THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3609, 15 May 1923, Page 42

THE KENNEL.

Bt

Terror.

fancier* and breeder* of dogs are cordially la. Vlted to contribute to this column. wtU •ndeavour to mate this department as ioterestinfl •nd up-to-date as possible, but in order to do this he must have the co-operation ol his readers, hence he 'trusts this invitation will be cheerfully responded to. —The Dunedin Fanciers’ Club Show is scheduled for next month, and fanciers will no doubt be spending' their spare time in preparing their dogs for the judge’s inspection. It is well to remember that dogs should not only look well, but behave weli. —At the annual meeting of the Wellington Kennel Club, held recently, it was decided to send a remit to the New Zealand Kennel Club to the effect that when a dog changes ownership it must still be shown under the name registered by its previous owner. —Mr Siam Crabtree, addressing the York Canine Association on “Breeding. Rearing, and Preparation for Show, and the Exhibition of Dogs,’’ is reported by “Our Dogs” (England) to have first dealt with the subject from the beginner’s standpoint, and urged all newcomers to the fancy to decide from the commencement what kind of breed they wanted and wha.t conveniences they possessed. A beginner should go for advice to a reliable person, for lie wished to press home the fact that they must start at the bottom of the ladder, anil it must bo climbed steadily before success loomed in view. First of all, they must know the breeding of a puppy, as it was absolutely

essential in purchasing puppies to know something about their dam as well as their sire. Emphasising the extreme care required for mating, he went on to say that substantial food should be used for build-ing-up purposes. When they had decided to show a puppy they should endeavour to get it accustomed to people in order that. it might get used to “company,” and not be afraid when in the show ring. They should never expect too much from a puppy. They might think they were in possession of a “real stormer,” and one that appeared unbeatable, but it was necessary to bear in mind the fact that other exhibitors were showing what they believedunbeatable puppies. He was of the opinion that puppies might first of all be entered in puppy and maiden classes for contrast and comparison. It was important that- they should not be disappointed if the judge’s decision was against them. To be a successful exhibitor it was important to keep one eye on the dog and the other eye upon the judge. Dogs were judged as they appeared in the ring, and therefore they should see, when exhibiting, that the dog looked its beat. Exhibitors should never become obsessed with the idea that to be successful they must have a big kennel of dogs. Two good dogs were much better than twenty moderate ores”—{Applause.) —Rickets Caused by Want of Calcium. — A Home paper quotes Dr Edward Mellanbv, who wrote for the. Medical Research Council (England) as saying:—“Calcium is one of the natural constituents of bone** and it has always been considered that insufficiency of calcium in the food would produce a tendency to leg weakness and rickets —a fact equally understood by breeders of poultry and of chickens. Now calcium is best administered in the form of some food which contains calcium salts, and a proper understanding of the analytical composition of foodstuffs, therefore, is most essential to all dog breeders. One of the best known foods containing calciurrj salts in an assimilable form (that is to say. in such combination as will most readily enter into and become part of the system) is cod liver o>l. Our author goes very fully into this subject, and displays some most telling radiographs of the legs of puppies fed with an allowance of cod liver oil, contrasted with similar pictures of others fed on other substances —all clearly and obviously in favour of cod liver oil administration. He does point out, however, that although it has been generally assumed that calcium deficiency is the main cause of rickets, much depends on the question of whether the body can make full use of the calcium which happens to be present in the food administered; and that calcium, therefore, in the food should suffice to form, abundant good bone, provided other conditions are satisfactory. —The Value of Cod Liver Oil. — Let me turn aside here for a moment to say that in my own experience 'in treating leg weakness m various kinds of birds and animals, and incipcnt rickets in dogs, cats, etc., I have invariably adopted the plan, of giving emulsified cod liver oil —cod liver oil and hypophosphites—the latter being salts of calcium arid sodium, with as good results as anything in the way of medicaments would produce. It- must not be forgotten, however, that cod liver oil contains iodides, bromides, phosphates, etc., and these, particularly the phosphates, contribute their quota to the building up of the bone-frame. But, as I have already stated, the radiographs in tnis report show very distinctly the greater influence on bone formation brought about by an allowance of cod liver oil as contrasted with an allowance of, say, olive oil or nut oil or collon-soed oil. On the general question of providing anti-rachitic foods more will be said presently ; but for the moment, endeavouring as I am to translate some portion of this very learned scientific report into simple language and plain information for amateurs, it will suffice to say that cod liver oil is the right thing to give as a medicament to young animals with a tendency to rickets.” A black mask on the face of a dog must cover the eyas. Black shading beneath the eyes is not correctly described as a mask. Shading beneath the eyes anil downwards constitutes a muzzle. This question has arisen in dealing with the colour markings of Pekingese, but, of course applies generally with all dogs. Most breeders (says a Home writer, Mr Ashton Brown) are beginning to realise that it is not only that which is apparent in a certain individual animal which is or might be transmitted to the progeny, but also the latent factors which are inherited by lorn from the great silent army which constitutes his family tree. “Breed to blood, boy!” I had this slogan hammered into my brain by a famous stock-breeder who was probably the greatest authority on breeding Hereford c-atlle in Britain. The fact that a certain bull was a great winner interested him not, but the fact that a certain animal was a typical member of a family was a thing of importance to be pigeonholed in his brain. Thus, he bred not to an individual as an individual, but merely as a typical member of a race, and all breeders of stock who consistently breed winners work on the same lines. Manygreat bulls, arid many famous dogs and stallions, h-ave been useless as sires. These animals are almost invariably, when one examines their breeding, found to be “bred wrong,” and are more or loss “sports,” thrown out by incompatible or chaotic blood lines, and reverting to some more or less remote ancestor whose influence is too feeble to be “passed on” to the ensuing progeny of the “sport.” Now it wants some breeder with a keen mathematical brain to analyse, dissect, arrange, and generally tabulate the family history of our modern fox terr'er, so that the beginner, and wo y.’ith the slipshod minds, might more easily grasp the rudiments of this fascinating pastime. I might add that it is nearly 20 years since I owned my first terrier (a winning son of ch. Blizzard), a period which might he briefly labelled, “From Oxonian to Wrose Indelible,” or “Cackler of Notts to Barry Brigadier.” Mr John Campbell after a visit to America, where he was engaged to judge dogs, said to a representative of Our Dogs (England) ct the close of an interview: “There is one thing, my friend, 1 wish to add, and that is this: With all their democratic, ideas across the pond, they are no-t blind to the fact that the aristocrat exists in all breeds, and that it is not- weight of flesh or bore that makes good, but the somebnmg indefinable in character, that only the true fancier can discern. I think a man can fco a dog-lover and still not be a fancier, and in that way may get much pleasure out of tho possession of his animals without ever having this faculty of the true artist aroused in him.” Prof. Frederick Hobday, F.R.0.V.5.. in the Veterinary Journal, relates tho fol-

lowing incident of what might happen m any household where electricity is the lighting or heating power, which occurred a feyv days ago to a dog belonging to one of his clients. The patient was a small Pomeranian, aged about 18 months, and the history given by the owner is as follows :--“I was sitting m my chair leading after lunch, and I had arranged an electric lamp on the table at my side. The dog was lying on a cha r just beyond the table. 1 had been reading for some little time when I heard a peculiar choking cry at my feet, and, looking down, \ saw the little Pomeranian on her back with the lamp cotd twisted around her paws and part: of it ,n her mouth. I Hatched her up and' oisentangied her, and with the aid of my maid I rubbed her vigorously all over the body and shock her; but she was quite cold and limp, and her eyes appeared fiieIcss. Froth was oozing from her mouth, and she was apparently quite unconscious. I took her outside into the air, still shaking hor vigorously. Quite suddenly a feeling of life returned to her body, and 1 found to niv great relief that m a few minutes she was able to stand, and presently even to walk a few steps. Her recovery after this was rapid Upon examining the wire connecting the electric lamp with a plug in the wall, I found it was exposed in one place where she had bitten away the covering. Our voltage in this district is 100.” As these are accidents which have not been frequently observed, but might easily happen, they are worthy of being placed on record. A similar case had happened about two years ago, the patient in this case being also a toy variety. The animal had gnawed through, a wire attached to a plug in tho wall, and the shock it received caused almost identical symptoms to those recorded above. In this instance, too, the dog became unoonscious from the shock but eventually made a good recovery. It, nTght have been a child instead of a dog which bit off the wire-covering, gnd it is a fact well worth noting. —Curing January and February this vear about 2000 dogs were admitted to the Manchester Dog’s Home for painless destruction. This is a record so far as the last ten years are concerned, and it is explained that people are no longer able to afford money either . for the licence or for the keep of their pets. SHEEP DOC TRIALS. Alb-.iry—May 16 and 17. Kanana-—May 21 and 22. Albury.—May 16 and 17. COLLIE CLUB’S CHAMPIONSHIP. Prior to the outbreak of the Great War the Southern Collie Clubs of Otago had formed a Collie Club Championship Association, and events under that body were held at Taieri, Middlemarch, and Dunbaek. During the war the association deckled to discontinue the championship, and to place the funds in hand—some £2s—in the treasurer’s (Mr J. P. Walls, Mosgiel) hands as a trustee. It is now thought advisable to resume the championship, as sheep dog matters have returned to normal, and interest in trials is growing once again. With a view to the necessary steps being taken, a meeting of delegates from affiliated clubs has been c-alled and wifi be held in Dunedin during Winter Show Week. It is too late in the year to include any championship events for 1923, but should the delegates decide to resume operations a championship will be allotted for 1924.