Sporting Dogs: Their Points and Management in Health and DiseaseBarton, Frank Townend
Science
Sporting Dogs: Their Points and Management in Health and Disease
Barton, Frank Townend
Dogs
Some twenty-five years ago the "modern" Field Spaniel was as yet
unknown. Jacobs' Champion Kaffir and Royle's Champion Zulu, and my
dog Negro (by Kaffir ex Negress) were all black Field Spaniels of the
Sussex type.
Zulu, with his Bloodhound-like eyes, had a remarkable show career, so
had Kaffir, but they were not Field Spaniels from a sportsman's point
of view, more especially Zulu. I had the two best pups[A]--one whole
black and the other liver and tan--though, unfortunately for me, they
both died from distemper before they were three months old. The black
puppy I remember in particular. He was a facsimile of his dad, old
Champion Bachelor, and had he lived, might have proved to be a little
gold mine. Like his brother, nothing would ever have persuaded me that
he was a "Field Spaniel," accepting that term as did the sportsman of
days gone by.
My black Spaniel, Negro, though a big winner, was about as stupid a
sportsman's dog or companion as ever saw daylight. The author's opinion
is that a Field Spaniel should have a fair length of leg, be of good
size, have short, thick ears, and not much feather on them, or yet
on the legs. Should be stoutly built, have a good tight jacket, be
big-boned, have nice full eyes, well-rounded ribs, and, above all,
quick hearing and a sound constitution. Colour unimportant, but black
and white, black, or black, white and tan, or liver and white, for
preference. Weight 40 to 50 lbs. There is no doubt that in course of
time the Field Spaniel Trials will do much towards building up a proper
type of field dog. A flat coat, of silky texture, and very glossy:
long, heavily-feathered ears, short, strong, straight, cull-feathered
fore-limbs, long body, and well-sprung ribs, long, graceful neck, and a
long, moderately-wide head, with level carriage of the tail, are points
of the Show Field Spaniel. Black (no white) or particolours (also
liver) are preferred.
=The Cocker Spaniel=
This is a pretty type of small Spaniel, and one that has been in
existence from a very early date.
Modern Cockers have been bred in all sorts of ways, though lately it
has become a fairly general rule to breed only Cocker with Cocker, not
necessarily of the same colour. A typical Cocker should weigh between
20 and 25 lbs., and be of smart, active appearance.
[Illustration: TYPICAL COCKER SPANIEL.]
Probably two of the most successful black Cocker Spaniels ever adorning
the show bench were Obo and Miss Obo. My (formerly Mr Easton's)
Champion Bess was a very typical variety Cocker.
The American clubs' standard for Cockers is not quite the same as the
English, the weight there being from 18 to 28 lbs.
_Head._--Ought to be of medium length, and the muzzle square cut off,
tapering from the eye, though there must be no appearance of the
so-called "snipy" head.
There is a marked "stop," and from it there is a groove running up the
skull, gradually fading away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account