The Dog

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Patience and perseverance, with a due mixture of kindness and
correction, will, however, accomplish a great deal in the tuition of the
well-bred spaniel. He may at first hunt about after every bird that
presents itself, or chase the interdicted game; but, if he is
immediately called in and rated, or perhaps corrected, but not too
severely, he will learn his proper lesson, and will recognise the game,
to which alone his attention must be directed. The grand secret in
breaking in these dogs is mildness, mingled with perseverance, the
lessons being enforced, and practically illustrated by the example of an
old and steady dog.

These spaniels will sometimes vie with almost every other species of dog
in intelligence, and will not yield to one of them in fidelity. A
gentleman in Sussex had an old cocker, that was his constant companion,
both in the house and the field. If the morning was rainy, the dog was
perfectly quiet; if it was fine, he became restless, and, at the usual
time for his master to go out, he would take him by the flap of his
coat, and gently pull at it. If the door was opened, he ran immediately
to the keeper's lodge, which was at a considerable distance from the
house. This was a signal for the other dogs to be brought up, and then
he trotted back to announce their approach.

[This beautiful and interesting dog, so called from his peculiar
suitableness for woodcock shooting, is but little known among us except
as a boudoir companion for our ladies. He is, nevertheless, extensively
used in England by sportsmen for finding and flushing this bird, as also
the pheasant; and no doubt, if introduced into our country, would prove
equally, if not more serviceable, in putting up game concealed in the
thickets and marshy hollows of our uncleared grounds. Having extremely
fine scenting powers, they are also employed in greyhound coursing, to
give warning of the proximity of a hare, which they seldom fail to
accomplish.

This active little animal hunts with great spirit, and soon becomes
attached to the sport; in fact the only difficulty to be overcome in
breaking him, is the effort it requires to make him suppress his natural
ardour and withhold his exclamations of delight till the bird is
actually on the wing. The tutelage of the cocker intended for the field
should commence as early as possible, and is not, as many suppose,
attended with great difficulty. His first lessons should be confined to
the art of bringing and carrying, which he soon, in common with all the
other members of the spaniel tribe, learns. The next thing to be
inculcated is implicit obedience to our wishes; then, at the age of four
months or so, he may be carried to the field, where his natural fondness
for hunting will soon be developed by his chasing every bird within his
reach. When this impulse is fully exhibited, and the dog expresses
gratification in the amusement, he should be then instructed to give
chase, or not, at his master's pleasure. When this desirable end has
been accomplished, he may be introduced to the particular kinds of game
which it is proposed to hunt him on, and by slow degrees teach him to
confine his attentions to those varieties alone. It is absolutely
necessary that the dog be forced to hunt as near to the sportsman as
possible, otherwise the game will be flushed at such a distance that it
will be impossible to get at it. The cocker spaniel is much smaller than
the springer; his ears are long, pendulous, and silky; his body round
and compact; his legs short and tufted; his coat variable; his nose
black; tail bushy and feathered, and, when hunting, is kept in constant
motion.

Some are black and white, others liver colour and yellow; the latter
variety we have most usually seen in this country, and some of them have
been represented to us as well-broken and serviceable dogs.--L.]

THE KING CHARLES'S SPANIEL,

so called from the fondness of Charles II for it--who usually had some
of them following him, wherever he went--belongs likewise to the
cockers. Its form and character are well preserved in one of the
paintings of the unfortunate parent of that monarch and his family. The
ears deeply fringed and sweeping the ground, the rounder form of the
forehead, the larger and moister eye, the longer and silken coat, and
the clearness of the tan, and white and black colour, sufficiently
distinguish this variety. His beauty and diminutive size have consigned
him to the drawing-room or parlour.

Charles the First had a breed of spaniels, very small, with the hair
black and curly. The spaniel of the second Charles was of the black and
tan breed.

The King Charles's breed of the present day is materially altered for
the worse. The muzzle is almost as short, and the forehead as ugly and
prominent, as the veriest bull-dog. The eye is increased to double its
former size, and has an expression of stupidity with which the character
of the dog too accurately corresponds. Still there is the long ear, and
the silky coat, and the beautiful colour of the hair, and for these the
dealers do not scruple to ask twenty, thirty, and even fifty guineas.

[This breed of dog was cultivated with such jealous care by the late
Duke of Norfolk, that no solicitation or entreaty could induce this
nobleman to part with one of these favourites, except under certain
peculiar stipulations and injunctions, as detailed in the following
interview of Mr. Blain with the late Duchess of York. "On one occasion,
when we were accompanying Her Royal Highness to her menagerie, with
almost a kennel of canine favourites behind her, after drawing our
attention to a jet black pug pup she had just received from Germany, she
remarked that she was going to show me what she considered a present of
much greater rarity, which was a true King Charles's breed sent to her
by the Duke of Norfolk. 'But,' she observed, 'would you believe he could
be so ungallant as to write word that he must have a positive promise
not from myself, but from the Duke of York, that I should not breed from
it in the direct line?'" Notwithstanding these selfish restrictions on
the part of this noble patron of the spaniel, this breed of dog has
become quite common in England, and not a few have found their way to
this country.--L.]

THE SPRINGER

This dog is slower and steadier in its range than the cocker; but it is
a much safer dog for the shooter, and can better stand a hard day's
work. The largest and best breed of springers is said to be in Sussex,
and is much esteemed in the Wealds of that county.

From a cross with the terrier a black and tan variety was procured,
which was cultivated by the late Duke of Norfolk, and thence called the
Norfolk Spaniel. It is larger than the common springer, and stancher,
and stouter. It often forms a strong individual attachment, and is
unhappy and pines away when separated from its master. It is more
ill-tempered than the common springer, and, if not well broken in, is
often exceedingly obstinate.

[Mr. Skinner informs us that this breed, in its greatest purity, may be
found in the Carrollton family, as also in the possession of Mr.
Keyworth of Washington city.--L.]

THE BLACK AND TAN SPANIEL,

the cross of the terrier being nearly or quite got rid of, is often a
beautiful animal, and is much valued, although it is frequently
considered a somewhat stupid animal. The cocker and the springer are
sometimes used as finders in coursing.

THE BLENHEIM SPANIEL,

a breed cultivated by one of the Dukes of Marlborough, belongs to this
division. From its beauty, and occasional gaiety, it is oftener an
inhabitant of the drawing-room than the field; but it occasionally
breaks out, and shows what nature designed it for. Some of these
carpeted pets acquit themselves nobly in the covert. There they ought
oftener to be; for they have not much individuality of attachment to
recommend them, and, like other spoiled animals, both quadruped and
biped, misbehave. The breed has degenerated of late, and is not always
to be had pure, even in the neighbourhood of Blenheim. This spaniel may
he distinguished by the length and silkiness of the coat, the deep
fringe about the ear, the arch and deep-feathering of the tail, the full
and moist eye, and the blackness of the palate.

THE WATER-SPANIEL.

Of this breed there are two varieties, a larger and smaller, both useful
according to the degree of range or the work required; the smaller,
however, being ordinarily preferable. Whatever be his general size,
strength and compactness of form are requisite. His head is long, his
face smooth, and his limbs, more developed than those of the springer,
should be muscular, his carcase round, and his hair long and closely
curled. Good breaking is more necessary here than even with the
land-spaniel, and, fortunately, it is more easily accomplished; for, the
water-spaniel, although a stouter, is a more docile animal than the land
one.

Docility and affection are stamped on his countenance, and he rivals
every other breed in his attachment to his master. His work is double;
first to find, when ordered so to do, and to back behind the sportsman
when the game will be more advantageously trodden up. In both he must be
taught to be perfectly obedient to the voice, that he may be kept within
range, and not unnecessarily disturb the birds. A more important part of
his duty, however, is to find and bring the game that has dropped. To
teach him to find is easy enough, for a young water-spaniel will as
readily take to the water as a pointer puppy will stop; but to bring his
game without tearing is a more difficult lesson, and the most difficult
of all is to make him suspend the pursuit of the wounded game while the
sportsman re-loads.

The water-spaniel was originally from Spain; but the pure breed has been
lost, and the present dog is probably descended from the large water-dog
and the English setter.

The water and land spaniels differ materially from each other. The
water-spaniel, although when at his work being all that his master can
desire, is, when unemployed, comparatively a slow and inactive dog; but
under this sobriety of demeanor is concealed a strength and fidelity of
attachment to which the more lively land-spaniel cannot always lay just
claim. The writer of this work once saved a young water-spaniel from the
persecution of a crowd of people who had driven it into a passage, and
were pelting it with stones. The animal had the character of being,
contrary to what his species usually are, exceedingly savage; and he
suffered himself to be taken up by me and carried from his foes with a
kind of sullenness; but when, being out of the reach of danger, he was
put down, he gazed on his deliverer, and then crouched at his feet.

From that moment he attached himself to his new master with an intensity
of affection scarcely conceivable--never expressed by any boisterous
caresses, but by endeavouring to be in some manner in contact with him;
resting his head upon his foot; lying upon some portion of his apparel,
his eye intently fixed upon him; endeavouring to understand every
expression of his countenance. He would follow one gentleman, and one
only, to the river-side, and behave gallantly and nobly there; but the
moment he was dismissed he would scamper home, gaze upon his master, and
lay himself down at his feet. In one of these excursions he was shot. He
crawled home, reached his master's feet, and expired in the act of
licking his hand.

Perhaps the author may be permitted to relate one story more of the
water-spaniel: he pledges himself for its perfect truth. The owner of
the dog is telling this tale.

"I was once on the sea-coast, when a small, badly-formed, and leaky
fishing-boat was cast on shore, on a fearful reef of rocks. Three men
and a boy of ten years old constituted the crew. The men swam on
shore, but they were so bruised against the rocks, that they could not
render any assistance to the poor boy, and no person could be found to
venture out in any way. I heard the noise and went to the spot with my
dog. I spoke to him, and in he went, more like a seal than a dog, and
after several fruitless attempts to mount the wreck he succeeded, and
laid hold of the boy, who clung to the ropes, screaming in the most
fearful way at being thus dragged into the water. The waves dashed
frightfully on the rocks. In the anxiety and responsibility of the
moment I thought that the dog had missed him, and I stripped off my
clothes, resolved to render what assistance I could. I was just in the
act of springing from the shore, having selected the moment when the
receding waves gave me the best chance of rendering any assistance,
when I saw old 'Bagsman,' for that was the name of my dog, with the
struggling boy in his mouth, and the head uppermost. I rushed to the
place where he must land, and the waves bore the boy and the dog into
my arms.

"Some time after that I was shooting wild-fowl. I and my dog had been
working hard, and I left him behind me while I went to a neighbouring
town to purchase gunpowder. A man, in a drunken frolic, had pushed off
in a boat with a girl in it; the tide going out carried the boat
quickly away, and the man becoming frightened, and unable to swim,
jumped overboard. Bagsman, who was on the spot, hearing the splash,
jumped in, swam out to the man, caught hold of him, and brought him
twenty yards towards the shore, when the drunken fellow clasped the
dog tight round the body, and they both went down together. The girl
was saved by a boat going to her assistance. The body of the man was
recovered about an hour afterwards, with that of the dog clasped tight
in his arms, thus dragging him to the bottom. 'Poor Bagsman! thy worth
deserves to be thus chronicled.'"

THE POODLE.

The particular cross from which this dog descended is unknown, but the
variety produced has been carefully preserved. It is, probably, of
continental origin, and is known by its thick curly hair concealing
almost every part of the face, and giving it the appearance of a short,
thick, unintelligent head. When, however, that hair is removed, there is
still the large head; but there is also the cerebral cavity more
capacious than in any other dog, and the frontal sinuses fully
developed, and exhibiting every indication of the intellectual class to
which it belongs.

It was originally a water-dog, as its long and curly hair, and its
propensities in its domesticated state, prove; but, from its peculiar
sagacity, it is capable of being trained to almost any useful purpose,
and its strong individual attachment renders it more the companion of
man than a mere sporting dog: indeed, its qualities as a sporting dog
are seldom recognised by its owner.

These dogs have far more courage than the water-spaniel, all the
sagacity of the Newfoundland, more general talent, if the expression may
be used, and more individual attachment than either of them, and without
the fawning of the one, or the submissiveness of the other. The poodle
seems conscious of his worth, and there is often a quiet dignity
accompanying his demonstrations of friendship.

This dog, however, possesses a very peculiar kind of intelligence. It
will almost perform the common offices of a servant: it will ring the
bell and open the door. Mr. Wilkie, of Ladythorn in Northumberland, had
a poodle which he had instructed to go through all the apparent agonies
of dying. He would fall on one side, stretch himself out, and move his
hind legs as if he were in great pain; he would next simulate the
convulsive throbs of departing life, and then stretch out his limbs and
thus seem as if he had expired. In this situation he would remain
motionless, until he had his master's command to rise.

The portrait of Sancho, a poodle, that was with difficulty forced from
the grave of his master, after the battle of Salamanca, is familiar to
many of our readers. Enticed from his post he could not be, nor was he
at length taken away until weakened by grief and starvation. He by
degrees attached himself to his new master, the Marquis of Worcester,
but not with the natural ardour of a poodle. He was attentive to every
command, and could perform many little domestic offices. Sometimes he
would exhibit considerable buoyancy of spirit; but there oftener seemed
to be about him the recollection of older and closer friendship.

Another poodle occupies an interesting place in the history of the
Peninsular war. He too belonged to a French officer, who was killed at
the battle of Castella. The French were compelled to retreat before they
could bury their dead, and the soldiers wished to carry with them their
regimental favourite; but he would not be forced from the corpse of his
master. Some soldiers afterwards traversing the field of battle, one of
them discovered the cross of the Legion of Honour on the breast of the
fallen officer, and stooped to take it away, when the dog flew savagely
at him, and would not quit his hold, until the bayonet of another
soldier laid him lifeless.

A veterinary surgeon, who, before any other animal than the horse was
acknowledged to be the legitimate object of medical care, did not
disdain to attend to the diseases of the dog, used to say that there
were two breeds which he never wished to see in his infirmary, namely,
the poodle and the Norfolk spaniel; for, although not always difficult
to manage, he could never attach them to him, but they annoyed him by
their pitiful and imploring gaze during the day, and their mournful
howling at night.

Custom has determined that the natural coat of this animal shall be
taken from him. It may be a relief to the poodle for a part of his coat
to be stripped off in hot weather, and the curly hair which is left on
his chest, contrasted with his smooth and well-rounded loins and
quarters, may make it look pretty enough; but it should he remembered
that he was not designed by nature to be thus exposed to the cold of
winter, and that there are no dogs so liable to rheumatism, and that
rheumatism degenerating into palsy, as the well-trimmed poodle.

THE BARBET

is a small poodle, the production of some unknown and disadvantageous
cross with the true poodle. It has all the sagacity of the poodle, and
will perform even more than his tricks. It is always in action; always
fidgety; generally incapable of much affection, but inheriting much
self-love and occasional ill temper; unmanageable by any one but its
owner; eaten up with red mange; and frequently a nuisance to its master
and a torment to every one else.

We must not, however, do it injustice; it is very intelligent, and truly
attached to its owner.

The barbet possesses more sagacity than most other dogs, but it is
sagacity of a particular kind, and frequently connected with various
amusing tricks. Mr. Jesse, in his Gleanings in Natural History, gives a
singular illustration of this. A friend of his had a barbet that was not
always under proper command. In order to keep him in better order, he
purchased a small whip, with which he corrected him once or twice during
a walk. On his return the whip was put on a table in the hall, but on
the next morning it was missing. It was soon afterwards found concealed
in an out-building, and again made use of in correcting the dog. Once
more it would have been lost, but, on watching the dog, who was
suspected of having stolen it, he was seen to take it from the hall
table in order to hide it once more.

THE MALTESE DOG

can be traced back to an early period. Strabo says that

"there is a town in Sicily called Melita, whence are exported many
beautiful dogs called 'Canes Melitaei'. They were the peculiar
favourites of the women; but now (A.D. 25) there is less account made
of these animals, which are not bigger than common ferrets or weasels,
yet they are not small in understanding nor unstable in their love."

They are also found in Malta and in other islands of the Mediterranean,
and they maintain the same character of being devotedly affectionate to
their owners, while, it is added,--and they are not loved the less for
that,--they are ill-tempered to strangers.

THE LION DOG

is a diminutive likeness of the noble animal whose name it bears. Its
head, neck, shoulders, and fore-legs down to the very feet, are covered
with long, wavy, silky hairs. On the other parts of the dog it is so
short as scarcely to be grasped, except that on the tail there is a
small bush of hair. The origin of this breed is not known; it is,
perhaps, an intermediate one between the Maltese and the Turkish dog.

THE TURKISH DOG,

as it is improperly called, is a native of hot climates. The supposition
of Buffon is not an improbable one, that, being taken from some
temperate country to one considerable hotter, the European dog probably
acquired some cutaneous disease. This is no uncommon occurrence in
Guinea, the East Indies, and South America. Some of these animals
afterwards found their way into Europe, and, from their singularity,
care was taken to multiply the breed. Aldrovandus states that the first
two of them made their appearance in Europe in his time, but the breed
was not continued, on account, as it was supposed, of the climate being
too cold for them.

The few that are occasionally seen in England bear about them every mark
of a degenerated race. They have no activity, and they show little
intelligence or affection. One singular circumstance appertains to all
that the author of this work has had the opportunity of seeing,--their
teeth become very early diseased, and drop from the gums. That eminent
zoologist, Mr. Yarrell, examining, with the author of this work, one
that had died, certainly not more than five years old, found that it had
neither incisors nor canine teeth, and that the molars were reduced to
one on each side, the large tubercular tooth being the only one that was
remaining. At the scientific meeting of the Zoological Society, the same
gentleman stated, that he had examined the mouths of two individuals of
the same variety, then alive at the gardens, in both of which the teeth
were remarkably deficient. In neither of them were there any false
molars, and the incisors in both were deficient in number. Before the
age of four years the tongue is usually disgustingly hanging from the
mouths of these animals.

THE ALPINE SPANIEL, OR BERNARDINE DOG,

is a breed almost peculiar to the Alps, and to the district between
Switzerland and Savoy. The passes over these mountains are exceedingly
dangerous from their steepness and narrowness. A precipice of many
hundred feet is often found on one side, and perpendicular rocks on the
other, while the path is glazed with frozen snow or ice. In many places
the path is overhung with huge masses of frozen snow, which occasionally
loosen and fall, when the dreadful storms peculiar to these regions
suddenly come on, and form an insurmountable barrier, or sweep away or
bury the unfortunate traveller. Should he escape these dangers, the path
is now become trackless, and he wanders amid the dreary solitudes until
night overtakes him; and then, when he pauses from fatigue or
uncertainty with regard to the path he should pursue, his limbs are
speedily benumbed. Fatal slumbers, which he cannot shake off, steal upon
him, and he crouches under some ledge and sleeps, to wake no more. The
snow drifts on. It is almost continually falling, and he is soon
concealed from all human help.

On the top of Mount St. Bernard, and near one of the most dangerous of
these passes, is a convent, in which is preserved a breed of large dogs
trained to search for the benighted and frozen wanderer. Every night,
and particularly when the wind blows tempestuously, some of these dogs
are sent out. They traverse every path about the mountains, and their
scent is so exquisite that they can discover the traveller, although he
may lie many feet deep in the snow. Having found him, they set to work
and endeavour to scrape away the snow, uttering a deep bark that
reverberates from rock to rock, and tells those who are watching in the
convent that some poor wretch is in peril. Generally, a little flask of
spirits is tied round the neck of the animal, by drinking which the
benighted traveller may recruit his strength, until more effectual
rescue arrive. The monks hasten in the direction of the sound, and often
succeed in rekindling the vital spark before it is quite extinguished.
Very many travellers have been thus rescued from death by these
benevolent men and their intelligent and interesting quadruped servants.

One of these Bernardine dogs, named Barry, had a medal tied round his
neck as a badge of honourable distinction, for he had saved the lives of
forty persons. He at length died nobly in his vocation. A Piedmontese
courier arrived at St. Bernard on a very stormy day, labouring to make
his way to the little village of St. Pierre, in the valley beneath the
mountain, where his wife and children lived. It was in vain that the
monks attempted to check his resolution to reach his family. They at
last gave him two guides, each of whom was accompanied by a dog, one of
which was the remarkable creature whose service had been so valuable.
Descending from the convent, they were overwhelmed by two avalanches or
heaps of falling snow, and the same destruction awaited the family of
the poor courier, who were travelling up the mountain in the hope of
obtaining some news of the husband and father.