THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3886, 4 September 1928, Page 32

THE KENNEL.

By

Terror.

Fancier* and breeders of dogs ar® cordially invited to contribute to thi® column. “Terror” will endeavour to make this department as interesting and up-to-date as possible, but in order to do tills ho must have the coopsration of his readers, hence hs trusts this invitation will be cheerfully responded to. "Black and Tan.”—The freight charge for bringing a dog over from Melbourne is 15s, and the butcher requires paying, say, half a guinea. A certificate of health is required in Melbourne before the dog is allowed on board the ship. Mr T. Corkell (New Plymouth) has purchased from Mr H. Bracks (Dunedin) a tri-coloured collie bitch pup. three months old, by Squire of Clarmont ex Lochie Kadiant Lady. News has just been received from Sydney that Mr J. P. Buchanan’s New Zealand bulldog, Nnemosyne, was successful at the recent Bulldog Club of New South Wales Championship Show (says the Auckland Star). She won two first and one second prizes, in addition to four trophies, including the valuable founders’ trophy. It is reported that Mr Don. Burgess (Ashburton) has purchased the smoothcoated fox terrier bitch Wayland Wanda, by Northland Ngaio—Wayland Nimbus, from Mr Crabbe, of Christchurch: also that Mr MacLangan, of Merivale, Christchurch, has purchased Cotswold Crusader, a dark sable Alsatian puppy, from Mr F. G. Baylis, of Auckland. THE ALSATIA' WOLF DOG. The following particulars respecting the Alsatian were promised a correspondent in last week’s notes: — Mr Theo. Marples in his book on show dogs, after speaking of the Alsatian’s rapid advance in favour both in Great Britain and America, says: “All this speaks well for the intrinsic merit of the Alsatian wolf dog, which Britishers were not slow to discover, and which may be said to comprise, in the more cultivated specimens, first a rational form of canine architecture, consisting of due proportion, strength, and symmetry of body and limb, providing for great power, pace, and activity; long punishing jaws, enabling the dog to attack his quarry or foes on the one hand and defend his master to the best advantage on the other; a keen, intelligent eye and expression, and highly developed aural appendages to enable the dog to hear the sounds of his master’s call or the bleating of the sheep at an enormous distance; and a close, 'weather-resisting coat to protect the dog under all meteorological conditions. With such a form and faculties it is not to be wondered at that the Alsatian wolf dog should have become such a great favourite with Britishers, nor that it should have attracted to its ranks of owners such a great array of well-to-do and intelligent fanciers who have taken up the breeding and cultivation, training, and exhibition of the Alsatian with an-almost bewildering zest and succes in this country [England] far exceeding that of any other foreign breed of dog.” —Standard of Points.— General Appearance.—The general appearance of the Alsatian wolf dog is a well-proportioned dog, showring great suppleness of limb, neither massive nor heavy, but at the same time free from any suggestion of weediness. It must not approach the greyhound type. The ideal height (measured to'the shoulder) should not be less than 22in in bitches and 24in in dogs and not more than 26in in either sex. The body, rather long, is strong boned with plenty of muscle, obviously capable of endurance and' speed and of quick and sudden movement. Its method of locomotion is a tireless, long-striding gait, \ind all its movements should be entirely free from stiltiness. The whole dog . and its expression give the impression of perpetual vigilance, strong fidelity, lively and ever watchful, alert to every sight and sound, nothing escaping its attention; showing no fear, but with a decided . suspiciousness towards strangers, in striking contradistinction to the immediate friendliness of some breeds; possessing highly developed senses, a vivid mentality, and plenty of temperament, strongly individualistic, and showing unique powers of intelligence. Three of its most outstanding traits are its incorruptibility, its discernment, and its ability to think for itself. The Head.—The head is proportionate to the size of the body, long, lean, and clean cut; broad at the back of the skull, but without coarseness, tapering to , the nose with only a slight stop between the eyes. The skull is slightly domed, and the top of the nose should be parallel to the forehead. The cheeks must not be full or in any way prominent, and the ’ whole head when viewed from the top of the nose should be much in the form of a V, well filled in under the eyes. There should be plenty of substance in the foreface, with a good depth from top to bottom. A long, narrow, show collie or Borzoi head is a serious fault. The Muzzle.—The muzzle is strong and long, and while tapering to the nose it

must not be carried to such an extreme as to give the appearance of being overshot. It must not show any weakness or be snipy or lippy. The lips must be tight fitting and clean. Tire nose should be black whatever colour the dog may be. A pink or liver-coloured nose is a disqualification. The Teeth.—The teeth should be sound and strong, gripping with a scissor-like action, the lower incisors just behind but touching the upper. To be undershot or overshot is a bad fault.

The Eyes.—The eyes are almond shaped of average size, as nearly as possible matching the surrounding coat, but darker rather than lighter in shade, and placed to look straight forward. They must not be in any way bulging or prominent. and must show a lively, alert, and highly intelligent expression. The Ears. —The ears should be of moderate size, but rather large than small, broad at the base, and pointed at the tips, placed rather high on the skull and carried erect—all adding to the alert expression of the dog as a whole. It should be noted in case novice breeders may be misled that in Alsatian wolf dog puppies the ears . often hang until the age of six months’ and sometimes longer, becoming erect with the replacement of the milk teeth.

The Neck. —The neck should be strong, fairly long, with plenty of miiscle, fitting gracefully into the body, joining the head without sharp angles, and free from The Forequarters.—ln the forequarters the shoulders should slope well back, the ideal being that a line drawn through the centre of the shoulder blade should form a right angle with the humerus when the leg is perpendicular to the ground. Upright shoulders are a bad fault. They should show plenty of muscle, which is quite distinct from, and must not be confused with, coarse or loaded bone, which is a fault. The shoulder bone should be clean. The forelegs should be perfectly straight, viewed from the front, but the pastern should show a slight angle with the forearm when regarded from the side. Too great an angle denotes weakness, and, while carrying plenty of bone, it should be of good quality. Anything approaching the massive bone of the Newfoundland, for example, is a decided fault. The Hindquarters.—The hindquarters should show breadth and strength, the loins being broad and strong, the rump rather long and sloping, and tlm legs when viewed from behind must be quite straight without any tendency to bow hocks, which are an extremely serious fault. The stifles are well turned and the hocks strong and well . let down. The ability to turn quickly is a necessary asset in the Alsatian wolf dog, and this can only be got by a good length of thigh bone and leg and by the bending of the hock.

Body Properties.—The body is muscular, the back is broadish and straight, rather long, but strong boned and well developed. The belly shows a waist without being tucked up. There should be a good depth of brisket or chest, and that should not be too broad. The sides are flat compared with 'some breeds, and while the dog must not be barrel ribbed it must not be so flat as to be actually slab-sided. While quick in movement and speedy, the Alsatian wolf dog is not a greyhound in any way. As giving an idea of the body proportions, it may be added that the length of body from the front point of the breast bone in a straight line to the buttocks should be greater than the height to the shoulder as is 10 to 9. Short-backed dogs with high legs should be discarded. A weak back is a decided fault.

The Gait.—The gait should be supple, smooth, and long reaching, carrying the body along with a minimum of up-and-down movement. -

The Tail. —The tail during rest should hang in a slight curve. During movement and excitement it will be raised, but under no circumstances should the tail be carried past a vertical line drawn through the root. The tails with curls and pronounced hooks are faulty. The Feet.—The feet should be round and short, the toes strong, slightly arched, and held close together. The pads should be hard, the nails short and strong. Dewclaws are neither a fault nor a virtue, but are better removed, as they are liable to spoil the gait. The Coat. —The coat is smooth, but it is at the same time a double coat. The undercoat is woolly in texture, thick and close,, and to it the animal owes its characteristic resistance to cold. The outer

coat is also close, each hair straight, hard, and lying flat, to that it ia rain resisting. Under the body, to behind the legs, the coat is longer, and forms near the thigh a mild form of breeching. On the head (including the inside of the ears) to the front of the legs and the feet the hair is short. Along the neck it is longer and thicker, and in winter approaches a form of ruff. A coat either too long or .too short is a fault. As an average hairs on the back should be from IJin to 2Jin in length. The lack of heavy undercoat is a grave fault. The Colour.—The colour of the Alsatian wolf dog has no effect on its character or on its fitness for work, and so colour is, in reason, a secondary consideration. It may be brown, iron grey, cinder grey, fawn, black or black and tan, etc. Colour in itself must not influence judicial decisions. The definite colour of puppies cannot be determined until arrival of the upper coat. White should be debarred in Alsatian wolf dogs as it makes the animal much too conspicuous for its legitimate work. —Scale of Points.— Nature and expression ~ .. 20 General appearance .. 15 Gait 15 Bone 7 Back .. 7 Coat 5 Hindquarters ~ 7 Forequarters 7 Chest 7 Seat 5 Head 5 i ' 100 —Doubtful Reputation—For and Against.— Owners of the Alsatian have met in Australia to defend the breed from attacks that have been made upon it with the object of having it excluded from the Commonwealth. One of the speakers at the meeting (which was called by the Alsatian and Sporting Terrier Club), a Mr D. Moon, one time of the Alsatian League in England and now secretary of the Sheep Dog Association, quoted authorities to prove that the wolf blood in the dog went back as far as 1500 years ago, and said that the campaign against the Alsatian was begun in England, also in Australia, by owners of other breeds who were jealous of the popularity of the new dog. The proper name of the Alsatian was German shepherd dog, and it was only to disguise its origin during the war that the name was altered, and this alteration to wolf dog started the story of the wolf blood. None of the reports which had appeared in the British press regarding attacKS made by these dogs on human beings or on sheep were authentic. He had never heard of a genuine case of any such attack. Mr E. Jowett and Mr 1c Souef spoke as against the importation of the Alsatian. Air Jowett spoke on behalf of the graziers of Australia and Mr le Souef spoke as a zoologist and a lover of all animals. He said: “If there was the slightest chance of the Alsatian getting amongst the wild dogs of Australia or into the hands of the aborigines, who would interbreed them with their packs, he feared that the wild dog menace would be made worse than it was already. Because of this, if it came to him to decide, he would vote against the Alsatian.”