Kennel Notes

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 13, 11 June 1920, Page 11

Kennel Notes

After the Invercargill Kennel Club show there was to be fonnd those who failed to take their beating in a sporting spirit. Some of their reasoning was on a par with the following which is supposed to have happened somewhere somtime : — "'Ere! 'ow is it my dawg didn't get a prize ?" The judge proceeded to explain : "Well, for one thing his legs are too short and " "Too short!" exclaimed the disappointed one; "ain't they touching the ruddy ground 'Ow much longer d'ye want them !" From time to time we intend giving the standards of the various popular breeds. In this issue we give the English setter. The English Setter always makes many friends at the shows, and a specimen that has a classical head, good coat and feather is generally amongst the first three in a Bracelet Class, and it is quite safe to say that many of our best show specimens are workers and broken to the gun. Although the setters are divided into three ■'istjnct varieties, it is generally understood that they all have a common origin, all do the same kind of work and adopt the same metliods in their work. The setters we see on the show benches of New Zealand are fairly well up to standard, and there is no doubt that breeders are going on the right lines to produce a type of dog as near as possible approaching the standard, and combining in him the attributes necessarv for his work in the field. THE STANDARD. The following is the standard which has been adopted by the English Setter Club (England) : — Head. — The head shoukl be. long and lean, with well-defined stop. The skull oval from ear to ear, sliowing plenty of brain room and with a well-defined occipital protuberance. The muzzle moderately deep and fairly square; from the stop to the point of the nose should be long, the nostrils wide, and the jaws of nearly equal length; flews not- too pendulous. The" colour of the nose shonld be black, or dark, or light liver, according to the colour of the coat. The ey.es should be bright, mild and intelligent, and of a dark hazel colour — the darker the better. The ears of moderate length, set on low and hanging in ne-at folds close to the cheek ; the tip should be velvety, the upper part clothed with fine silky hair. Neck. — The neck shculd be rat-ber long. nu icular and lean, slightly arched at the c est, and clean-cut tvhere it- joins the head; towards the slionlder it should be larger, and very muscular and not throaty with any penclulosity below the throat but elegant and blood-like in appearanc*. Bodv. — The body should be of moderate length, with shoulders well set back or oblique; back short and level, loins wide, slightly arched, stror.g and muscular. Chest deep in the brisket, with good round, widely-sprung ribs. deep in the back ribs — that is, well ribbed up. Legs and Feet. — The stifle should be well bent and ragged, thighs long from hip to hock. The forearm big and very muscular, the elbow well let down. Pasterns short, muscular and straight. The feet very close and compact, and well protected by^hair between the toes. Tail. — The tail should be set on almost in a line with the back; medium length, riot curlv or ropy, to be slightly curved or scimitar-shaped, but with no tendency to turn upwards; the flag or feather hanging i?i long pendant flakes-; the featlier should not commence at the root, but slightly below, -and increase in length to tlie middle, then gradually taper off tovvards the erul ; and the hair long, bright, sofi , and silky wavy, but not curly. Coat and Feathering.' — Tlm coat from the back of the head in a line with the ears ought to be slightly wavy, long and silky, which sliould be the case with the coat generally; the breeches and forelegs, nearly down to the feet, should be well feathered. Colour and Markings. — The colour may be either black and white, lemon and white, liver and black, or tricolour — that is, black, "white and tari; those without heavy patches of colour on the bodv, but flecked all over, preferred.