The Sheep-Dog - Judging and Conduct of Trials and the Art of Breaking-in

William Whyte

Description

This book contains a detailed guide to the sheep-dog, being a handbook on the system of judging sheep-dog trails in New Zealand and the art of breaking-in and working sheep-dogs. "The Sheep-Dog" also contains a wealth of useful and practical information relating to the maintenance of collies, making it of considerable utility to modern owners and breeders alike. Contents include: "Definition of Points", "Judging", "Half-points", "Despatch", "Standardisation", "Judging Command", "Good Style", "Defective Style", "The Standard Classes", "The Perfect Run", "The Rough-haired Collie", "The Bearded Collie", "Judge Replying to Competitors", "Adverse Criticism", "Agitators", etc. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in a modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on dog breeding.

Sujets

• Dogs
• Pets
• Breeds

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 29 septembre 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781473343313
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE SHEEP-DOG
Judging and Conduct of Trials
and
The Art of Breaking-in

A comprehensive and practical Text-book dealing with the system of Judging Sheep-Dog Trials in New Zealand and Type on the Show Bench, and with the general management and conduct of Trials, and presenting an exhaustive treatise on the Art of Breaking-in and Working Sheep-Dogs; the whole based on successful and life-long practical experience.
By William Whyte
With Illustrations
DOG BREEDING
For every longing dame select some happy paramour;
To him alone in leagues connubial join.
Consider well his lineage; what his fathers did of old,
Chiefs of the pack, and first to climb the rock,
Or plunge into the deep, or tread the brake
With thorn sharp-pointed, plashed, and briars inwoven.
Observe with care his shape, sort, colour, size.
Nor will sagacious huntsmen less regard his inward habits.
William Somerville - The Chase (1735).
As with humans, a dog is not always the product of its immediate parents but also that of the lineage of generations of earlier ancestors. Pedigree is of great importance to any serious breeder of dogs, whether they be for exhibition or work. Just because the sire and dam of a litter of puppies are both champions in their chosen field - it does not mean that every puppy in that litter will achieve the same. It is not possible to totally eliminate the chances of any of them being a throw back to a faulty type in their lineage. Heredity will always play a large part in breeding.
Dog breeding is the practice of mating selected dogs with the intent to maintain or produce specific qualities and characteristics. When dogs reproduce without such human intervention, their offsprings characteristics are determined by natural selection, while dog breeding refers specifically to the artificial selection of dogs, in which dogs are intentionally bred by their owners. Humans have maintained populations of useful animals around their places of habitat since pre-historic times. They have intentionally fed dogs considered useful, while neglecting or killing others, thereby establishing a relationship between humans and certain types of dog over thousands of years. Over these millennia, domesticated dogs have developed into distinct types, or groups , such as livestock guardian dogs, hunting dogs, and sighthounds. Through this process, hundreds of dog breeds have been developed.
It should be the aim of every breeder to encourage quality and consistency in their kennel. A breeder should always have in mind their ideal type of dog and this image should be constantly referred to in every aspect of the breeders work. This reference point, used with much patience and some skill will eventually ensure success within the kennel. The pedigrees of stud dogs and brood matrons should be studied with great care to avoid as much as possible any divergence from the chosen route. The aims of some breeders, especially those who breed for show, will vary somewhat depending on the standard chosen by the governing bodies of a particular breed. Most breed clubs and societies will have a set format for the various elements required in their breed such as weight, height, colour, coat etc. They may even have rules applying to the dogs health, such as joint x-rays, hip certifications, and eye examinations; or specifications in working qualities, such as passing a special test or achieving at a trial.
Both inbreeding and outbreeding must be taken into account by today s breeder - although it must be noted that over-use of inbreeding can lead to health problems for the dogs. Problems such as breathing in the Pug breed and Pekingese breed, spinal problems in the Dachshund breed, and Syringomyelia in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed, are all examples of the over-use of inbreeding. Providing that a breeders stock is wisely chosen, being sound in mind and constitution, inbreeding (sensibly used) should perpetuate and accentuate any qualities which are apparent in the sire and dam. Occasionally it will happen that new blood is required in a strain which appears to be deviating from the norm for its breed. In this case, outcrosses are made with another strain or sometimes, variety, of the same breed in order to influence the path of any offspring back towards the ideal.
Success in dog breeding is hard won, but once achieved a good quality kennel will have behind it the personality of the breeder, with his vision of the ideal dog finally achieved through persistence, knowledge, experience, and above all, patience. We hope the reader enjoys this book.
CONTENTS

Preface
Definition of Points
Judging
Half-points
Despatch
Standardisation
Judging Command
Good Style
Defective Style
The Standard Classes
The Perfect Run
The Rough-haired Collie
The Bearded Collie
Judge Replying to Competitors
Adverse Criticism
Agitators
Advice to Junior Members of Committees
Sheep an Important Factor
How to Conduct a Meeting
Advice to Young Competitors
Sheep Dogs Past and Present
Propaganda
Training
Selecting a Pup
Temperament
Instinct
Early Tutorship
Preparation
Starting the Pup on Sheep
The All-round Dog
Working a Dog
Comments and Hints for Beginners
Generalities
General Treatment of Dogs and their Ailments
Poisons and their Antidotes
Estimating the Age of a Dog by appearance of his Teeth
PREFACE

My first book, entitled Judging Sheep-Dog Trials, and endorsed by the North Island Sheep-Dog Trial Association, was published in 1919, and is long since out of print. At the time of its publication, I received a large number of kind and encouraging letters concerning it, and although many of the writers of those letters were quite unknown to me, I valued highly their appreciation and support.
Since the first book has been sold out, I have had repeated requests from many quarters, including Sheep-Dog Trial Clubs, to publish a second book, which, it was suggested, should embrace as its subject matter not only the task of judging, but also the highly-skilled arts of breaking-in and working sheep-dogs, and sheep-dog work in general. To this task, not without some trepidation, I accordingly agreed to set myself.
In committing myself to the writing of a book which was to cover so wide a field, I say frankly that I was actuated not by motives of self-interest or pecuniary gain, but by a purely philanthropic spirit, and by a love of that most useful and faithful of servants, the sheep-dog. I was strengthened and encouraged in my resolution by the many assurances of good-will and support which I received from my fellow enthusiasts and colleagues in the trial field. These assurances, I may say, I regarded as an endorsement of the confidence which they had already declared in my impartiality by appointing me to the position of trust which I hold as chairman of the Executive of the North Island Sheep-dog Trial Association.
With the exception of portions of my first publication which I have incorporated in various chapters, the whole of the matter contained in the present work appears for the first time.
In all that I have now written I have simply unfolded my knowledge and poured forth my innermost thoughts and convictions, and have expressed my opinions with a strictly fair and impartial mind. I respectfully ask my readers to accept this work in the same spirit of fairness, and to judge me by my deeds and performances, which will stand the test and speak for themselves, for I hold that a man should not submit himself as one qualified to expound and teach the arts of training and judging dogs without he himself has demonstrated that he is a capable and successful man in the field, and is accepted as such by his fellow men; otherwise, it would be a case of the blind endeavouring to lead the blind.
I claim to have had exceptional opportunities of studying the art and science pertaining to sheep-dog work, as trainer, as competitor, and as judge, and in the management of sheepdog trials in general. This has brought me into contact with many of the best men of the day at working sheep-dogs. At different times I have been requested to read papers at dog trial meetings on the subjects of judging and working sheepdogs, and, having delivered these addresses, I have invited questions and discussion, by which much valuable information has been gained. This, together with a life-long study of dogs, in the course of which hundreds of impressions, records and tests have been acquired, has laid the foundations of principles that have gradually become the fixed basis of my judgment. In that judgment I have had the support and backing of the great majority of sheep-dog enthusiasts in New Zealand, men whom I have known intimately for years, and who have discussed and essentially agreed with me on the various points on which I write. I do not say that in every small phase of a question there has always been absolute unanimity of opinion, or that our conclusions have always been identical; but where differences have manifested themselves they have been but slight, or only small points have been involved. All questions present more than one aspect, especially if viewed from different stand-points, and to reach a stage of complete agreement with everyone is hardly possible; there is always the human element to be reckoned with, for, as the old proverb runs, To no two sets of men does the world seem just the same.
In dealing with the essential attributes to success in the art of judging, training and working, there may be some points that I have overlooked, or have not made sufficiently clear, but I think it will be found they are such as are difficult of explanation. For example, there are certain personal characteristics, not easily defined, which belong strictly to the constitution of the individual mind and are not readily transmitted, or have been unconsciously acquired and taken shape as one passed through the mill of