THE AMERICAN
BOOK OF THE DOG.
THE ORIGIN, DEVELOPMENT, SPECIAL
CHARACTERISTICS, UTILITY, BREEDING, TRAINING,
POINTS OF JUDGING, DISEASES, AND KENNEL
MANAGEMENT OF ALL BREEDS OF DOGS.
BY
Hon. John S. Wise, Bernard Waters, Max Wenzel, B. F. 8either, Harry Malcolm, Charles
K. Wkstbrooe, Col. Roger D. Williams, Dr. Q. Van Hummell, Dr. M. O. Ellzey, Law-
rence Timpson, William Loefpler, J. L. Winchell, Wm. Wade, H. F. Schellhass,
P. T. Madison, Wm. A. Bruette, F. H. F. Mercer, A. Clinton Wilmerding,
J. F. Kirk, J. Ons Fellows, Geo. W. Kierstead, August Belmont, Jr.,*W. H.
. Russell, Dr. J 8. Niyen, Frank F. Dole, E. F. Burns, P. H. Coombs,
J. H. Natlor, Dr. H. T. Foots, Miss A. H. Whitney, Henry Jarrett,
J. E. Dougherty, Prof. J. H. H. Maenner, F. J?. Lamb, L. F. Whit-
man, John E. Thayer, Maj. T. J. Woodcock, W. R. Furness,
Dr. G. Irwin Royce, G. W. Fisher, Mrs. Elroy Foote,
Miss Marion E. Bannister, E. R. Spalding, and
Dr. J. Frank Perry ("Ashmont").
EDITIED BY G. O. SHIELDS ("COQUINA"),
AUTHOR OF "CRUISING IN THE CASCADES," "RUSTLINGS IN THE ROCKIES," "HUNTING IN THE
GREAT WEST," "THE BATTLE OF THE BIG HOLE," "THE BIG GAME OF
NORTH AMERICA," "CAMPING AND CAMP OUTFITS," ETC.
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK:
RAND, MCNALLY & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS.
1891.
"THE MORE I SEE OF MEN,
THE BETTER I LIKE DOGS."
-Anonymous.
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THE IRISH TERRIER.
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By Dr. J. S. NIVEN
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LIKE all things Hibernian, the history of this dog is somewhat mixed; in fact, very little is known about it. From very old men with whom I talked twenty years ago, some of whom could recollect back sixty years or more, I have learned that Terriers of a red or badger color were numerous in the days of their boyhood, and were largely used for all kinds of field sports, both on land and water. From what I could learn, these dogs were at that time of a much larger type than those bred nowadays.
It is only within the last few years that any prominence has been given to the Irish Terrier by fanciers. Formerly they were kept for sport alone, and very little attention was paid to breeding for any special type, the object being simply to get good hard workers which were able to endure a great amount of fatigue and exposure to severe weather. The principal uses to which these dogs were put in olden days were hunting the water-rat in the rivers, drawing badgers in the mountains, and killing rabbits as they were bolted by ferrets from the warrens. They were also used as watch-dogs about the cotter houses of Ireland.
About fifteen years ago the breed had become very much degenerated by the admixture of Scotch Terriers, which were being largely imported into Ireland as ratters. The gentlemen who were chiefly interested in bringing this same breed of Terriers up again to an established type were Messrs. Mortin, Erwin, Ridgway, Montgomery, Jamison, Crosby, Smith, and Marks, and later, Messrs. Krehl, Des-' pard, Graham, Pim, Carey, Waterhouse, and others. In rescuing the breed from utter destruction, these gentlemen used every means within their reach, and have been well rewarded;
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414 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG
yet their work has not been done without the national characteristic of contrariness being strongly exhibited. A most bitter and still undecided controversy has been the consequence. The principal cause of all the trouble has been the anomalous decisions of the judges at the various bench shows.
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The question of size has been the bitterest one between the different factions. There can be no doubt that many of the finest and purest specimens of the breed were of large size, weighing thirty to forty pounds, and even more; but the desire of the most genuine fanciers of this breed has been to reduce the weight to twenty five pounds and under. Another vexed question is that of cropping, and this subject had been coming up from time to time until in 1888, when the Irish Terrier Club passed a resolution emphatically condemning the custom. Consequently, the croppers are in high dudgeon, and it will take years yet of careful breeding to get the ears of the Irish Terrier to conform to the uniform drop of those of its contemporary, the Fox Terrier. At present the anti-croppers have the best of the argument as far as usefulnesss and cruelty are concerned, but the advocates of cropping have some strong arguments on their side, also, as only a small percentage of Irish Terriers, as now bred, are born with perfect ears; and nothing is such an eye-sore to a Terrier man as a badly carried ear, which judicious cropping does away with in a great measure.
The English Kennel Club has also taken this question up, and its latest decree is to the effect that all Irish Terriers born after December 31, 1889, must be shown uncropped at all shows held under their auspices. To show that there are still some of the large specimens, I copy the following from the " Whispers" of the Stock-Keeper, which may be attributed to the editor, Mr. Krehl:
It is one of our pet theories* that the Irish Terrier, as he existed in the Emerald Isle before the cunning hand of the exhibitor had been run over hiru, was the descendant of the Irish Wolfhound. We still consider " a miniature Irish Wolfhound" a good description of what we should like the Irish Terrier to be. Look at the picture of that grand old bitch Spuds, in Stoneheng;
THE IRISH TERRIER. 415
there yuu have the Wolfhound head and outline. Spuds was a rare type; she had her faults, and we all knew them, but her memory is more pleasant to our mind than the sight of the modern prize winners. To call the Irish Terriers of to-day miniature Wolfhounds would be sarcastic; the majority of them are sour-faced, yellow-eyed, black-muzzled, chumpy-headed, and thickly built, and with bone enough for a Clydesdale horse—in fact, these overbred creatures are utterly unlike anything else so ugly as themselves. Of course this is only our own simple and inexperienced opinion, which judges and connoisseurs of the breed are at liberty to dismiss with contempt. They may prefer the thicklegged clodhoppers; we still linger on the memory of the graceful and symmetrical Terriers, rather light in build, and with only proportionate bone to carry their weight.
PHOTO OMITTED
IRISH TERRIER - NORAH
Owned by Dr. J.S. Niven, London, Canada.
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Spuds and her kind, though, were already cultivated descendants of the big rough and shaggy dogs that the peasants kept for work. These Irish Terriers were brimful of the splendid character that is attributed to the breed. There was a world of love in their expressive brown eyes, their natures were gentle with children and women�in fact, so timid even did they appear that strangers have been misled into thinking them without courage; but what a mistake! The caress-inviting and quiet creature in a moment, if a blow were aimed at its master, was transformed into a fury. We could tell some wonderful tales of the tractability, and the prowess, too, of the old sort, but we fear to grow garrulous on a favorite and much-loved theme.
Our thoughts were led back to "the old sort" by the sight of a dog that
416 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG.
Mr. Frank Aspinall. the brother of the Kennel Club secretary, lately brought to show us. This was one of them, and a fine Wolfhound he would have made if he had continued to grow. He stood as high as a Collie, and look'd to weigh fifty pounds or more; his coat was rough and hard; each hair Whs wheaten from the body to the tip, which was red; the under coat was woolly and dense. The head looked all of ten inches long, rather narrow across the skull, and the muzzle powerful; and when he opened his mouth and showed his "graveyard"�well, we felt relieved that we were not an Irish landlord. Mr. Aspinall told us his jaw-power was enormous, and that he could pull up solid planks and bite through half-inch boards. More joy that we are not a half-inch board!
But to return to our Irishman�and, by the way, we should say that this dog looked Irish, and we like to see character in a national dog�Mr. Aspinall told us that he purchased him from a Waterford man, who said he came from Connemara. on the West Coast. Mr. Aspinall told us several instances of his stanchness. He has seen him swim a mile in a fast and swollen stream which was thick with floating logs, and as he swam, turning from one bank to the other after the rats that shot in and out.
The history of I he present Irish Terrier may be said to date from 1875, several dogs having that year been exhibited at Belfast, Ireland, the home of Mr. G. Jamison. The first Irish Terriers that were ever exhibited in England were at the Brighton Show, in October, 1876�Banshee and Spuds, owned by Mr. Jamison, winning first and second. Since then the class of Irish Terriers has increased so much that they almost equal in numbers the Fox Terrier and surpass the Scotch Terrier classes, showing how popular the breed has become in a few years. The Irish Terrier Club was formed in Ireland about the beginning of 1879, and since that date the Irish have been well represented, both on the bench and in the pidilic press.
Vero Shaw has devoted more attention to this breed than any other modern writer, and little more can be said of it than is found in his works. The information he gives was obtained, principally, from Mr. G. H. Krehl, one of the most enthusiastic admirers of the breed.
The Irish Terrier is a true and distinct breed indigenous to Ireland, and no man can trace its origin, which is lost in antiquity. Mr. llidgway, of Waterford, whose name is familiar in Irish Terrier circles from having drawn up the first code of points, states that they have been known in Ireland "as long as that country has been an island, and I ground my faith in their age and purity on the fact that there exist old manuscripts in Irish mentioning the
THE IRISH TERRIER. 417
existence of the breed at a very remote period." In old pictures representing scenes of Irish life, an Irish Terrier or two are often to be descried. Ballymena and County Wicklow may almost claim to be the birthplaces of the breed. Most of the best specimens hail from Ballymena and the neighborhood, where Mr. Thomas Erwin. of Irish Setter fame, boasts an extensive experience of this breed,' and has always kept a few of the right old working sort for sporting purposes; and "in County Wicklow," Mr. Merry says, " it is well known that the pure breed of Irish Terriers has been carefully kept distinct and highly prized for more than a century." Mr. E. F. Despard, whose name is well known in Irish Terrier circles as a very successful breeder nnd exhibitor, claims an acquaintance of over forty years with the breed. Mr. George Jamison, too, has known and kept them many years, and up till a little while ago had won more prizes than all the rest of the breeders put together. I mention these proofs of the age of the breed to show those who have lately come to admire them that it is not a made up, composite, or mushroom breed. They arc part of Ireland's national economy, and arc worthily embodied in the sportsman's toast�"Irish women, Irish horses, and Irish dogs" (which means Irish Terriers, Setters, and Spaniels).
One's first acquaintance with this "prehistoric Terrier" is apt to be disappointing, except to a really " doggy " Terrier man. That is because there is no meretricious flash about them; but there is that about them which you learn to like�they grow upon you. They supply the want so often expressed for " a smart-looking dog with something in him." There is that about their rough-and-ready appearance which can only be described as genuine Terrier, or more emphatically, '' Terrier c/uiraeter." They are fncile princeps the sportsman's Terrier; and having never yet been made fashion's darlings, still retain in all its purity their instinctive love of hard work. Their characters do not suit them for ladies' pets, but render them the best dogs out for the man that loves his gun and quiet sport.
Amongst those wise old fellows that one comes across in the country, who like a dog with something in him, and a " Terrier," of course, the Irishman is prime favorite. And they know what they are about, those old fellows, aud are sportsmen, too, in their own sort of way, when the sun has gone down. This reminds me of a discreditable fact in the history of Irish Terriers, that they were not always only "the poor man's sentinel," but oftentimes something more, when by the aid of their marvelous noses and long legs they, when the shades of night had fallen, provided the pot with that which gave forth the savory smell and imparted a flavor to the "spuds." This, however, if it injured their moral principles, certainly sustained their love aud capability for rabbiting In olden times, too, the larger sizes were bred and used for fighting, and there is still a dash of the old fighting blood in their descendants. They dearly love a mill, and though it would be c alumny to say they are quarrelsome, yet it must be admitted that the male portion of the breed are perhaps a little too ready to resent any attempt at interfering with their coats; but are they not Irish, and when did an Irishman shirk a shindy? My dog Sporter is very true to character in this respect. Small dogs, or even those of his own size, he never deigns to notice; but if some large specimen of the genus Canit
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418 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG
approaches him, putting on " side" and airs, Sportcr immediately stiffens up visibly, his tail assumes a defiant angle above the horizontal, his cars are cocked forward alertly, and there is an ominous twitching of his upper lips which says, as plain as looks can speak, " Lave me alone, ye spalpeen." Should his warning not be accepted, a scrimmage ensues, which I speedily terminate by whipping him up under my arm by his tail and marching him Off. En jximint, I mommend this as a very effectual and safe manner of putting u stop to a canine melie. " Hitting off" Irish Terriers when tighting I have found useless; they think the pain conies from their opponent, and this only serves to rouse them to fresh efforts.
This description, although written several years ago, is still held to be correct, and nothing need be added to it.
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All that the Irish Terrier breeders now have to bewail (and the Irish always have a grievance of some kind), is the want of judges who will adhere to some one type. I was told not long since, by one of the most prominent exhibitors in England, that all he needed to know before exhibiting at a show, in order to take a prize, was the name of the judge, and that he could then choose from his kennel the dog that would be sure to win. This must be very nearly correct, as I see his name often, and always among the first flight. This is not right; and as the Irish Terrier Club has adopted a standard, which is accepted by all the most prominent breeders, it ought to be adhered to. The standard being established, all that is necessary is for judges to abide by it, and disqualify till dogs that go over the recognized weight of twenty-four pounds. If this were done, and the cropping question permanently disposed of, there would then be a bright future for the Irish Terrier and his breeder. The Irish Terrier now stands third or fourth in numbers at all shows in England and Ireland, being outnumbered* only by Fox Terriers, Collies, and St. Bernards. This is a good showing, considering how short a time the modern Irish Terrier hits been before the public.
The illustrations which accompany this article are for the information of breeders and the public. Norah represents the old type. She is built on the lines of the Irish Wolfhound, and her weight was twenty-two pounds when in condition. The same model could have carried very well thirty to forty pounds; but her day is past, and
THE IRISH TERRIER. 419
the Irish Terrier of to-day is modeled after the second illustration, which represents a dog that weighed about twenty pounds. From his shape and build it is clearly impossible that a dog of his type would be of any use at much over that weight, being lower on legs and shorter ribbed; if he were heavy, he could not get over the ground as easily as a lighter-built dog.
Perhaps the best all-round dog that has been before the public lately is Playday, whose death we have lately seen recorded. He was the first uncropped dog that was ever awarded a inize, and was successful under almost all the judges at the English shows. He is proving himself a typical dog, although as an immediate sire he has not made a good record; but his grandsons and granddaughters are coming well to the front.
There is one point that can not be passed over in favor of the Irish Terrier, and that is his ability to adapt himself to any climate or any surroundings. In this respect, he is a long way ahead of either the Fox Terrier or the Scotch Terrier. He is daily in request for India, China, and the antipodes, where the other breeds fail to acclimatize. He is just as happy in the closed-up den of the peasant as he is in the kennel of the millionaire. He is, par excellence., the dog of the people.
In this connection, the notes of Mr. Ridgway and Mr. Jamison, both prominent Irish fanciers of the breed in question, are well worthy of study, and are given below, as well as the scale of points which has been adopted by the Irish Terrier Club, and is now accepted by all breeders.
Mr. Ridgway says:
That the Irish Terrier is and has been a pure breed of dogs indigenous to Ireland, is a fact undoubted, and undisputed by the oldest fanciers and breeders still living, who can well remember the dog fifty or sixty years ago, and at a time before the introduction to this country of the Skye, Yorkshire, or English Bull Terrier, now so fashionable in many parts.
No doubt this breed Lms of late years been allowed to degenerate sadly, from want of proper interest having been taken in it; but notwithstanding this, we can still bring forward specimens of our Irish Terriers, such as have been seen at several of our leading Irish shows, which for usefulness, intelli-
420 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG
gence, and gameness, as well as general appear, nee, are second to no breed of Terriers in the kingdom.
As a breed, they are peculiarly adapted to the country, being particularly hardy, and able to bear any amount of wet, cold, and hardship without showing the slightest symptoms of fatigue. Their coat also being a hard and winone, they can hunt the thickest gorse or furze cover without the slightest inconvenience. As for the capabilities of these dogs for taking the water, and hunting in it as well as on land, I may mention, as one instance, that a gentleman in the adjoining County of Tipperary keeps a pack of these Terriers, and has done so for years, with which he will hunt otters as successfully as anyone can with any pack of pure Otter Hounds.
Within the last few years, and since the introduction of dog shows into Ireland, a far greater interest than heretofore has been taken in this breed,
PHOTO OMMITTED
IRISH TERRIER - MARS
Owned by W.J. Comstock 216 Canal Street, Providence, R.I.
and consequently a greater amount of care is evinced now in selecting the proper specimens to breed from; so that in a short time we may look forward to see the Irish Terrier just as fashionable and as much sought for in England as the English Fox Terrier is at present.
Mr. Jamison says:
The Irish Terrier, as his name denotes, is the representative of the Emerald Isle, and especially suitable for his native damp country, being able to stand much more wet, cold, and fatigue than most other Terriers. The coat is so hard and flat on the body that water can not penetrate it, and not being too long, does not hinder the dog in cover-work. This breed is more used as vermin destroyers than for any other purpose, which principally accounts for breeding for size being i.eglected. However, within the last fifteen years the breed has been much closer looked after, and at the present time, there are a
THE IRISH TERRIER. 421
number of these dogs that in point of show qualities will vie as near perfection as most breeds.
There arc certain enthusiasts who have been writing this breed up in fancier papers as the only genuine working Terrier. This, of course, is nun sense. At the same time it is a recognized fact that from their peculiar hardy, active habits they, at least, are deserving of a front rank among working Terriers. The Irish Terrier Club has recently been the means of the breed being brought something more prominently before the public, hut some of the prominent members will require to exercise a little more imlience and forbearance, or the object of the club will be frustrated.
The Irish Terrier Club's scale of points and description of the true Irish Terrier are here given:
POSITIVE POINTS.
Value. ' Value.
Head, jaw. teeth, and eyes - 15 Hind quarters und stern - 10
Ears - 3 Coat - 15
Legs and feet - 10 Color - 10
Neck - ?? Size and symmetry.............. 10
Shoulders and chest - 10 Back and loin - 10
Total - 100
NEGATIVE POINTS.
Value. Value.
White nails, toes.and feet... .minus 10 Cost shaggy.curly orsoft. .minus 10
Much white on chest......... " 10 Uneven in color ........ " 6
Ban cropped................ " 5 �
Mouth undershot or cankered*. " 10 Total ..................... AO
Disqualifying Points: Nose, cherry or red; brindle color.
Head. - Long; skull flat, and rather narrow between ears, getting slightly narrower toward the eye; free from wrinkle; stop hardly visible, except in profile. The jaw must be strong and muscular, but not too full in the cheek, and of a good punishing length, but not so line as a White
English Terrier's. There should be a slight falling away below the eye, so as not to have a Greyhound appearance. Hair on face of same description as on body, but short (about a quarter of an inch long), in appearance almost smooth and straight; a slight beard is the only longish hair
(and it is only long in comparison with the rest) that is permissible, and that is characteristic.
Teeth. - Should be strong and level.
Lips. - Not so tight as a Bull Terrier's, but well-fitting,
showing through the hair their black lining.
Nose. - Must be black.
422 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG.
Eyes. - A dark hazel-color, small, not prominent, and full of life, fire, and intelligence.
Ears. - When uncut, small and V-shaped, of moderate thickness, set well up on head and dropping forward closely to the cheek. The ear must be free of fringe, and the hair thereon shorter and generally darker in color than the body.
Neck. - Should be of a fair length, and gradually widening toward the shoulders, well carried, and free of throatiness. There is generally a slight sort of frill visible at each side of the neck, running nearly to the corner of the ear, which is looked on as very characteristic.
Shoulders and chest. - Shoulders must be fine, long, and sloping well into the back; the chest deep and muscular, but neither full nor wide.
Back and loin. - Body moderately long; back should be
strong and straight, with no appearance of slackness
behind the shoulders; the loin broad and powerful, and
slightly arched; ribs fairly sprung, rather deep than round,
and well ribbed back.
Hind quarters. - Well under the dog; should be strong
and muscular, the thighs powerful, hocks near the ground,
stifles not much bent.
Stem. - Generally docked; should be free of fringe or
feather, set on pretty high, carried gaily, but not over the
back or curled.
Feet and- legs.�Feet should be strong, tolerably round,
and moderately small; toes arched, and neither turned out
nor in; black toe-nails are preferable and most desirable.
Legs moderately long, well set from the shoulders, perfectly
straight, with plenty of bone and muscle; the elbows work-
ing freely clear of the sides, pasterns short and straight,
hardly noticeable. Both fore and hind legs should be
moved straight forward when traveling, the stifles not
turned outward, the legs free of feather, and covered, like
the head, with as hard a texture of coat as body, but not
so Ion-.
Coat. - Hard and wiry, free of softness or silkiness, not
THE IRISH TERRIER. 423
so long as to hide the outlines of the body, particularly in the hind quarters, straight and flat, no shagginess, and free of lock or curl.
Color.�Should be "whole colored,'' the most preferable being bright red; next wheaten, yellow, and gray�brindle disqualifying. White sometimes appears on chest and feet; it is more objectionable on the latter than on the chest, as a speck of white on chest is frequently to be seen
in all self-colored breeds.
Size and symmetry.�Weight in show condition, from sixteen pounds to twenty-four pounds�say sixteen pounds to twenty-two pounds for bitches and eighteen pounds to twenty-four pounds for dogs. The most desirable weight is twenty-two pounds or under, which is a nice, stylish, and useful size. The dog must present an active, lively, lithe, and wiry appearance; lots of substance, at the same time free of clumsiness, as speed and endurance, as well as power, are very essential. They must be neither " cloddy" nor "cobby," but should be framed on the "lines of
speed," showing a graceful "racing outline."
Temperamemt.�Dogs that are very game are usually surly or snappish. The Irish Terrier, as a breed, is an exception, being remarkably good-tempered�notably so with mankind; it being admitted, however, that he is perhaps a little too ready to resent interference on the part of
other dogs. There is a heedless, reckless pluck about the Irish Terrier which is characteristic, and coupled with the headlong dash, blind to all consequences, with which he rushes at his adversary, has earned for the breed the proud epithet of "the dare-devils." When "off duty" they
are characterized by a quiet, caress-inviting appearance; and when one sees them endearingly, timidly pushing their heads into their master's hands, it is difficult to realize that on occasion, at the "set on," they can prove they have the courage of a lion, and will fight on to the last breath in their bodies. They develop an extraordinary devotion to, and have been known to track their masters almost incredible distances.
424 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG.
As a matter of information for those interested, I give below the names and addresses of a few of the prominent breeders and owners of Irish Terriers in this country:
Chestnut Hill Kennels, Philadelphia, Penn.; J. F. McFadden, 121 Chestnut street, Philadelphia, Penn.; Thomas Pulverstaft, 47 Sands street, Brooklyn, N. Y.; F. P. Kirby, 135 South Eighth street, Philadelphia, Penn.; E. Wetmore, 343 Lexington avenue, New York City; Associated Fanciers, 140 South Eighth street, Philadelphia, Penn.; Ogden
Goelet, 608 Fifth avenue, New York City; Somerset Kennels, Bernardsville, N. J.; W. J. Comstock, 220 Canal street, Providence, R. I.; W- S. Clark, Linden, Mass.; H. Denning, 474 Sixth avenue, New York City; P. F. Clancy, 440 Second street, South Boston, Mass.; Charles F. Leland, 7 Beck Hall, Cambridge, Mass.; VV. L. and II. A. Harris,
North Wilmington. Mass.; Edward Lever, 707 Walnut street, Philadelphia, Penn.; E. P. Saltonstall, Chestnut Hill, Mass.; William A. Dupee, Chestnut Hill, Mass.; Lawrence Timpson, Red Hook, N. J.; II. A. Allan, Montreal, Canada, and Joseph Lindsay, Montreal, Canada
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