Hunting Dogs Part 11

The head (value 15) should be of medium size with muzzle in harmonious proportions.

The skull should be rounded cross-wise with a slight peak, line of profile nearly straight, with sufficient stop to give symmetry to the head.

Ears should meet to within one inch of end of muzzle, should be thin, soft in coat, low set and closely pendant.

Eyes soft, medium size, and varying shades of brown. Nostrils slightly expanded. The head as a whole should denote hound character.

The neck (value 5) must be clean and of good length, slightly arched, strong where it springs from the shoulders and gradually tapering to the head, without trace of throatiness.

The shoulders (value 10) must be of sufficient length to give leverage and power, well sloped, muscular, but with clean run and not too broad.

Chest and back ribs (value 10). The chest should be deep for lung s.p.a.ce, narrower in proportion to depth than the English hound, 28 inches in a 23 1/2 inch hound being good. Well sprung ribs, back ribs should extend well back, a three-inch flank allowing springiness.

Back and loin (value 10) should be broad, short and strong, slightly arched.

The hindquarters and lower thighs (value 10) must be well muscled and very strong. The stifle should be low set, not too much bent, nor yet too straight, a happy medium.

The elbows (value 5) should set straight, neither in nor out.

Legs and feet (value 20) are of great importance. Legs should be straight and placed squarely under shoulder, having plenty of bone without clumsiness, strong pasterns well stood upon. Feet round, cat like, not too large, toes well knuckled, close and compact, strong nails, pad thick, tough and indurated by use.

Color and coat (value 5). Black, white and tan are preferable, though the solids and various pies are permissible. Coat should be rough and course without being wiry or s.h.a.ggy.

Symmetry (value 5). The form of the hound should be harmonious thruout. He should show his blood quality and hound character in every aspect and movement. If he scores high in other properties, symmetry is bound to follow.

The stern (value 5) must be strong in bone at the root, of a medium length, carried like a sabre on line with the spine and must have a good brush. A docked stern shall not disqualify, but simply handicap according to extent of docking.

SUMMARY.

Head 15, neck 5, shoulders 10, chest and back ribs 10, hindquarters and lower thighs 10, back and loin 10, elbows 5, legs and feet 20, color and coat 5, stern 5, symmetry 5. Total 100.

THE GREY HOUND.

Without doubt, the grey hound, bred almost solely for speed, is the fleetest runner on earth.

In a general way it may be said that the grey hound pursues by sight only, yet some experienced hunters will contend that they can follow a fairly warm trail successfully, if trained to it. It is not natural for them, however, to take and follow an old track until the game is started, but what they lack in that way is made up in speed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Good Specimens.]

It has been a favorite practice for decades to take advantage of his speed, by crossing with other strains, resulting in courage, tenacity and trailing powers, very useful in several kinds of hunting.

This type of dog, either pure bred or crossed lends himself readily to deer, wolf, fox or rabbit chasing, and is especially successful if hunted in company with good trailers. The latter start the game when the grey hound goes forward and effects a capture, or so interferes with progress, that the other dogs come up and finish the work.

A bit of practical talk on the subject from the pen of a grey hound enthusiast is appended:

I have always had grey hounds. If they are let run with the track hounds when they are young they soon learn to take a track, run away from the pack and catch the game. I have some one-half grey hound and one-half bloodhound or fox hound. No better dogs living. Great fighters, stay as long as the game runs. This kind are good bear dogs. I keep live 'c.o.o.n to train pups on and commence to train them at 4 or 5 months old. The older they get the longer races I give them.

SCOTCH DEER HOUND.

An excellent deer hound is half scotch deer hound and one-half grey hound, and I will say there is no breed called stag hound, writes a well informed Canadian deer hunter. All that claim that name are overgrown fox hounds used in England for that purpose. Thompson Gray in "Dogs of Scotland," written in 1890, says that the first mention of the Scotch deer hound was in "Pitcotts History of Scotland." It is of the same family as the grey hound and has been spoken of by early writers as the Rough Scotch Grey Hound.

He is more ma.s.sive, is about three inches taller than the grey hound and has a rough coat. His vocation is to course the stag and the deer. He, like the grey hound must not use his nose when hunting his quarry and for this reason great speed is absolutely necessary. His head is somewhat longer and wider across the skull than that of the grey hound and the hair on the sides of the lip form a mustache.

Small ears are a sign of good breeding. They should be set on high and at the back of the skull and be semi-erect when at attention.

The coat is hard in texture, without any silkiness. The color most admired is blue grizzle with its various shades but brindle and fawn, either light or dark are admirable. There should be no white on any part of the body. As to formation, he should be made on the same lines as the grey hound.

THE BLOOD HOUND.

The original and oldest of the hound family is the blood hound. He takes his name from having originally been used to track wounded animals to their lairs. Their fame to the public is based on their use as man trailers, which gained more notice at about the time of the Civil War than before or since. There is considerable question as to their infallibility and powers in this direction. While nearly any dog can, if he wishes, trail a human being, and while the blood hound is the best scented of the dog family, it is rather doubtful if all the things that have been written about the blood hounds and slave fugitives are true.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Blood Hound.]

Bloodhounds are known under several names, such as, Cuban, Siberian, St. Hubert blood hounds, etc.

Civil authorities and detectives, the country over, employ the blood hounds to trail criminals, or rather ostensibly to bring them to justice. Rarely do they succeed in actually capturing a fleeing culprit, however, if he has pa.s.sed over sections trampled over by many other people.

The blood hound, as has been mentioned before, is quite useful in breeding hunting dogs for specific purposes.

Some light of experience is furnished us by a Pennsylvania breeder, as follows:

In regard to blood hounds or a cross between the blood hound and fox hound, they are good hunters on wolf, fox, 'c.o.o.n and bear. In fact, they are all around good dogs, great fighters on game. They are tough, active, will stand a long run and come home and not seem to be tired.

The blood hound is a good man as well as an animal hunter. They will stand the longest races and not tire. In fifty years breeding from the best, these dogs are all that are needed in a hound dog.

On the same subject a Western brother says:

I have bred dogs for 55 years from most of the kennels in this country, England and other countries. I like English blood hound or one-half hound and one-half fox hound. They are sharp scented, fast runners, good stayers, good fighters and game for fox and wolf hunting.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "As Pretty as a Picture." (Beagles.)]

CHAPTER XXI.

THE BEAGLE DACHSHUND AND Ba.s.sET HOUNDS.

"A few years ago I gave up the large hound for the beagle hound, as I hunt rabbit a good deal now and I find it good sport with the right kind of beagles," writes a beagle enthusiast of the middle west, "but, of course, they are just like fox hounds or any other breed of dogs, many of them would be better training themselves in the happy hunting grounds. The main thing is to get the right strain of beagles, of which there are several. Champion Bannerman, imported by J. Crane, Esq., about 1884, has had a great influence towards producing the smaller size. Of course every man to his opinion as to size. Some prefer the small, while others the larger size. The importation by General Rowett, of Carlinsville, Ill., which has been known since as the Rowett strain, when it comes to beauty and hunting qualities combined, are very good, in fact, are among the best. The blue cap strain imported into the country by Captain William Ausheton from the kennels of Sir Arthur Ashburnham along in the seventies.

This strain seems to have a stronger love for the scent of the rabbit than anything else.

By crossing strains it is possible to get beagles with a fierce hunting disposition, that will hunt and fight anything that wears fur, keen scent (remember the beagle is strong in the blood hound blood) wide chest, heavy bone, round fat feet that can put up a hard day's work every day.

THE DACHSHUND.

We are indebted to Mr. William Loeffler for the following comprehensive, entertaining special article on the little understood Dachshund:

Of the many breeds of dogs in existence, none have gained more friends and won more hearts and a stronger hold in American home in a comparative short time than the Dachshund.

Those who have not seen a single specimen and are entirely ignorant regarding his characteristics, know him by continued caricature.