The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-08

meant to be shot over have by no means
been neglected by the English breeders
and by the inportations from the other
side Since the bench shows in the various
parts of the country made dog breeding
fashionable pursuit our old fashioned sport
ing dogs have been improved by mixture
with the very best strains of British blood
Has it improved them, some will ask.
have recently gone into this question very
deeply, and / am compelled to believe that
the setter and pointer have both been very
much improved, both in beauty of confor-
nation and ability to work in the field by
the effort to breed these dogs to as nearly
rs possible the standards which guide the
judges at the bench shows in awarding
prizes. And what is more to the purpose,
the BENCH show winners have as rule been
the most consistent performers in the field
trials. The limit of this article does not
permit me to do more than state these gen.
eral conclusions.
The pointer is probably of Spanish orr
gin, and is SO called from the position he
takes when he discovers the game he seeks.
Darwin says that this arrested position is
probably one to the halt any animal makes
before final spring upon its prey. How
ever this may be, through many genera
lions of careful training the pointer, when
he has learned the A, B, G of his business,
would do anything rather than spring
upon his prey. An English painter who
was sketching pair of pointers says that
upon one occasion he knew them to stand
at a point as rigid as statues for an hour
and a half. Certainly they must have
been more capital models than painters
often have the luck to fad.
The points desirable in this dog are "a
moderately large head, wide rather than
long, with wide forehead and an intelli-
gent eye of medium size" The muzzle
should be broad and fiews manifest but not
pendant. The head should be well set on
/ the neck, and the neck should be long,
convex in its upper outline, without any
dewlap or ruff The body should be Of
good length, hips wide, loin strong and
rather arched ribs The tail should be
strong at its base and become rapidly fine.
This fine pointed tail is of much impor~
tance in Judging the pointer. When it is
otherwise it shows conclusively that the
pointer has been crossed with some other
dog The shoulders are of much inlpor-
tance, and should be strong, so that the
dog can last through log day Of work.
1lSnby OIL DOue SuOulu NC tOuu'l i'll Gue lcgr
which should be well clothed with muscle
and tendon, and he should have a round
strong foot, provided with a hard sole.
Stonehenge thinks that the pointer should
be principally white, and they usually are
so, with yellow, black, liver or lemon col
ored spots about the head. But the color
does not make as much difference as the
intelligence, patience and endurance Of the
dog in the hunting field.
The pointer, however, is not only useful
as sporting dog, he is most companions
able fellow, and capable of deal of afTec
ton and fidelity This may also be sale
of the setter, which is only less popular
than the pointer as field dog. The dos
show magnates recognize three classes O
setters-the English, the Irish and thu
Gordon. The setter is one of the spanie
family, one of Frederick Cuvier's subdi
visions OF the canine family. This dos
takes his name, too, from the attitude h
assumes when the game is found, and Oar
,, win thinks that the crouching position i
but preliminary to the spring upon hi
prey. Other English writers say that thi
crouching position was taught to the set
ter before the improvement in fowlins
pieces made wing shooting possible by tn
men who caught birds in nets The do!
would find the covey and would crouch Oh
,, the ground, so that the men with the ne
could throw it over and thus snare tn
birds. It has now become instinct wit
, this breed of dogs, and puppies do it befor
taking the first lesson.