Dogs Used in Sport (Continued)

pointers—setters—retrievers

The Pointer.—Although this variety of dog has not, in the general way, enjoyed the advantage of constant human society, to anything like the extent possessed by some others, there is little doubt numbers of the family have developed considerable intelligence, particularly in connection with their work. The late Mr. Forster of Manchester, relates that a Pointer belonging to him, when out with his master, would, if he missed a bird, go up to him, seize hold of and shake his gaiter, as if to remonstrate with him for not making better use of the game he had found for him. And the late Revd. T. Pearce, no mean authority on most breeds of "sporting dogs," said in speaking of Pointers, "I have no prejudice for the Setter, over the Pointer, although I have had ten Setters to one Pointer. If the ground I shoot over suits the Pointer, the Pointer suits me, but I do not think he is quite so well adapted for the gun as the Setter, provided the Setter is of equal talent and adequately broken. But, it would be hard to find anything more perfect than some Pointers I have shot over myself, or more thoroughly intelligent, industrious and sensible. One of them, 'old Jesse' a chance dog I had of Mr. Meir, for Snipe shooting, was a fine example indeed. As his pedigree was not ascertained, he was not used for breeding purposes, but was a fine specimen of some Yorkshire strain, large size, and liver and white in colour. If I missed him in driving off to my Snipe grounds, he would track my pony and gig like a sleuth hound, and many a time have I found him close behind my wheels, when I have, for miles, looked back for him in vain. One bright winter morning I sat on a gate waiting for one Capt. Hull, my companion, and looking up a long stretch of road, I observed 'old Jesse' coming along with a young dog of mine which he had evidently invited to join in the fun, and so I let the young dog work on Snipe, a game he was never on before. It was a sight to see how 'old Jesse' tried to teach him the trade. I had two pieces of Snipe bog two miles apart, and one bad scenting day he missed my track and went to the wrong place, so that it was past one o'clock when I reached the place to which he had gone. On getting there, which I generally shot first, I saw 'old Jesse' standing stiffly on a Snipe. How long he had been 'pointing' I cannot say. Frequently, as I walked up to his point, I have flushed Snipe, and shot them, before I reached him, but this made no difference to him, nor did it in the least interfere with his steadiness. Once, on the occasion I have mentioned of his being accompanied by the young dog, he snarled at the youngster for flushing a Jack Snipe, and when he repeated the fault, went up and worried him severely. As two of us shot together, he got into the habit of coming to my room in the morning, to see if I was dressed for shooting, and if I was not, he would go to my companion's chamber and accompany him, or track him through the streets, if he had gone on, and I do not remember that he ever failed to find him. 'Julie,' a liver and white Pointer bitch, was another of my Pointers which showed great sagacity and firmness. We have frequently lost her, for a considerable time, in a high cover on a celebrated piece of ground called Keysworth, in Dorsetshire, belonging to my friend, Mr. Drax, and at last we have seen the 'sting' of her fine stern above the rushes, for she always held it higher than her head. She was one of the most intelligent dogs I ever possessed, and would retrieve any game alive. Though only in her second season, she was the animal always sent out with young hands, and if they ran to pick up their game, she would bark at them reproachfully. I never had a Pointer before, that seemed to enter so keenly into the sport, or to appreciate, as she did, the real and proper style of beating for game."

The points of this well known sportsman (Pointer) are:—Skull rather wide between the ears, with a pronounced drop at the "stop," the occipital protuberance being also well defined, the muzzle being long and bent at the nose, which is rather dark liver, or else flesh coloured, eyes dark or light according to colours of markings, ears rather fine, set on low and hanging flat to the sides of the head; neck gracefully arched and quite free from overlaps, shoulders sloping, chest moderately wide, and extremely deep, body powerful and well ribbed up at the loin, forelegs dead straight, set well in under the dog, heavy in bone, the feet being round and compact, hind quarters powerful, the stifle being a little turned out and the hocks well let down, tail rather short and tapering to the tip, coat moderately fine. Colours: liver and white, lemon and white, black, or black and liver ticked.

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setters

The English Setter.—The elegant family known by the above title, are divided into three branches, called respectively English, Gordon and Irish; each have their body of supporters, and many very beautiful specimens of them all are to be seen at our best shows. Perhaps Birmingham lays itself out most for the sporting dog classes, but now, when there are so many large exhibitions held in various parts of the United Kingdom, the same dogs are more often seen at the various places. The following descriptions of each of the three branches of the family, are taken from notes communicated by a well known gentleman in the doggy world, to a work on dogs published some seventy-five years since. "The head of the English Setter should not be so heavy as the Pointer's, nor so wide across the ears. There should be at least four inches from the inner corner of the eye to the point of the nose. In many first class dogs, there is half an inch more. The nasal bone should be rather depressed in the centre and slightly raised at the nostrils. The nose and nostrils large, the nose dark liver coloured or black, moist and shining. The jaws should be level and the teeth exactly level in front, as nothing detracts more from appearance than the 'snipe nose.' There should not be that fullness of lip, allowable in the Pointer, but, at the angles of the mouth, the lips should be rather pendulous. The ears, which are usually about six inches in length, should be set low on the head, larger where they are attached, than at the tips, which should be round, not pointed. They should never be pricked, or carried forward, even when the dog points. The eyes should be large and sparkling, not protruding, as in the King Charles Spaniel, but well set and full of intelligence. The neck, long, thin, slightly arched at crest, and clean cut where it joins the head, this last a most important point. The shoulders should be well set back, the blades long, the muscles well-developed throughout. Ribs not so widely sprung as the Pointer's. The back ribs deep and fairly near to the hip bone. The chest deep and moderately wide. The loins broad and arched slightly and the hips wide. The hind quarters square, strongly made and the stifles well bent. Cat-like feet are preferable to the 'hare' or 'spoon' foot. The round foot, with toes well arched, distributes the power of the toes more evenly, and is best suited for every description of shooting ground, in fact, the Foxhound foot, and leg with it. The feet should be straight, neither turned in or out. The toes should be well furnished with hair, which, in the best breeds, forms a tuft between the toes and protects the sole, being replenished as fast as it wears away. The pasterns should be nearly upright and large, knees large, forelegs upright, and in a standing position, the legs should be like good forelegs in a Horse, the feet slightly in advance of straight, the hocks strong, set a little in, if any deviation from a straight line. The stern of a Setter, like that of a Spaniel, should be carried as much as possible in a line with the backbone. The undulating sweep upwards, if exaggerated, would become a serious fault. A Setter's stern cannot well be too straight, and it should never be too long or it cannot be carried handsomely. The stern looks better when the 'feather' commences near the root of the tail and goes off gradually to nothing at the tip. A tail blunt, or clubbed, is very objectionable. The coat should be of the finest silky texture, moderately waved, but devoid of curl. There may be an inclination in the coat to part down the back. Colours in order of merit: 1. Blue mottle, or Belton greys, which stand work and are better than; 2. Orange and white and lemon and white; 3. black and white; 4. pure white; 5. pure black; 6. fawn or yellow; 7. liver colour or liver and white, which last too often indicates a cross with the Pointer or Water Spaniel.

"The Gordon Setter.—The points of excellence in the Gordon, closely resemble those of the English Setter, but, I may observe, that the great features of true Gordon blood are, that they can go much longer without water than the generality of Setters, and that they show more variety in their attitude on 'the point.' The length of their shoulders, their large bone, and their development of muscle, enable them to race, and to keep it up. The colour of the Gordon is a great point. The black should be raven black, with a blue, or plum bloom, on the bright lights. The tan a rich red, of burnt sienna, colour. It should be, by no means, yellow or tabby, or mixed with black or fawn, but rich, deep, a sort of bright new mahogany. The cheeks, lips, throat, feet, back of the forelegs to the elbow, front of the hind legs up to the hips, belly, inside of thighs, vent, underside of flag, inside of ears, should all be brilliant red, and there should be a large brilliant spot of tan over each eye. There is no objection to a white short frill, although the absence of all white is a good thing. White toes behind, are less objectionable than white toes in front, and several of the very best Gordons have even had a white foot, or feet, but this is not to be desired if it can be avoided. The origin of the breed is not well known. The late Duke of Gordon, at any rate, brought it up to its present excellence. There is a suspicion it came originally from Ireland, and the fact that nearly all the best Gordon bitches have had in every litter, one or more deep red, or orange, whelps, leads one to believe there has been an Irish cross. The Gordon Setter's stern is shorter than that of the English Setter, but 'sting like.' Failing this, breeders find they have that greatest trouble to the Gordon breeder, the 'teapot tail,' or a long stern with a curl at the end, badly carried in action. He is a long, low, Setter, his gallop noiseless, and he is remarkably quick in his turn, from the power of his shoulders and loins, length of his neck and general muscular development, a trifle heavier in his head, shorter in his stern, rather deeper in his 'brisket,' more bony and muscular than the English Setter, with a remarkably gay temperament. 'Always busy,' he is quite the beau ideal of a sportsman's favourite, but he has his failings. He is more frequently 'gunshy,' more often the victim of distemper, than the English, and, occasionally, so headstrong as to be totally irreclaimable, these may be the faults of education, and generally are so, but undeniably they are more often the results of inbreeding or injudicious crossing.

"The Irish Setter.—The head of the Irish Setter should be long, narrow, yet wide in the forehead, arched or peaked cranium behind. A short, bullet head, a wide flat one, or one running to a point at the snout, are very common, and very bad. The lips should be deep or moderately so. The ears should be long, reaching at the end of the hair, to the nose, pendulous and as if lying in a fold, set well back and low on the head; they should never be set high, short in length, or half diamond shaped, their feather should be moderate. The eyes of rich hazel or rich brown, well set, full, kind, sensible and loving, the iris mahogany colour, should never be gooseberry, black, or prominent and staring. The nose mahogany, dark flesh, or blackish mahogany, never black or pink. Even dark flesh is not so much admired, though it may be with a good clear hazel eye. The whiskers should be red. The forelegs straight, moderately feathered, the feet close and small, not round like a hounds, or splayed. The hams straight, flat and muscular, and feathered well with buff coloured hair, the hind quarters, altogether square and active in make. The chest should be wide when the dog is sitting on his haunches, and the head held back and full; too wide a chest is apt to give a waddling and slow gait. The chest ribs cannot be too deep. The loins, for speed, should be long, moderately wide, and the belly well tucked up. The tail should be well covered with coarse hair, curling along the tops, and hanging moderately, though bushy, from beneath; carried on a horizontal line with the back, not cocked or curled. In the field, or excitement, carried low, stiff and beating the hind legs. The coat should be rather coarse, smooth or wavy, not curly, hair of moderate length, on the upper parts of the body, the root half tawny, the tip half deep sienna, a sort of blood red, but never showing black on the ears, back, head, or tail. The legs and under parts deep or pale tawny. White should not appear anywhere except in the centre of the forehead and the centre of the breast."

It maybe interesting to some of my readers (amongst whom I hope will be included fanciers of every breed, as well as some who have been hitherto fanciers of no breed at all), if I set out here the show points of Setters, taking them in their usual order, as "English," "Gordon," and "Irish."

The English Setter.—The head should be long and rather narrow, the skull slightly domed and not very broad at base, muzzle long, square and clean, not too pointed at end; nose moderately large, with wide nostrils, ears fine, set on low and lying close to sides of head; eyes, soft, bright and intelligent, not light in colour. Neck very muscular and of fair length; shoulders clean and sloping, chest not wide but deep; back strong and muscular; ribs well sprung and deep; powerful, broad loin; thighs fairly long and muscular; stifles well let down and bent; forelegs well feathered and straight, pasterns short, straight and firm; stern medium length, well set on, almost in line with back, not carried gaily or curled; feet close and compact, slightly feathered between toes. Coat free from any curl, soft, wavy and silky. Colours: blue and white ticked, white with black markings and white with liver markings most favoured, but almost any others allowed except red, and black and tan.

The Gordon or Black and Tan Setters are supposed to have been so called from their original connection with Gordon Castle Kennels. There are, however, said to be many good specimens not in any way related to that particular strain, the colour of which was tricolour, black, tan and white. This variety is heavier than their English or Irish brethren, and shows more of the Hound and less of the Spaniel. The head is stronger, with deeper and broader muzzle and heavier lips, the ears are also somewhat longer, and the eyes often show the haw; the black should be as jet and absolutely free from white. The tan on cheeks and over eyes and on feet and pasterns should be rich and bright and clearly defined, and the feathering on forelegs and thighs should also be tan.

The Irish Setters are higher on the leg than their English cousins, although, in most respects, the conformation of body is precisely the same in both breeds. Head long and narrow, muzzle square, lips moderately deep, ears fine, set low and lying well back, giving a domed appearance to the skull; "stop" well defined, eyes rich hazel or dark brown, soft and expressive. Chest deep and ribs well sprung; shoulders clean and sloping; loin somewhat arched, broad and muscular. Coat, lustrous and rather plentiful, rich, dark red, with a golden tinge, no white allowable, except a star on head or chest.

The Retriever.—This breed is practically divided into two varieties, one called The Flat, Smooth, or Wavy-coated, and the other the Curly; both, as a rule, are black, but as far as my experience of them goes, more specimens "other than black" are seen amongst "the Curlies" than the others, but I think, undoubtedly, blacks, of either variety, are the handsomest. Both breeds have been brought to a great point of perfection. In the Flat-coated, Mr. S. E. Shirley and Colonel Cornwall-Legh, and in the Curly-coated, Earl Melville and Mr. S. Darbey, can show teams to make a sportsman "tear his hair;" often and often, one of these varieties has taken the coveted prize for the "best sporting dog in the show," and they are remarkable amongst the many charming breeds of sporting dogs bred and established in this country, for their very "matching character," so that, a high bred lot of either variety have a wonderful family likeness, and on the many occasions when I have had to take part in making the awards for the sporting and non-sporting teams, it has been a great pleasure to me to see grouped together, in different parts of an immense ring, teams of the various breeds, often containing the best known specimens of them, quite priceless, and which no money could buy, but most interesting to the lovers of beautiful, and in many cases, perfect specimens of animals.

Show Points of Wavy, Flat, or Smooth Retrievers.—Head long and skull fairly wide; ears small and lying close to head; eyes brown or hazel and showing great intelligence; jaws long, and sufficiently strong to carry a Hare; muzzle fairly large, with full open nostrils; teeth level and sound; neck fairly long; chest deep and somewhat narrow; shoulders clean and strong, set obliquely; ribs deep, and well sprung; body long, with muscular loins; forelegs straight and strong; quarters muscular; stifles fairly bent; feet sound, and well arched; coat long, and straight, and of good quality; black, without any trace of white, is the fashionable colour, but classes for "other than black," are sometimes well filled. White and liver coloured specimens are sometimes met with, but seldom shown. General appearance is that of a strong, upstanding, intelligent dog, of a decidedly sporting character, but quite prepared to take on any class of work required of him as a "general utility dog."

The Curly-coated Retriever.—There has been much discussion as to the origin of this variety, which, like that of its "Flatcoated" comrade, does not go back, it is thought, before the commencement of this century. Some think the old "water dog" we see depicted in the sporting pictures of our ancestors (and which looked like a cross of indifferent Poodle, with an inferior old English sheep dog, without much of the good points of either variety!), others claim the Irish Water Spaniel, and others again, the Poodle, to have been one of its parents in a cross with the Labrador dog, in the same way as its flat-coated cousin is supposed to have been produced by a cross between a Setter and a Labrador dog. I do not propose to enter into this controversy at all, personally I have had more to do with the Irish Water Spaniels (of which my brothers and I have had a great many amongst us since we were lads), and Poodles, of which I have had a good many and handled and judged hundreds, and I think I can see traces of the Irish Water Spaniel and the Poodle in the modern Curly-coated Retriever, but more of the former than the latter. I think, undoubtedly, the Curlies are the hardest to breed approaching perfection, but they are wonderfully "fetching," when up to the mark. The absence of curl, too much hair on face, and the openness of coat, are the faults I most often notice, and some fail in the tail not being as it should be, covered from root to end with small, tight curls, as on body. The sort of curls on the body may be described as like those on a nigger's head.

The Points for Show of the Curly Retriever are not much at variance with those for the Flat-coated. But the latter is often the larger dog. The head, should be not so wide, with strong jaws, and muzzle more inclined to be snipey; the coat, a perfect mass of short, tight curls on the body, legs and tail, but only short, smooth hair on the face—the stern, quite straight and carried without any curve in it, substantial at root, lessening in size by degrees to its point.

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