The Dog

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"The size, or, as we should rather say, the height of a fox-hound, is
a point on which there has been much difference of opinion. Mr.
Chule's pack was three inches below the standard of Mr. Villebois',
and four inches below that of Mr. Warde's. The advocates of the former
assert, that they get better across a deep and strongly fenced
country, while the admirers of the latter insist on their being better
climbers of hills and more active in cover. As to uniformity in size,
it is by no means essential to the well-doing of hounds in the field,
and has been disregarded by some of our best sportsmen: Mr. Meynell
never drafted a good hound on account of his being over or under
sized. The proper standard of height in fox-hounds is from 21 to 22
inches for bitches, and from 23 to 24 for dog-hounds. Mr. Warde's
bitches, the best of the kind that our country contained, were rather
more than 23 inches. A few of his dogs were 25 inches high. The amount
of hounds annually bred will depend upon the strength of the kennel.
From sixty to eighty couples is the complement for a four days a-week
pack, which will require the breeding of a hundred couples of puppies
every year, allowing for accidents and distemper." [14]

Nimrod very properly observes, that

"Mr. Beckford has omitted a point much thought of by the modern
sportsmen, namely, 'the back-ribs', which should also be deep, as in a
strong-bodied horse, of which we say, when so formed, that he has a
good 'spur place;' a point highly esteemed in him. Nor is he
sufficiently descriptive of the hinder legs of the hound; for there is
a length of thigh discernible in first-rate hounds which, like the
well-let-down hock of the horse, gives them much superiority of speed,
and is also a great security against their laming themselves in
leaping fences, which they are more apt to do when they become blown
and consequently weak. The fore legs, 'straight as arrows,' is an
admirable illustration of perfection in those parts by Beckford; for,
as in a bow or bandy legged man, nothing is so disfiguring to a hound
as having his elbows projecting, and which is likewise a great check
to speed." [15]

Mr. Daniel gives a curious account of the prejudices of sportsmen on the
subject of colour. The white dogs were curious hunters, and had a
capital scent; the black, with some white spots, were obedient, good
hunters, and with good constitutions; the gray-coloured had no very
acute scent, but were obstinate, and indefatigable in their quest; the
yellow dogs were impatient and obstinate, and taught with difficulty.
[16]

The dog exhibits no criteria of age after the first two years. That
period having elapsed, the whiteness and evenness of the teeth soon pass
away, and the 'old' dog can scarcely be mistaken. Nimrod scarcely speaks
too positively when he says that an old hound cannot be mistaken, if
only looked in the face. At all events, few are found in a kennel after
the eighth year, and very few after the ninth.

Mr. Beckford advises the sportsman carefully to consider the size,
shape, colour, constitution, and natural disposition of the dog from
which he breeds, and also the fineness of the nose, the evident strength
of the limb, and the good temper and devotion to his master which he
displays. The faults or imperfections in one breed may be rectified in
another; and, if this is properly attended to, there is no reason why
improvements may not continually be made.

The separation of the sexes in the kennel and in the field is one of the
latest innovations in the hunting world, and generally considered to be
a good one. The eye is pleased to see a pack of hounds, nearly or quite
of a size. The character of the animal is more uniformly displayed when
confined to one sex. In consequence of the separation of the two, the
dogs are less inclined to quarrel; and the bitches are more at their
ease than when undergoing the importunate solicitations of the male. As
to their performances in the field, opinions vary, and each sex has its
advocates. The bitch, with a good fox before her, is decidedly more
off-hand at her work; but she is less patient, and sometimes overruns
the scent. Sir Bellingharn Graham has been frequently heard to say, that
if his kennels would have afforded it, he would never have taken a
dog-hound into the field. That in the canine race the female has more of
elegance and symmetry of form, consequently more of speed, than the
male, is evident to a common observer; but there is nothing to lead to
the conclusion that, in the natural endowments of the senses, any
superiority exists. [17]

The bitch should not be allowed to engage in any long and severe chase
after she has been lined. She should be kept as quiet as may be
practicable, and well but not too abundantly fed; each having a kennel
or place of retreat for herself. She should be carefully watched, and
especially when the ninth week approaches. The huntsman and the keeper
without any apparent or unnecessary intrusion, should be on the alert.

The time of pupping having arrived, as little noise or disturbance
should be made as possible; but a keeper should be always at hand in
case of abortion or difficult parturition. Should there be a probability
of either of these occurring, he should not be in a hurry; for, as much
should be left to nature as can, without evident danger, be done, and
the keeper should rarely intrude unless his assistance is indispensable.

The pupping being accomplished, the mother should be carefully attended
to. She should be liberally fed, and particularly should have her share
of animal food, and an increased quantity of milk.

The bitch should not have whelps until she has hunted two seasons; for,
before that time it will be scarcely possible to ascertain her
excellences or defects. If there are any considerable faults, she should
be immediately rejected.

When the time approaches for her to produce her puppies, she should be
allowed a certain degree of liberty, and should choose her couch and run
about a little more than usual; but, when the young ones are born, the
less they are handled the better. The constitution and appearance of the
mother will indicate how many should be kept. If two litters are born at
or about the same time, or within two or three days of each other, we
may interchange one or two of the whelps of each of them, and perhaps
increase the value of both.

When the whelps are able to crawl to a certain distance, it will be time
to mark them, according to their respective litters, some on the ear and
others on the lip. The dew-claws should be removed, and, usually, a
small tip from the tail. Their names also should be recorded.

The whelps will begin to lap very soon after they can look about them,
and should remain with the mother until they are fully able to take care
of themselves. They may then be prepared to go to quarters.

Two or three doses of physic should be given to the mother, with
intervals of four or five days between each: this will prepare her to
return to the kennel.

There is often considerable difficulty in disposing of the whelps until
they get old and stout enough to be brought into the kennel. They are
mostly sent to some of the neighbouring cottages, in order to be taken
care of; but they are often neglected and half starved there. In
consequence of this, distemper soon appears, and many of them are lost.

Whelps 'walked', or taken care of at butchers' houses, soon grow to a
considerable size; but they are apt to be heavy-shouldered and throaty,
and perhaps otherwise deformed. There is some doubt whether it might not
be better for the sportsman to take the management of them himself, and
to have a kennel built purposely for them. It may, perhaps, be feared
that the distemper will get among them: they would, however, be well
fed, and far more comfortable than they now are; and, as to the
distemper, it is a disease that they must have some time or other.

From twenty to thirty couples are quite as many as can be easily
managed; and the principal consideration is, whether they are steady,
and as nearly as possible equal of speed. When the packs are very large,
the hounds are seldom sufficiently hunted to be good. Few persons choose
to hunt every day, or, if they did, it is not likely that the weather
would permit them. The sportsman would, therefore, be compelled to take
an inconvenient number into the field, and too many must be left behind.
In the first place, too many hounds in the field would frequently spoil
the sport; and, on the other hand, the hounds that remained would get
out of wind, or become riotous, or both. Hounds, to be useful and good,
should be constantly hunted; but a great fault in many packs is their
having too many old dogs among them.

Young hounds, when first taken to the kennel, should be kept separate
from the rest of the pack, otherwise there will be frequent and
dangerous quarrels. When these do occur, the feeder hears, and
sometimes, but not so frequently as he ought, endeavours to discover the
cause of the disturbance, and visits the culprits with deserved
punishment; too often, however, he does not give himself time for this,
but rushes among them, and flogs every hound that he can get at, guilty
or not guilty. This is a shameful method of procedure. It is the cause
of much undeserved punishment: it spoils the temper of the dog, and
makes him careless and indifferent as long as he lives.

Mr. Beckford very properly remarks, that

"Young hounds are, and must be awkward at first, and should be taken
out, a few at a time, with couples not too loose. They are thus
accustomed to the usual occurrences of the road, and this is most
easily accomplished when a young and an old dog are coupled together."

A sheep-field is the next object, and the young hound, properly watched,
soon becomes reconciled, and goes quietly along with the companion of
the preceding day. A few days afterwards the dogs are uncoupled in the
field, and perhaps, at first, are not a little disposed to attack the
sheep; but the cry of "Ware sheep!" in a stern tone of voice, arrests
them, and often, without the aid of the whip; it being taken as a
principle that this instrument should be used as seldom as possible. If,
indeed, the dog is self-willed, the whip must be had recourse to, and
perhaps with some severity; for, if he is once suffered to taste the
blood of the sheep, it may be difficult to restrain him afterwards. A
nobleman was told that it was possible to break his dogs of the habit of
attacking his sheep, by introducing a large and fearless ram among them;
one was accordingly procured and turned into the kennel. The men with
their whips and voices, and the ram with his horns, soon threw the whole
kennel into confusion. The hounds and the ram were left together.
Meeting a friend soon afterwards, "Come," said he, "to the kennel, and
see what rare sport the ram is making among the hounds." His friend
asked whether he was not afraid that some of them might be spoiled.
"No," said he; "they deserve it, and let them suffer." They proceeded to
the kennel; all was quiet. The kennel-door was thrown open, and the
remains of the ram were found scattered about: the hounds, having filled
their bellies, had retired to rest.

The time of entering young hounds must vary in different countries. In a
corn country, it should not be until the wheat is carried; in grass
countries, somewhat sooner; and, in woodlands, as soon as we please.
Frequent hallooing may be of use with young hounds; it makes them more
eager; but, generally speaking, there is a time when it may be of use, a
time when it does harm, and a time when it is perfectly indifferent.

The following remarks of Mr. Beckford are worthy of their author:

"Hounds at their first entering cannot be encouraged too much. When
they begin to know what is right, it will be soon enough to chastise
them for doing wrong, and, in such case, one rather severe beating
will save a great deal of trouble. The voice should be used as well as
the whip; and the smack of the whip will often be of as much avail as
the lash to him who has felt it."

Flogging hounds in the kennel, the frequent practice of too many
huntsmen, should be held in utter abhorrence, and, if carried to a
considerable excess, is a disgrace to humanity. Generally speaking, none
but the sportsman can form an adequate conception of the perfect
obedience of the hound both in the kennel and the field. At
feeding-time, each dog, although hungry enough, will go through the gate
in the precise order in which he is called by the feeder; and, in a
well-broken pack, to chop at, or to follow a hare, or to give tongue on
a false scent, or even to break cover alone, although the fox is in
view, are faults that are rarely witnessed.

Let not this obedience, however, be purchased by the infliction of a
degree of cruelty that disgraces both the master and the menial. A young
fox-hound may, possibly, mistake the scent of a hare for that of a fox,
and give tongue. In too many hunts he will be unmercifully flogged for
this, and some have almost died under the lash. Mercy is a word totally
unknown to a great proportion of whippers-in, and even to many who call
themselves gentlemen. There can be no occasion or excuse for barbarity:
a little trouble, and moderate punishment, and the example of his
fellows, will gradually teach the wildest hound his duty.

That the huntsman, and not the hound, may occasionally be in fault, the
following anecdote will furnish sufficient proof. In drawing a strong
cover, a young bitch gave tongue very freely, while none of the other
hounds challenged. The whipper-in railed to no purpose; the huntsman
insisted that she was wrong, and the whip was applied with great
severity. In doing this, the lash accidentally struck one of her eyes
out of its socket.

Notwithstanding the dreadful pain that must have ensued, she again took
up the scent, and proved herself right; for the fox had stolen away, and
she had broken cover after him, unheeded and alone. After much delay and
cold hunting, the pack hit off the same scent.

At some distance a farmer informed the sportsmen, that they were a long
way behind the fox, for he had seen a single hound, very bloody about
the head, running breast-high, so that there was but little chance of
their getting up with her. The pack, from her coming to a check, did at
last overtake her.

The same bitch once more hit off the scent, and the fox was killed,
after a long and severe run. The eye of the poor animal, that had hung
pendent through the chase, was then taken off with a pair of scissors.

THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE SEASON.

During the beginning of autumn, the hounds should be daily exercised
when the weather will permit. They should often be called over in the
kennel to habituate them to their names, and walked out among the sheep
and deer, in order that they may he accustomed perfectly to disregard
them.

A few stout hounds being added to the young ones, some young foxes may
occasionally be turned out. If they hunt improper game, they must be
sternly checked. Implicit obedience is required until they have been
sufficiently taught as to the game which they are to pursue. No
obstinate deviation from it must ever be pardoned. The hounds should be,
as much as possible, taken out into the country which they are
afterwards to hunt, and some young foxes are probably turned out for
them to pursue. At length they are suffered to hunt their game in
thorough earnest, and to taste of its blood.

After this they are sent to more distant covers, and more old hounds are
added, and so they continue until they are taken into the pack, which
usually happens in September. The young hounds continue to be added, two
or three couple at a time, until all have hunted. They are then divided
into two packs, to be taken out alternate days. Properly speaking, the
sport cannot be said to begin until October, but the two preceding
months are important and busy ones. [18]

"It would appear, then," says Nimrod, "that the breeding of a pack of
fox-hounds, bordering on perfection, is a task of no ordinary
difficulty. The best proof of it is to be found in the few sportsmen
that have succeeded in it. Not only is every good quality obtained if
possible, but every imperfection or fault is avoided. The highest
virtue in a fox-hound is his being true to the line his game has gone,
and a stout runner at the end of the chase. He must also be a patient
hunter when there is a cold scent and the pack is at fault."

While there is no country in the world that can produce a breed of
horses to equal the English thorough-bred in his present improved state,
there are no dogs like the English fox-hound for speed, scent, and
continuance. It would seem as if there were something in the climate
favourable and necessary to the perfection of the hound. Packs of them
have been sent to other countries, neighbouring and remote; but they
have usually become more or less valueless.

As regards the employment of the voice and the horn when out with
hounds, too much caution cannot be used. A hound should never be cheered
unless we are perfectly convinced that he is right, nor rated unless we
are sure that he is wrong. When we are not sure of what is going on we
should sit still and be silent. A few moments will possibly put us in
possession of all that we wish to know. [19]

The horn should only be used on particular occasions, and a huntsman
should speak by his horn as much as by his voice. Particular notes
should mean certain things, and the hounds and the field should
understand the language. We have heard some persons blowing the horn all
the day long, and the hounds have become so careless as to render it of
no use. When a hound first speaks in cover to a fox, you may, if you
think it necessary, use 'one single' and prolonged note to get the pack
together. The same note will do at any time to call up a lost or
loitering hound; but, when the fox breaks cover, then let your horn be
marked in its notes: let it sound as if you said through it, "Gone away!
gone away! gone away! away! away! away!" dwelling with full emphasis on
the last syllable. Every hound will fly from the cover the moment he
hears this, and the sportsmen and the field will know that the fox is
away.

It is the perfection of the horse, and the perfection of the hound, and
the disregard of trifling expense, that has given to Englishmen a
partiality for field-sports, unequalled in any other country. Mr. Ware's
pack of fox-hounds cost 2000 guineas, and the late Lord Middleton gave
the same to Mr. Osbaldeston for ten couples of his hounds.

HUNTING-KENNELS.

It is time, however, to speak of the kennel, whether we regard the
sporting architecture of Mr.G. Tattersall, or the scientific inquiries
of Mr. Vyner, or a sketch of the noble buildings at Goodwood.

The lodging-rooms should be ceiled, but not plastered, with ventilators
above and a large airy window on either side. The floors should be laid
with flags or paved with bricks. Cement may be used instead of mortar,
and the kennels will then be found wholesome and dry. The doorways of
the lodging-houses will generally be four feet and a half wide, in the
clear. The posts are rounded, to prevent the hounds from being injured
when they rush out. The benches may be made of cast-iron or wood; those
composed of iron being most durable, but the hounds are more frequently
lamed in getting to them. The wooden benches must be bound with iron, or
the hounds will gnaw or destroy them. A question has arisen, whether the
benches should be placed round the kennel, or be in the centre of it,
allowing a free passage by the side. There is least danger of the latter
being affected by the damp. The walls should be wainscoted to the height
of three feet at least. This will tend very considerably to their
comfort.

The floors of all the courts should be arranged in nearly the same way;
the partition walls being closed at the bottom, but with some iron work
above. The doorways should also be so contrived, that the huntsman may
be able to enter whenever he pleases. The boiling-house should be at as
great a distance from the hunting-kennel as can be managed, continuing
to give warmth to the infirmary for distempered puppies, and at the same
time being out of the way of the other courts.

Mr. Vyner gives an interesting account of the young hounds' kennel:

"This building," he says, "should be as far from the other
lodging-rooms as the arrangements of the structure will allow. There
is also an additional court, or grass-yard, an indispensable requisite
in the puppies' kennel. The size must be regulated according to the
waste land at the end of the building; but the longer it is, the
better. At the farther end of the grass-court is a hospital for such
young hounds as are distempered, so contrived as to be remote from the
other kennels, and, at the same time, within an easy distance of the
boiling-house, whence it is apparently approached by an outside door,
through which the feeder can constantly pass to attend to the sick
hounds without disturbing the healthy lots. Although this lodging room
is warmed by the chimney of the boiling-house, it must be well
ventilated by two windows, to which shutters must be attached;
ventilation and good air being quite as necessary to the cure of
distemper as warmth."

KENNEL LAMENESS.

We now proceed to a most important and ill-understood subject--the
nature and treatment of 'kennel lameness'. It is a subject that nearly
concerns the sportsman, and on which there are several and the most
contrary opinions.

This is a kind of lameness connected with, or attributable to, the
kennel. According to the early opinion of Mr. Asheton Smith, who is a
good authority, it was referable to some peculiarity in the breed or
management of the hounds; but, agreeably to a later opinion, it is
dependent on situation and subsoil, and may be aggravated or increased
by circumstances over which we have no control. Some kennels are in low
and damp situations, yet the hounds are free from all complaint: and
others, with the stanchest dogs and under the best management, are
continually sinking under kennel lameness.

Mr. R. T. Vyner was one of the first who scientifically treated on this
point, and taught us that 'clay is not by any means an objectionable
soil to build a kennel upon', although so many pseudo-sportsmen are
frightened by the very name of it.

He enters at once into his subject.

"I am thoroughly convinced," says he, "from my own experience, and, I
may add, my own suffering, that the disease of kennel lameness arises
only from one cause, and that is an injudicious and unfortunate
selection of the spot for building. The kennel is generally built on a
sand-bed, or on a sandstone rock, while the healthiest grounds in
England are on a stiff clay, and they are the healthiest because they
are the least porous. Although this may be contrary to the opinion and
prejudice of the majority of sportsmen, it is a fact that cannot be
contradicted.

"Through a light and friable soil, such as sand and sandstone, a
vapour, more or less dense, is continually exhaling and causing a
perpetual damp, which produces that fearful rheumatism which goes by
the name of kennel lameness, while the kennels that are built on a
clay soil, a soil of an impervious nature, are invariably healthy.

"I could," he adds, "enumerate twenty kennels to prove the effect--the
invariable effect--of the existence of the disease on the one part,
and of the healthiness of the situation on the other. I turn
particularly to her Majesty's kennel at Ascot, the arches of which
were laid under the very foundation strain, and yet little at no
amendment has ever taken place in the healthiness and comfort of the
dogs. It is necessary to select a sound and healthy situation when
about to erect a kennel, and that sound and healthy situation can be
met with alone on a strong impervious clay soil. We must have no fluid
oozing through the walls or the floor of the kennel, and producing
damp and unhealthy vapours, such as we find in the sandbed."

With regard to this there can be no error.

Nimrod, in his excellent treatise on 'Kennel Lameness', asks, whether it
does not appear that this disease is on the increase. He asks,

"How is it that neither Beckford nor Somerville says one word that
clearly applies to the disease; and no one, however learned he might
be in canine pathology, has been able clearly to define the disease,
much less to discover a remedy for it?"

All that Mr. Blaine says on the matter amounts only to this:

"The healthiness of the situation on which any kennel is to be built,
is an important consideration. It is essential that it should be both
dry and airy, and it should also be warm. A damp kennel produces
rheumatism in dogs, which shows itself sometimes by weakness in the
loins, but more frequently by lameness in the shoulders, known under
the name of kennel lameness."