Section 11 of the American Book of the Dog. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Read by Michelle Fry, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The American Book of the Dog, G.O. Shields Editor. Section 11. The Doxon. The origin of the doxon is in doubt. Our best authorities disagreeing as to the beginning of the breed. Some writers claim that he came from Spain, while the fact that no doxons exist there which can be traced back to Spanish origin places this statement in doubt. Other authorities claim the doxon to be the oldest breed known, as carvings have been discovered on Egyptian monuments resembling the doxon of the present day. I lean more to the theory that the doxon originated in France as the Bassethound is known to be of French origin and the two breeds have many characteristics in common. There undoubtedly exists a close relationship between the two breeds as the contour of the four legs and the paws in both breeds is identical. It has been proven that during the invasion by the French armies in the 17th century the Bassethound was first seen in Germany, while previous to that time we have no positive proof that the doxon existed there. We may therefore reasonably suppose that by inbreeding of the Bassethound in Germany since that period the size of the breed has been reduced thereby better adopting the dog for the purposes required of him in that country. But that by judicious breeding certain traits and qualities have since been developed which have established the doxon in its present form. Suppose a hound set upon short legs, say from four to six inches high with a long stretched body and you have the outlines of the doxon's appearance in brief. At the first glance you see that he is intended for underground work, nearly all his muscular power being developed in the four part of his body. The appearance of the doxon is striking and to those unacquainted with the breed is such as to attract great attention. It has taken a long time for American observers to become accustomed to him and to learn to like him. There are two types of the doxon, the hound and the terrier type. Both are of equal value and are most carefully bred. In the southern parts of Germany and in all England the hound type is more generally found and is more popular while in the northern part of the empire the terrier type appears to be the favorite. Both types are used for one and the same purpose, both have the same characteristics and it is only a matter of fancy as to which is the better. As soon as bench shows were introduced in Germany the question of course sprung up as to which is the most correct type. But this question up to the present day is not decided and probably never will be. Of late the hound type seems to be in general favor at all shows on the continent in England and in America. I have always preferred the hound like dog as I consider him the best looking one of the two species. I shall now give a detailed description of the hound type. Standard and value of points. Head and skull value twelve. Ears six and a half. Jaw five. Chest seven. Legs and feet twenty. Skin and coat thirteen. Loin eight. Stern five. Body eight and a half. Color four. Symmetry and quality eleven. Total one hundred. The head large resembles that of a hound with the exception that it is more wedge shaped. Nose large and well developed black in dark colored dogs and flesh colored in reds mostly. Teeth very large showing two large fangs on lower and two on upper jaw. Ears long high set and so thin as to show the veins covered with short silky hair.   The head rests on a very strongly developed neck. Chest. No other breed of dogs shows such depth and breadth of chest as does the doxin. The chest bone standing out of the body and on a good specimen the chest feels out nearly the entire space to or within an inch or inch and a half of the knees. The chest hangs so low as to be only from three to four inches from the ground. Legs and feet. The forearms strong bone and well muscled run inward so that they almost form a right angle with the lower extremities. At the knees the legs come together and then are vertical for about an inch and from here the feet take a side and outward course and form the long and flat paws. Toes long and flat have very long claws which in black and tan dogs should be black and in reds a dark brown or black. The white claw is a defect. It is a question of great interest as to how the formation of such shaped legs originated or was developed. It may have come from some freak of nature but if so it has been by careful breeding kept up and is now one of the most marked features of the breed. The hind legs are longer than the forelegs thus giving the long body an inward curve commonly called saddleback. In nearly all good specimens well developed do claws can be found but these are often removed as they are liable to annoy the dog a good deal when wading through crusty snow. The claws on these extra toes grow long and in a perfect circle and should at least be trimmed or else they grow into the flesh and cause the dog a great deal of pain. Body round long and lift. Tail heavy at the root and tapering should be carried high as in the foxhound but under no circumstances should the tail be carried in a curve over the back which is a great fault. Color. The most prevailing and most familiar colors are black and tans, chestnut and tans and solid reds from a fawn color to a beautiful deep red. Besides these colors specimens are occasionally found of black, white and tan color called in Germany tiger docks or steel blue and tan a magnificent color but rarely seen. Skin. Exceedingly loose. You may take hold of the skin on neck or back and raise it four or six inches. It seems as if the skin were intended for a body twice the size of the one it covers. The loose skin is a great advantage to the dog as a badger or other animal when attacking the docks will get hold of a mouth full of skin instead of solid flesh and the dog suffers no serious damage. No other breed of dogs shows this characteristic in such a marked degree. Coat. Short and thick. Here is the measurement of a dockson that I consider as near perfection as has yet been obtained. Head. Eight inches long. Length from nose to the root of the tail. 33 inches. Tail. 11 inches. Tip to tip. 44 inches. Height at shoulder. 10 to 10 and a half inches. Girth of body behind forearms. 19 and one half inches. Girth of neck. 14 and one half inches. Spread of ears. 15 inches. Around main muscle of forearm. 5 and one half inches. Chest from ground. 4 inches. Weight. 20 to 22 pounds. Specimens of the terrier type are, as a general rule, much smaller and of lighter build than those of the hound type. The difference in shape lies mainly in the head, which in the former is shorter and more pointed or sharper toward the nose. The ears are not so long. The legs are slightly straighter. In weight, specimens of the terrier type vary from 10 to 16 pounds. It makes no difference, however, whether you send a large or a small dockson after a fox. Both varieties are equally savage and ferocious in their attacks and the pluck and grit they exhibit deserve our greatest praise and admiration. Much has been written of the spealdocks or toy variety of the dockson. In former years he was valued by the ladies in Germany as the pug is at the present day in this country. The spealdocks was nothing else than a terrier dockson that by inbreeding was reduced in size. He is now rarely met with, but could at any time be reproduced. The long-haired dockson is a variety which has become popular of late. Occasionally a puppy is whelped by a smooth-coated mother which shows longer hair than the rest of the litter. By mating such specimens with others of their kind the long-haired variety was established. The wire-haired dockson, also a fashion of later years, undoubtedly originated by introducing the blood of the scotch terrier. The disposition of the dockson is peculiar. He will seek a quarrel with any dog he may meet. The larger in size the more he seems to enjoy it. He will go up to the largest mastiff with tail erect and snap at him. Does the mastiff show a desire to fight the trouble begins at once and will not end until one or the other has had enough and seeks safety by flight. The dockson seldom runs and in case he finds his opponent's strength superior to his own he will lay on his back and snap at the larger animal from below, thus often doing great injury. In addition to his quarrel-someness he is the most independent dog in existence and he generally does what he pleases. He will not obey even his own master and all the punishment you may give him will not make him obedient. Could this great fault be overcome he would make the hunting dog par excellence for he is untiring, possessed of the greatest endurance, has senting powers and goodwill for hunting. He will do no training and has all the good qualities a sportsman could reasonably ask a dog to possess except that of obedience. This trait of following his own instinct when hunting and not minding his master's commands allows us only to use him on game living underground as fox or badger or on such game as when pursued can be brought to bay or be treed. Then the dockson will stay and by giving tongue will in this way guide his master to the game. The dockson is full of faults but his great excellences, his unparalleled courage and endurance stand so high to his credit that all deficiencies are overlooked and the breed kept up by the most judicious breeding. It is the pride of European sportsmen to own courageous specimens of the dockson and as long as the fox follows his instinct to destroy game the dockson will be bred and used to check his ravages. Never leave any furs within reach of the dockson for he will tear them to pieces or at least damage them to a great extent. The tiger robe in your parlors or the fine sealed jackets of the ladies of the house are in as great danger from being torn up as the raw coon skin which is nailed to a tree to dry. In Europe especially in Germany the dockson is principally used in assisting to destroy the natural enemy of all game the fox being about the same height as the fox. He can follow him into his haunts and possessing the strongest muscular development and unparalleled courage. He will fight his foe underground and chase him out of his burrow where he becomes an easy victim for the hunter who is stationed near the entrances. A fox generally has more than one outlet to his burrow and a practical hunter uses a dog for each outlet. The brave little dogs enter at once and give tongue when assured that Reynard is at home. The fox thus attacked cannot escape their sharp teeth and no matter how bravely he defends his life he cannot resist such a fierce attack and is bound to run for his life or be exterminated and often pulled above ground. When a single dog undertakes the difficult task of driving out the fox he will certainly find an equally brave foe and many dogs lose their lives in this way.  Equally as much as for driving foxes out of their burrows the dockson is used for hunting the badger. This animal does not try to save his life by flight as the fox does but will stand his ground and will fight the battle with his enemies underground. When attacked he retires to the kettle or his lair into which all gangs center and here he receives his antagonists the docksons and defends his life with the greatest bravery. The fight may last for hours. In most cases the dogs are victorious but often the fight will not come to an end and to finish the work the hunters are obliged to use pick and shovel to dig down and fork the badger. By laying the ear close to the ground to listen to their dogs barking the badgers whereabouts are easily located and the work of unearthing with the shovel begins. The nearer the hunters get to the badger the clearer they can hear their dogs. Now one man watches with the fork which is a spear-like instrument and the minute the badger is seen the fork is put over his neck and he is caught. You cannot hold the dogs back from finishing their foe. The dogs now present a very different aspect from that shun when they entered. Eyes and ears red and full of dirt the tongue dry and hanging near the ground their breath short and quick and bleeding from the wounds made by their enemy. Make the dogs appear more like demons than dogs. It is not seldom that when the badger is lifted up the dog whose teeth are set deep into his body hangs on to him and cannot open his jaws and it takes hours before the excitement is over and he has control of the muscles of his jaws again. A great many have thus died of lockjaw. One of the best dogs I knew lost his life in a singular way. The badger managed to get hold of the lower jaw of the doxin and literally bit it off. Lockjaw set in and the dog that had been victor in nearly 50 battles whose ears were nothing but fringes whose chest neck and whole body showed one scar near the other had to die. Every hunter within many miles felt this loss deeply for all these men looked upon this dog as upon a dead hero. No matter how many wounds the doxin has received as soon as he is in such shape as to be able to walk and bite again he is ready for another chase and he will fight fiercer than ever. In Europe it is the gamekeeper's duty to take care of the game entrusted to him and a fox destroys more game in a season than the average hunter kills. Having found the proofs that such a robber has made his home on his entrusted domain the forester has no rest until the intruder is exterminated. Has the fox made his home among the bluffs and rocks the hunter lays in wait until a chance offers to shoot Reynard. To simply shoot the fox in this case is more advisable than to risk the lives of valuable dogs who would certainly be in great danger as the nature of the bluffs and rocks filled with caves and crevices is such that the dogs they're endeavored to get at the game would be likely to fall into them. In many cases the fox takes possession of an old badger hole. The saying is that a badger who is a clean animal will leave his lair after a fox has deposited his manure there. The badger mostly digs his hole in loose earth and if the fox is found on such ground the doxin will be brought to act. And this is the work nature has specially fitted him for. The dogs are relieved of their collars that they may be able to use their body to the best advantage. It is a grand sight to see a couple of doxins enter a fox hole, chase the mother fox out of the ground and then go for the kittens which are brought out one by one dead of course every time. This is a grand opportunity to teach a puppy a good lesson. The German gamekeepers value these dogs about the same way as the Arab does his horse. They belong to the family and it is difficult to procure a serviceable doxin from them. When I was in Germany selecting doxins for my kennels I looked for them among practical hunters to obtain the right stock. I went along to see their work and ways of hunting, found beautiful dogs, but as soon as I offered their owners a price for them our friendship was nearly ended. One incident I must mention here which happened in the woods of Thuringan away from all traveled roads and deep in God's nature. I ran onto a black and tan of such beauty and of such excellence for practical work as I had never before seen and I made up my mind to procure this specimen under any circumstances. After we returned from a hunt and we were sitting in the gamekeeper's cabin talking of nothing but doxins of course I mentioned that I would like to buy Peter from him. The good-hearted man looked at me and said, that dog you cannot buy at any price. I am a poor man as everybody knows but as long as I have a bite of bread left Peter stays with me. Well I never put the question to him again and I was assured that I could not offer Peter a better home than the one he had. The price offered for the dog was nearly equal to the gamekeeper's annual salary. Besides hunting foxes and badgers the doxin is used extensively for tracking wounded deer and roebuck and no sure trailer lives. The dog is taken by the lawn and he follows the track slowly but as infallibly as can be and it seldom happens that he fails to succeed.  This is a bad habit but all doxins possess it but you must take these dogs as they are with all their good qualities and with all their many faults. I therefore recommend the use of the line when tracking wounded game. Besides the above mentioned the doxin can be used successfully to hunt minks and other vermin. When allowed to run at will he will hunt anything from a mouse up. Now that I have illustrated the value of the doxin for Europe let us see what success we can have with him here in America for he is no more a stranger among us. We have imported as fine stock as Europe could produce though as stated we have had great difficulty in buying them and hundreds of them are now in the hands of practical American sportsmen. Many are dissatisfied with them others who know how to handle them praise their good qualities. I have used them with great success in thick underbrush and briars where larger dogs could not work on rabbits and a few sportsmen stationed in the right way have found their chances for good sport excellent. In deep snow when even the foxhound could not be of service I have brought my doxin as a general rule only one and never more than a couple to new breakings where there were plenty of brush piles a favorite resort for rabbits. Don't let your dog follow you in deep snow and get him tired out before his work begins. Carry your dog in your arms or in the game sack. He will enter a brush pile at once and in a minute's time you will know whether you may expect a rabbit here or not. If he gives tongue you may with certainty expect a shot for he never barks before he is dead sure of the presence of game. His senting powers are the keenest and he does not make a mistake. As I said before as soon as the dog barks be ready to shoot for the rabbit will be obliged to run when a doxin is after him. The dog works his way through the brush almost like a snake and will get to the rabbit sooner or later. As soon as a shot is fired he will come out and follow the trail and in case the rabbit is missed will bring him to shot again. Should the snow be too deep don't allow him to follow for he is too small to work against deep snow. Take to the next brush pile and try a look again. In this way I have often shot from 10 to 25 rabbits in half a day and on a comparatively small field. When hunting with a pack of doxins you will notice the following. As soon as unchecked all dogs will at once scatter and each will hunt for a trail by himself. For a while you will not hear a sound from your dogs but as soon as one of them has scared up game he will utter a shrill sharp bark. Something like kiff, kiff, kiff. As soon as the rest of the pack hear this signal they will meet at once and chase the rabbit in a body under full cry. They now act in the same way as a pack of beagles or foxhounds and surely bring the game around. But should the rabbit go to earth your hunt for an hour or maybe for all day is over for the dogs will now follow their instinct and commence to dig for their game. If the ground is not frozen or if no rocks interfere they will always succeed in pulling out the rabbit no matter how long it takes them to do it. It is impossible to call the dogs away from this work. Often they stay underground for an hour at a time before they show themselves at the entrance. The smallest dog goes to dig first, a larger one is near to clear the loose earth out of the hole and you cannot see a more interesting sight than such a one. The earth flies in all directions and in a very short time the dogs have dug their way in so far that you can hardly hear them bark. Small roots which come in their way will be gnawed in too soon you will notice the dog back out holding the rabbit and every dog that is near will want his reward by helping to kill it and if the hunter is not at hand to stop this performance the rabbit will be torn to pieces in less than ten seconds. This is the great disadvantage in hunting rabbits with a pack of doxons. If you see them at work in this way for the first time it will certainly interest you greatly but when accustomed to it you will pronounce it a bad interruption of your sport. For this reason I say when you want to hunt rabbits with a pack of dogs use the beagle for he does not possess the desire for digging as does the doxon. When at work underground should you have an opportunity of preventing one or two dogs from entering you may chain them and take them miles away but the minute they are at liberty they will run back and finish their work. You may wish to call them back but will not succeed and you will find that your control over your dogs ends right here. Three of my dogs once worked two days and a night at the same hole before they returned home. There is one good thing about it and that is you need not be afraid of their getting lost they will find their way home under all circumstances. I have had them on grounds ten to fifteen miles from my home in places where they had never been before but I could leave them there to finish a job of digging without fear of losing them. They always return when ready. How they manage it is a mystery to me unless by the use of their superior senting powers they trace their return. I have had hundreds of them but never lost a single one. As to their value for tracking wounded deer I cannot do better than to repeat the words of Mr. N. A. Osgood of Battle Creek, Michigan who owns the beautiful bitch Gertie. He says that while hunting deer in northern Michigan it happened that several were wounded and could not be found. Among them the largest buck they had seen during their stay. He was tracked by all the dogs they had with them but all gave up the hunt when the tracks ran to a stream. After all the other dogs were chained up Gertie trailed the buck alone and on reaching the stream plunged in, swim across, hunted up the lost trail on the other side and soon the well-known Kiff Kiff assured Mr. Osgood of Gertie's success and he states that no more wounded deer were lost after that time. Gertie of course became the pet of the camp. Another gentleman, after returning from a northern hunt, wrote to me that his eight month old Dachshund exhibited a great deal of pluck by holding his ground near a bear after several other dogs left the field. By steadily barking and circling around the bear he held its attention until the hunter approached and killed it. If you wish to hunt foxes or badgers the Dachshund will perform the same work for you here as he does for your brother sportsman in Europe. The Dachshund can also be used for treing, partridges, ruffled grouse or squirrels and as rat killers they cannot be excelled. He is a capital companion for the man who enjoys hunting alone. If you once gain his friendship he will do almost anything for you. I can always tell what game my dogs are pursuing by their different ways of giving tongue and it becomes so accustomed to their ways and methods of hunting that I have never been misled by them but once. In that instance they gave the bark I generally heard when a squirrel was treed only fiercer. On walking up to them I saw lying flat on the limb of an oak tree a large wildcat. I fired at her and had the satisfaction of seeing her fall among my dogs who covered her at once. I soon discovered that she was far from dead and she proved as lively a corpse as could be imagined. She defended what life was left in her valiantly. My dogs were bleeding and the cat kept on dealing terrible blows upon them. I could not shoot for I would have killed my dogs also. When the battle was at its height I noticed one dog which weighed only 18 pounds retired slowly while the two remaining ones were attacking the cat as furiously as ever. All at once the little dog who had retired a minute before returned leaped suddenly from behind on the cat's back landing his teeth in the back of her neck. The surprise was complete and in a seconds time one of the other dogs caught hold at her throat and the fight was over. The cat killed. The little dogs that showed so much courage a few minutes before were all in terrible condition and as weak as could be from loss of blood. As a watch or house dog the doxon ranks high and I can almost pronounce him superior to any other variety. He will notice the slightest noise the faintest footstep about the house and will give alarm. He is kind to the members and friends of the family but as savage as a dog can be to an intruder. He is an invaluable assistant to the farmer who can sleep safely when knowing that a doxon watches over his property especially his poultry at night. No mink, coon skunk or other vermin will live long in his neighborhood. This little dog will work day and night to kill these pests that nearly always infest farms where poultry is kept and which do so much damage if not checked by a good dog. Before closing this chapter allow me to mention the following. It has been tried to allow a doxon to run with the pack of foxhounds but was always given up as unsuccessful for the simple reason that the doxon will not stand it to have a superior over him. The leader of the pack and the doxon will soon begin to quarrel and in the end the chances are that the small dog will kill the large one. One of the most important rules for keeping a lot of doxons is to have plenty of ground for them as they do not thrive well in too close confinement. Have the yard divided in say three or four apartments but it will not do to have the fences go simply down close to the ground for you would not leave them ten minutes when you would find that the dogs had dug out and were enjoying a walk outside. Lay out the plan for your building and yards, set the fence posts three feet into the ground, dig trenches for a foundation as for a building two feet deep, fill this full of large rocks, cover all with earth, then nail your boards on the posts. Don't use any boards with knot holes as the dogs will begin to gnaw at them and in time enlarge them so that they can go through them. In this way I succeeded in managing my dogs all right with the exception of one who beat all my plans. He dug a hole down under the rocks and up on the other side in about an hour and I thought it advisable to take him to my house for when the rest would have such an able teacher in their midst I could see no end of trouble. When outside he behaved well for a while but soon he got a desire for a hunt in good company so he commenced to dig a hole from the outside and soon liberated all the dogs kept in the yard. Before I was obliged to build a stone foundation I drove sticks into the ground which were set as close together as I could set them. This plan is no success as the dogs will dig all the earth away until the sticks stand free when they are easily removed by them. The fence must be at least five feet high. I here give the plan of what I consider a practical kennel for the breed. Ground required 60 by 45 feet. Kennel building to be 15 by 60 feet. Have a hallway in the same say 4 by 60 feet. The balance 11 by 60 feet divide into four apartments which will give each apartment the size of 11 by 15 feet. Separate halls from rooms by wire netting. Lay the floors one foot from ground so as not to take too much dampness in wet weather and the floor must be laid slanting to allow the water to run off when scrubbing the floor. Benches to be one and a half feet from the floor but not under the window as the dogs would stand up and gnaw through the sash. The balance of your ground should be divided into four yards so that each room of the building is connected with a yard 15 by 30 feet. The rooms as well as the yards must be so arranged that the dogs in one cannot see those in the other which is done by erecting tight board partitions or fences between them. The outside fence may be of wire netting. This will improve the appearance of your kennels. The building must be light and well ventilated. Doors to be so arranged that you may enter your grounds from all sides from one yard to the other and from the yards to the rooms. If wire netting be too expensive you can of course build board fences instead. A kennel of this description affords room for 12 to 15 dogs. It is not advisable to keep such a number in one yard for they will not agree and you must separate them in order to keep them from fighting. If you don't you will find some of your dogs killed before long. As a general rule two stud dogs are enemies and their hatred knows no bounds. All tricks imaginable are brought to play to find some means of coming together and if successful one dog will be destroyed. Bitches when fighting seem to be even more savage than dogs. When two of these are fighting you may lift one up and are sure to raise the other for when their jaws close on each other they hold fast.  Separate them by taking a firm hold at their necks and choking them and as soon as loosened throw one over the fence. These two will never after be friends. Often you may keep from six to eight dogs in one yard and have no trouble. When admitting a strange dog to your kennels you must first find out in what yard you can locate him. And be careful about this matter. It would be cruelty to keep these dogs closely confined for their instinct drives them to hunt and you should give them as frequently as possible a chance to hunt or to run at least. Bitches in Welp ought to be at liberty to go where they please. My kennels were located in the heart of a good game country and as soon as I opened the door of their yards my dogs had the chance to begin hunting at once. Dogs and kennels should be only in such localities. Rather let the dogs hunt once in a while on their own account than deprive them of their liberty for too long a time. To take care of a dozen or fifteen doxons in the proper way is all a man is able to do. Half of the day should be spent in working them the balance is necessary to keep the kennels in good order.  Once she was gone two days and I had no idea where she was her time to Welp was at hand. Half an hour after her return she gave birth to the first puppy and by morning a family of six had arrived. She was an excellent mother but on the second day after Welping went on a trip again not returning until night. All her puppies were brought up by their mother and all proved excellent dogs. Nearly all doxons enjoy robust constitutions and you will not be troubled much by diseases among them. You must however keep your kennels and yards scrupulously clean or mange the terror of all breeders will be admitted. To keep a lot of dogs in good health depends mainly on clean kennels plenty of exercise and on their being properly fed. After trying different methods of feeding I pronounced the following the best. Raw meat is excluded mutton and beef scraps onions and beets and seasoning of salt are boiled until the meat falls off the bones. This is mixed with oatmeal cornmeal or rice mush bread or mashed potatoes. When fed warm to the dogs it makes the best meal and is very much relished by them but do not give the same thing day after day. One day I mixed the broth and meat with bread the next day with oatmeal and so on. By so doing you will not see your dog's appetites fail and they will always be in first class condition ready for the bench show at any day of the year. Boiled liver will do about once a week as that says a laxative. Pork given occasionally is all right if given too often it will produce mange. Feed your dogs twice a day once in the morning and the second meal just before dark as they will then be much quieter during the night. Don't allow any dishes with remnants of a meal to stand around your kennel yards. Wash the dishes as soon as the meal is over. Your kennels and kitchen must be in such condition at all hours of the day that you need not be embarrassed to show a lady through them. Give from three to four times a day a good supply of fresh water. Buttermilk once or twice a week is recommended. I am opposed to chaining dogs especially doxins which thus kept will be too savage and musical. When a bitch is due to welp you will notice as a general rule that she favors a certain place and I always let her use her own judgment in selecting her bed for she will then feel more contented. She will most always prefer to welp on the bare ground and let it be your care that she is not molested by other dogs. Of course this does not apply to winter when she must be kept in a heated room. A litter of puppies will afford you much pleasure as lively crickets chasing and frolicking all day long their odd shape and intelligent ways will make them favorites with all. When six weeks old I begin to feed them milk and bread and continue this diet for about a month then give them the same food as the old dogs eat. The remedies that I found to be a value in the treatment of a few diseases I learned by years of practical experience in handling dogs. I will simply tell you in what ways I conquered the many troubles that every kennelman is subject to. The mange will appear in the best managed kennels and if not rooted out will be the cause of endless trouble. Many kennels have been broken up because the disease could not be eradicated. When a dog shows the disease I separate him from the rest and he has to make his home in a small building put up for this purpose which I call the ash box. The floor is covered with dry wood ashes. The dog is now bound to walk on ashes. Will he lay down to sleep he will sleep on ashes. Kept for one or two weeks in this place you will find your dog well and the mange cured. You must let the patient have exercise every day and it will be good to wash him once a day but be sure that he does not come too close to your healthy dogs. I will tell you how I came to introduce the ash box. I received a dog from Europe that was covered with the disease.  When going to the woods intending to kill the poor animal I met a farmer whom I told of my intention and he requested me to let him have the dog to which I consented. I had not heard from the man or the dog for several months when while hunting I came near his home and being anxious to find out how the dog was getting along started to his house. I soon saw the doxin coming towards me and was surprised to see him in the finest possible condition. On inquiring how it was possible to have cured him the farmer said he had done nothing to him whatever but let him run wherever he wanted to and the first day he dug a hole in a pile of wood ashes and had slept there ever since. It was at once plain to me that the ashes had acted as a remedy for the disease and are there upon built an ash box. With it I have cured every case of mange that has occurred in my kennel since and friends whom I have advised to use it on their dogs report the same results. In severe cases you may take a sponge saturated with benzene and apply it to the sores before placing the dog on the ash bed. Worms. Ask your drugist for the common brown worm powder which is given to children. Semin Sinai Pulver. Mix half a teaspoon of this powder in your puppy's food and you will be surprised what an amount of worms he will pass the next day. Repeat this once a day for three succeeding days and give a teaspoon full of castor oil about four hours after each dose is taken. I know of no better remedy. For distemper I give one of the distemper pills advertised in the sporting papers to such dogs as are over seven or eight months old. I find it to be of good service and have cured many dogs troubled with the disease. But when a litter of puppies say from two to three months old are attacked with distemper I have so far failed to find a successful remedy. A good dry bed and a warm place to sleep is all I can offer them and I have to take my chances for their recovery. Fleas.  Now wash your dog with soap and water and when dry you will not find a single flea left to bother him. Sprinkle the floor of your kennels about once a week with kerosene. Lice. Common Persian insect powder rubbed into the hair and the use of comb brush soap and water is what I have used to get rid of these pests. The doxin if well bred will not need any training and will follow his natural instinct in hunting. Teach him obedience when young and give him enough opportunities to hunt and develop. The best method I have found is in building an artificial fox burrow in the yard for puppies made of rocks with three outlets from a larger place, cattle, in the center. Cover this with earth and brush. Catch a rabbit in a trap and liberate it in the presence of your puppies. A puppy three or four months old will at once begin to chase the rabbit, follow it through the holes or brush and rest assured we'll never forget this lesson. Do all in your power to develop courage, the main characteristic of the breed.  Many good dogs have been spoiled by misapplied punishment. When the age arrives at which he should be used on game, take a dog whose work satisfies you and the puppy you wish to introduce in field work and in a few weeks practice the puppy will do his work satisfactorily. When you wish to buy a doxin be sure to procure a puppy. Do not allow everybody to take care of him and to feed him. Let him know that you are his friend and master. Let him accompany you as often as practicable. As soon as you notice the development of his hunting instincts, try to give him a chance to catch and kill a rabbit. You will then discover that your dog is on a steady lookout for them and in a short time will master all the tricks of the rabbit. Before he is fully developed do not allow him to fight a fox alone for he may receive a severe punishment at the beginning of his career which may produce bad effects for the future. If by ill management you lose the dog's goodwill toward you, you may be a first class breaker of other breeds but the doxin's strong headedness you will never be able to subdue. While on the other hand by kind treatment you may bring up a dog which is devoted to you and may make a useful companion of him without any trouble. The same rules that apply to the breeding of other breeds will apply to the doxin except in the matter of color. In this breed you have black and tans, chestnut and tans, fallow red and deep red, all distinct and eligible colors.  The results will always be a litter of puppies showing the above mentioned colors distinct and true to type. Never a mixed color such as a black and tan dog showing a red spot on his back, etc. I have bred over 600 puppies but never yet saw one which was not correctly marked. I have bred reds to reds for generations have often received a litter of pure reds but you cannot depend on this as a rule for in the fourth or fifth generation a black and tan or a chestnut and tan puppy of perfect color and markings may make his appearance. My advice is pay no attention to color but attend strictly to the other and more important qualities. Don't cross a hound type doxin with one of the terrier type as you cannot expect a well shaped puppy from such a cross. The broad deep chest, strong limbs and crook, good head and ears, well rounded ribs and long stretched body are the points you should breed for. As the paws are used by these dogs as shovels I may say that in order to get the correct stock you should breed as big shovels on their legs as possible. Another important point to look to is the size. A doxin should not stand higher at the shoulders than ten and one-half or eleven inches. When larger they are too large to enter a foxhole and consequently are disqualified for the purpose nature has intended them for. Many specimens are overshot that is the teeth on the upper jaw stand out one-fourth or one-half inch farther than those of the lower jaw. Although an animal with such teeth may appear to have the most beautiful head imaginable he should be disqualified for breeding purposes. A doxin without any white markings is preferred to one which has such but should the dog otherwise be perfect I would not object to a little white on his paws, chest or under the throat. This ends section 11. The Doxin. Section 12 of the American Book of the Dog. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. Read by Michelle Fry, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The American Book of the Dog, G. O. Shields Editor. Section 12 The Bloodhound by J. L. Winschel. Beginning with two poems from Scott in The Lady of the Lake. Two dogs of black St. Hubert breed unmatched for courage, breadth and speed, fast on his flying traces came and all but one that desperate game. For scarce a spear's length from his haunch vindictive toiled the bloodhound staunch, nor nearer might the dogs attain nor farther might the quarry strain, thus up the margin of the lake between the precipice and break, or stalk and rock their race they take. And lay of the last minstrel. And hark and hark the deep-mouthed bark comes nire still and nire, bursts on the path the dark bloodhound his tawny muzzle tracked the ground and his red eye shot fire. Addison in the spectator contends that the English bloodhound is a descendant from Vulcan's dogs. In proof of his statement he adds this bit of history. It is well known by the learned that there was a temple on Mount Edna dedicated to Vulcan which was guarded by dogs of so exquisite a smell, says the historian, that they could discern whether the person that came thither was chased or otherwise. They used to meet and fawn upon such as were chased, caressing them as friends of their master, Vulcan, but flew at those that were polluted and never ceased barking at them till they were driven from the temple. After that they lived there in great repute for several years. It so happened that one of the priests who had been making a charitable visit to a widow who lived on a promontory of Lilybeam returned home late in the evening. The dogs flew at him with so much fury that they would have killed him if his brethren had not come to his assistance upon which the dogs were all of them hanged as having lost their original instinct. If this had taken place in the nineteenth century the priest would have been hanged and the dogs would have won collars inscribed with words of commendation and glory. Until comparatively recent times these hounds were only to be found in the kennels of the nobility and even now well bred blood hounds are in the hands of very few breeders and are all closely related. Jesse says the earliest mention of blood hounds was in the reign of Henry III. The breed originated from the Talbot which was brought over by William the Conqueror and seems to have been very similar to the St. Hubert, a breed from the St. Hubert's Abbey in Ardennes, which according to the old legends was imported by St. Hubert from the south of Gaul about the sixth century. The Talbot was the popular hound from the twelfth to the sixteenth century but became extinct about the end of the last century. The southern hound, another very old breed showing many characteristics of the blood hound, is difficult to find now in his pure state although many of our old packs of harriers are descended chiefly from him. The best authorities agree that the St. Hubert, Talbot, and blood hound are all closely allied. This quote from Edwin Burrow in the century. In the twelfth century Henry III gave the following instruction. Whereas Edward, the king's son, has entrusted to Robert the Cheney his valet, his dogs to be accustomed to blood, it is commanded to all foresters, woodmen and other bailiffs and servants of the king's forests, the keepers of the king's warrens, that they allow the said Robert to enter with them the king's forests and warrens and to hunt with them and to take the king's game in order to train the said dogs. This to hold good till the feast of St. Michael next ensuing. Witness the king at Woodstock 20 February 40 Henry III. End quote. Which would mean February 20 AD 1256. We can have no better authority of the period than that of the statements of Dr. Keynes written between 1555 and 1572. The greater sort, which served to hunt, having lips of a very large size and ears of no small length, do not only chase the beast while it liveth, but being dead by any manner of casualty, make recourse to the place where it lieth, having in this point an assured and infallible guide, namely the scent and savor of the blood sprinkled here and there upon the ground. These kind of dogs pursue the deed-doers through long lanes, crooked reaches, and weary ways, without wandering away out of the limits of the land whereon these desperate pearl-loiners prepared their speedy passage. Yay, the nature of these dogs is such, and so effectual is their foresight that they can beret, separate, and pick them out from among an infinite multitude and an innumerable company, creep they never so far into the thickest throng. They will find him out notwithstanding he lie hidden in wild woods, in close and overgrown groves, and lurk in hollow holes, apt to harbor such ungracious guests. Moreover, although they should pass over the water, thinking thereby to avoid the pursuit of the hounds, yet will not these dogs give over their attempt but presuming to swim through the stream, persevere in their pursuit, and when they be arrived and gotten the further bank, they hunt up and down to and fro run they from place to place shift they until they have attained to that plot of ground where they passed over. And this is their practice. If Purdue they cannot at ye first time smelling find out that way which the deed doers took to escape, for they will not pause or breathe from their pursuits until such time as they be apprehended and taken which committed the fact. These hounds, when they are to follow such fellows as we have before rehearsed, use not that liberty to range at will which they have otherwise when they are in game, except under necessary occasion. We are undependent, and urgent, and effectual persuasion when such perloiners make speedy way in flight, but being restrained and drawn back from running at random with the leash, the end where of the owner holding in his hand is led, guided, and directed with such swiftness and slowness, whether he go on foot or whether he ride on horseback, as he himself in haste would wish for the more easy apprehension of these venturous violets. In the borders of England and Scotland, the often and accustomed stealing of cattle so procuring, these kind of dogs are very much used, and they are taught and trained up first of all to hunt cattle, as well of the smaller as of the greater growth, and afterwards that quality relinquished and left they are learned to pursue such pestilent persons as plant their pleasure in such practices of perloining as we have already declared. Two or three centuries ago, the bloodhound was much used in England and Scotland not only to track felons, but to pursue political offenders. They were kept at one time in great numbers on the border of Scotland, and not only set upon the trail of moss troopers, but upon fugitive royalty. Bruce was repeatedly tracked by these dogs, and on one occasion only escaped death from their jaws by wading a considerable distance up a brook and thus baffling their scent. A sure way of stopping a dog was to spill blood and thus destroy its discriminating powers. A captive was sometimes sacrificed on such occasions. A story of William Wallace is related as follows. The hero's little band had been joined by an ally, a dark, savage, suspicious character. After a sharp skirmish at Black Unxide, Wallace was forced to retreat with only a section of his followers. The English pursued with border bloodhounds. In the retreat, the ally tired or appeared to do so and would go no farther. Wallace, having in vain argued with him, in hasty anger, struck off his head and continued his retreat. The English came up, but the hounds refused to leave the dead body, and the fugitive escaped. The bloodhound has for many centuries been a favorite in England. He came with the conquerors and was their faithful follower then as he is their companion now, and some of the old English lords point with pride to their favorite hounds and say, This same strain has been with our family since the conquest. Who can doubt the ancient ancestry of the bloodhound when we note his sedate and stately bearing his thoughtful, dignified manner? These bespeak at once his ancient lineage and his long extended pedigree, which is written on his wrinkled face and in his deep-set eyes. They were used by Henry VIII in the wars in France, by Queen Elizabeth, against the Irish, and by the Spaniards in Mexico and Peru. Quoting Edwin Burrow in the century, At a still later time, bloodhounds were used for the capture of sheep, stealers, and others, and attacks was often levied for their maintenance for this purpose. It is only in very old writings that we find Talbots, or white bloodhounds, mentioned. The thick round head, some reveal describes, would certainly not be admired now, and I believe was never an accurate description of the bloodhound.  The bloodhound has a much more delicate nose than any other known breed of hound, and can puzzle out a cold scent under the most adverse conditions. He is remarkable for adhering to the scent of the animal on which he is laid. Some years since, a pack of staghounds was kept in Derbyshire, and it was no infrequent occurrence for the hunted deer to take refuge among a herd in some park. In this case the pack was whipped off and a couple of bloodhounds laid on, who stuck to the hunted deer until they got him clear of the herd when the pack was again laid on. The bloodhound is easily entered to hunt anything, and with a strong scent will sometimes absolutely sit down on his haunches for a few seconds and throw tongue in sheer delight. The note is deep, mellow and prolonged, and may be heard for miles. The bay or singing of a kennel of bloodhounds just before feeding or exercising is most melodious. And here we quote Hamilton on animals. We make use of the delicate faculty of scents possessed by animals to aid us in the chase, and are so accustomed to rely upon it that its marvellousness escapes attention. But we have no physical faculty so exquisite as this. Everyone who has gathered wild plants knows what an immense variety of odors arise from the scents upon the ground. This is the first complication. Next upon that, though we cannot detect it, are traced in all directions different lines of scent laid down by the passage of animals and men. This is the second complication. Well, across these labyrinths of misleading and disturbing odors, the dog follows the one scent that he cares for at the time, notwithstanding its incessant adulteration by mixtures, as easily as we could follow a scarlet thread on a green field. If he were only sensible to the one scent he followed, the marvel would be much reduced, but he knows many different odors and selects among them the one that attracts him at the time. There is a dog in the southern states called a bloodhound used to find escaped prisoners and desperados, which is somewhat related, probably, to the English bloodhounds, and there are well-trained packs of them. But as a general rule, the crossbreed dog is a treacherous one. They are so well-trained that they hardly ever attack the man pursued if he remains quiet and does not resist. Not long since the desperado was brought to a stand by three of these dogs. They smelled him over, but were perfectly friendly, with no intention of harming him, until he, hearing his pursuers near him, turned to run. In an instant the hounds were upon him. When the sheriff arrived with his men, they found two dead hounds covered with knife wounds and the third uninjured, with his terrible fangs fastened on the throat of the dying criminal. The remarks of the sheriff at the time were worth pages of explanation. That fool just flung his life away, fighting three dogs with a knife. Why didn't he keep still? Following is the description and value of points of the bloodhound as adopted by the American Accountal Club. Head 20 points. Ears and eyes 10. Flues 5. Neck 5. Shoulder and chest 10. Back and back ribs 10. Legs and feet 15. Color and coat 10. Stern 5. Symmetry 10. Total 100 points. The head, value 20, is the peculiar feature of this breed, and I have accordingly estimated it at a very high rate. In the male it is large in all its dimensions, but width, in which there is a remarkable deficiency. The upper surface is domed, ending in a blunt point at the occiput, but the brain case is not developed to the same extent as the jaws, which are very long and wide as the nostrils, hollow and very lean in the cheek, and notably under the eyes. The brows are moderately prominent, and the general expression of the whole head is very grand and majestic. The skin covering the forehead and cheeks is wrinkled in a remarkable manner wholly unlike any other dog. These points are not nearly so developed in the bitch, but still they are to be demanded in the same proportionate degree. Ears and eyes, value 10. The ears are long enough to overlap one another considerably when drawn together in front of the nose. The leather should be very thin and should hang very forward and close to the cheeks, never showing the slightest tendency to prick. They should be covered with very short, soft, silky hair. The eyes are generally hazel, rather small and deeply sunk, showing the third eyelid, or haw, which is frequently, but not always, of a deep red color. This redness of the haw is, as a rule, an indication of bloodhound cross whenever it is met with, whether in the Mastiff, Gordon Setter or St. Bernard. Though occasionally I have met with it in breeds in which no trace of the bloodhound could be detected. The flues, value 5, are remarkably long and pendant, sometimes falling fully two inches below the angle of the mouth. The neck, value 5, is long so as to enable this hound to drop his nose to the ground without altering his pace. In the front of the throat there is a considerable do-lap. Chest and shoulders, value 10. The chest is rather wide than deep, but in all cases there should be a good girth, shoulders, sloping, and muscular. The back and back ribs, value 10, should be wide and deep, the size of the dog necessitating great power in this department. The hips or couples should be especially attended to, and they should be wide or almost ragged. Legs and feet, value 15. Many bloodhounds are very deficient in these important parts owing to confinement. The legs must be straight and muscular, and the ankles of full size. The feet also are often flat, but they should be if possible round and cat-like. Color and coat, value 10. In color the bloodhound is either black and tan, or tan only, as is the case with all black and tan breeds. The black should extend to the back, the sides, top of the neck, and top of the head. It is seldom a pure black, but more or less mixed with the tan, which should be a deep, rich red. There should be little or no white. A deep tawny or lion color is also coveted, but seldom found. The coat should be short and hard on the body, but silky on the ears and top of the head. The stern, value 5, is, like that of all hounds, carried gaily in a gentle curve, but should not be raised beyond the right angle with the back. The symmetry, value 10 of the bloodhound, as regarded from an artistic point of view, should be examined carefully and valued in proportion to the degree in which it is developed. People generally have a mistaken idea about the bloodhound. They look upon him as a vicious animal, one that will tear you to pieces the moment he gets to you. This is not the case.  If he is laid on the trail of a man and overtakes him, all the man has to do is to stop and he will not be harmed. When you have once won the esteem of a bloodhound, he is your friend forever. To illustrate their gentleness, I will relate an incident. A short time ago the Duchess of Ripple was lying by the grate in my house. My little boy became convinced that her ears were too long and, getting a pair of shears, he got a stride of her and began trimming them. All the Duchess did was to howl. She offered the lad no violence and did not even try to run away. When I got there I found the boy with the shears in one hand and the bleeding ear in the other. Nothing could have induced her to injure him. The most striking characteristic of the bloodhound is his wonderful senting power. The Duchess will follow a trail and be several rods away from it. She will run parallel with it at great speed. If she loses a trail she will make a circuit until she strikes it again and away she will go. Bloodhounds could be trained to do great police duty. Put one of them on the trail of a thief and he would not be long in locating the culprit. I sold one to a man in Detroit. One night the man's horse got out of the barn and disappeared. Hours afterward the dog was put on the trail, followed it for eight miles, finally found the horse in a pasture and picked it out from among many other horses. The bloodhound is in every sense a gentleman's dog. When you have once won his esteem you may depend on him as your lifelong friend. He has a stately bearing, a thoughtful and dignified air, to which his long pedigree and princely berth justly entitle him. If you are fond of outdoor exercise, what more exciting sport can be had than a run or witnessing one with these dogs. If you want a new sensation or are overworked, try it. Come out into the country. Start away some early morning a couple of hours ahead of the hounds with your stopping place in your mind. Then choose your course so you may enjoy the trailing of the hounds and hear their deep voices resounding in the chase as you sit in your chosen position watching them as they near you. See them carefully casting for your trail under difficult circumstances. Hear their deep bell-like notes resounding in the dark forest and on the mountains with a cry unbroken. The music, the poetry of it as it rings through the clear air is a grand wild concert. Now, faintly heard in low distant murmurs as it comes floating over the low hills, then louder, swelling and finally bursting in the grand chorus as they near you. Once heard, it can never be forgotten. Why is this dog called a bloodhound, many ask? The name is a misnomer. He is not bloodthirsty more than any other dog, but it is owing to the peculiar instinct which he probably acquired in tracking wounded gang. Could a pack of bloodhounds be trained so as to enter into the spirit of the chase on the stage? Could they be seen in their excitement, heard in their full cry?  Let me quote Edwin Brough in The Century. When we consider the marvelous attributes of the bloodhound, it is difficult to understand how it could possibly have gone almost out of use, as it evidently did. Probably this decadence began when he was no longer required in border warfare. As a matter of course, the breed became scarce and was only kept up by old families who were loathed to part from their ancient traditions or who had deer parks and used bloodhounds for tracking wounded deer. Fortunately, dog shows came to the rescue or the breed would probably have by this time become extinct. I fear that dog shows and their attendant changes of fashion have done an immense amount of harm to some of our most useful breeds, but luckily the bloodhound has been estimated most highly for his best and most characteristic qualities and the long, narrow, peaked head always associated with special senting powers and the long ears and immense doulap, indicative of voice, are much more common now than ever before. The chief alteration has been in the lines denoting speed and we now have a much faster hound than in the moss-trooping days. In fact, many bloodhounds are quite as fast as average foxhounds. We have however been intensifying the type and formation indicative of the special properties inherent in him and I am satisfied that with a reasonable amount of careful training we may obtain much more wonderful results in the tracking of criminals than have ever been attained before. We have now a few hounds trained to hunt the clean boot, i.e. merely the natural scent of a man through his boots and the very few bloodhound owners who attempt anything of this kind do not devote sufficient time to the pursuit to bring their hounds to even a moderate degree of excellence. I am convinced that the time has now come when we may hope to see this matter taken up in a more thoroughly intelligent manner and if this is done, we shall in a few years be quite unable to understand why the bloodhound was ever allowed to fall into disuse for this purpose. Each succeeding generation of trained hounds must become much more proficient than the last one and when they have come into general use the deterrent effect on crime will be incalculable. Such detectives would be incapable of accepting a bribe and would often discover criminals when other means could only end in failure." The bloodhound stands alone among all the canine race in his fondness for hunting the footsteps of entire strangers.  If he is first trained on man he will follow the trail of any animal for the trail left by man is less than that of any other. Bloodhounds kept for trailing man should be kept by themselves and great care should be exercised in keeping their quarters clean. They should have their daily runs, their feed should be always sweet and fresh. A small piece of decayed meat will render a hound almost useless for hours and in training puppies it is best that the attendant should be a stranger to them. Mr. Edwin Bro describes the method by which he has trained his so successfully for the last 20 years in the following words. Nothing more could be added only that if you wish them to show great proficiency you must give them abundant practice. One method of training advocated is to rub the boots of the man who runs for the hounds with blood and to discontinue this gradually as the hounds become more expert. This is a bad plan. It is quite easy to enter bloodhounds without any artificial aid of this kind and it is much more difficult to get them to run man after they have become accustomed to a stronger scent. I consider that hounds work better when entered to one particular scent and kept to that only and I never allow my hounds to hunt anything but the clean boot. You can scarcely commence too early to teach puppies to hunt the clean boot. I often give mine their first lessons when three or four months old. For the first few times I find it best to let them run someone they know. Afterwards it does not matter how often the runner is changed. He should caress and make much of the puppies and then let them see him start away but should get out of their sight as quickly as possible and run say 200 yards upwind on grassland in a straight line and then hide himself. The man who hunts the puppy should know the exact line taken and take the puppies over it trying to encourage them to hunt until they get to their man who should always reward them with a bit of meat. This may have to be repeated several times before they really get their heads down but when they have once begun to hunt they improve rapidly and take great delight in the quest. Everything should be made as easy as possible at first and the difficulties increased gradually. This may be done by having the line crossed by others by increasing the time before the puppies are laid on or by crossing roads, etc. When the puppies get old enough they should be taught to jump boldly and to swim brooks where necessary. When the young hounds have begun to run fairly well it will be found useful to let the runner carry a bundle of sticks two feet or two feet six inches long pointed at one end and with a piece of white paper stuck in a cleft at the other end. When he makes a turn or crosses a fence he should put one of these sticks down and incline it in the direction he's going to take next. This will give the person hunting the hounds some idea of the correctness of their work though the best hounds do not always run the nearest to the line. On a good sending day I have seen hounds running hard 50 yards or more to the leeward of the line taken. These sticks should be taken up when done with or they may be found misleading on some other occasion. The hounds will soon learn to cast themselves or try back if they overrun the line and should never receive any assistance as long as they continue working on their own account. It is most important that they should become quite self-reliant. The line should be varied as much as possible. It is not well to run hounds over exactly the same course they have been hunted over on some previous occasion. If some hounds are much slower than the rest it is best to hunt them by themselves or they may get to score to cry as the old writers say instead of patiently working out the line each for himself. It is a great advantage to get hounds accustomed to strange sights and noises. If a hound is intended to be brought to such a pitch of excellence as will enable him to be used in thoroughfares he should be brought up in a town and see as much bustle as possible. If he is only intended to be used in open country with occasional bits of road work this is not necessary. Blood hounds give tongue freely when hunting any wild animal but many hounds run perfectly mute when hunting man. This is, however, very much a matter of breeding. Some strains run man without giving tongue at all others are very musical. Anyone who is fond of seeing hounds work but who has only a limited amount of country to hunt over will find an immense amount of pleasure in hunting man with one or two couples of blood hounds. In such circumstances it is a great convenience to be able to select the exact course which could not be done if hunting some animal and a great variety of different runs can be contrived over limited ground. I know nothing more delightful than to see blood hounds working out of scent carefully under varying circumstances and to hear their sonorous deep bell light note. There is not, of course, the slightest danger to the runner even if the hounds have never seen him before. When they have come up and sniffed over him they manifest no further interest in him. The head is the chief characteristic of the breed and should be estimated highly. The skull is long and good dogs it generally exceeds 11 inches in length. Narrow and very much peaked muzzle deep and square ears thin, long and pendulous set on low, hanging close to the face and curled upon themselves eyes hazel colored, deep set with triangular shaped lids showing the haw. Flues long, thin and pendulous the upper lip overhanging the lower one neck long with great quantity of loose skin or do lap the skin of the face should be loose and wrinkled and when the nose is depressed a roll of loose skin should be seen on the forehead the coat should be close but rather silky in texture and the skin thin. Height, dogs from 25 to 27 inches at the shoulder bitches rather less. Shoulders deep and sloping brisket particularly well let down forming a sort of keel between the four legs loins broad and muscular powerful muscular thighs and second thighs good legs and round feet hawks well bent tapering lashing stern.  There is generally a white star on the chest and a little white on the feet is admissible some 15 years since it was not at all uncommon to see white flecks on the back making the hand look as if he had been out in a snowstorm and a white tip to stern. The former peculiarity seems unfortunately to be quite lost but the white tip to stern is still sometimes met with. A deep red with tan markings is common but to my mind the most beautiful color of all is a tawny more or less mixed with black on the back. However rare and I only know one or two hounds of this color.  The illustrations are from well known show dogs and are the best type of the bloodhound of today that of the three puppies is from a photograph taken on the day they were two months old they are the average ones of a litter of 11 which the dam raised without any assistance the sire was burko dam rosemary they are of the st. Hubert type spoken of by Sir Walter Scott they are darker in color and generally larger and more powerful than most of the breed one of this litter at six months old weighed over 80 pounds had ears measuring 26 inches and his head was 12 inches long champion Barnaby is one of the best all around bloodhounds of England his sire is champion nobleman dam brevity the red and tan Duchess of Ripple and the black and tan rosemary are proving themselves two of the best breeding bitches of England Duchess is a great prize winner besides being the dam of more and greater show dogs than any bloodhound living the first the second dam patty rosemary her companion has probably more of the southern or st. Hubert blood than any bloodhound known the illustration of bono is from a photograph taken when he was 12 months old he is strong in all bloodhound points but is particularly grand in his head he has been shown at all the principle best shows in the last year and never beaten he was recognized as the greatest show at Manchester, England the challenge cup for the best sporting dog unanimously awarded by all the judges of the different classes a wonderful record for a dog of his age I doubt if there is a dog in England that can score as many points his dam was the Duchess of Ripple the first kennel was exhibited here by Mr. Edwin Bro at the Westminster Kennel Club's show in New York in February 1888 in it were champion Barnaby and Duchess of Ripple previous to this time I can safely say there was not a fair specimen ever exhibited at any of our shows probably the reason of their not being introduced here before was their scarcity and the price they commanded in England within the last two years we have imported bread and sold over 70 bloodhounds in America and have exhibited a kennel of them at our principle shows during that time they have gone to California, Mexico and Texas and in the east have been taken principally by ladies as companions and have become a fashionable household dog to be a successful breeder it means more than the rearing of many dogs there would have been no Maud S. Sunal or Axel breeders followed the haphazard style of mating practiced by many dog fanciers there is as much science in the production of a high class dog as in the breeding of a great trotter strains properly united produce champions as well as great trotters the rearing of healthy puppies depends largely upon the sire and dam both before and after breeding their age hereditary constitutions and the frequency of breeding of the dam must all be looked to in order to obtain the best results once a year is as often as any bitch should be bred my aim is to keep my dogs in the most perfect show condition at all times more particularly my stud dogs and breeding bitches they have their morning lesson on the trail for an hour or so besides a large yard connected with their kennels supplied with running water they are well groomed every day and the kennels are kept clean at all times after the bitch has been bred I make no change in her treatment for a month or so then I begin gradually to reduce the amount of her exercise and to feed more liberally with a greater variety of food I probably feed more meat at all times than most breeders the bitch is transferred to her temporary welping quarters long enough before the time she is to welp I feel at home there I have her keeper or someone whom she is familiar with remain with her while welping in order that he may render her or her puppies any assistance necessary most bitches are very sensitive at this period and must be treated with great gentleness none but those she is familiar with should be allowed near her during the first week or so after welping when the puppies are about two days old she may be transferred to her permanent kennels after she has been cleaned and groomed she will probably not take exercise enough for her health unless taken out for a walk two or three times a day keeper warm do not let her become chilled feed her often anything she craves boiled mutton beef broth with bread and rice buttermilk etc keep fresh water always by her remove any remnant of her food when she is through eating I have raised eleven and twelve puppies respectively in two different litters from rosemary by this method of treatment at five weeks old so even a lot were they that one could scarcely be told from another when I commenced feeding the puppies which was when they were between four and five weeks old they were fed on nearly the same food I had been giving the damn but they were fed four or five times a day the keeper always remaining with them until they were through eating it was to encourage the weaker ones and restrain the stronger ones from imposing on the others their dishes were always removed and cleaned as soon as they were through eating the smaller and weaker puppies should be given cod liver oil twice a day it is a well-known fact that more puppies die from worms than from any other cause my remedy for this is the juice of pumpkin seeds given with their food and as a preventative charcoal or buttermilk quote exercise is most important for puppies they should always be either sleeping or running about except when eating if the weather is wet or cold they should have a roomy place under cover to run about in with large bones to pick or some other amusement the bone picking is necessary to keep the teeth in good order when two or three months old I take my puppies out to exercise in a field and as soon as they have become pretty handy I rode for a few times with a lad to whip in and then they go out for an hour's exercise daily with the other hounds when five or six months old they should be under nearly as good command as the old hounds if taught to lead at this age it is much less troublesome than when it has been left till they are nearly full grown with some puppies this is easy to accomplish others throw themselves about and are obstinate they will soon resign themselves to their fate if handled quietly if a puppy declines to budge it is a mistake to pull him about forcibly wait until he decides to move and then let him go in the direction he prefers he will soon get accustomed to restraint and in a few days will allow you to choose the road if he then pulls unpleasantly he should be taught by a few taps on the nose with a switch to walk soberly at your side straining at the chain preparation for the show bench in a properly kept kennel the dogs will always be in good show condition but if they are covered with skin diseases if alive with vermin or if they have been kept in dirty quarters they will need a great deal of preparation to fit them for the show bench your kennel cannot be a success unless you breed with an object in view if you breed good dogs consideration is that they shall be well kept a good kennelman is as rare as a good breeder in preparing dogs for the show bench one of the most important considerations is that they shall be well broken to the chain and shall not be afraid of strangers much depends on the way a dog appears in the ring before the judge the number of extra pounds of flesh which you may crowd on the dog will not win the prize with a good judge he should be given a gentle run or walk twice a day much as has been his habit and on his return he should be groomed and given dry sleeping quarters we often hear this old adage a good grooming is better for a horse than a feeding and it is equally applicable to a dog his general appearance will depend very much on the grooming he gets use nothing that will irritate the skin never exhibit puppies unless you are going out of the business you may escape just temper once but the people who may possibly buy your puppies may not be so fortunate in shipping to the show it is better to go with your dogs yourself or send a man to see that they get there safely and also to take them into the ring do not consider your kennels well kept unless your dogs are always in condition for the show bench nature has evidently intended the bloodhound as a companion a guardian a household pet the difficulty that has been experienced in England in rearing them does not exist here the change in climate, food and surroundings seems to have infused new life into the breed and the bloodhound bitch that I received from England in Welp and from whom I was unable to raise more than three or four puppies without foster mothers after the second or third litter here raised eight to twelve I have no difficulty now in rearing as many puppies from my bloodhounds as from my mastiffs the breeders and trainers of the bloodhound both here and in England have always had one object in view namely the improvement of his natural sending powers and most admirably they have succeeded Americans have the credit of knowing a good thing when they see it and I have no doubt therefore that the bloodhound will become the favorite here as he is in England end of chapter 12 the bloodhound section 13 of the American book of the dog this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Joshua Dickey the American book of the dog G.O. Shields section 13 the Russian Wolfhound or Barzoy by William Wade in beginning an article on this breed the question of a bystander why what do you know about that breed is most pertinent I really do not know anything about them in the sense that a rider on other breeds is supposed to know of the breed he is under consideration but the consolation in this case is that little as I know nobody else knows much more the breed has never been in this country or in England a regularly recognized one with points and characteristics well defined and authoritatively established it may be aptly said that the Russian Wolfhound or Barzoy is an immense greyhound in confirmation with all the elegance of contour of that grand animal but much larger the chief distinguishing feature of this breed is the coat long, fine, dense and should be flat although many specimens have a roughness or waviness of coat suggestive of a deerhound cross that it is true that there is no definite fixed type of the breed even in Russia is incidentally shown by Mr. A. J. Rousseau of St. Petersburg in the London fanciers gazette of February 7th 1890 he says that Russian breeders have been trying for 75 years to divide the two types the long and short haired dogs and that in spite of their endeavours puppies of either type will come in one litter this is simply confessing the most lamentable incapacity of the Russian breeders for English breeders have revolutionized pointers setters, spaniels and terriers in much less time than this and have actually created the race of bull terriers from the incongruous elements of the waspish old English terrier and the bull dog as there is every probability of the Russian wolfhound being taken up in real earnest in England a few years will doubtless see the development of a recognized fixed type and until this is done the only type to be considered is the dog of power elegance and beauty viewed in the light of commonly accepted requirements which are found in some degree in all good breeds of dogs general features such as size build, coat and color seem to be about the extent of the requirements of a specimen in Russian wolfhounds therefore only characteristics applicable to all breeds of dogs are of weight in forming an opinion of any particular specimen thus for a long coat on a dog that is at all of greyhound type it is plainly requisite that it be flat a rough or shaggy coat is evidently incongruous the same as to head the dog belongs to the greyhound family and must have a long clean narrow head great strength and arch of loin depth and capacity of chest firmness of feet muscle and forearm and hind quarters length and carriage of tail well bent hawks and an absence of all useless lumber are plainly requirements of the breed as to the history of this breed there seems to be no authentic records the book of the dog by Vero Shah is the first work in English that mentions them their uses seem to be in general those of the greyhound Mr. Rousseau was disposed to resent the application of the name of wolfhound to them saying that they were used for coursing hairs and chasing foxes and were in no sense wolfhounds however the industry of Mr. F. Freeman Lloyd disinterred pictures of the breed showing them in combat with a wolf with the wolf at bay a huntsman astride of it holding it by the ears while an assistant cut its throat this acrobatic performance was so hard to swallow that it raised a storm of criticism which resulted in bringing out evidence that the feet was actually practiced it seems probable that in the more settled districts of Russia where wolves are extinct the dog is used for coursing hairs only while in the wilder district where wolves are still to be found these dogs are used for hunting them certainly it would indicate a lack of judgment on the part of the Russians if they did not use a breed so particularly fitted for wolfhunting in that sport this dog having the speed, power and courage for the task as confirmatory of the opinion that they are so used I note the report of a coursing match near St. Petersburg given in the fanciers gazette of London in December 1889 wherein it is stated that after coursing hairs for some time the gameness of the dogs was tried on wolves with the result that a single bitch chased, caught and threw a dog wolf and with all due respect for the cracks among greyhounds and deerhounds I do not believe that one of them can be produced capable of duplicating the last part of this performance unless Russian wolves have degenerated from the standard of power and ferocity with which they were credited in our early days the correspondent of the fanciers gazette arrived at the conclusion however that the Russian dogs would stand no chance whatever with an English greyhound in coursing and this has always been the opinion of the most competent and impartial observers in England whether the Russian dog be he greyhound or wolfhound is the dog wanted in the far west for hunting wolves or not it is certain that there is one use for which he is preeminently fitted i.e. as the sheen de lou no other breed combines elegance speed and power to the same degree the mastiff has the power and disposition for an efficient guard and companion but lacks the speed and elegance notwithstanding his distinguished dignity the same is true of the Saint Bernard and also of the New Finland the boarhound may have the speed and doubtless has the power and the finer drawn specimens have a certain degree of elegance but there is an expression of ferocity on their faces that unfits them for companions especially of ladies with all his elegance and speed the greyhound lacks the appearance of power and the deerhound has such an air of roughness that elegance seems an impossible attribute in each and every one of these particulars the Russian dog is super excellent and there is a particularly aristocratic highbred look about the dog that can be more easily realized than described as the companion of a well-dressed woman in her walks in the park or country or as the finishing off of a handsome span of horses i can imagine nothing to equal this dog a most important qualification to this statement is provided the temper of the particular animal be trustworthy in this matter there is great diversity Tsar and Ivan two well-known specimens in this country are perfect demons in temper toward other dogs while Elsie is gentle and peaceable to a fault I fancy that Russian breeding tends to develop the savagery in the breed while English breeding will draw out the gentle peaceable traits generally characteristic of all English breeds of dogs the pictures of Tsar and Elsie fairly represent in a general way one type of the breed one that might be called the setter-greyhound type Tsar is being a good likeness of the dog while Elsie shows much more bone and less muscle and quarters than she really has neither picture does justice to the coats Tsar is being much smoother with the commonest grooming and Elsie is being scant on account of low condition Tsar is a powerful well-made dog about 29 or 30 inches at the shoulder hardly as long in the back as other specimen I have seen in which point Elsie shows an extreme development and an undesirable one Tsar was selected at the Jardin des Clémières as an unusually fine specimen and Elsie was selected by Mr. F. Freeman Lloyd in England as the most promising brood bitch he could find either in England, Paris, or Brussels in Opromiotae who was recently illustrated in the American field we have a totally different type the stillty chucked-up appearance the absurdly small head and short neck the shaggy coat and drooping nose being most marked and it is simply a matter of taste as to which of these diverse types shall be considered the correct one Opromiotae being the property of a Russian Grand Duke may be supposed to be the Russian ideal of the correct thing but I fancy that occidental taste will scarcely approve this selection this however is a matter for future determination the defects commonly objected to in nearly all specimens of the breed are bad carriage of tail many carrying it in sickle fashion away up in the air most uncharacteristic of the Greyhound family wavy and even shaggy coats coarseness of coat it should be the very finest of the fine so that when the dog is in motion it really waves in the wind and of course the bad hawks, quarters and feet that occasionally occur in any breed some Greyhound men in England have cited that unusual length of body as an objection to some specimens but from all I can gather this is a tolerably common characteristic of the breed if not accompanied with extra muscular strength of loin this extra length is certainly an objection but in most of the specimens I have seen this muscular development was so marked a feature that no weakness was the result while it certainly adds to the elegant appearance of the dog another decided blemish is the drooping nose i.e. one not parallel with the general line of head in profile this fault was conspicuous in the case of opromote and was noticeable in the dog rival and bitch Zerry shown at the New York show of 1890 it cannot be a characteristic of the breed in general as the illustration of Tsar and Elsie show fairly level heads while the dog Ivan Romanov the winner at New York in 1890 was much like Elsie in this respect the greater elegance of the level line of profile is too obvious to need further remark it is highly probable that the importation and breeding of these handsome stately dogs will increase the breed will soon attain the popularity in this country that it so richly deserves End of section 13 Recording by Joshua Dickey


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