The mordern practice of dog-
breeding.
The
modern practice of dog-breeding in Great Britain has reached a
condition which may be esteemed as an art. At no other time, and in no
other country, have the various canine types been kept more rigidly
distinct or brought to a higher level of perfection.
Formerly
dog-owners--apart from the keepers of packs of hounds--paid scant
attention to the differentiation of breeds and the conservation of
type, and they considered it no serious breach of duty to ignore the
principles of scientific selection, and thus contribute to the
multiplication of mongrels. Discriminate breeding was rare, and if a
Bulldog should mate himself with a Greyhound, or a Spaniel with a
Terrier, the alliance was regarded merely as an inconvenience.
So
careless were owners in preventing the promiscuous mingling of alien
breeds that it is little short of surprising so many of our canine
types have been preserved in their integrity.
The
elimination of the nondescript cur is no doubt largely due to the work
of the homes for lost dogs that are instituted in most of our great
towns. Every year some 26,000 homeless and ownerless canines are picked
up by the police in the streets of London, and during the forty-seven
years which have elapsed since the Dogs' Home at Battersea was
established, upwards of 800,000 dogs have passed through the books, a
few to be reclaimed or bought, the great majority to be put to death.
A
very large proportion of these have been veritable mongrels, not worth
the value of their licences--diseased and maimed curs, or bitches in
whelp, turned ruthlessly adrift to be consigned to the oblivion of the
lethal chamber, where the thoroughbred seldom finds its way.
And
if as many as 500 undesirables are destroyed every week at one such
institution, 'tis clear that the ill-bred mongrel must soon altogether
disappear. But the chief factor in the general improvement of our
canine population is due to the steadily growing care and pride which
are bestowed upon the dog, and to the scientific skill with which he is
being bred.
Admitting
that the dogs seen at our best contemporary shows are superlative
examples of scientific selection, one has yet to acknowledge that the
process of breeding for show points has its disadvantages, and that, in
the sporting and pastoral varieties more especially, utility is apt to
be sacrificed to ornament and type, and stamina to fancy qualities not
always relative to the animal's capacities as a worker.
The
standards of perfection and scales of points laid down by the
specialist clubs are usually admirable guides to the uninitiated, but
they are often unreasonably arbitrary in their insistence upon certain
details of form--generally in the neighbourhood of the head--while they
leave the qualities of type and character to look after themselves or
to be totally ignored.
It
is necessary to assure the beginner in breeding that points are
essentially of far less moment than type and a good constitution.
The
one thing necessary in the cultivation of the dog is to bear in mind
the purpose for which he is supposed to be employed, and to aim at
adapting or conserving his physique to the best fulfilment of that
purpose, remembering that the Greyhound has tucked-up loins to give
elasticity and bend to the body in running, that a Terrier is kept
small to enable him the better to enter an earth, that a Bulldog is
massive and undershot for encounters in the bullring, that the Collie's
ears are erected to assist him in hearing sounds from afar, as those of
the Bloodhound are pendant, the more readily to detect sounds coming to
him along the ground while his head is bent to the trail.
Nature
has been discriminate in her adaptations of animal forms; and the most
perfect dog yet bred is the one which approaches nearest to Nature's
wise intention.
__________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
|
|
Number
Two Pick - Dog Training Secrets
Dog
Training Secrets by Charlie Lafave, teaches you the importance of
training your dog and what may happen if you don’t. Covers
everything you need to know with step by step instructions, including 7
common behavioral problems and how to correct them. And for those who
have left it too long, there is also a chapter on how to train adult
dogs.
»
Rating:  
» Click
Here To Visit This Webpage
|
_______________________________________________________________________
|
|
Number
Three Pick - Dog Problems - Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer
Starting
from how to choose and purchase a dog, Secrets of a Professional Dog
Trainer covers everything possible about training dogs. This e-book is
very long and a tad boring, but find the patience as it has very
helpful tips. Just a warning there are absolutely no pictures, some
people may find this hard especially when trying to follow
instructions. Included are answered questions that people trying to
train their dogs in the past have asked. No table of contents.
»
Rating: 
» Click
Here To Visit This Webpage
|
_______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Take
action today and learn how
to take care of your dog. Both you and your dog will be happier.
|
