FANCIERS' COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3337, 27 February 1918, Page 40

FANCIERS' COLUMN.

The Otago Witness has been appointed the of 8» jial organ lor the publication oi announcement* >l the Dunedin Fanciers' Club. THE KENNEL. By TERnoo. Psmcletre and breoderß of dogs .are cordially la» rited to contribute to this column. "Terror" wIH endeavour to make this department as interesting and up-to-date as possible, but in order to do this he must have the 00-operation of hie readors, lience he trusts this invitation will be oheeriulty responded to. —lt has often been the subject of roinark that people talk too loudly, and evidently sometimes with intent when looking on at the judging ring. As one person puts it, "One cannot enforce sjlence in a ring, or fill a judge's ears with cotton wool before he enters on his duties"; but one pan urge the fact that in addition to written rules there is an unwritten code of honour which right-minded men and women should respect, and leave the judge severely alone and entirely to his or her ovyn resources. Reference, it will be readily understood, to the 'tendency whioh prevails at shows on the part of exhibitors and onlookers to suggest ,by word or ( sign "who is who" and "which is which."' A suggestion in schedules that there is such a thing as a "code of honour," as well as written rules, would be useful 'to those who are merely "thoughtless"—i.e., eocalled. The show season is again near at hand, and in view of the fact some elementary advice by an experienced showman may be acceptable to novices. To commence with, it is essential that a dog should be well groomed at least once a day. If thia is neglected his hair is likely to become clogged and matted, and the skin beneath it in an unhealthy state. > Everybody, moreover, brushes his own hair, and horses are always groomed, so why should riot the coats of doge receive attention ? Unfortunately, there can be no doubt that the art of applying a brush to the coats of dogs is one that is abused by certain operators inasmuch as wire is often substituted for the innocent bristles, with the result that a great deal of hair, which is not dead, but simply superfluous from a showman's point of view, is removed. Now, the removal of superfluous hair which is not dead is not allowed in the case of animals that are exhibited; and therefore the beginaer who .wields a'wire brushy and applies it too vigorously may unconsciously incur the penalties of disqualification if it is proved against him that he has taken out live hair from the coat of his favourite. Having alluded to the improper use —or, it may be said, the abuse—of the brush, it is time that the advantages of that instrument should be alluded to. To commence with, it may be observed that different sorts of coats require different brushes. ,For big, strong animals of the short-coated varieties, the ordinary body brush, with a piece of webbing at the back, a? used in stables, will be found very useful in cleansing the skin and imparting brillianoy tp the hair. In the case of the long-haired breeds, a dandy brush is the thing to use, whilst the coats of the smaller varieties can be treated with one of the ordinary hair brush pattern, the length of the bristles being dependent upon that of the coat. A hair glove is likewise a most excellent thing to use; but whatever form of brush is applied, the task of brightening up the jacket is always facilitated bv the application of a leather rubbed well into the coat the way the hair runs, and not against the grain. • Handrubbing is also an effective means of improving/the gloss on the coat and lay of the jacket; but it takes time, and some dogs" decline to stand still with their tails towards their keeper, as he presses his palms along their backs and sides. The grooming o? all dogs that are intended for show should be a daily duty to their keeper, aa the friction not only keeps the coat in good order, but improves the tone of the system. The promiscuous use of a comb in the hands of a beginner has brought disaster upon many a kennel, and more particularly when the teeth are of metal. When suoh is th* case the comb is a far more dangerous weapon than the wire brush, and it is to be feared that the owners of over-coated show dogs apply their combs in a fashion that is not fair to those who play tho game, and only remove dead hair from the coats of their show animals. It is a rather moot question whether too much combing, even under the best of conditions, is not both unnecessary and objectionable. There is, in the first place, always a good chance of its injuring tho skin of the dog; and, in the second, it causes the a good deal of pain when a comb is applied to matted tufts of hair. In such cases, too, there is always a strong probability of eo much coming away that bare patches are left, and so the best way to deal with matted hair is to manipulate it with the fingers, and, if necessary, to reduce it partially by the use of scissors. It is not allowable to cut the hair of a dog that is intended for show purposes, so it is best not to rely upon the scissors unless the condition of the coat renders it necessary to do so. puppies of all breeds, St. Bernards included, at a few days old, or as soon after aa possible. These superfluous claws should be removed by the aid of a sharp pair of surgical scissors, dipped in disinfectants before operation. If surgical scissors are not available, ordinary scissors will answer the purpose, but care should be taken that they arc clean and very sharp, so as to minimise the pain occasioned by the operation. The claw should be off in an upward direction, and close to the leg. The tails of puppies should be docked at the same age, a few days old, with a sharp pen-knife. In tho case of Airedale, fox, Irish, and Welsh terriers, about half the tail should be removed. In the case of sporting and toy spaniels, a little more than half should be taken off. Since the tails of some puppies aro shorter than others, puppieg of tho same breed even, some discretion is required in the amount to be removed. It is always best to leave the tail a shade long rather than a little short, inasmuch* as a re-dock can afterwards be effected; but if too much has been taken off the tail is forever spoilt. And this is often a serious misfortune, in the caso of fox terriers, for instance, the longth of tail of which breed affects the general ..character so much. A short-docked fox terrier, however good, is handicapped in the show ring. Particulars of the newly-inaugurated Ne-iv Zealand Scottish and Skyo Terrier Club, with copy of rules, aro held over till next issue.

—Mr Jas. Stewart, of Invercargill, who is well known as an importer and breeder' of Orping' :ns, is advertising his stock for salo. „. The inhabitants of Japan have a supereti'tious regard for dogs. Thus, wo learn from Picart, in his " Religious Ceremonies of All Nations," that the Emperor who sat on the throne when Kacmpfcr resided in Japan was so extravagantly fond of them that there has been a greater number of them in that kingdom ever since his reign (if we may depend on the veracity of this traveller) than in any other nation in the world. Every street is obliged to maintain a fixed number of them. They are quartered upon the inhabitants, who, in ease of sickness, are obliged to nurse and tend them. When the dogs die they are obliged to inter them in a decen't manner in the mountains and hills appi'opriated for the interment of the people. It 13 looked upon as a capital crime not only to kill them, but to insult and ill-treat them, and no ono but the proprietor -is allowed so much as to correct any of them. All this reverence and respect is owing to a celestial constellation, which 'the Japanese call the dog, under the influence whereof the aforesaid Emperor of Japan was born. —An old traveller gives an account of a peculiar custom which existed among the ancient Cuebres, or Fire Worshippers, of Persia, and which shows that they also held dogs in high religious estimation. Before they expose a dead corps to the birds of preyj they lay him decently on the ground, whilst some particular friend of his beats the hoof all round about the neighbouring villages in the hope of meeting with a dog; and as soon as he is so fortunate he endeavours to allure and bribe him with some crusts of bread . . . and to bring him as near to the corpse as he possibly can. The nearer the dog approaches it the nearer they imagine the soul of the deceased must be to the mansions of eternal bliss. If he .lumps upon him and seizes "the bit of bread, wh ; oh for that purpose is put into his mouth, it is an incontestable mark or presage of his future felicity; but it the dog, on the other hand, canno't be tempted to approach it, but keeps at a distance . . . it is a melancholy, unpropitious sign, and they almost despair of nis happy state. WTiien the dog has performed his part of the ceremony two Daroos . . . stand in a devout posture, with their hands joined close together, at about 100 ft distance from the bier upon which 'the corpse is laid, and repeat, with an audible voice, a form of prayer.