and secretary of the New Zealand Kennel Club. Mrs F. Kingsland, of the Knapdale Kennels, Christchurch, has a fine Utter of Scottish terriers in her kennels at present. They are by ch Fairways Sensation ex Knapdale Jean.

Last month at a conference of delegates from metropolitan clubs called by the K.C.C. (Victoria, Australia), with the object of discussing methods of reducing shows and tightening up championship honours, it was recommended .to the K.CC. committee that it should go into the matter of limiting the number of trophies offered at shows, and that both prize money and entry fees should be fixed, and be the same for all fixtures, with the exception of the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria's annual show. It was also suggested that where possible specialist clubs (should hold their shows in conjunction with some of the " all breeds " fixtures.

The advent of Shetland sheep dogs, which aro due to arrive in Melbourne shortly, registered a fresh breed to Australia. Several breeds of dogs well represented at English shows have, as far as I am aware, not yet found their way to this part of the world. For instance, there are the popular American Boston terriers (distant relations to our bull terriers), Elkhounds, Kceshouds, Papillons, Lassa terriers, Lakeland terriers, Border terriers, Norwich terriers, bull mastiffs, and numerous others. Thus there are fitill opportunities for enterprising enthusiasts to make names for themselves by importing some i of those less-known varieties of the canine world.

in order to produce a gun dopr suitable for Australian conditions, Major W. F. Gamble, a Victorian sportsman, who has a keen knowledge of sporting dogs, is experimenting with pointers and Labrador rctrieverß. He already has a number of puppies by a Labrador out of a pointer bitch, and'intends to continue working on these lines. Major Gamble realised that it will take some years to fix the type he is striving for, and the Kennel Control Council (Victoria) has opened a file in order to keep an official record of the experiment. In an article in the K.C.C. Gazette the major remarks: —Let us assume that the Australian shooter being, for the most part, a one-dog man, requires a dog which fulfils the following conditions:

1. That it be powerful and free-mov-ing, with stamina, courage, and intelligence, and with the instinct to find and point game. , 2. That it has the instincts of a retriever, land and water. 3. That its coat be short, straight, and strong. , 4. That it be not highly strung, but tractable and easy to train. 5. That it be a good companion and a good house dog. 6. That it be a dog of quality and pleasant to look on.

In this article the writer compares the standards of the Labrador and the pointer, and points out that "these dogs are m some ways similar, and where they diner the differences are complementary, and between them they fulfil admirably all the necessary qualities of the dog we desire." These experiments will, I feel sure be followed with keen interest by eportemen, and I wish Major Gamble every success.

REMEDY FOR SCRATCHING By Rev. G. B. Gillies. If vermin are the cause of the j irritation an examination of the dog's coat will reveal the fact, and they can be easily got rid of. Stand the animal on a table on which you have spread a paper, then sprinkle one of the muclvadvertised insect powders over him, rubbing it well into the roots of the hair with the hand, always being careful to have your sleeves rolled up well above the elbow. When the dog is well covered with the powder, body, legs, head, and tail, take a strong brush with bristle long enough and strong enough to penetrate the coat right to the skin, and brush the powder out until no trace of it is left in the coat. Then burn the paper on which the dog has been standing, for if fleas have been the trouble they will have fallen on to the paper with the powder. In such cases it is necessary also to clean out the dog's bed, Hor if it is left infected the dog will get them again as soon as he lies in it. The presence of worms often causes a dog to scratch, but if this is the cause of the trouble, then other svmptoms, caused by worms, will be present". The worm-infested dog will have a variable appetite—sometimes he will be ravenous, and at other times he will refuse food altogether—the coat will be staring and the bowels irregular. If your dog is only scratching without any of these other symptoms you can conclude that the cause of his discomfort is not worms.

Coarse Soap The average dog owner seems to think that the correct thing to do with a

scratching dog is to plunge him into a bath and give him a good wash. Not infrequently they are perplexed to find that their pet scratches more than ever after this. The carise is that a dog has a most sensitive skin, and some household soaps have an irritating effect rather than a soothing one. Many dogs, however, scratch at this time of year from a more simple cause; when they are being exercised they get damp and soiled, and when their coat dries at the tire an itch is set up. To avoid this, it is necessary to dry your pet thoroughly whenever you return and give him a thorough grooming with comb and brush. This will free the hair from all irritating matter, and if the brush you use has strong bristles long enough to penetrate to the skin, and if you use it vigorously, the skin will be massaged and the dog will have no need to use his feet to comfort himself or rub his back under a chair, as su many of them do. But even when the dog is correctly fed and well groomed it is often found that he will scratch himself for no apparent reason. A friend has told me of a lotion which acts like magic in such cases. Take one tablespoonful of boracic powder dissolved in hot water, add half a pint of methylated spirit and one-dessertspoonful of flowers of sulphur. Shake well in a pint bottle, apply all over the dog, and brush well. All irritation will quickly disappear, and the dog's coat will improve vastly. This friend eays, "I use it on my Poms every day as a dressing, and they never scratch now and have lovely coats." Whatever you do, don't neglect a scratching dog, for if the practice is permitted to continue the dog will not only rub bare patches in his coat, but he may break the skin, and many a nasty disease of the ekin has arisen through impurities from the dog's foot getting into the skin.