Class BooL GopyrigM - a COPYRIGHT PEFOStT. ALL ABOUT AIREDALES by R. M. PALMER EIGHTH EDITION THIS BOOK Can Be Purchased From R. M. PALMER, 8447 RENTON AVE., SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. PRESS NOTICES "'All About Airedales,' * * * an interesting and valuable addition to the library of breeders and owners of this fancy * * * Gives useful information for all terrier breeders."— American Kennel Club Gazette, New York. "Brim full of valuable information for every Airedale fancier Th £. American text book for this breed. The largest and best book published on the Airedale." — Field and Fancy, New York. "Every person who owns an Airedale should read this book Mr Palmer, the author, is the man who first pumped the 'air'' into the Airedale." — United Kennel Club, Chicago. "This book certainly tells everything about Airedales * * * Every Airedale fancier should have a copy of it."— The Dog Fancier, Battle Creek, Michigan. "We are indebted to Mr. Palmer for a copy of his book 'All About Airedales.' We thought we had followed the Airedale game pretty closely since they first came over in 1881, but this book just goes to show what a specialist, and one imbued' with the real in- stincts of a breed, may do if he has the energy. Mr Palmer has the necessary dynamic force and what he has collected in this volume is a caution to snakes, as they would say where the Airedale comes from. Mr. Palmer starts him out of the obscurity of the unknown and a rabble of breeds, and does not let go of him until he has told everything the dog ever did, is entitled to do, or its possi- bilities. We didn't think there was scope for another Airedale book but with true Western broadness, Mr. Palmer saw further and has knocked together such a fund of information about the breed and how to rear it and show it and train it and hunt it or keep it at home as we never dreamed possible. Besides, the information about care and so on is just as applicable to other breeds of like nature Mr Palmer is an old setter man and we rather think we had the pleasure of first talking over the breed of Airedales with him when he called on us at Boston years ago, before he owned an Airedale What a change since then! At that time we don't suppose there was an Airedale west of Chicago, now look at them — scattered over the widest country, hunting big game, as we always maintained they should. But get this book — we fooled away an afternoon over the blamed thing." — H. W. Lacy, in American Stockkeeper, 30 Broad Street, Boston, Massachusetts. "Read it from cover to cover before putting it down. * * * I wondered as I read it, how anyone could give the public so much valuable information for so little money. If I could not get another book, it would be priceless to me. I'm glad you wrote it "— H T Treacy (Zanoni Kennels), Crestwood, New York. Price, cloth binding, $1.60; paper cover, $1.10 (post-paid). MR. R. M. PALMER ALL ABOUT AIREDALES A Book of General Information Valuable to Dog Lovers and Owners, Breeders and Fanciers, Illustrated from Selected Photographs of Noted Dogs and Rare Scenes — The Airedale Terrier Reviewed By R. M. PALMER, A. B. (Amhe!rst College, '87) Dedicated to Z\l[ lovers and unselfish fanciers of the Airedale, whose Interest In the breed may prove to be such as to endow Its permanency with the best continual development possible to attain, which will for all time maintain the IVlredale In Its premier position as the BEST DOG ON EARTH. Copyright. 1911-1913-1916-1919 By R. M. Palmer, Manager 3-A PUBLISHING COMPANY Seattle, Washington First Edition ... June, 1911 Second Edition _ . January, 1912 Third Edition . . . January, 1913 Fourth Edition _ . January, 1914 Fifth Edition . . October, 1915 Sixth Edition . . _ October, 1916 Seventh Edition . . October, 1918 Eighth Edition . . . October, 1919 Published By R. M. PALMER Seattle, Wash. sftS **&#, Barkerend Rival m 1 9 1320 ©GI.A5U18I3 TOPICAL LIST OF CONTENTS. 5 CHAPTER I. PAGE 9 ORIGIN AND GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AIREDALE TERRIER — Early History. A Sporting Dog. When the Breed Was First Recognized. Traits of Character. Guardianship. Widespread Popularity. Their Use in Alaska. The work of Mr. Paul Rainey's Airedales in British East Africa. Acute Hearing. Airedales in America. Three Airedales and a Cougar. CHAPTER II. PAGE 27 PHYSIQUE AND STANDARD TYPE OF THE AIREDALE TERRIER — Impressive Individuality. The Size Question. Weight Discussed Importance of Quality. Count Henry De Bylandt's Standard of Points. CHAPTER III. PAGE 37 THE KENNEL; HOW TO ARRANGE IT — The Chain and Its Proper Use. Treat- ment for Poison. Safety in Care and Location of Kennel. The Sanitary Kennel, How Planned. Fencing Yards. No Bedding Needed. Cleanliness. How to Kennel Quarrelsome Dogs. Dog Collars, the Best Kind. CHAPTER IV. PAGE 43 FEEDING — Diet. When to Feed. What to Feed. What to Avoid. A Suitable Kennel Food. No Cooking Needed. Quantity to Feed. Approximate Cost. How to Feed a Kennel of Dogs. CHAPTER V. PAGE 51 BREEDING — History Shows Its Steady Progress. A Pleasant Recreation and Unselfish Hobby. Perpetuating Averages. Type a Constant Study. The Sire, How Cared For. The Dam. The Principle Governing the Best Matings. When to Mate. Care at Whelping Time. Proper Diet for the Brood Matron. CHAPTER VI. PAGE 61 PUPPIES; THIER CARE; HOW TO FEED AND RAISE THEM SUCCESSFULLY — Color and Coats. How to Handle and Care For. D'ocking Tails, When and How to Do It. Vermifuge, When Given. Weaning and Feeding Puppies. Diet for Puppies. Bone Growth and Proper Nournishment to Avoid Rickets. How to Crate for Shipment. Ears, Their Care During Growth. CHAPTER VII. PAGE 77 HEALTHY AIKEDALFS— -How Kept. House and Yard Breaking. First Lessona. Punishment. How Administered. Fights, How Separated. Photographing Airedales, Some Helpful Suggestions. CHAPTER VIII. PAGE 95 DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT— How to Give a Dog Medicine. Intestinal Parasites, How Removed. The Round and Tape Worm. Remedies. Rickets, Cause of and Cure. Mange, How Treated. Inflamed Eyes, What to Use. Cankered Ears; Sore Ears, How Healed. Wounds and Injuries. Salmon Poisoning. Fleas, How Rid Of. Distemper, How Successfully Treated. Dew Claws, How Removed. Table of Doses Commonly Used Medicines. CHAPTER IX. PAGE 111 SHOWING AIREDALES — Valuer of Shows. First Appearance of the Breed at Shows. Registering, Conditioning and Trimming, What to Do. Helpful Sug- gestions About Showing and Handling. List of Champion Airedales. CHAPTER X. PAGE 123 AIREDALES VS. HOUNDS — Relative Merits. The Hound's Limitations and Handicaps. Substitutes for the Airedale Tried. The Airedale as a Trailer, Discussed by Experienced Big-Game Hunters. CHAPTER XI. PAGE 133 TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT FOR SPORT— Impoitance of Obedience. De- pendable Retrievers. Vermin Killing and Big-Game Hunting. Cleverness and Courage. Pulling Porcupine Quills. How to Pack a Hunting Dog. CHAPTER XII. PAGE 143 AIREDALES IN CANADA. AIREDALE ANECDOTES — Most interesting, and a classic poem. Advertising. INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS Cover — Frontispiece — Barkerend Rival Page The Author 2 Barkerend Rival 4 Lake-Dell Jerry 8 Otterhounds 10 A Trustworthy Guardian 12 Mr. Paul Rainey's Pack of Hunting- Dogs in British East Africa 14 Working Airedailes 16 Champion King Nobbler's Double IS Peterson's Deader "Lake-Dell Whiskers" 26 Head Study — Bilmer Ruler 28 Champion Birchcliffe Oorang 31 Champion Polam Maxim 33 Champion Crofton Chum 36 Plan for Kennel 38 The Author and Some Kennel Favorites 41 The Type That Produces Winners 42 Champion Lake Dell Damsel 43 Retrieving Ducks with an Airedale 49 Champion Master Briar 50 Champion Red Raven's Head 51 Little Girl and 5-months-old Puppy 61 Betty Marvel and Her Charges 63 What Brick Did to a French Bull 67 Something Here 70 A Guard for Poultry 72 Playing with His Pal 74 A Puppy's Ears at Transition Stage 75 Sit Up — Lake Dell Rags Asking for Her Just Reward 78 The Airedale, a Sportsman's Dog 79 Airedale Retrieving Quail 81 Airedales Like Water (Lake Dell Rags playing) 83 Big-Game Hunting Camp in Montana 85 Airedales at Work on Big Game in Alaska 90 An Exciting Moment 93 Champion Illuminator 110 Head Study Ill Champions of Both Continents 115 Upland Shooting with an Airedale 117 The Hunting Pack in Mountains of Montana 119 The Ideal Big-Game Hunting Pack 122 Coon Hunting with an Airedale on Puget Sound 126 Airedales Tree Barking — Mountain Lion Hunting in Montana 129 Staunch on Point 132 "Pals" 133 Airedales Working on Wild Ducks 135 Black Bear Treed by Airedales 139 A Water Dog 142 Mr. P. Bawden with Three Favorites 143 Birchcliffe Selected 145 A Family Party 146 Lady Marvel 150 Helping the Family on Wash Day 151 Will Know Better Next Time 155 Briar and His Playmates 158 &U about gtreoales; INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER In writing and compiling this book of information pertain- ing particularly to Airedale Terriers, the writer has aimed to present to the dog-loving public a book that will be equallv valuable to the novice who is a fancier of other breeds as well. The book does not attempt to give an extended history of the breed as a whole or of noted individual Airedales, for this has been admirably done by others, notably Messrs. Holland Buck- ley, James Watson, N. William Haynes and F. M. Jowett, all most valuable in their respective works. The author of this book during a period covering twenty years as an active dog fancier, has observed the apparent lack of helpful suggestions in many dog books, which he gives here- in as the result of years of successful ownership, breeding and practical experience. The old adage, "experience is the best teacher," in the case of dogs is only too true and it is the hope of the writer that the amateur fancier will avoid many stumbling blocks in his or her own experience by profiting from some of the information here given, much of which while seemingly simple, will be found to be such as to help many to avoid mistakes which are always most disappointing if not costly. This work is intended partially to satisfy a long-felt want in giving the thousands of fanciers of this breed, who have never raised or owned a dog of any sort before, something to help tnem along in furthering the usefulness, education and personal pleasure in the ownership of the Airedale. Its title is not to be considered too ambitious in the use of the word "ALL," for no book could possibly be compiled that would include "all" that could be written regarding Airedales. The title selected aptly indicates that the book's text is entirely devoted to the Airedale in depicting its diversified character- istics. The author is in constant receipt of personal letters from Airedale fanciers in all parts of America and many foreign lands, with most complimentary comments on what the reading of this book has been for them, and he desires to herein express his appreciation of same and trusts the new editions, which are periodically made necessary because of the wide- spread popularity of the publication, will continue to assist others in an intelligent and successful ownership of both good and better Airedales. No book is large enough to reproduce photographs of the thousands of good Airedales, past and present. Those selected show the Airedale in many of its interesting capabilities and also a few of the most representative Champion Airedales yet ALL ABOUT AIREDALES produced, such that the reader can by them see pictured what has been recognized as the best individual type. In publishing this edition, the author is reminded that "All About Airedales" was the pioneer exclusively Airedale book published in America and unless the breed had proved itself dependable and fully up to what its friends claimed for it, the book would have been forgotten before the completion of this ten years of its distribution, but the Airedale today as a breed is stronger and more firmly established and growing into wider favor than ever before and the constantly increasing demand for "All About Airedales" from all over the world indicates its character as a book of enduring merit. Mr. H. W. Essclstyii's Sporting Airedale Lake Dell Jack. N. B. — The successful raising of Airedale puppies is so greatly assisted and made easy by having this book to refer to, many breeders place copies of the book with purchasers of stock. Special rates will be given any breeder who wishes to use the book for this purpose. Address: R. M. Palmer, 8447 Renton Avenue, Seattle, Washington, U. S. A. CHAPTER I. ORIGIN AND GENERAL, CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AIREDALE TERRIER Origin. When authorities differ, 'tis folly to be wise: It is enough to state that the Airedale originated in Yorkshire, England, some fifty years ago, and eventually the breed being so much associated with the district through which the Aire River runs, took the name of the Aire-dale Terrier. This particular section of England was a manufacturing district, and the Yorkshire- man, always prone to a bit of sport, wanted in his dog not only a keen-bitten all-terrier dog, one that would never flinch in a pinch, but also one that could make himself practically useful in all sorts of hunting pursuits, whether nosing out mink or water-rats, retrieving waterfowl, or taking the trail of the otter, or winding the scent of upland game birds. Years ago when in conversation with the noted international judge, Mr. George Raper, who has for years been breeding some of the best known Airedales in England, and whose Yorkshire home has been always right where the Airedale originated, he remarked that those who were responsible for the making of the breed had but meager knowledge of what constituted their make-up, for they seemingly "just grew" into being, from a general pot-pouri of the sporting dogs in the dale of the Aire, which comprised all sorts and conditions of a dog useful to the poacher in his lone and stealthy encroachments upon privileged territory of the game preserves of his Lordship. Airedales were sent in to range the enclosed field, to drive the hares and rabbits out through the gates, there to be quickly netted. In those days the old-fashioned rough Scotch terrier was popular and used on vermin, also the old English wire haired black and tan terrier is said to have entered into the crosses which were made with Otterhound blood, which latter blood was linked with the terrier production, to gain the wonderful nose and scenting powers of this noted strain of old English hounds. The Otterhound had also the rough and wiry coat, most suitable to maintain in this then newly made hunting-terrier a sound, water, weather and brush resisting jacket. It is from this source that the Airedale of the present day gets his strongly inherent and wonderful scenting instincts, and his fondness for all sport that demands water-work and intense ambition in hunting and trailing. 10 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES ORIGIN AND CHARACTERISTICS 11 While it is seen from this brief outline of the accredited origin of the Airedale, that it was made up of two or three or more breeds, not unlike many another recognized breed in dogdom of today, it should be borne in mind that he is not a mongrel because of it, as the Yorkshireman fancier used in the breed's make-up other recognized terrier breeds and the Otterhound, all in themselves pure as breeds went in those days, for their accepted purpose in getting the final result, which was then known as the Yorkshire-waterside-terrier, and also the Working-terrier. The past forty years of steady progress and improvement made in Airedale breeding has shown its ability to breed-on and retain the features of distinctive type and characteristics. Had the origin of the Airedale been otherwise than sound, sensible matings from breeds of decently pure blood, the result would have never bred-on and remained what it has always been and is, today, a type of hunting terrier, which embodies, as one writer puts it, "elegance, unison of build, thoroughness in dash and intensity of purpose; with such contour in his breedy appearance, and his known adaptability in all climates under any and every condition where he is called upon as a real companion to man." As early as 188 5, the Airedale was rec- ognized as a distinct and separate breed, and individuals were registered as such in what is the oldest organization of its kind in the world, the Kennel Club of England. Having briefly answered the question "What is an Airedale Terrier?" one which is so often heard, we will now turn our attention to the breed's general characteristics. Characteristics. While recognized by both the English Kennel Club and American Kennel Club under the name of Airedale Terrier, al- ready the name Airedale is so distinctive and special a cogno- men, as differing from the names of other breeds, that as time wears on, it would seem that the unnecessary Terrier append- age will be eliminated from even the Kennel Club list. An Aire- dale in character is in a class entirely by itself. No other ter- rier breed approaches his capabilities, and he possesses all the best qualifications of the other terrier breeds, even to a greater degree of perfection and satisfaction, and besides has those truly remarkable traits of the brainy hunting dog, that inspire profound admiration, respect and devotion, wherever he Is given a decent chance to show himself in critical situations, emergencies of mortal combat, and, in what has likely endeared his character to the world more than anything else, an absolute dependence and reliability accompanied by unstinted devotion to his master, even-tempered and indomitable courage, faith- fulness and true affection for family and master of sucn 12 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES 1 *'• k k. ' ffiffl /" rt Bjk - p|| J 2 1ms ] 3 s ' a\ Bowl" * C T. 3 Mw> < ORIGIN AND CHARACTERISTICS 13 superior caliber, that posterity will be heralding his praises centuries hence. Guardianship. While accepting friendly advances that are made to him, he does not reciprocate, and he recognizes but one master. A friend who has once won his confidence and respect, he never forgets, though years intervening have elapsed. Mr. H. Reeder, in Country Life of America, tells of an example of the discrim- ination used by the Airedale in exercising guardianship in- stincts: "While camping in the Northern woods, he was called suddenly into town, and left his Airedale Betsy with a neighboring camper. Betsy had no scruples about accepting the man's hospitality and shared his bread and roof until evening, but as darkness gathered she took unceremonious leave, and trotting back to her master's bungalow, stretched out comfortably at the top of the veranda steps. The neighbor feared she might get lost and followed. She arose at his approach and ran down the path to meet him with every sign of welcome. It occurred to him that he might as well take a look around, and he made for the veranda, intending to go through the bungalow. The minute he moved toward it, Betsy sprang to the top of the steps and faced him with an ominous growl. Surprised at the sudden change of front, and a bit alarmed, he tried to pet her, but she drew back with an unmistakable snarl and he deemed it prudent to retreat. Imme- diately she followed him down and became friendly again. He repeated the experiment, but once more she barred his way, so he abandoned the idea of going in and left her to guard the place. Had the beast been endowed with speech she could not have made him understand more clearly the stand she took: She was perfectly willing to be friendly, but only as it did not interfere with her duties." The Airedale shows a decided fondness for children. He is the ideal playmate for the little girl and pal for the boy on all his romps, always awaiting the favor of his little master's attentions. Hide and seek, or finding a ball, he will play by the hour. It is a common occurrence to see an Airedale insep- arable from the baby carriage when its precious load is out for a sunning, and the writer has known many that would not be tempted to leave their infant charge by any diversion, but faithfully and incessantly guard the little one as long as per- mitted to do so. There is no breed of dog so desirable to raise a child with or one in which so much trust can be placed. The illustration on the preceding page shows but one of many similar situations, with the Airedale ready to play the heroic part of guardian and life-saver. In this instance, the occurrence is at the seaside. The little child was possessed of a dangerous fondness for approaching too near the water. The Airedale, 14 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES ORIGIN AND CHARACTERISTICS 15 ever alert in an emergency, takes immediate control of the situation and with his firm grip and sure but gentle insistence, holds the screaming child safely, until the fond mother is attracted to the scene, which is fortunately caught by her cleverness with a pocket camera. Widespread Popularity. The Airedale has not proved to be an over-estimated breed, nor one that was destined to come and go, as so many others have done, only to be read about in the annals of canine history: Airedales were seemingly created to fill a well defined want and need, for just such a dog as they are. Their popular- ity has been increasing the world over as years have rolled by. They were not destined to be localized in some one country for a limited fancy to enjoy: The world is too eager to get hold of and enjoy all 'the real good things, while it passes through this brief mortal existence and the open secret of what a won- derful breed had been developed in this breed was bound to spread to all lands, and human nature being much the same everywhere one goes, even to the remotest parts of the earth, the Airedale is filling his place in the life demanded of him. In Alaska, with temperature at 50 degrees below zero, they are used to haul the hunter's and miner's provisions from town to camp, Mr. Chas. Emsweiler, a hunting guide of Seward, stating that his brace have carried for miles three to four hundred pounds of moose; or, they are trailing and holding at bay big game for the fortunate hunter who has been lucky enough to come into possession of one or more. In the tropics of Africa, during Col. Roosevelt's hunting trips, we heard tidings of the Airedale there, always ready for the fray, and among the various breeds of hunting dogs accompanying Mr. Paul Rainey in his hunting explorations in British East Africa, the cleverest and most courageous work was done by two Aire- dales. Through the courtesy of Mr. Rainey's representative, Mr. Rice, in charge of the motion-pictures, one of the most exciting scenes pictured in same is illustrated here. Mr. Rainey has always declared that the American hunting dog was equal in contending with the fiercest of wild beasts. He took with him on his expedition a pack consisting of hounds for trailing, wolf hounds and two Airedale Terriers for the killers, all bred and trained in Mississippi bear hunting. The notable stamina of these dogs on the hunt and their courage in the face of powerful and to them strange animals, demonstrated the truth of Mr. Rainey's contention, as will be conceded by any dog fancier who sees these pictures. It is generally believed that dogs cannot climb trees, yet one of the most thrilling of the scenes of this expedition shows a leopard posed ai. the top of a tree in majestic grace, as a place of refuge from the pack in close pursuit, until these two Airedales dumb up 16 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES Working Airedales, Owned by Chas. Emsweiser, Alaska (1) Lake-Dell Vic and Lake-Dell Tackier hauling- camp supplies. (2) Alaska Grizzly bear killed near Seward, brought to bay by Vic and Tackier (in background). ORIGIN AND CHARACTERISTICS 17 tc him, and, snapping at his feet and haunches, force him to leap from the top of the tree to earth, where the other dogs mix in a melee with the animal. This is one of many interesting and exciting incidents shown in the Rainey films. The illustra- tion of this rare scene is an instantaneous reproduction of the moment the leopard leaps from the top of the tree, the two Airedales dimly visible close to the top where the animal had sought a safe retreat. In the moving pictures the quickness with which the Airedales climb the tree and go up through the branches is remarkable, and they are the only dogs attempting to do this of all the pack. In another scene, when hunting lions, the Airedale is shown as the only dog with enough courage to dash into the thicket where the lion has sought refuge and rout it out for another chase by the pack, that has surrounded the thicket and are baying their prey. These feats of dare-devil gameness now shown throughout the world in these motion-pictures have given the exceptional prowess of the Airedale most merited publicity. In Mexico, the Canal Zone and South America they are likewise in demand by those who have the opportunity of knowing them and are a dare- devil companion for the rough life of the country, as well as for lion and boar hunting, which latter tests the courage of a dog to the limit, for a wild boar will cut up his antagonist if given the chance more than any other wild animal. Then again in the Philippines and the Orient we hear of them giving good accounts of themselves, and on the continent of Europe, in the English and American armies they have established world- wide fame for their cleverness as most dependable message- bearers, for post duty and as sentinels on outpost duty with scouting service. Airedales in India. The following letter from Mr. T. C. H. Shaw, prominent as a breeder and judge of Airedales in far-away India, is another evidence of the wide-spread popularity of the breed: "Rawalpuidi, Punjab, India, June 3, 1918. "Dear Sir: Kindly send me one copy of "All About Aire- dales," latest edition. I am at present trying to form an "All India Airedale Terrier Club" as the breed is coming up by leaps and bounds in favor. I also hope to later write a book on this breed in India. Most of my Airedales I keep purely for exhibition, but I have noticed their wonderful intelligence and that they make great pals. My kennels (the Donnybrooks) are the premier kennels of this breed in India. I hold the Indian record for the largest number of first prizes won in India in this breed by one dog and the first Indian made champion and this was done by my old dog Champion Simon of Donnybrook. He is mad on the gun too. I have here also the ALL ABOUT AIREDALES International Champion King Nobbier' s Double (Courtesy Mr. Norman Mackenzie) English Champion Donnybrook Felday Countess (great gran- dam of Ch. Rhosdu Royalist). She is a wonderful watch dog and a demon in water and after ducks. Champion Simon was bred in India. There are Donnybrooks all over India nearly. At present I have about seven of my Airedales away on service at different centers of war, some in Mesopotamia, some to Palestine. Most of these have gone out with officers of Indian ORIGIN AND CHARACTERISTICS 19 regiments as pals, guards, etc., and I hope they will get service medals. I must say I get good fun hunting jackals with my Airedales and I have had these pulled down singly hy my dogs." Police Dogs. As Police Dogs their wonderful feats of cunning and brain work are chronicled occasionally in the press. In this sphere of usefulness, the Airedale is readily trained to be both pro- tecting guard to patrolmen and a quick assistant in stopping an escaping fugitive who dodges into a dark avenue of escape beyond the reach of a revolver's range. Airedales become very proficient in knowing quickly their duty in stopping the fugi- tive an officer is pursuing and when hidden will follow the trail into hiding places and hold at bay the culprit until forced out by the arresting officers. Such use of Airedales is grow- ing rapidly in the larger cities and giving most satisfactory results. Being much quicker in action than trail or blood- hounds they are more valuable in criminal service and when given the same detailed training become most proficient. Their undaunted courage in being ever ready to search premises for petty thieves, burglars or criminals, make them the most dependable breed for police service. In France they are used to prevent suicides from drowning, and in a public contest held in Germany, which included all breeds, doing the same rescue service, the Airedales took first honors over all contestants in other breeds. Acute Hearing. In England, their native land, by experiments in determin- ing the comparative degree of the Airedale's exceptionally sensitive hearing, by Scotland Yard, they have discovered that the Airedale can detect sound at a distance of hundreds of yards farther than the most acute human ear. These scientific tests have been reported from time to time in the English press. This keen faculty the witer has seen illustrated frequently with his own dogs: One instance in particular was that of a family companion, who while apparently dozing on the floor of the house living room, would suddenly start up and rush to window or door, all aroused over the detection of her master's approaching, when he was three to five hundred yards away on cement paving, beyond any possible distance of the hearing of the human ear. This incident was so repeatedly tested by those who witnessed it frequently, that the results of English experiments are readily to be given full credence. The use of this faculty is put into practical service in the English army, by training Airedales not to bark at strange sounds at night in trench warfare but to utter a low growl and in this manner 20 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES ORIGIN AND CHARACTERISTICS 21 give warnings of stealthy approachings of an enemy, not detectable by the human ear. A Profitable Breed. Airedales have become in England and America the most profitable breed in a commercial way, if one can judge anything by the generous values that are being paid for noted indi- viduals. There have been a number of purchases of English- bred Airedales at prices ranging from $500 to $2000 and $3000 each, within the last few years, so there is from this standpoint no longer any disputing the value of what breeders have produced in careful attention to improvement of individual type. Airedales in America. In America the fancy for the Airedale is a general and wide-spread one, as they are found in every State and Territory in the United States and every Province of Canada. They are the faithful companion of the tender child at home in family life, and a trusty guard for its safety. The city fancier enjoys his companionship at home or in cross-country tramps, when the Airedale is always busy and ready to find something of interest, whether varmints or shaking a mountain beaver or treeing some noisy squirrel or grouse, or even roading a bevy of quail, all for the fun of it. If a swim is at hand, he is the first to enjoy it, and stands ready to retrieve anything; or, if at the shore, handles him- self most dexteriously in the surf, and in shoal waters the writer has witnessed an Airedale fish for hours at a time, running up and down the flats, following the little darting fin bearers, with head under water seemingly as often as out. This suggests the relating of a "real" fish story, concerning a hunting Airedale owned by the writer, by name of Lake-Dell Gotch. He had been out for a season's work and the hunter who was using him, frequently used boiled fresh salmon for his dog-feed, taking these from the abundant supply in the valley streams. He secured them by spearing the fish in shallow water. Gotch always wanted to go along and watched eagerly the process. He soon was to be seen wading and chasing some good sized fish toward the bank, and by comical maneuvers gradually get him into the pocket of some edge, until by a quick grab he caught him by the tail, and rushed out with the fish for dry land. At first his failures to always land the fish were amusing, and they would frequently flop back into the water until he learned to carry them a safe distance from the stream. One evening on reaching camp, Gotch had disappeared, and he did not turn up the next day. That evening some timber cruisers passed us and told us one of 22 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES our dogs was down by the river fishing. When we found him he was barking merrily off in the woods, guarding a pile of at least fifty handsome big salmon, and having a hard time to keep the live ones from flopping away. He was a happy dog, and proud of his labors. The farmer and rancher has found in him a dog that com- bines more than any other breed everything that is useful in a dog. He loves to continually hunt for and exterminate all vermin and pests to poultry, and the stray cat is but a tussel of a second and he has it disposed of. The sheepherder and cattleman finds in the Airedale the one dog they can depend upon at all times to quickly sound the alarm of molesting maurauders being about, and are willing assistants in driving away the howling and mischievous coyotes and, when it is possible to corner one, will single-handed kill it with despatch. The Airedale will drive sheep or cattle like a collie. Coons and the bob-cat they dearly love to hunt and kill as well, and when the rancher finds his place regularly visited only too early for his slumber by coons in the chicken coop or a visit from the destructive skunk, if he is without an Airedale on his place, he begins to think it's about time he had one, for nothing ever destroys bird or animal life on farm or ranch without an Airedale knowing it and he loses no time in the dispensing of the enemy instanter, and all so naturally and willingly, without guidance or suggestion. They are wonderful retrievers from water or on land. In the United States Forest Service throughout the West, the Rangers have rather generally adopted the Airedale as their companion-dog for their life in the wilds. The mountain hunter and trapper have come to find in the Airedale a dog par excellence for their life. The slightest movement in an adjoining thicket, he hears and detects instantly, or he scents distant game long before one has any idea of its presence, leading his master still-hunting to it, or if allowed his freedom, going off with a bound and a pace that no other dog can surpass, out of sight and hearing until he has rounded up his quarry and has a bear at bay in some recess, or cougar treed, or bob-cat cornered, when with unceasing and noisy tongue he tells the story to the otherwise peaceful hills and dales, that he is there to stay hours if needed until his hunter-master comes to put an end to the wild prey of his finding. Instances are reported of the Airedale staying with big game treed for two days' time and more before found. The writer once had a yearling Airedale stay twenty-four hours until found with his first black bear. The persistence and undaunted courage of the Airedale is well illustrated by the experience of the former U. S. Hunter for the State of Washington, P. C. Peterson, who in the winter of 1908 had been out for a day's hunt to locate a cougar (mountain lion). After a day's hard hunting with his three ORIGIN AND CHARACTERISTICS 23 Airedales and several hounds, a severe snowstorm came on, which, together with the approaching night, compelled him to retreat homewards. En route the dogs treed the cougar several miles from home and, as it was getting pitch-dark, and snow blinding, he could not see the prey, but only hear his snarls in tbe top of a mighty cedar. With great difficulty he finally got the dogs away from the thicket and hurried home. When about half way, he discovered one of his best Airedales, Pedro, was missing and a hasty search for him was of no avail. He was almost lost himself in controlling the other dogs, and had to abandon the search and reach safety himself. Being a man devoted to his Airedales and their courage, as soon as the three days' blizzard had abated, and Pedro had not returned, he retraced his travels to the scene of the cougar's retreat, in hopes of possibly still finding the dog, only to find when once there but mute evidence where with snow packed down ten feet in depth, Pedro had gamely made his last sad stand in listening to the "call of the wild" while maintaining his lonely vigil and guard, but which alone he could not survive with the handicap of snow too deep to withstand the severity of the elements. "On the kennel floor the chain lies Where it lay a year ago, Rusty, knotted, wound in cobweb, Where cold spiders hide below. Creaking on its unused hinges Swings the loose door to and fro, And the kennel door is mildewed, Dampened by the sifting snow. Now there is no dog to care for, Silence only when I call," etc. — Morris. As Airedales have grown more and more into public favor, they have fortunately had the benefit of the patronage of well- to-do fanciers, who are always on the alert to get hold of any really good new dog in the breed. Each season, the rivalry will continue in securing fame for the leading Airedales of the day. Heretofore many of the best champion Airedales have been imported from England, but the American-bred winners are appearing more frequently and it is only a matter of time until some of the greatest dogs in the breed from the standpoint of perfection in type will be bred in the United States and Canada. Singularly enough in England leading authorities in 1915 accorded to the bitch Champion Dargle Deputy the distinction of being the best Airedale in England. That Canada is coming to the front, in the importation and breeding of Airedales, is a fact becoming known to all, but as yet the public may not generally be aware of the class of Airedales which are being used in our neighbor- 24 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES ing country. Mr. Norman Mackenzie of Regina, Canada, among others, during 1915, brought out a notable importation in the dog, Champion King Nobbler's Double, and has in recent years brought to merited international championship the im- ported dog Polam Maxim. So much attention has been given to improving the breed's general appearance, that whereas in its early days the Aire- dale was a shaggy, rough-looking customer, as homely a canine as ever seen, the modern type of Airedale is as smart and toppy as any of the terrier breeds. This fact is peculiarly creditable and praiseworthy in view of the necessity all through its development of maintaining the characteristics of the original purpose of the breed, namely, in having a thoroughly game fighting dog, one endowed with a most powerful physique, size and stature for endurance and hard work and also the rarest hunting instincts. The Airedale originated as a working terrier and a hunting dog he will always be, as all terrier breeds had lacked the scenting powers of the hound blood until it was so successfully introduced and maintained in this breed. A First Impression. The following letter is an amusing account of a first impression of the appearance of an Airedale puppy, received by W. W. Titus, well known as a veteran field trial handler and fancier of sporting dogs: "Dear Sir: The rag and bone and hank of hair came all right and don't you forget it. My nigger came home with a grin on him so wide he could hardly get through a twelve-foot gate. 'Bos,' said he, 'some dem yere Yankees dun sent you a fices.' But this is neither here nor there. 'Frills,' as we call her, though not a yard wide, is all hair. She was the scariest dog I ever saw, but after awhile she lost her wildness, and now wants to follow everywhere. If she has any breeding, let's hear it — judging from her looks she must have run altogether to breeding. If I can keep my nigger from tying her to a stick to wash windows with I believe she will grow into a full-sized dog some day. Thanking you for your kind attention and inci- dentally for selecting for me such a handsome specimen of the Airedale breed, I am most humbly yours, W. W. TITUS, Kennel Review." Not unlike the modern mechanical tool with its dozen uses, so the Airedale in dog flesh has filled the human craving for an all-around dog, one that combines enough distinctive and inherited traits of character that he can be developed to meet every use, whether the requirement be such as to call on his purely terrier aggressiveness and killing powers or his natural ambitious hunting instincts, be it for feathered game or the pursuit of big g me. ORIGIN AND CHARACTERISTICS 2 5 Such a breed with its every-varying sporting tendencies is certainly one which the world has much room for and its widespread and universal popularity has but begun, for the Airedale fills every want and need that the human race can ask a thoroughbred dog to serve: He embodies a naturally quiet and reserved temperament with one that is up and coming the moment there is anything doing. It is exceptional to find the noisy temperament in the Airedale, like some other varieties of the terrier family. They are naturally mute except when excited to something worth while. He is game to the core, does not carry a grouch about with him and is ready to fight to the death when occasion demands, and no dog lives, of equal weight, that is a match for an Airedale once aroused: Airedales are peculiar in this matter of being aroused to a situation of perhaps imposition from another dog before their fighting blood is up. They will be most indifferent and yet ever ready, and the instant they are attacked, they are all there in a second with actions so quick and forceful that lightning seems slow in comparison, for with punishing jaw and great strength they are seldom bested. Don't ever worry about the safety of your Airedale when attacked by a street dog; he will take care of himself and if in unequal battle, he will find some clever way to cover. The writer had occasion to know of a case in point: Two Airedale pals, Guard and Caesar, one an exceptionally small specimen, yet chuck-full of fearless grit, and the other a slow, sober, but large, husky individual, were attacked on the street by a termendous brute of a Mallimuth, one of the eighty-pound sort. These Northern dogs are wolf-like in nature, have sharp cutting teeth, and a coat with the density of a bear's hide. They are powerfully built and are always dangerous assailants to man or beast. The two Airedales realized the utter hopelessness of meeting him in the usual form of battle and instinctively seemed to understand each other's predicament at once, for while the larger dog fastened onto a throat hold, the little chap took the hind quarters, and when found, they had the Mallimuth stretched out tight, hors de combat, and they had held him there some time and would have certainly killed him had they not been discovered and driven apart. The following letter illustrates an incident of the gameness of three Airedales in a tough encounter with a cougar: "North Bend, Wash., Jan. 9, 1912. Dear Sir: * * * The next morning I started for Nortb Bend, Jack and Togo carrying their packs of camp necessities, and only got into the edge of the clearing when I missed Whiskers. I called to him several times only to find out that he was on the track of a cougar that had passed within one hundred yards of the cabin during the night, and as the snow was very hard it took me several minutes before I discovered 26 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES the cougar track. I turned Jack and Togo loose and they soon caught up with Whiskers, and in less than one hour I heard the three dogs coming towards me in full cry. A half- grown deer ran by me, and next after the deer came the cougar and the three Airedales. When, seeing me, the cougar turned back in the direction he had come from, but Jack was there, first in the lead. He flew right at the cougar's throat and the cougar, going pretty fast, turned clean over, when, quicker than I write these lines, Togo and Whiskers had him by the hind quarters. Just about that time I got my little Mauser pistol into action, and the first shot broke the cougar's neck. P. C. PETERSON." Petersen's Leader "Lake Dell Whiskers" Showing- type of one of the gamest and most experienced hunting Airedales that ever lived. This dog was hunted nine years until finally killed in his last encounter with bear. CHAPTER II. PHYSIQUE AND STANDARD TYPE OF THE AIREDALE TERRIER. Appearance. The Airedale of today is distinctively a terrier paragon. His physical individuality is impressive at first sight, as all know who have had occasion to lead one or two through a city's streets and had the constant interested inquiries from strangers to answer, who want to know all about them. Aire- dales should have a clean-cut terrier appearance, handsome in the placement of their richly contrasted coloring, coupled with a characteristic dignity of bearing and self-contained activity. The Airedale is an upstanding dog, proud of bearing, ever alert and interested without the semblance of a toy or light weight in his build, showing much prowess, zeal and vigor in abundance, curbed only by his excellent temper, and as sound a jacket as the present-day breeder can give him, in density and hardness of coat and color to suit the dog's lineage and popular favor. His running gear must be uniformly put together, to permit Of great speed in the chase, requiring the toughest of feet, chest deep and ribs well sprung to give great lung capacity. Withal a dog of good station, which embodies effective power in combat. Size and Weight. Size and its accompanying unmistakable embodiment of power and invincible strength is a natural first impression of a good Airedale. This size question has been a changeable one in the Airedale's development from its early days. In December, 1879, Mr. Reginald Knight, of Chappel Allerton, Leeds, Eng- land, then recognized as the leading exponent of the welfare of the breed, furnished Mr. Vero Shaw an estimate of the breed for the "Book of the Dog," and gave a standard, which was signed up by seven of the leading fanciers of that day in England. Weight was given as 40 to 55 pounds for dogs, and 3 5 to 50 pounds for bitches. This was in the days when the influence of the Otter Hound crossing and recrossing, back and forth with terrier blood had maintained the hound size largely, with also its houndy ears and ungainly appearance. It is well to bear in mind that the Airedale was not produced from one mating, or any succession of limited matings and 28 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES crosses, but rather required years to develop and establish its constantly improving form, due to the ambition of judicious breeders and fanciers to constantly build up and strengthen terrier characteristics: This eventually seemed to carry the fancy to the other extreme, for it was not so many years before the Kennel Club of England, to satisfy the fanciers of the breed, that were showing the breed and advancing it into one of the most profitable show-breeds in England, was influenced to formulate in its standard requirements the size question to a maximum limit of 4 5 pounds for a dog, as a guide post. This had the influence of breeding ultra-terrier types until show winners fell altogether too far short of this weight, and under- sized, small specimens became common. It is here seen that in its native land the weight limits of the breed are stretching upwards, for as one English writer and exhibitor expresses it, "If the Airedale is to be allowed to win on a low weight he will be bred down to the Irish, and who knows perhaps become Head Study — (10% inches in length) merged in him. I should be very sorry to see him get smaller, and think the question of weight should have much more consideration with judges than it now has" (referring to what had been a tendency to advance the small type of Airedale in England and America, against the present growing popu- larity of the larger type). That standard size and weight is today a very elastic requirement in England is evident by the following from the pen of the editor of "Our Dogs": "The standard descripiton and code of points of the Airedale Terrier has been formulated merely as a guide to breeders, exhibitors and judges, and not as the laws of the Medes and Persians, an irrevocable and un- alterable statute. If the latter, then it means that an Airedale Terrier 44% lb. weight, however moderate in merit, is eligible PHYSIQUE AND STANDARD TYPE 29 to compete and win prizes and Club emoluments, but one 45 1 / £ lb. weight (between which the eye could detect no difference and for all practical purposes there is no real difference) is a monstrosity and ineligible to compete. Such is, of course absurd." Nowadays, the tendency seems pendulum-like to be swing- ing in the other direction, for the undersized Airedale proved an abomination and a most disappointing climax in the breed- ing for show dogs that brought it about, and there is reason to believe that the Airedale's size everywhere will in the future be maintained in representative and winning types in dogs that weigh between 45 and 55 pounds and bitches about 5 pounds less. When we bear in mind that show judging is always on the comparative basis and not technically scored by standard points, one can readily understand the varying opinions pos- sible in what constitutes the best ideal for size. Weight in itself is too uncertain a factor in determining the desired size of an Airedale. Of more importance is height at shoulders, stolidity of build, large bone formation in leg structure, giving power to good station, strength in neck and shoulders, com- pactness of body and a perfect muscular development. During 1919, Field and Fancy (New York), America's leading Airedale weekly, invited open discussion and letters from prominent Airedale owners on the subject of weight in Airedales. It brought out many interesting opinions. Space is given in this chapter for two excerpts, as pertinent to the subject matter, one by the author and the other by Mr. W. E. Baker, Jr., of New York, prominent as a breeder and judge of the breed, whose writings are sound and substantial. Type Not Weight. "Editor, Field and Fancy: It is a pleasure for me to take a pen in hand on the subject of Airedales, for when twenty years ago I began to befriend the breed with an occasional article to your paper and others, I little realized that the breed would by now have established itself as numerically the largest owned breed in this country. Recently I was scanning a copy of a prominent Western paper devoted to out-of-door life and recreation, and in it a novice had the temerity to ask the Kennel Editor what breed of dogs was the 'best' to own. His reply was that there were forty fair answers to the question, all of them right, but dog for dog, the Airedale had the most brains, and knew how to use them better than any other breed in existence. "So when your letter came along asking me for my opinion of the controversy which your issue of April 26 entitled 'Weight in Airedales,' I felt a good deal like the editor above quoted. I see nothing in the matter to get excited over, as it is a subject that has come up for discussion periodically about once a year in our kennel publications for a decade past. Bickering over it avails nothing, for the fact is there is no important divergence of opinion among those who know a first class Airedale when they see one. "Weight is not a suitable word to use in the consideration of the subject. This was aptly illustrated some years ago when Dr. Henry Jarrett was judging a Seattle show I had the management of. There was a cup up for the biggest Airedale to be decided by weight. Out West here, then and now, the hunters like the big 30 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES ones and have an idea that they cannot be bred and raised too large, so Bill Bailey wanted to see how big- a specimen could be found to win the cup he had donated. Among many the com- petition centered on a 11-months-old puppy a boy had brought in from a ranch where he had had his freedom (and the puppy was in poor flesh). This Airedale weighed 78 pounds. A butcher produced the winner in Landrail (bred by Dr. R. M. Dodds of Mankato Minn ), and when I weighed this dog he balanced the scales at 82 pounds, and yet was not in appearance an extra large dog but a heavy set, big-boned dog, deep in body and loin and heavy in flesh. 'Airedales that would not weigh over 55 pounds might seem to the eye to be more sizable than this dog, and the 78 pound pup looked bigger all over. Another extreme case of weight came under my notice two years ago when a 10-months-old male puppy came in from the country for shipment to a big game hunter This matured at 12 months of age. He was a monstrosity for both weight and size, the big all over kind, and on the scales (at 10 months) weighed 88 pounds. By this time he could easily tip them over 100 pounds. He was an absolutely purebred Airedale from healthy hunting stock, and his sire and dam were of average size but the litter were all big specimens. The inbreeding had evi- dently coupled and strengthened the dominant size-tendencies In the ancestry and good feeding and country life did the rest of it None of these three extra large specimens of the breed maintained any attractive balance of Airedale type, but coarseness all over was manifest. "When, however a large dog does maintain uniform symmetry and balance in his structural type, then his owner has something worth while and the breed has simply proved its perpetuation of what its inherited tendencies must always be. For, bear in mind that when the breed was originated Otter Hound blood predom- inated in its make-up, and its influence toward size is still the strongest element in the breed's reproduction. This is also aided by a popular tendency among breeders to always breed to a large sized sire. Time cannot erase/ the spots in a leopard's coat, nor will it ever change the tendency toward size in Airedale breeding. "Please note I use the word 'size' not 'weight,' for weight is no criterion to go by. I can put 10 pounds on any Airedale in a month if in average flesh, so weight varies too easily to be a dependable guide, other than giving a 'mind's idea' of what a 45 to 50 pound Airedale should perhaps appear to look like. But many a good, fat, chunky, undersized specimen can easily tip the scales to the requirement of the English standard, which American spe- cialty clubs seem to have been too eager to copy — namely 40 to 45 pounds. "Having always favored size in Airedale type, I am glad to here state that this is not for/ itself alone. A sporting Airedale does not have to be a big one to be a dead game dog in the use for the breed in all classes of hunting. I have bred and seen too many Airedales that were not large specimens, that were all one could ask for in this matter of usefulness. But right here let me counsel your Airedale readers to go slow in zealously acclaiming that size is the much desired equation in Airedale breeding. There are so many more important considerations in Airedale type that experi- enced fanciers, give size only a passing consideration. To elucidate a bit, I would say, above all, a first-class 'show dog' must have superior standard type in head points, symmetry and texture of coat, general style and showiness, involving grace in action and attractive general ensemble, that denotes 'quality.' The weakest general shortcoming in the breed today is texture of coat, an otherwise good show dog is exhibited in stripped condition of coat — artificial entirely — and wins maybe championship honors and eventually is bred to and reproduces poor coats continually. Judges should give the gate to all entries of dogs showing a doc- tored coat and correct this, for if a poor-coated dog gets by others will follow him. "Now a large sized Airedale may have these requirements that a winner has got to possess. As I am personally more familiar with the champion Airedales I have seen and known on the Pacific PHYSIQUE AND STANDARD TYPE Coast than those in the East, I will mention the following- show- champions, every one of which were large sized Airedales, and dogs that have been used and produced good stock, among their get being champions and winners: King Oorang, Matlock Bob, Motor Dace, Bilmer Bingo, Koote-nai Chinook, Thayerdale Tenny. "In champion bitches we have had McConnell's Queen, Kil- larney Marion, two extra large ones, that would weigh 50 to 55 pounds almost any time. "This is enough to make it clear that a large-sized Airedale is not to be denied championship honors as a show dog, if he has the requirements that he must have to win not only at one show but at the many and under several judges. "So again let me say, that size is only one of the many good things an Airedale can have. A really high-class show dog that has it is lucky, for with size one rarely finds the very elements that a show winner must maintain. A large sized Airedale too easily tends to undue length of body, a homely coarseness of head and a plodding action. A show dog must have the reverse of all this — compactness and symmetry of build, a 'balanced type,' all parts in proportion to size and contour and that real action a show dog needs to set it all off with grace. As in other things there is Champion Birch cliff e Oorang (Imported) (Courtesy Mr. Norman Mackenzie, Esq.) ALL ABOUT AIREDALES a tendency for big- thing's to move slowly. There is a mistaken idea that is current namely, mating bitches to large dogs to main- tain stamina in the brood. This is a fallacy, for the average medium-sized sire that has desired 'balanced type' of selected re- finement, produces the good large ones just as often, and maybe oftener, than the sire whose size is his chief claim for distinction. Size is easily grown in any puppy that has a healthy heritage, no matter what the size of immediate parentage. It is a case of knowing how to feed and raise the puppy properly. "There will always be two distinct kinds of Airedales: (1) The show animal; (2) the utility Airedale. There may be 1 in a 100 of the show Airedale, though I am inclined to believe that a really high- class show Airedale is even a rarer commodity than this pro- portion; of the other 99 per cent, a good two-thirds would rank as the 'real dog' for which the breed stands and the remainder are the usual 'discard,' better lost than found. R. M. PALMER." "Editor, Field and Fancy: As to the particular point or ques- tion of size, which you have asked my opinion on, this is to my mind a very minor consideration in judging the Airedale in the ring, or in the construction of any particular dog as to whether he is a good dog or not. "In the Standard and Scale of Points, a number of points are given, though not particularly and properly specified in the standard under the general term of character. To my mind this means the disposition of the dog. In the show ring, shown by his behavior and expression. In the home, shown by his brains or sense, obedience and ability and willingness to mind his own busi- ness and yet when the need arises to be game to a finish. An Aire- dale should be a quiet, sensible unobtrusive dog, with a one-man- disposition, and should not be quarrelsome and pugnacious with other dogs, and should at the same time be totally unafraid. A dog with a nasty quarrelsome disposition, either in or out of a show ring, is distinctly lacking in Airedale character. "I have heard fanciers say they did not care if their dogs did not have sense enough to come in out of the rain, if they were good looking enough to win. Such an Airedale in my opinion is utterly worthless, no matter how good looking he might be and he should be penalized in the show ring for lack of character in so far as it is possible, by the dog's action in the ring to determine his dispo- sition. This, then, is to my mind, the first essential in a good dog in or out of a show ring. "The second consideration in a good dog is that no matter what size he may be for that size he should have plenty of good bone and substance and hard flesh and muscle. In other words, be able to do any amount of work he might be called on to do. In the show ring he should have hard, firm flesh and muscle and a general air of preparedness. "The third consideration is that an Airedale must have a big- strong jaw. I do not mean whiskers, and it does not need to be long, but it must be a really strong jaw. "The fourth consideration is that an Airedale must have a hard coat. This is an absolute essential. As far as| I am personally concerned an Airedale with a soft coat is doomed, no matter how good he may be otherwise. I wish Airedales had to be shown absolutely as nature made them. Then the dogs with real coats might more easily be distinguished in the show ring. An Airedale should have a soft undercoat, and a hard, wiry coat growing through this, and only growing about an inch and a half long. A real coated Airedale does not carry much whiskers, has no silky hairs on his skull; his coat lies close and straight or with a very slight ripple, and he looks neat and tidy at any time. If a show dog, his coat can be kept in good condition with only an occasional plucking once or twice a year. Any other kind of coat is wrong. The unfortunate part of the coat question is that the expert ton- sorial artist can make a poor coated dog temporarily appear like a good coated dog, and 'take in' not only the uninitiated, but many of the self-considered cognoscenti. But the man that is thoroug-hly acquainted with the real thing in coats need not v, oxryx The use of clippers, the coat that has been plucked a certain length of time ahead and newly grown in and the look PHYSIQUE AND STANDARD TYPE 32 and feel of it, and particularly any amount of light colored and fluffy whiskers give it away. "If I have made myself plain, it appears then, that a good Aire- dale must have brains, good bones and substance, a strong jaw, and a hard coat. If he has these four things, and was as homely as sin, he is a good Airedale, and he can be as handsome as Apollo, and lack any one of these four essential qualities and be a rotten Airedale, and the question of size doesn't enter into the matter at all. He can be big, medium or small, and still be a good one or a rotten faker. A real Airedale or an honest Airedale if you prefer, is one that looks good at any time in its natural state. This is the only sort to breed to, and the only sort to try to breed that should win. "Now, to go a bit more into the question of size. Suppose we have a good Airedale — an 'honest' dog with the four essentials. It is obvious we must have some limit to size — both ways. Other- wise we would have to, to be fair, double our classes in the show ring by weight or eventually have two breeds. I am, therefore, in favor of the medium sized dog, neither too large nor too small. And this works out usually in the end — as oversize carries its own penalties of coarseness and lack of terrier quality or character, while the undersized dogs usually lack bone and substance and Champion "Polam Maxim" (Imported) (Courtesy Mr. Norman Mackenzie) 34 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES jaw power. When extremes meet in the judging- ring and both are good, and there is no medium-sized dog in the same class, why, you walk up and take your choice. It isn't a question of size. It is which is the best dog, and size doesn't enter the matter at all as far as I can see. Though I must say frankly, that a good big 'un is mighty appealing. "The coat question is a far more serious matter than the question of size. To see dogs win championships that grow coats like a sheep, if given half a chance, and to see dogs turned down for 'too much coat,' when the dog that beats them is stripped down to nothing, practically, is enough to discourage a saint. To see dogs that would have curls all over them if the hair was left alone for ten days, and to hear their owners rave about wavy coats is enough to make anyone ask, 'What's the use?' (Ifl an Airedale fancier wants to know the kind of coat an Airedale ought to have let him) look at a Welsh Terrier). Why, we have even had the ridiculous spectacle of a soft-coated Airedale winning for the best in the show at Westminster. "And then, there are the small ear fanciers. Preserve us from a Fox Terrier ear on an Airedale. It is wrong. The Airedale ear should be carried distinctly to the side and should be quite large in proportion to the size of the dog, but not hounds, even in suggestion. "And then, there are the 'narrow head' fanciers, that skin and sweat their poor dog's head down to nothing. For the love of Mike, don't let us ruin the Airedale. Leave some room for brains. Airedales, today haven't half the intelligence or sense that they had in the good old days of Twig and Rosebud. I know it. Let's be reasonable about heads, and let's look for a little more expres- sion and less 'narrowness.' "And next we have the 'color 1 faddist,' with his deep red tan and black back. By all means let's have a nice bright tan and a black well diversified saddle — but not if it carries with it, as it often does, a soft coat. What harm is a little red up the back? They all have it sooner or later. "And I might keep on and mention fronts and teeth, etc., etc., for why stop at size? W. E. BAKER, JR." Importance of Quality. What is known as "quality," a more or less indescribable characteristic, should be a prominent factor in a typical Aire- dale. This "quality" seems to be that something in the en- semble of the make-up of a dog that pleases and attracts at first glance. The handsome show-setter shows it at once, and so must the terrier. The factor of "quality" in an Airedale is an embodiment of all that one wishes to find in a classy terrier, vivation, showiness, and the like, all set off by as perfect a type as one can get. Most of the Airedale Specialty Clubs in America have copied the standard requirements for the breed as adopted by The Kennel Club of England. A very comprehensive and suit- able standard description of what the ideal Airedale Terrier should be is found in Count Henry De Bylandt's "Dogs of All Nations" (London, 1905). PHYSIQUE AND STANDARD TYPE 35 Standard Description. General Appearance — Squarely built, same length as height. He is the largest variety of the Terrier. Head — Long. Skull — Flat, not too broad between the ears and narrowing slightly to the eyes, free from wrinkles. Stop — Hardly visible. Byes — Small, dark in color, not prominent but full of Terrier expression. Nose — Black, nostrils open. Cheeks — Free from fullness. Lips — Tight. Jaws — Deep and powerful, well filled up before the eyes. Teeth — Strong and level. Ears — V shaped, with a side carriage, but not out of proportion to the size of the dog. Neck — Of moderate length and thickness, gradually widening towards the shoulders and free from throatiness. Shoulders — Long and sloping well into the the back; shoulder blades flat. Chest — Deep but not broad. Back — Short, strong and straight. Ribs — Well sprung. Hind-quarters — Strong and muscular with no droop. Legs — Perfectly straight, with plenty of bone; hocks well let down. Feet — Small and round, with good depth of pad. Tail — Set on high and carried gaily, and not curled over the back; always docked to about 7 (or 10) inches. Coat — Hard and wiry, but not so long as to appear ragged. It should also lie straight and close, covering the dog well all over the body and legs. Color — .The head and ears (with the exception of dark mark- ings on each side of skull) should be tan, the ears being of a darker shade than the rest, the legs up to the thighs and elbows being also tan; the body black or dark grizzle. Height at Shoulders — From 20 to 24 inches. Weight — Dogs from 40 to 50 lbs., bitches slightly less. The size is a very important point, as light dogs are condemnable. (Disqualifying Points — White marks or patches on the body and an uneven mouth, either overshot or undershot). Many, of the leading show winners of the day have a slight white marking on the chest, not enough to be a patch or prom- inent as such. This slight tendency of white appearing in a small spot on chest seems to be nothing unusual in real good specimens and is not regarded as of sufficient importance to disqualify, under the accepted merits of the type desired in the breed today. Scale of Points. Head, ears, eyes, mouth 20 Neck, shoulders and chest 10 30 Body 10 Hind-quarteds and stern 5 Legs and feet 15 30 Coat 15 Color 10 General character and expression 15 Total 100 36 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES Mr. Henry Hanna, an authority in England on Airedale breeding, in reviewing prominent individual Airedales which were shown in 1914, is quoted in the English Kennel Gazette, viz.: "As to the breed generally, I am glad to say that there is a marked improvement in coat, color and body. The light biscuit tan that ran through some good Airedales for the past few years was traceable to certain blood, but while it was often accompanied by high quality it was wrong and con- trary to the distinct standard set ud by every club. I am also of the opinion that we have seen this year fewer flat-ribbed and light-bodied specimens even among the lower ranks. The great factors to be aimed at in breeding typical Airedales are body, coat, loins and bone, but many of the modern exhibitors never look past the dog's head and ears. There is not the same craze for the long foreface that often seems dispropor- tionate to the skull and even to the dog himself. I hope that the days of the flat-catcher are coming to an end with his Irish Terrier ears and abnormally long 'donkey' head. By all means let us have a handsome typical head, but let us look at the back of it for the real substance of such a Terrier as the Airedale, who must combine substance, strength and agility with a weather-resisting double coat of sound color, and made of hair, not wool." Champion Crofton Chum (Courtesy Mr. John M. Williams) CHAPTER III. THE KENNEL, HOW TO ARRANGE IT. The Chain. If you are to keep but one dog for family companionship and guard, no kennel is needed, for it's inhuman to chain an Airedale up alone to a sleeping box. Should the situation re- quire it in the limited room of a city backyard and occasional epidemics of the carnal fiend dog poisoner, the most satisfac- tory plan to adopt is to string a heavy wire ten or twenty feet in length, with a solid metal ring sliding its length, to which is attached the swivel chain. This affords ample exercise for any dog and has saved many a dog's accidental poisoning. Chaining a dog up regularly tends to spoil his otherwise good disposition and his jumping continually at the limit of chain throws his shoulders and elbows out, giving him an unsightly appearance and front. Never chain a dog to a fence or box near a fence, as many a dog has lost his life by jumping, when chained, over a fence. The Poison Question. Dog poison is not to be generally feared except where poison is purposely set for predatory animals and in cities for rats. To be always prepared for an accidental case of poison, it is well to have at hand some sulphate of zinc and a bottle of wine of ipecac. Give a grown dog twenty grains of the zinc in a teaspoonful of water. In a few minutes give a teaspoonful of wine of ipecac. This will produce vomiting. If the owner sees to it that your dog or dogs are not a menace in any manner to your neighbors, danger from poison is eliminated. Generally speaking, too much liberty is given a dog and more than is conducive to his best welfare. It is a mistake to allow a well bred dog to roam the streets of the town with all sorts, or to have the liberty of using a neighbor's lawn and garden as their self-selected playground. Stale waste barrels are frequently the cause of poison, which is put out to exterminate rats. In cases of poison from picking up "rough on rats," symptoms of which are foaming at the mouth and intense mus- cular contractions, the immediate use of heated lard poured into the stomach, either half or a cupful, according to size and age, will save the dog's life. Keep your dog at home and only at liberty when one of the family is with him and you need never fear the poisoned bait. 38 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES Plan of Kennel THE KENNEL, HOW TO ARRANGE IT 39 Kenneling. If you are to have more than one dog, a pair we will say, and more, provide a warm house, affording shade in the hot weather and ample protection from winter weather, free from draughts, with a fairly roomy runway yard. The kennel should be placed in such a position as to be least disturbed by passers- by, and never on the fence line. The sketch for plan of kennel shown herein is simple and one that is adapted for two or a dozen dogs, of varying ages. Do not expect to keep Airedales inside of an exercise yard or runway which is fenced with poultry-wire netting or board fencing. They are most certain to learn even while young to go through most any wire netting, and if the mesh is too heavy for their teeth to tear, they soon learn to climb it, like going up a ladder. The writer has seen Airedales go over fences ten feet in height. They are naturally great jumpers, and when mature can get over most anything, except just one kind of a fence, and that is a picket fence, built with the joist on the outside of the yard and the pickets inside. The upper joints should be set two feet down from top of pickets, which gives no foot-hold for a dog wishing to jump over the pointed pickets. After one unsuccessful attempt there will be no more jumping. Base of all yard fences must have boards eighteen inches deep in ground to stop disposition to dig holes under and out. In kennel plan given, note that a goodly por- tion of the area inside the house is an earth floor, which affords cool shade in summer and dry ground in winter. The kennel should preferably be located on high ground or a slope, with plenty of windows for light and ventilation. The sleeping bench or floor is better limited in area, as it is naturally kept cleaner if so. Airedales need no bedding of any sort except in particularly cold weather. Cedar shavings or sawdust is excel- lent for bedding, except in wet climates, when unless changed often it becomes damp. Ashes are too hard on the coats. There is nothing better than straw, but it must be renewed regularly, as if left it crumbles up to a fine litter which is a most fertile breeding nest for insects, particularly fleas. If you keep the kennel sleeping floors sprayed and free from dust your dogs will not be bothered with fleas in the kennel. In summer wet the ground down often, and the result is the same. Fleas thrive in fine litter and dust. If your growing puppies are sleeping in boxes with straw bedding, powder the bottom of the boxes with insect powder, or powdered sulphur, and you will find them free from the annoyance of continually scratching for fleas, which develops skin trouble. A most suitable and convenient arrangement for a kennel enclosure is to build a bench along the outside wall of some outbuilding, two feet off ground, over which build a sloping 40 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES roof with overhang. This affords dry resting quarters in bad weather and dry and cool ground under bench in good weather. Airedales do not need large runways, but thrive in limited exercising yards, and grown dogs should be kenneled in pairs, rarely more together. Study the dispositions of your dogs and kennel them accordingly. It sometimes happens that puppies will fight over food badly even when kenneled in pairs. When such is the case, the best corrective plan is to place the aggressor in with a friendly older dog or bitch, when the pup's ardor is silenced by the difference in age and ability. Airedales have to be watched carefully at meal times, for it is oftentimes easier to avoid a scrap than to stop it after it is well under way. Chain up at feeding time any older dog that is too greedy and bosses others away from food pan. Puppies particularly are liable to injure each other badly by fighting, and it should never be encouraged. Kennel stalls and yards should be cleaned daily and no manure allowed to remain, as it is a breeder of disease in attracting flies. Much of a dog's daily life is spent lying about on the ground and his quarters should be kept clean, or his coat soon becomes foul with disease germs of gestated vermin and insect life. Paint sleeping floor with crude petroleum and spray occasionally with creolin or Zenoleum solution. Dog Collars, the Best Kind. The collar is an important item, as those who depend on the average assortment of ornamental collars for sale by tradesmen generally get a poorly adapted collar for 1 a dog as powerful and strong as the Airedale. Ornamental collars serve their purpose in pleasing the eye, like fancy dress, but if more common sense were used in the matter of dog collars there would be fewer annoyances of lost dogs from the show benches, due to broken and bent rings and poor fastenings. The best collar for an Airedale is the rolled leather collar, one in which the fastening end of the strap passes through hooking ring to reach buckle. If this is not obtainable, the next best and the one sensible and durable collar to provide is this one — a home- made production. Purchase from any notion supply store a strong book strap, which gives you two straps plus a handle (at cost of a few cents for small size). Discard the handle and cut straps to proper length, making necessary holes for buckling with a punch or nail. Get a nickel's worth of three-quarter inch iron rings at a hardware store. Slip one on each strap, and the best collar in the world for practical service has been made at a minimum cost. This collar holds, and the ring does not pull out or collar get cut by ornaments. The best collar for breaking in a puppy is made by taking a leather strap about one yard long, pass it under chest behind elbows, put both ends through an iron ring, cross the ends and pass them THE KENNEL, HOW TO ARRANGE IT 41 over shoulders and down under neck where the strap is buckled to suitable* length. This collar has the advantage of not pulling directly on neck and choking. Padlocks on collars are sources of great annoyance. Keys to them get lost, and they do not protect against} the knife blade of the dog thief. The only other collar which it is well to have is the spike collar. The purpose of this collar, and its singular usefulness, lies in its hypnotic effect in breaking up a dog's fighting tendencies, if a dog happens to be prone to it. It is only seldom that an Airedale is prone to street fighting and when the disposition is so developed it is due to some fault of the owner. An Airedale naturally prefers not to pick a quarrel, yet if attacked he always will give a good account of himself. When a dog is on the street a good deal and exposed to the attacks of all kinds, including the vicious, the use of the spike collar on your own dog is desired. Its appearance has the effect of keeping the most viciously inclined to prefer peace for the time, and even when placed on a fighting dog has a similar effect. It seems to dispel all preliminary arguments. Author and Some Kennel Favorites — Champion Matlock Bob (left) and Champion Lake-Dell Damsel (right) THE TYPE THAT PRODUCES WINNERS Ilustrating type of sire and brood matron desired in successful breeding, notably in heiad, foreface, muzzle, placement of ears, legs, bones, and feet. Champion Matlock Rob (Imported) CHAPTER IV. FEEDING. Diet. Airedales being constitutionally so hardy a breed thrive on most any diet when once successfully raised. If fortunate enough to enjoy the life of a family home, the varied diet of table scraps, with its assortments of bones, vegetables, meat and cereal products make a healthy menu, and the only caution necessary is against over-feeding. Grown dogs should be fed moderately morn- ing and night in winter months, and but once a day, at night, in warm weather. The family guard that gets ample exercise daily will keep himself in good condition, espe- cially if a bucket of Champion Lake-Dell Damsel C old water is acces- ( American-bred) si bi e . Avoid fish, chop and chicken bones. The angle of fish and chop bones, if poorly masticated, are sharp enough to obstruct stomach and intestine, and turkey bones, being hollow and brittle, rarely get chewed fine enough to digest well and will cause serious trouble. Feed some milk now and then, also well-cooked liver. A dog that eats immoderately, even ravenously, and bloats after eating, needs attention with vermifuge (see Chapter VIII). It is always better for a dog to be a bit under-fed than over-fed. The daily diet should have considerable variety in its selection. For the household companion the use of dog cakes will be found most convenient as they are wholesome and a meal of dog cakes for growing puppies daily or occasionally will be found beneficial. An economical and desirable method of their use is to soak them with water and when well broken mix with bran. Dog cakes or biscuits are carefully prepared, keep indef- initely, nourishing and easily assimilated. Their ground form 44 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES and puppy meal are excellent for puppies. Those advertised in this book will be found reliable and satisfactory in every way. The writer has made a careful study of kennel feeding for twenty years, and exprimented with all sorts of food. The result of these observations will likely prove of value to many, whether new fanciers or old hands, for it is never too late to learn something in these twentieth century eye-opening days. If one is to keep more than one or two dogs, the task of providing for daily food is a serious consideration and has to be systematically planned, for the monthly feed bills of a kennel of a dozen or more dogs become a steady liability that demands strict economy. In kennels wherein the number fed runs up to fifty and even one hundred heads to feed, this subject becomes of still greater importance. A considerate owner of valuable Airedales wishes them fed sufficiently and yet not wastefully. Many kennels have access to restaurant scraps, stale waste bread and the trimmings from meat markets and boil this up with various cereal mixtures. If dogs are exercised well, and they are not over-fed with it, this diet suffices, though it is dangerous. Its danger lies in there frequently being not only "the substance of things hoped for, but the evidence of things unseen," and occasional ptomaine poisoning may be expected from it. Copious use of bran is needed to mix it into a suitable kennel food. Such a diet tends to overheating the blood, and with dogs confined to kennel life is liable to< bring on skin trouble which is easier to avoid than to cure. Airedales are active dogs and incline to eat too lustily of rich rations. The dog that has liberty at all times in town life will generally keep himself in good condition, due to the natural aperients and waste prod- ucts he consumes at nature's bidding. No matter what the diet, a dog must consume a certain amount of waste product to be healthy and well. When a dog nibbles grass, or devours stable manure, it is to offset too rich a filling-up from 1 some excellent meal he has had access to, in which protein elements have dominated too heartily. To cure it, give a lighter diet, less meat and more of the waste or nitrogenous rations. A word as to potatoes here: They are a starvation diet for a dog, and do not seem to digest or assimilate in their boiled form. As they are mostly water, a dog does not need them in a diet. Milk and Its Uses. Milk alone is not a sufficient food for growing puppies or grown dogs. As it contains 87 per cent water, a large quantity must constitute the diet in order to give the dog the necessary supply of nutriment. Used to flavor a pan of regular food it is excellent as an addition, but fed too liberally alone, its use FEEDING 45 tends to bloated, stomachs which cause the conditions in which worms thrive and become so deleterious by their inroads upon the assimilative system of the animal. Buttermilk is a most healthful and sustaining food reliance. If the fresh article is not obtainable, use the evaporated product securable from any poultry supply house. It is sold by various trade names, given by its preparers, and is a boon to the owners of dogs as a most valuable adjunct and dependence for food supply. The writer has used evaporated buttermilk since its first appearance in commercial form and finds it a most satisfactory kennel food and dependence. The cereal mash recommended in this chapter is mixed right into this diluted buttermilk (instead of water only) and dogs are kept in prime condition from its use. The lactic acid therefrom seems to eliminate largely the growth of intestinal parasites, such that little dosing for worms is needed.- The product advertised in this book will be found reliable. Sour milk in the thickened clabber state is also excellent and one meal a day of this to puppies by itself will be found beneficial. If it scours the system too much, omit for a day or so and then continue. Suitable Kennel Foods. We will now consider the diet suitable for kennel feed and that for those who keep Airedales in numbers away from city and town life, such as in the country on farms or ranches or in mountain hunting. Economy of unnecessary expenditure of money is the chief factor, for the hunter who takes a pack of ten or a dozen dogs into the mountains must oftimes pack all of his dog feed with him. The writer has now tested for a long time and had others use and test as a regular kennel food and field diet for dogs past six months old the following. It is something new to many dog owners and is certainly the acme of perfection for a diet; is satisfying, sustaining and a maintainer of healthy physique at all times. Until the writer by original experiment- ing with this kennel diet proved its efficacy it had been con- sidered necessary to depend on prepared and cooked foods for dogs. The success of uncooked cereal products as dog feed is now established and the idea has been first formulated in this book and is original with the writer. Take a measure each of rolled or finely ground oats, bran, and soy bean meal, a half measure of powdered bone meal (and occasionally powdered charcoal), mix together dry; add salt and hot or cold water enough to thoroughly soak up the mix- ture, but not enough to float it. Give grown dogs a quart measure or more (whatever quantity is eaten up clean) and to each pan as fed add a little canned milk (diluted), one can being sufficient to use in feeding six dogs. Rolled oats with 46 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES bran; and a small proportion of fish meal is also an entirely suitable food which dogs like when once accustomed to it. The condition of bowels should be regulated by the relative propor- tion of bran used. This food is fed entirely uncooked and dogs thrive on it. If boiled fats and bones, or milk, be added to the mixture, it helps in giving a change, but for dogs that must live on a simple, plain diet each day, this mixture keeps the system in good condition, supporting the hardiest kind of work and yet it is not over-heating in kennel life. It is a good plan to feed the mixture dry, if the wet mixture is devoured too fast. Eating it dry requires more mastication and mixing with mouth saliva. The rolled oats are such as are used for family table. Oats as an animal food is one of the most nourishing of all cereals raised, as seen in the work a horse will do with it as the chief food. Soy bean meal is the concentrated form of the imported Manchurian soy bean, from which it is made. It resembles a coarse oil meal, but while oil meals average about 2 5 per cent protein nutriment, this soy bean meal runs up to about 36 per cent. The United States Farmers' Bulletins state that "excepting the peanut, there is no other raw vegetable product known which contains such a high percentage of protein and fat in such a highly digestible form as the soy bean." ''The seed can be fed to best advantage when ground into meal and is almost without equal as a concentrated feed." Also, "a bushel of soy beans is at least twice as valuable for feed as a bushel of corn." All foodstuffs contain a certain percentage of water. "Ash is what is left when the combustible part of the feeding stuff is burned away. It consists chiefly of lime, magnesia potash, etc., and is used largely in making bones. From the ash con- stituents of the food the digestive organs of the animal select those which the 'animal needs and the rest is voided in the manure." "The fat of food is either stored up in the body as fat or burned to furnish heat and energy." "Carbohydrates form the largest part of all vegetable foods, being stored up as fat in the animal or burned in the system to produce heat and energy. They are one of the principal sources of animal fat." "Protein is the name of a group of materials containing nitrogen. Protein materials are often designated as flesh form- ers, because they furnish the materials for the lean flesh, but they also enter largely into the composition of blood, skin, muscles, tendons, nerves, hair, etc. For the formation of these materials protein is absolutely indispensable." "The sources of heat and energy in the animal, then, are the protein, fat, and carbohydrates of the food, and the fat and protein of the body, for the fat and protein of the body may be burned like that in FEEDING 47 the food. The value of the fat for producing heat is nearly two and a half times that of carbohydrates or protein. The sources of fat in the body are the fat, carbohydrates, and prob- ably the protein of the food, and the exclusive source of protein in the body is the protein in the food." The following comparative analysis of the consistency of foods named gives an intelligent idea of the dependence to be placed upon each, alone or in combination: Corn Soy Round of Oats Meal Bean Bran Milk Beef Water 11. 15. 8.7 11.9 87.2 60.7 Ash 3. 1.4 5.4 5.8 .7 Proteins .... 11.8 9.2 36.3 18.4 3.6 10. Fibre 9.5 1.9 3.9 9.0 Carbohydrates 59.7 68.7 27.7 53.9 4.9 .... Fats 5. 3.8 18. 4. 3.7 12.8 In localities where soy-bean meal is not securable, the use of the commercial poultry egg-mash, as sold by poultry supply houses can be used and will be found a wholesome and nutri- tious diet, as these mashes are generally well balanced mixtures of good ,ground cereal meals, in suitable proportions. Large hard bones are injurious, if left for a dog to chew on, as he soon wears his teeth down on them. Mutton bones are excellent, and the softer beef bones, but not the ribs. Cracklins are not a wholesome diet, as they contain little nutri- ment of real value and tend to impoverish the blood and bring on skin trouble. Cured beef scraps, fish meal or blood meal (such as used for poultry) are better. These should, however, always be looked over carefully, to take out all grit, and well scalded with boiling water. No Cooking Needed. It is readily seen that this diet for the kennel eliminates the necessity of the daily cooking of food, always more or less of an annoyance, winter or summer. Dogs do not need cooked food, when one stops to consider that in their former wild wolf-like life they never had it. "We have been too ready to accustom them to the human habit of having cooked rations, and it is now proved beyond argument that the uncooked diet herein described is a healthy diet for a dog in kennel life or when engaged in the most taxing of daily physical work after the age of three months. Importance of Bone Meal. The writer wishes to lay particular stress on the importance of the use of bone meal (finely ground) in a dogs' diet. Dogs crave it and this strong natural instinct should be indulged, particularly with the rearing of puppies. Its use supplies the 48 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES system with needed nutrition, and a dog's digestive fluids seem to be particularly suited to its assimilation. Furthermore, the writer has observed that with bones or bone meal as a part of the diet, a dog's intestinal tract is free from the mucous coat- ing, in which intestinal parasites gestate, grow and thrive. Plenty of bones to chew on keeps the teeth free from tartar and promotes a sound and healthy condition of the teeth. How to Feed. Always separate dogs at feeding times, especially Airedales, as even "pals" will get unruly over a toothsome panful. The safest plan, if your stall room will not permit of separating them singly, is to chain up at feeding time those disposed to make trouble and take away all leavings, especially bones. Approximate Cost. The cost of kennel feed is in this manner reduced to a minimum, fuel, no small item, entirely eliminated, also the daily necessity of the meat market, with its present high prices of meat. From fifty cents to one dollar per month per head is the average cost of feeding a kennel of Airedales in any number on this diet, and the best part of it is their excellent physical condition, hard in muscle, right in flesh, always feeling active and alert, and no sick or ailing dogs. What these dog owners, among the hundreds that are using the diet recommended herein, say for it is 1 noteworthy. "Dear Sir: Since reading your book, I have fed and raised all my Airedales on rolled oats, soy bean meal and bran, some- times fed raw and sometimes boiled, with a little meat or fish. I feed three times a day. The pups do fine on it, and the way they fight over it, they must like it. "Dungeness, Wash., January, 1913. AL. WYLDE." « "Dear Sir: I have been using the dog food you so kindly advised me about for the past nine months and I find it the most desirable dog food I have ever used in my kennels in the past ten years, since I have been breeding setters. My four dogs are in the best possible condition, both in coat and gen- eral health, and I want to say right now if coat and condition could win prizes, I would take from first novice to best in the show. The credit I give to your 'method' of feeding. "Seattle, January 11, 1913. D. W. ALVERSON." FEEDING 49 Retrieving Ducks with au Airedale Culbertson Interloper at work; the property of Mr. H. V. Shaw, Edmonton, Canada. Mr. Shaw is the pioneer breeder of Airedales in the Canadian Northwest and an ardent sportsman in hunting game with his Airedales. 50 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES Champion Master Briar One of the most influential sires in the improvement of the breed in England and America, whose blood is a prominent factor in many of the piesent-day champions and winners. CHAPTER V. BREEDING. History Shows Its Steady Progress. Since the days of Pompeii, when dogs were then, as now, ofttimes family idols, such that their like- nesses are today seen in the costly mosaic wall decorations, as re- vealed in the archives of the homes of inhabitants of that 1 " period which the recovery of the buried treasures of the long hid- Champion Red Raven's den city has unearthed, the fancy Head for the caring and the breeding of such dogs as different nations have found occasion to cherish has been a steadily advancing interest for the human race, varying in degree of intelligent development in accordance with the enlightenment of the nation. Each nation has its favorite breed, peculiarly adapted for its usage or fancy. This indisputable human tendency in every corner of the globe to find something in the companion- ship of dog-life, of more than common interest, is noteworthy as being responsible for the breeding of the many distinct varieties of the present day up to their varying stages of perfection. Kings and queens, lords and princes, merchants and mill- hands, indians and esquimaux, and all other elements of the great body of citizenship that make up the nations of the world have for centuries been vieing with each other in the zest of rivalry for intelligent improvement in the breeding of their favorite breeds. The human race everywhere is prone to pleasurable recreation and sport. Fondness for the companion- ship of dogs was followed by their being made useful in vari- ous pursuits, from the early days when "the dogs of war" were chronicled in Roman annals, to the development of their game-hunting instincts in all countries, or their use in the sled teams of the North, and it is to the sled-dogs of the north- ern countries that the world owes an everlasting debt as hav- ing made travel possible and wealth untold in extent within human reach. The underlying reason for this universal interest in the advancement of the breeding of dogs is plain. Humanity 52 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES craves varying forms of recreation, and in so many of these the companionship or usefulness of a dog is so much in demand and necessary. The dynasties of the Orient have devoted much pleasurable recreation to perfecting breeds that appeal to the limitations of the rarest pets for companionship, and this for centuries. The continental European nations have likewise perfected a large number of breeds, for both companionship and sport. The English-speaking people of the world have shown their zeal in breeding to a higher stage of perfection a larger number of breeds than any other nationalities. Wherever one goes, the world over, you find the wealthy classes taking pleasure in supporting and maintaining large kennels and the middle classes breeding within their limita- tions, and singularly enough the greatest strides in perfecting the standards of the breeds is attributable to the fanciers among the middle classes, whose ambitions seem ever keen to produce something better all the time. Recreation and a Hobby. Who is more to be pitied in his unhappy state than the man without a hobby? Many find their hobby in fancy stock raising, cattle, horses, etc., for racing or exhibition. Our communities are annually supporting in their patronage of fairs and exhibitions the progress made in competitive breed- ing, for all sorts of livestock. Poultry breeding likewise has become a science. The discerning breeding of one's favorite breed in dogs has become also a recreative pleasure and pastime that appeals to one and all alike whether indulged in on an extensive scale on a country estate or within the con- fines of city life. Therefore what hobby deserves higher popu- larity than the unselfish pastime of improving a standard breed of dogs, especially when made profitable in the successful achievement of its aims or ambitions? The history of the advancement in the betterment of dog breeding shows that it has included among its devotees the acknowledged leading lights of the world, in royalty, letters, arts, professions of science and pedagogy, and scions of the business world. In that classic tale "Stickeen, The Story of a Dog," by John Muir, America's most famous naturalist, is seen what can be found in a dog's character by keen human observation and the closing lines of the author, "To me Stickeen is im- mortal," reveals an estimate of what under emergencies de- veloped in his close association with a worthy dog. Prof. George Herbert Palmer, formerly Professor of Phil- osophy at Harvard University, wrote the following ethical com- parison and estimate of a dog's worth to mankind: "A good dog has a nobleness which calls out respect and honor as well as liking. In us all, there are two opposing BREEDING 53 tendencies, one of which the cat embodies, the other the dog. On the one hand we each study our own comfort, convenience and advancement, using those about us as means to these ends of our own. While on the other hand we often give ourselves up to some worthy cause or person and find all our powers brought out best through loyal devotion to it or him. This is the way with the cat and dog. The cat is so frank in the use of everybody and things about her for her own use that she becomes positively interesting, and her dependence fascin- ates. But the dog is just a skinful of devotion and when he has once given himself to his master, hardship, neglect, or even harsh words will not stop his utter loss of himself in his master's interest. I always feel myself humiliated in the presence of a noble dog." A Definite Purpose. Airedales are destined to always interest those who wish to become familiar with a breed perfected as it already is to a higher state of versatility than any other known breed. In breeding Airedales one must continually have a defined purpose in considering and deciding on each mating. If the breeder finds that the purchaser of his surplus stock desires show type, he should spare no expense in getting a constantly improved type in this respect. If the demands on the kennel are for general utility and working or hunting stock, the matings should be planned with this end chiefly in view. Mr. J. .A. Graham, in "Sporting Dogs," writes: "There is an inexorable law — which tends unceasingly to a reproduction of the average quality of a breed. It constantly pulls upward to the average and constantly pulls down. Perpetuating aver- ages is not only threatening but it is ever present and eternal. It is the law which the breeder must recognize and reckon with. His wonderful winners will come along occasionally, but he must understand that whatever his breeding stock, he does very well if he gets results up to a good standard." There is much variance in the temperaments found in Airedales, similarly as in Pointers and Setters. In some Aire- dales the terrier characteristics predominate, in others they are less in evidence and the quieter disposition is prominent, with the desire to hunt strongly manifested. Show dogs are not bred from the more houndy types. If one wants to breed show winners, it is first necessary for the breeder to be a constant and accurate student of the winning type, and then breed for it by acquiring such individuals as appoach the ideal. The breeder is losing too much valuable time in trying to breed up mediocre stock to an approach to show type, by eradicating faults that may predominate in his stock. It is more profitable to immediately have available for use some 54 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES distinctly good show type, by purchase from a breeder who has been successful in winning with his dogs at leading shows where strong competition is met with. Some of the most noted show champions in Airedales have been grand hunting dogs as well, and proved their gameness wherever tried. Other noted individuals have likely never had the chance to show their qualifications in hunting but would likely have proved them- selves had they been given the chance, for their offspring, as it is bred on, invariably shows the characteristics of the breed. One can't lay down any iron-clad rule for successful breed- ing, for it must necessarily be a matter of experience in ob- serving results. Certain sires are particularly successful in reproducing their own splendid characteristics, while the pro- duce of others gains more of the individuality of the dam. In the West the preponderance in the demand for Airedales is from those who, while they are capable of appreciating real good type in contrast to ordinary specimens, demand in an Airedale primarily a dog whose breeding endows him with the fundamental useful characteristics. The leading eastern and western breeders are all the time acquiring by purchase im- ported individuals of prominent reputation to enhance the value and comparative merits in the standard type of their stock, whereas the individual who is to use the Airedale for his practical utility may look more to hunting ambition, keen scenting powers, a robust physique, large size yet built for speed in the chase, an easy mover, alertness at all times, good bone, a dense enduring coat and withal a dog of intense grit and the brains that an Airedale always carries with it. Such an Airedale when sent to one attracted to the breed by what he may have read about its sterling worth, and one who has perhaps owned other disappointing breeds, "makes good," and one can readily account for the tremendous demand for this class of Airedale the world over by the fact that the Airedale continually and consistently "makes good" wherever given a chance to show his wonderful versatility in adapting himself to any situation. Breeding should thus always have its object and by selec- tion be made dependable. If you want hunting dogs, you will be more likely to get the best results from breeding to the tried and proved hunting Airedale, than chancing a litter from a dog of great reputation as a sire of winners. But for the steady improvement and bettering of type in which all Aire- dale fanciers are so keenly interested, we can't get too much of the breeding from dogs who have made great reputations in all parts of the world, for such superiority of individualism and type is the only source for the breed's constant better- ment and advancement. "Every dog has his day" is only too true, and breeders must be quick to grasp opportunities to get the breeding of famous dogs as they are made available, and BREEDING 55 thus acquire for their own future use improvements in type and keep on doing likewise, as other future opportunities de- velop. Bear always in mind that the results of your matings will tend to perpetuate all strong dominant characteristics of the immediate parentage and for the next preceding two or three generations of ancestors and where dominant features of type or character are found in both sire and dam, these will be accentuated in the progeny. The Sire. A stud dog is generally fertile as a sire at ten or eleven months of age. If a dog commends himself sufficiently to use him in breeding, his life should be planned with this in view. If good enough to send to shows, he should be kept before the public eye. If a keen hunter, he should be hunted as much as possible and worked on any sort of field work, to develop his education in this line. Close confinement is in- jurious to a stud dog, as his temper becomes irritable, and he perhaps soon develops a bad habit of amusing himself daily by running up and down his kennel yard run, and barking at any possible object of interest. Freedom and companionship is of more vital importance for a good sire than for the brood matron, though her temperament is likewise best developed by association and companionship. Line Breeding and Inbreeding. Line breeding has been the underlying strength in per- petuating Airedale characteristics. Follow back most any present-day pedigree and you will find one of the chief foun- tain heads on each side of the parentage to be Champion Master Briar. Again the matings of his famous son, Champion Clonmell Monarch, are continually doubled up in "line breed- ing," which is the mating of half brother to half sister or even closer consanguinity, as in this pedigree, for example: Strathallen Solace (Clonmell Monarch x Clonmell Winnefreda) mated to his half sister Clonmell St. Catherine (Clonmell Mon- arch x Clonmell Kitty), produced the Crystal Palace winner, Cherry Royal. Again, Ch. Tone Masterpiece (Master Briar x Houston Nell), mated to his half sister Tone Betty (Master Briar x Walton Nellie), produced Champion Tone Chief, at one time the most noted Airedale in England. Champion Master Briar mated to his own granddaughter Enchantress (she hav- ing a double cross of line breeding of the blood of Ch. Clonmell Marvel) produced one of the best Airedales that ever lived, Champion Mistress Royal. The reason for this is plain. The intelligent breeder wants to maintain all he can of the type and character of a noted sire or dam. In mating half-brother and sister, that have the ALL ABOUT AIREDALES same sire but from different dams, the produce having the strengthening double cross of their grandsire will naturally retain a more distinctive influence of this parentage of their ancestry in their physical type. Such breeding has been re- sponsible for the maintenance and enhancement of particularly good type in many matings in Airedales. It is simply the doubling up of the influence that an extra good sire or dam will exert in the additional percentage of ancestral breeding or inheritance involved. Even closer inbreeding is occasionally advocated by enthusiasts on the subject, such as brother and sister, where the object is to retain strong characteristics that both brother and sister have to a marked degree, when neither has any bad defects. The same may be said of breeding the sire to his offspring. Some claim this will produce the very best, and look upon what are known as cold matings, namely, mating individuals of totally different ancestry as risky experi- ments. This is a subject that there must always be a wide divergence of views concerning. The breeder who succeeds even with close inbreeding points to an illustrious result as being a case of "nothing succeeds like success." While unques- tionably successful at times, in cases that have come under the writer's observation, only a small percentage of the produce is normally vigorous and satisfactory, whereas in line-breeding, the physical robustness is not impaired and type is materially strengthened. The best reputation to judge a sire by is to follow closely the career of some fair representatives of his progeny from two or more bitches. So eminent a student and authority on this subject as James Watson advocated inbreeding, to-wit: "The inbreeding I advocate is inbreeding to ancestry type, irrespective of con- sanguinity, that, coupled with soundness of constitution in the dog and his relations. If you cannot get this type in any out- side kennel backed up by ancestry, stick to your own dogs. If you go outside and introduce something foreign, something different from your own, you will only muddle things by crossing what you have in your dogs." "An outside sire is probably far more likely to transmit the qualities you would especially seek to avoid than to give you the benefit of his desirable points." Desirable dominating features are to be carefully culti- vated and should be permanently retained by continual special- ized selections, or in Mr. Watson's words, "To establish type, you must concentrate." The Dam. Study your brood matron well and with full knowledge of her points of deficiency contrasted with the standard require- ments of the ideal, mate her to a sire that is particularly strong BREEDING 57 where her type can be improved. For example, if a brood bitch is soft and fluffy in coat, mate her to an extra sound coated male. If light in bone, then to a heavy-boned dog. If light or large in eye, then select a stud with dark and small eye. If she is weak in muzzle and foreface, but yet has good length of head, when mated to a dog particularly strong in jaw and foreface, the litter will tend to show the improvement desired. Light eyes seem to be a commonly found deficiency in the Airedale and some of the champion sires East and West have had the light eye, but this slight deficiency in the hands of careful breeders will steadily be more and more eliminated. It is safer to cling to breeding one knows the tendencies of and try only occasionally outside or cold blood in the use of a stud dog whose parentage is little known. The brood matron should be selected with great care. In- tense nervous temperaments are not to be desired. They suc- ceed better in the show ring or in the life of the hunting pack. The ideal brood matron is a most valuable asset to a kennel. She should be extra good in size, as perfect in type as obtain- able and if experienced in the game field so much the better; docile in temperament, the kind that will let her pups eat all her food pan without resentment. There is a great difference in the ability and disposition of brood matrons in caring for their litters. Airedales are commonly prolific breeders, some bitches whelping ten to twelve each litter, while others average eight or nine for several litters. One well-known dam (Bearwood Bloom) whelped three litters within twelve months and raised thirty-five puppies from the three. This is out of the ordinary. An Airedale bitch matures as a rule later than other breeds and her first breeding season generally does not appear until twelve to fifteen months of age, and with some individuals not until eighteen months of age. It is customary for a bitch to come in season four months to the day regularly from the date of her first period, except when mated, and then it is usual for her to come in again when her litter is six months old. In- stances are not infrequent, however, in which the brood matron has another litter to care for in six months from the date of her previous litter. Individuals differ and have to be watched. When your bitch begins to menstruate, she should be chained up in some safe place, preferably a loft or room up off the ground. Such an arrangement avoids all accidental misalliances, which while harmless as far as any influence or marking of future litters is concerned, result in a needless waste of time and opportunity considering the comparatively limited period of a matron's years of breeding, generally eight or nine years. The confinement also keeps away the annoy- ance of uninvited strange dogs. 58 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES If the bitch is to be bred, she should be mated on or about the twelfth day. One good mating is generally sufficient, but to avoid misses, it is a good plan to mate her again two days following first mating. When a bitch resents the advances of a stud, she is not ready for breeding. Some require patience in time allowed to become friendly with her mate. A stud should not be left in confinement with bitch more than one hour's time. Most bitches should be held by collar securely to avoid strains. In a week's time after being mated, she is usually safe again. To be sure, try her on lead, in company with other dogs. If she snaps at their advances, she is safe, but should not be given too much liberty. If the bitch is not mated, her confinement period should be twenty-one to twenty-five days. Individuals vary greatly in this respect. Too many breeders are unmindful of the care of the brood matron after mating, with the resultant disappointment of later on losing either a goodly portion or all of the litter. The mortality of Airedale puppies is undoubtedly great and it is doubtful if one-half of the number of puppies whelped each year live to maturity, as from various causes, their chances are slim to successfully tide over the many pitfalls to be en- countered when in the hands of inexperienced owners. Not long ago, the writer noticed an advertisement from the largest kennel on high-class Airedales in America, wanting an assistant whose duties should be simply the raising of puppies. One common mistake is to keep the brood matron too closely con- fined to either a kennel or a back yard. When limited to such a daily life, while she may whelp a litter large in number, a good half or more will prove to be weaklings and likely die off the first week. The brood matron that is given plenty of daily exercise, hunting, etc., keeps her system in the best of shape, out-of-door life giving her circulatory system plenty of red blood-corpuscles and in consequence her puppies are strong and vigorous and she can raise every pup she whelps, while a bitch kept too close up, confined to the household a good deal and allowed to get too fat will whelp small puny pups, the weakest of which are lost soon after whelping. When one is by this neglect wasting good material, breeding is better placed into more careful hands. This is the cause of so many large kennels failing to raise puppies successfully. There are so many birches to care for, they are not giv^en much exercise and live a life of close confinement, which always leads to condi- tions that do not support strong litters. Red blood-corpuscles &re nurtured best by a healthy free out-of-door life, in which fatty tissues do not secrete too much at the expense of the offspring. The small breeder and fancier who breeds only en occasional litter or two has a better chance of raising strong BREEDING 59 robust puppies than the breeder who ha 3 more litters on haod all the time than he can properly provide and care for. A strong robust bitch can be maud her first season and thereafter once a year with no impairment to her health, if given proper care and attention. A bitch that is to be bred regularly for kennel use, can't be shown to advantage very often, as following the weaning of each litter, a bitch sheds her coat, and the growth of her new coat requires due time, so she would be in show condition in this respect but about half of each year. The period of gestation is sixty-three to sixty-five days. She should be fed moderately strong with meat and bone food during pregnancy and treated with vermifuge if needed. Within a week of her whelping time, she should be given quar- ters, away from all other dogs. Whelping Quarters. The whelping quarters should preferably be roomy, with exercising yard adjoining. If in warm weather, it is better to allow her to make her own nest on the ground under cover, where she will dig out a hole of moderate depth instinctively and thus nurse the litter with greater ease, by being able to get over them better. The coolness of the ground keeps the pups from getting over warm in hot weather and is far safer than a slippery floor of wood, on which puppies can't get a footing to nurse. Do not use straw in hot weather in whelping quarters, as puppies will by working their noses down into it, smother from lack of sufficient air. If in the cooler months of the year, she should be given a corner on some floor well above the ground, spread straw down three or four inches deep, and then tack burlaps over it, enclosing the nest with twelve-inch boards, allowing at least five feet square. Bed with coarse planings in which has been mixed a little slacked powdered lime, which should be freely dusted over floor of the enclosure where litter is to be kept. Hang burlaps down from above to keep the cold drafts off. If very cold weather is encountered at such a period, hang one or two barn lanterns inside the pen high enough up to be out of the bitch's immediate way. These kept lighted will take the chill off of the pen, and give enough heat to overcome most cold snaps. Heated kennels are, of course, a luxury, but not neces- sary. A good brood bitch is the best heat generator for her litter land she will bring them through any kind of weather if cared for and fed. In winter, success in keeping puppies from being chilled is assured by confining bitch to good sized and ventilated dry-goods box, in which her body-heat keeps litter warm, with temperature well below freezing. She needs no assistance at time of whelping, except a pan of fresh water available. The day before whelping, a bitch refuses all food. 60 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES A litter of ten is whelped in about ten hours, though at times on the following day another puppy will be added to a litter. After whelping, it is well to have a pan of milk accessible, and she should, from then on, be fed regularly boiled rolled oats and rich milk in the morning, and plenty of a mixed diet three times each day. A meat and broth diet makes nutriti- ous milk for the nursing litter and the puppies grow up strong and healthy. A bitch fed regularly and liberally on this diet will nurse her entire litter until two and three months of age. If you slacken her diet, you must feed the pups entirely so much the sooner. Some breeders advocate early feeding, beginning when the litter is three weeks old. The writer has had many years of experience and tried both methods and has invariably had better results by feeding the bitch strong and the pups not earlier than four or five weeks, or in some cases even six weeks of age. Let the litter eat from the mother's food pan each time she is fed and the intestinal assimilation of the puppies is gradually in this manner strengthened by the digestive prop- erties of the mother's milk added to the food. Puppies when a month or five weeks old should be getting nicely accustomed to solid food rations. There need be no special weaning pei'iod, as the litter is getting its regular nourishment additional to nursing, for several weeks before the dam's milk supply ceases. This method maintains a better disposition in the dam towards her puppies and avoids too strenuous use of her glands and averts sore breasts. Should the brood bitch from accident or other cause lose her litter, and have to foe dried up, her breasts should be rubbed daily with camphorated oil or vinegar and water, and she should be fed dry food. Caked breasts are due to care- lessness and inattention to a bitch's full breast. Milking full breasts is sometimes necessary to bring relief. Secure one puppy from another litter of similar age and all trouble soon ceases. When puppies are past a month old, a brood bitch's breasts sometimes become quite sore from scratches of the vigorous puppies in their efforts to get a full flow of milk. When this is the case, take the bitch away from the pups and put any good healing salve on the affected parts (witch hazel salve is good) and allow her to nurse pups but once or twice daily for a couple of days, until she is right again. Quarters where litter is kept should be provided with a large box or bench, high enough off the ground to permit the mother to get up away from litter when desired for rest. CHAPTER VI. PUPPIES: THEIR CARE, HOW TO FEED AND RAISE THEM SUCCESSFULLY. Color and Coat. Airedale puppies when born are black in color, with tan feet and general- ly a small tan spot over eyes and a little tan at muzzle. The experienced eye can detect the future coat and color the first day. The light or dark shade of tan, as it may be, changes but little, but the placement of the tan markings gradually con- tinues to extend itself during the first six or seven months until the head, ears and legs be- come nearly all tan and the shoulders and thighs tan up to a joining of the body or saddle color, which may be grizzle or badger black or solid black. Many of the winning types of Airedales only a few years ago, and the majority of early notables in the breed, were of the lighter and grizzle colors, sometimes grayish blues; some fanciers today prefer the grizzle color to the darker shades, but in recent years there has been a popular demand for the darker saddle and rich red tan. This is largely a matter of personal fancy and taste. Our well-known American judge, Mr. Theodore Offerman, writes of asking, while in England, an officiating judge at a leading show there, how they judged the bad colored ones, and re- ceived the reply, "All things being equal, the black-backed ones would win, but a good Airedale couldn't be a bad-colored one." The puppy's coat when a day old indicates much of its future character. The rough ones are seen in the kinky and wrinkled coats and the shorter and smoother coats are in evidence at the start. Occasionally Airedale litters have puppies Five-inonths-old Puppy, nicely trained to show on lead. (Courtesy P. Bawden) 62 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES with noticeably smooth coats. The permanently short, smooth coat is likely due to a reversion to inherited terrier blood. Such pups are not valued as show types, but when used in breeding to offset the other extreme, namely a shaggy coat in which is profusely mingled soft, silky "fluff," it becomes a valuable factor in correcting what may be the only serious defect in an otherwise excellent individual type. Care of Litter. The less a litter is handled, the better for all concerned. The puppies should never be handled with cold hands or lifted by the legs or nape of neck. Always hold in palm of hand. The brood bitch herself is their best caretaker, and her in- stinctive guardianship looks after all their needs, cleaning them continually with her tongue, and disposing of all fouling of their nest. If the litter after the first day is quiet, conclude they were born with ample vigor and started off in life well nourished, which is the best asset for a litter. When a litter is not car- ried nine weeks loss of weaklings is to be expected. When a puppy is not getting enough nourishment or is cold or ailing, it cries until its condition is righted. Some believe in raising a surplus pup or two on a nursing bottle. Once tried is enough for most anyone, as it is a day and night task, and generally results in over-feeding and the loss of the puppy. Should the litter by accident be exposed to chill the first day or two, and a pup be found pushed aside and stiffened out with no evidence of life remaining in it, take it to the oven of the kitchen stove, and wrap it up in warm clothing, being careful to see that it does not get burned, and it is almost miraculous how heat will resuscitate the apparently hopeless little one, and soon the pup, if strong otherwise, will be breath- ing and crying for food. A good mother, heavily fed on a meat diet while carrying her litter, will raise every pup she whelps, no matter how large the litter, especially if a cow happens to be handy and she is also fed a moderate milk and cooked rolled oats diet. Some matrons will lose half of their litter during first ten days. This may be due to the scant care of the matron after being mated, or in cases of young bitches, the supply of milk in glands is deficient. To stimulate a full supply of milk in glands, feed copiously cooked rolled oats and rich milk two or three weeks before whelping and continue while litter is being nursed. Daily exercise of the mother is necessary, as the specially rich diet given to assist her litter is a very heating one to the blood, and unless plenty of regular exercise is given her while nursing litter, the skin is likely to break out in spots, due to an over-heated system. PUPPIES: THEIR CARE 63 Should one have reasons for not wishing to raise more than six or seven of a litter, it is necessary to either provide in advance for a foster mother or dispose of the surplus in some humane manner. Any sort of a bitch that is due to whelp within a week previous to your litter is worth buying to raise extra pups with, and the change is easily arranged by being careful to see that the foster mother acquiesces and accepts the new foundlings, before leaving them with her. It is always safer to first discard all of her litter, and after she has been without her nursing pups for a couple of days she is made far more comfortable by having other puppies to nurse than by having to be dried up. The writer once had a setter bitch adopt a single puppy whose dam was taken from it because of illness. The setter Betty Marvel and her charges. Which does she like best? had no litter of her own at the time, but it happened to be about the time her litter would have been due had she whelped, and she took complete possession of the foundling, nursed it most carefully and cared for it as if her own. The remarkable feature here was the fact that the milk glands seemingly at once developed a sufficient supply of milk to support her mothering instinct. Such cases are out of the ordinary. The most humane method for the disposal of surplus pups is to either stun them, or bucket them, by taking one pail half 64 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES full of water and after placing them therein putting another pail that fits in over the water air-tight. Leave them a long time, as it not infrequently happens that the ash barrel will unexpectedly show signs of life in its refuse, from the contents of the pail being thrown out too soon, as fresh air, even in an ash barrel, is a wonderful resuscitator of a day-old pup. The straw of the nest should be padded well up around the edges to keep the puppies from getting behind the mother's back and there smothered or chilled. Caution: Visit litter often the first day of whelping to see that no puppies get smothered. Removing puppies when dry to warm quarters in covered box or basket until matron is entirely through whelp- ing is a good custom. Shake powdered sulphur all over the floor of the nest as it keeps the fleas from accumulating* therein. Puppies that survive the first three days are safe for the first four or five weeks under ordinarily favorable condi- tions. The litter is therefore best let alone, and do not handle much. Bitches are capable of showing eccentricities in the care of litters and should be annoyed and disturbed as little as possible. If left on their own responsibilities they seem to do better, and the writer has known of instances where too much attention to a litter has resulted in a case seemingly of the bitch concluding that her services are not needed and she quits their care and leaves them to the tender mercies of the helping owner. A brood matron is intensely proud of her family of little ones, and they are safe at all times under her sole charge. It seems hardly necessary to caution an owner to keep all other mature dogs away from a litter, yet if one is not careful, losses will occur by advances from other dogs, especially other bitches, that are frequently disposed to be jealous of the newcomers and will try to possess or kill them. Docking Tails. The first real care the litter will need, which the mother can't supply, is the docking of the tails. An Airedale not docked is an abomination to the eyesight and does not pass muster anywhere. If a terrier, then the breed must have the accepted form, similarly as a hackney is molded in appearance and gait to suit fashion or custom. Docking should be done when trie litter is two or three weeks old. A sharp pair of scissors is all that is needed for the task. First remove the bitch to other quarters. Then have each pup held by an assistant if convenient, and cut off squarely a little less than one-half of the length of tail at the time. The scissors should be slanted a bit, top blade toward point of tail. There will be but little or no loss of blood and no fatalities if left alone to the mother's tongue for treatment. Never put on salve or any healing aids. In less than a week they will be nicely healed. PUPPIES: THEIR CARE 65 Docking may be done successfully at any age, but it is not so easy a task. If ever necessary in a matured dog, use a pair of concave game cutting shears, freshly sharpened, or a very sharp chisel and mallet. The bleeding from this operation is profuse and best retarded by a bandage, which the dog will work off in a day or so. Then keep him confined in separate quarters until healed, for a tender tail makes a dog irritable. In all docking, the cut should be a good clean one, and not one to draw any tendons, which tends to either result in a drooped tail or to make it squirrel-like, depending upon which set of tendons is disturbed. In rare cases of crooked tails, docking is the only remedy, even though the result be a very short appendage. The common error to make in docking is to take off too much, and get the tail too short. A properly docked tail will, during puppy days, look unseemingly long, and only when the animal is well past a year old and has his full growth and development can one judge as to the sym- metrical length of the docked tail. The English fashion is for an exceptionally long tail, while the American custom has been to cut them too short. The fashion is settling down now to a tail of good medium length, and taking off a little less than half as pups will give the right length, and if you err at all, err on the safe side, and then months later it is a simple matter to shorten it more to fashion or taste, whereas a tail that is docked too short must always so remain, a blemish in the individual's appearance. The tail when carried erect in a matured dog should at its end be about level with the top of skull. Vermifuge, When Given. The next attention of importance which the litter needs is when about a month or six weeks old. Each puppy should then be given vermifuge to help expel the commonly found round or tape worm, which infest puppy life in all breeds of dogs no matter how careful and cleanly one may be with the brood bitch and her quarters. If the litter is not treated in this manner, your troubles will begin right here, and it is a whole lot easier to avoid trouble in the beginning than to be pestered with the complications of the illnesses to which wormy pups are prone later on. Some breeders give vermifuge at two weeks of age successfully, but it should be in very limited doses. Three or four weeks is early enough for ordinary lit- ters, and a good custom is to give first vermifuge treatment after the litter has been pan-fed for a couple of weeks and shows signs of good assimilation of food. Use what has been found effective and safe by others of your acquaintance in any of the vermifuge preparations, specially put up for the purpose and advertised, as far safer and better than home- 66 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES made preparations, which are generally the result of hearsay prescription, the strength of which is generally more adapted for a horse than a tender pup of weaning age. The writer was once advised to give a teaspoonful of turpentine to a puppy by a dog fancier who claimed to have used the dose most successfully. Before giving the dose, an inquiry deter- mined that a dose one-fourth this amount was most too liberal, and the recommended dose was enough to impair the condition of the kidneys. There is but one successful method of raising pups and that is to keep a supply of vermifuge on hand all the time, and keep constantly after them; and don't expect to eradicate tapeworm with vermifuge that is prepared spe- cially for the round worm. Reference to Chapter VIII will give valuable information on this phase of this subject. After giving vermifuge, it is important to examine feces and see the results if any. Vermifuge should be repeated every two weeks regularly until the puppy is three months old and thereafter at stated intervals of rarely less than once each month. The common error with all new hands is to assume their puppies are all right because they look so well and seem so well nourished and healthy. They little dream that underlying these seemingly outward signs of physical perfection, there is a tussle on within the stomach's walls and the mesenteric system, which takes on the semblance of a fight for life, the worm fighting to get all the nutriment its colonies of parasites need to live, thrive and increase on from the limited supply the puppy gets and the worms are bound to get all they need before the pup gets its needful assimilation of nutriment. The worms are always there, for what purpose no sage has yet told us. Extermination is thus the only course, as they are certainly a constant pest to all breeders and dogs as well, and the only protection one has is to everlastingly keep after them as urged herein. The writer recommends the use of the liquid vermifuge as safest, as in it the worm killing and poisonous medium is in solution with castor oil. If pills or capsules are used, always follow same one hour later with a dose of castor oil or salts. Weaning and Feeding Puppies. When the litter is one month old, the owner must use his or her judgment as to when the puppies need additional nourishment. If the dam has been fed daily as suggested, she will keep the litter strong and fat until almost six weeks old, but if her nourishment begins to slacken or she gets irritable in the care of her litter, begin to feed puppies once a day for a week, then twice and three times daily. It is of great bene- fit to allow puppies to nurse as long as possible after being pan-fed, for the mother's milk is the best aid to digestion and PUPPIES: THEIR CARE assimilation. The writer first uses rolled oats mush and milk and the broth from boiled beef and mutton, lean at first, and later on stronger in fats, in which bread is soaked. The use of canned mutton broth is excellent diluted to proper strength. One should be careful not to place it before the puppies until cool enough. Feed not more than four or five pups to a shal- low pan, replenishing as they clean it up. This is the easiest way to get backward pups into lapping liquid food. They will balk at first, but dipping their noses into it will soon get them interested. This is not only an ideal diet and food for pups, but is a wonderful diet for promoting rapid growth and development. The best physical development the writer ever saw in a litter of Airedales was one which had never tasted cow's milk, bread or cereals in any form. They were weaned on soup, and fed boiled meats, 'bones and fats, regularly two or three times each What Brick did to a French Bull Mr. Henry Jewett Greene's (Worcester, Mass.) Airedale puppy, winner at N. E. Show, at seven months of age resenting the intrusion of a French Bull on his home premises. day until five months old, and in stature they were the equal of the average Airedale at eight months of age. Such boiled food should be salted. The reason for the results is evident. A dog in its native state craves and subsists largely on animal food, and is a scant vegetarian, so puppies should thrive en- tirely on their natural diet. In the life of wild animals, and with many good matrons, at weaning time, when the nursing milk supply begins to dry up, the mother returns to her nest, having hunted up flesh food of some kind, and after grinding it well up with her good teeth, has the faculty of retaining it in her stomach until partially digested, and then 68 ALL. ABOUT AIREDALES calls her young about her by silent sign, vomiting the contents of her stomach up for their hearty appetites. This is fre- quently seen in Airedales, and is evidence of a fine brood bitch. If a breeder of Airedales wants to raise the big-boned, big- statured, the big-all-over kind, follow the ajbove method rigidly and you will succeed without half trying. When using milk, the chill should be taken off from it, aim- ing to get it about the temperature of the stomach. If cow's milk is not available, the condensed canned article is just as serviceable, in fact better than skimmed cow's milk or cow's milk, which in summer time is likely to have turned a bit sour. Canned milk having been pasteurized is freer from bacterial life and a most wholesome diet for dogs. The con- densed article should be properly thinned with warm water, as it is too rich fed without considerable diluting. To one part of milk add one of water. The use of puppy meal when the litter is being weaned, given with milk, will be found very satisfactory. Watch the litter for the first two or three days and observe carefully if the change of diet is assimilating properly. This is always readily detected by noticing the feces. If there is any continued tendency to looseness of the bowels, matterated, or grayish feces, give each a dose of castor oil, followed by a lighter diet. Over-feeding puppies causes much unnecessary trouble. Feed little and often and never allow them to bloat, but rather regulate the quantity of food given by a good healthy appetite decently satisfied, allowing for each puppy fed a measure of food equal to an estimate of the size of the stomach. Always take feed pan away, if not cleaned up, and do not leave food about to become stale, or sour and fly-blown. Fresh cow's milk, warm from the cow, is excellent for puppies at weaning age, for a week or two, but should not be continued too long until something more substantial is added thereto. Once or twice a week a fill-up of buttermilk or sour milk clabber is excellent for growing pups and the whole kennel, and frees the system of conditions in which intestinal parasites thrive. It is not unusual to find one puppy declining to eat when the others eat heartily. Separate such a puppy from the litter, giving castor oil and nothing to eat for six hours, then broth and a very slight diet for a day, aiming to rest the system. The use of subnitrate of bismuth is here indicated. The con- dition is an intestinal disturbance, due to toxine poison created by mal-assimilation of food. After the castor oil cleansing give two or three times daily one compound tablet of charcoal, pepsin and bismuth (or magnesia, pepsin and bismuth), or once daily a pinch of flower of sulphur, in food, until the feces become normal again. PUPPIES: THEIR CARE 69 The most dependable diet for the second month is boiled rolled oats. When cooked, stiffen with bran, and add finely- ground bone meal and bread crusts, with enough milk to make it attractive. Increase the solids gradually until three-fourths of the ration, and the milk used is but a covering for it, to make it more tasty. Raw eggs well stirred into this ration once a day are a splendid dependence during the first month of pan feeding. Puppies should be fed three times daily until three months old. Do not feed too rich food; it bloats the stomach and causes indigestion, and makes conditions most favorable for intestinal worms. Add to this diet once or twice a week finely powdered charcoaj and your pups will thrive, if not fed over much. By the time a litter is two months old, if they have been properly cared for in their feeding, they should be doing nicely on three moderate rations each day, active and lively, not too fat, and relish every bit of food placed before them of the diet named. It is better to add a broth of boiled beef or mutton fats in place of the milk if obtainable. One bundle of good fats boiled down from day to day will last almost a week, and makes a strengthening diet to alternate with milk, and is a good tissue and straight bone builder. Bone Growth and Nourishment. What is known as rickets in puppies seems to be a general weakening of the muscles of the knee or pastern joint of the fore legs, causing the leg to be weak at the joint, turning the knee in and the foot well out or down flat on the pastern. At the same time the forearm gets seemingly weak knd bows out, and the bone will eventually curve and remain oiift as a perma- nent deformity, unless the trouble is averted from the start. Pups that are infested with tapeworm are particularly sub- ject to rickets, and the tendency will begin to appear in them at one or two months of age or thereafter. It is far easier to provide against its development than to give it the care and treatment necessary to right it when once the weakness has developed. (See Chapter VIII.) It is naturaMy caused by insufficient nourishment to the bones and rituscle tissues. Pups raised on boiled meat, bones and soups do not have it. If ground bone is not obtainable, the diet recommended to avert it is to add to the cereal mixture already outlined, two or three times a week, a spoonful of precipitated, phosphate of lime. This is the consistency of burned bone, and is what the growing pup needs to support bone growth. A pup's chewing on bones will not get enough to support his bone growth, so it is better to be doubly sure and add this white powder regularly to his feed pan, two or three times each week. Puppies some- times get completely off their legs, due to the lack of proper nutriment for bone growth. "A stitch in time saves nine." 70 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES Bones they love to knaw on, and they benefit their grow- ing teeth. Hard bread crusts are excellent for young pups to chew on. Dog cakes should be soaked some in water. A splendid relish for frequent use and change in the diet of pups during the entire first year of their growth is fresh buttermilk, not too much at a time, but at stated intervals during week, or daily. Thick sour milk is excellent occasion- ally, but not too often. Pups that eat ravenously and are always greedy, bloating heavily after eating, show signs of worms, and should be given vermifuge after a fast of twelve hours for a couple of treatments on alternate days. Exercise. Puppies exercise themselves in play enough for their needs. It is a mistake to give growing pups long, hard runs following horses or teams. They need the nourishment required to sup- port such excessive exercise for their growth, rather than to have such a tax on their system. Accustom them to freedom of exercise before feeding, and to their natural inclination to rest after eating. The Collar and Lead. During the third month fit a good leading collar to a puppy, and in kennels, always accustom a puppy to a collar Something Here T. C. Craig's Airedale, "Fighting- Joe Hooker" (by Ch. Red Raven), locating a coon in ihollow stump after a few minutes' active trail- ing. (From the Champion Red Raven blood in the Northwest were developed some of the cleverest natural hunting and dead- game Airedales). PUPPIES: THEIR CARE 71 and lead before shipment to a purchaser, as it saves great embarrassment and annoyance to the new owner, if his puppy leads off freely, rather than to receive one that hugs the side- walk and has to be either carried or dragged along through a city's streets. It is a simple matter to accustom the puppy when young to proper leading. Some will be quite obdurate and 'bialk, and even timid, when first secured. Pet the timid ones, hold onto the balky ones, and keep them steadily at following a tight lead, until they discover it is easier to follow than to hold back. One or two lessons are usually sufficient, and it is well to encourage plenty of pulling on the lead and a regular daily hitch-up, until perfectly broken to it. The as- sistance of a child's delight to lead and run with a puppy is most valuable here, as the child ingratiates a spirit of play into the training that the puppy soon emulates. Some adopt a less considerate method but equally as effective in the end, by simply chaining the young puppy up to a wall or kennel and let him pull and sulk until his ambitions in this direction are completely subdued. This is well enough as a method for a grown dog that has never been on chain, for they are at times dangerous to be near and quite difficult to hold, espe- cially a strong, husky Airedale, and it sometimes takes hours to break a grown dog that has never had a collar and lead on him while young. Timidness Corrected. Some puppies are naturally inclined to be quite timid and shy when young, and seem slow in outgrowing the disposition. These frequently make wonderful game killers when mature and in the freedom of the hunting life quite forget their shy- ness. There are pups that are difficult to even call or catch at times, about a kennel, and the writer has found after trying many methods of correction that the only trusty one is to chain such an individual up for days at a time, in a place where there is plenty of passing, and noise, and mingling with the habitues of the place, particularly strangers. The first few days will be spent by the individual in cowering fright, but continued life on the chain will gradually bring more and more courage within its limitation, and in a week or two the pup may acquire an entirely different disposition. Such timidity is due to a lack of confidence in surrounding conditions, and a. disposition to escape to a place of imaginary safety. The restraint forced by the chain checks the liberty of retreat, and brings the individual out all right. It is important to instill confidence into growing puppies. If one meets with situations which tend to frighten a puppy, take him in hand and by showing him the needlessness of fear, much is gained for the dog's disposition. This is particularly 72 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES beneficial in certain temperaments showing the finer sensitive traits of disposition. Too much confinement is bad, as it dwarfs their otherwise active mental development. Too much liberty is also, on the other hand, injurious, especially in city life, where a puppy will soon acquire the habits of a tramp dog and be causing his owner all kinds of annoyance and expense in getting him back again when astray, a fault which the owner alone is responsible for in making possible. A guard for poultry Accustom to Poultry While Young. A puppy when accustomed to lead should be taken on lead at first among poultry, and admonished for any keenness to interest himself in chasing chickens. The first correction is generally quite enough, though in some cases more checking is necessary. All hunting dogs are prone in disposition to chase chickens and birds, as it is their natural instinct. The only proper time to correct the error with poultry is to be there with discipline the first offense, and correct it quickly on the spot. A chicken-killing dog is not easily cured, though there are many methods of bringing about a correction of this most annoying habit. Analyzed, the trouble lies in an over-indulgence of an intensely self-willed individual to catch and kill every living thing that moves, except their own species. Airedales are such natural killers that chicken killing once indulged in is a strong attraction to them, and they become as determined in the habit as cockers, setters or pointers. Whipping severely with a dog amenable to command and obedience will sometimes check the tendency, but not often. A plan based more on a study of their mentality will more often bring better results. The old method of tieing the killed chicken securely to the collar of the dog that killed it and leaving it there for several PUPPIES: THEIR CARE 73 days, meanwhile exposing him to more live birds, will in most cases bring about a temporary cure, as the mental desire for interesting himself in chickens, is so completely satiated that he quits his keenness for them, especially after having carried an eight-pound rooster on his neck for a couple of weeks. This method will succeed as well as any. The spike and choke collar may help with certain temperaments, but most Aire- dales are not to be succumbed by abuse or pain in getting after what they have their mind centered upon, for the game- ness of the breed is so great that they know no such thing as pain or fear, when once aroused over a killing operation. The writer once had a matured dog come to his place that soon showed his fondness for killing every chicken that crossed his path. Punishment was of no avail. He would simply stand all the punishment offered and immediately get up and go desperately after any poultry in sight, seeming to have a positive mania for the determination to allow nothing to get away from him. This case was studied carefully. The dog's close confinement in kennel yards gave him little else to think of, but the watching of chickens in neighboring yards, and it excited him when the birds got lively. This dog finally went to a large ranch to assist in exterminating coyotes, coons and bob-cats. The rancher was duly warned of the dog's chicken-killing propensities, but said he would take his chances on that if he "made good" with the larger game. The change of environment and getting the dog's ambitions at once cen- tered on killing something in the game line was of more interest to his mentality and had its due effect, for this dog, after one coyote hunt, was given full liberty of the entire ranch with chickens and ducks about him all the time, and though under no restraint the rancher informed me he never once dis- turbed a fowl on the place, from which we must conclude that if the Airedale's determined mental interest is centered in the right direction it will sometimes effect a cure. The only sure way is to start with the young puppy, and curb its first mis- takes, and all future trouble is averted. An Airedale can be raised with kittens and cats on their home place and become perfectly accustomed to them, in fact, play most considerately with them, and yet let a strange cat come into their domain he will kill it instantly. The terrier instinct everywhere is an enemy to cat life, and the Airedale is no exception, but an Airedale raised with a cat as a "pal" will not permit it to be molested by any intruding dogs. How to Crate an Airedale for Shipment. The box or crate should be plenty high enough for the dog to stand up easily and sit up. It need not be wider than barely necessary room for him to turn around in, but half 74 ALL, ABOUT AIREDALES again as long as the dog. The bottom should be punctured with holes for drainage and plenty of straw put in. The feed tin should be nailed tight to one corner and filled with soaked dog biscuit and a cloth sack to hold food enough for trip nailed securely to one outside end of crate. A dog travels better without water on a short journey. It only wets down his bedding, if put in, and does more harm than good in making the dog uncomfortable inside as well as out. Always nail water can to side of crate a few inches above the floor bedding. A good shipping diet is a loaf of bread and a nice boiled bone with lean meat to chew on in his lonely hours of travel. Al- ways put a collar on a dog being shipped, and a chain attached thereto, but do not fasten the other end, as a dog will most likely strangle himself in becoming twisted up with it or seri- ously injure a leg. The top of box should be well covered, to protect from bad weather, and have both sides slatted down about one-third the way from the top. An Airedale shipped in this manner will travel a week at a time in perfect safety and comfort. Warm Sleeping Quarters. To be successful in raising puppies, it is essential that their resting and sleeping quarters shall be warm and dry. Playing with his pal (Courtesy Mr. H. J. Greene) Airedale puppies when raised with kittens become very fond of them and will not harm them even when grown. Illustration shows the 5-month-old puppy Jack Scott and Snow Ball playing on their owner's lawn. PUPPIES: THEIR CARE 75 Bedding should be changed once each week. The writer has found that a barrel, the larger the size the better, makes the best sort of a resting and sleeping pen. The barrel is free from draughts and holds the animal heat when occupied by two or more puppies, according to size. Sprinkle powdered sulphur on the floor of the barrel, after a block or two have been set to keep it from rolling, then bed it with fresh straw and nail a small board across the lower portion of opening to keep the straw within. In cold weather, tack on a curtain made of burlap sacking, which should just clear the bottom board. Puppies that live in warm quarters with plenty of fresh air and sunlight grow vigorously. Attention should be given to the arrangement of the yard in which a growing litter is confined. A dry board and pro- tected platform of easy access should be provided, for when the ground is cold and damp, young puppies are pretty sure to develop goitre from constantly lying and resting on it. Fresh water should always be available. Ears, Their Care During Growth. The fact of the ears of an Airedale having when mature a high-set forward carriage makes their care during puppyhood and the formative period an important one to look after. For the first two or three months, the small and best type of ears generally hang backward or outward from the skull. As the A puppy's ears at transition stage (1) Three and a half months old puppy, showing irregular placement of left ear before the assistance of plaster to strengthen weak muscle. (2) Two weeks later. The muscle of left ear having been strengthened, holds ear up in proper place, uniform with right ear. 76 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES skull grows in size the placement of the ears begin to get more permanent, and at three or four months of age will generally begin to drop forward into place. At this stage of development of the ear, it is common to find one ear coming over into the proper place, and the other ear hanging back irregularly. This is due to the principal muscle of the ear not as yet having developed strength enough to hold it up. If tbe case is one that needs assistance, take surgical plaster, cut in one-inch pieces, and stick several pieces on the inner side of ear, across the weak muscle. As the plaster dries off, put on additional plaster strips and in a week or two remove the plaster and see if the muscle has strengthened enough to put the ear in place. Generally a couple of weeks will do the trick (see illustration) but in some cases it requires much patience and many weeks. It is important to attend to this in puppy- hood, for when mature the muscles have become set in their positions and are not so easily changed. Do not handle the ears or fold or pull them as they should be left alone to grow strong in their final placement. A puppy that has during the second month the desired and proper placement of an evenly set pair of ears will when mature have the same placement, though meanwhile during the growth of skull they may be occasionally very irregularly held. Dudley or Butterfly Nose. The flesh tint sometimes found in the skin covering nostrils of dogs is termed "butterfly" or "dudley." When prominent it becomes a blemish in a dog's appearance and expression. It is more common to bulldogs and bull terriers than other breeds but is not uncommon in other terrier breeds. It appears in certain strains of Airedales and is entirely absent in other strains. When detected in a litter, the mating should not be repeated. If the flesh tint takes the form of irregular striping, it is likely to be permanent. If, however, only the front end of nostrils fail to develop the bl%k pigment of nose, the condition can be assisted by treatment during puppyhood. Rub warm glycerine into the flesh tinted portion thoroughly daily, and in less than a month's time the skin will darken very perceptibly. CHAPTER VII. HEALTHY AIREDALES; HOW KEPT; HOUSE AND YARD BREAKING; THEIR VALUE. Having adopted the recommendations given in previous chapters pertaining to kenneling and feeding, the owner of one or more Airedales will appreciate that keeping a dog healthy and well mannered is of as much importance for our considera- tion as his care when sick, which should he a very rare condi- tion to have to deal with in an Airedale. Sensible consideration is the chief requisite. If you have used your Airedale for a day's duck retrieving in cold water, see that he has a warm fire to dry off by at night and a good meal. Allowing an ambitious dog to go off on long swims after wounded fowls, most hopeless to catch, is a useless tax on a dog's system. After a hard day's hunting in the moun- tains, see that he gets as good a meal and bed as the hunting party at night, and he will hunt all the better for it the next day. Sleeping out on cold, wet ground brings on rheumatism, which is much easier to avoid than treat successfully. Exercise, Bathing and Grooming. Airedales in any number in a kennel should have their regular hour each day for freedom and exercise, and the best time for this is the early morning, especially in the heated months. Many wash their dogs regularly, and in doing so have available for kennel use all sorts of disinfectant solu- tions and strong soaps. Unless a dog is being prepared for the show ring or for some special purpose, don't wash him. An Airedale does not need artificial bathing. Better take them once or twice a week for a good long run and swim in some open>wa£er, no matter what the weather, if the run home is a good lively one. Airedales in kennel life get along perfectly well without any bathing whatever, and will be much less liable to colds and ailments. Especially in summer time swimming is most advisable. For dogs that are subject to skin affections and for the improvement of coats when in poor condition, use soluble sulphur and lime dip: Constant grooming in the way of combing and brushing a coat is the best way of keeping it in nice condition. Companionship Desirable. Begin with the young puppy and have the dog with you both in and out of doors as much as possible, for companion- 7 8 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES Sit Up Lake-Dell Rags, asking- for her just reward HEALTHY AIREDALES — HOW KEPT 79 The Airedale, a sportman's dog (1) H. V. Shaw's Interloper delivering - a retrieved duck. (2) A nice bag of Wilson snipe shot over an Airedale. 80 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES ship in all walks of life is the chief developer of what is best in a dog's character. The Airedale particularly is such a brainy dog that it is almost inhuman to confine one for any length of time to solitary kennel life. An Airedale more than any other dog seemingly shows his appreciation of close com- panionship by clever doings. "When you own an Airedale, you will always have at least one friend, and whether you are rich or poor, he will gladly eat of what you have left. He will without a moment's hesitation give his life to save yours." House Breaking. The necessity of beginning young with puppies to get them thoroughly accustomed to the lead has been explained in Chapter VI. When the puppy is advanced enough so that he leads freely and well, accustom him to the rooms of the house, but keep him on lead at all times in-doors, and should oc- casion require it, if he is left alone for a short or long time, tie him up in some corner, which he will get used to and asso- ciate as his "rest corner." The reason for keeping the young- ster entirely under restraint while getting house-broken is that puppies delight to play freely in-doors, and are no re- spectors of rugs, pillows, clothes, and will do serious damage to household things and thus very unnecessarily get into bad grace with the lady of the house. They should be taken out of doors frequently, and always released from lead, so that their mental training will be to associate in their mind that out-of-doors means freedom, and in-doors restraint. After a few days or weeks it is surprising how intelligent the young- sters become, and they soon form neat and clean habits and are most trustworthy, when not on lead, but the usual custom of allowing the puppy his liberty in-doors as well as out brings on the necessity of needless punishment. I repeat, accustom the puppy to restraint in-doors, and he will almost ask for any desired freedom out-of-doors when needed, for a dog is natural- ly clean in habits. Training and Yard Breaking. The one underlying principle involved in successfully teach- ing an Airedale various accomplishments is obedience induced along the lines of pleasure and reward. This simple system is the method employed in most all animal training, wherein much seeming cleverness is exhibited in remarkable tricks and performances. While many stage exhibits when shown in number have the influence also of the whip, or fear of it, always over them, there is that more important element of praise and reward, for an accomplishment; especially in in- telligent dog nature, there is a mental fondness for even a HEALTHY AIREDALES — HOW KEPT Airedale Retrieving Quail (1) "Fetch." (2) "Give." An autumn day's sport with Lake-Dell Leader and upland game. 82 ALL. ABOUT AIREDALES slight sign of praise and reward, for which the individual will do anything, which by custom he has been made to under- stand is desired, to please his master or mistress. Even the performing seals and other animals in a circus go through their daily stunts and receive as their incentive what appeals to them most, some tempting morsel of food. Without it, there would be no way of interesting the animals in their varied accomplishments. This, then, is the fundamental requirement of teaching your Airedale any accomplishments. It must also be accom- panied by having instilled into your dog perfect confidence and affection for the master and teacher. The method to employ should be the taking of a few minutes each day, which the owner can spare from his or her leisure time, and if but once a day, make the time a regular fixture, always to be kept, as the most important engagement, at least for the puppy, in every day. The youngster will soon look forward to this daily schooling and anticipate its coming. The pupil should always be taken on lead to a room or basement, or quiet place out-of-doors, where nothing else, such as the presence of another person or dog, will attract his interest and attention, for the speedy success of efforts to teach him depend on keeping his interest for the nonce centered com- pletely on the suggestions given him. Provide yourself with a few tid-bits to his liking, and keep them in your pocket. During the period devoted to training, allow no one to feed or handle your dog. The Australian sheep dogs that are world famous for their wonderful feats of intelligent work are so carefully handled and trained that only their keeper is allowed to speak to them or feed them. Their watchfulness of a herder's slightest suggestion makes them keen for their work. First Lessons. One of the first useful habits of obedience which he should carry through life is that of "lie down." One of the most annoying habits any dog can have is that of not being under positive and immediate control, when in-doors, or when ex- cited, delighting to show his interest in one and all by jumping up, generally with muddy or dusty feet, on clean clothes and dresses of his friends and admirers. This is a bad habit alto- gether too common in most dogs that have never been taught better manners, for a dog can be equally as well mannered as its master, if so guided. While mentioning this bad habit, I will state that the quickest remedy for its correction is to im- mediately tread a bit firmly on his hind toes, and it will not occur many times again. But to return to our pupil. He must be taught to drop down flat instantly at command. In HEALTHY AIREDALES— HOW KEPT S3 84 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES teaching, all commands that are to be obeyed must be repeated quietly and often, to the pupil, while the effort is being made to show the pupil what is wanted. Whatever word of com- mand the teacher is going to use must be repeated several times and during the assistance given to enforce its gradual obedience. "Charge," "Lie Down," "Drop," "Drop Down," and a sharp hisp are all used, according to preference. Take the pupil and, repeating the command "Lie Down," gently but firmly push him backward until he is properly lying down. Hold him firmly until his struggles to get away cease, and after a minute of reluctant acquiescence release the hold with the command "Get Up" or "Up." Praise him immediately with much petting and a reward of some little bite to eat. After a moment's rest repeat, going through the same stages. Keep this up for four or five efforts the first time, and in- crease the lesson a bit each day, though not long enough to tire or discourage either pupil or teacher. Training a dog requires a great deal of patience on the part of the teacher, holding one's temper, as quickness in resentment of seeming stupidity or wilfulness will lose more ground gained than any other influence. You must keep absolutely the confidence of your pupil at all times. After the second or third lesson in this command, the teacher will find the puppy almost anticipat- ing the command and quite willing to drop down without any material pressure of the hands, though before taking the hand suggestion away entirely, a simple touch of the hand is enough. Soon, this is eliminated and the pupil drops instantly at com- mand. Always see that the obedience is immediate and not half way. If any liberty is granted in this direction it will be taken too freely. Whenever there is disobedience in not doing what the pupil has already done once or more times success- fully and satisfactorily, don't scold or punish, but simply under identically the same conditions as you started in with, take the pupil back and go through the early stages again and increase these faster, of course, until the obedience is positive and satisfactory. One or two weeks time is all that is re- quired to permanently teach any young dog this most useful habit of obeying the command "Down." One can even be able to whisper the command and have it obeyed, but never fail to have the reward of some kind for the willingness to obey, even if but a hand pat. A dog properly taught this command will "Lie Down" at command no matter under what surroundings he is in, and at any distance within hearing from his master. Obedience to the command "Heel Up" is also most important for an Airedale to know. This command should be taught by adopting the same methods of suggesting it in regular daily lessons as previously described. An umbrella or cane, with hook handle, is of much assistance in holding the pupil exactly where the teacher wishes to have the pupil understand the HEALTHY AIREDALES — HOW KEPT 85 command is to be obeyed, namely, just at the side, with head preferably a little in advance of the knee. Hold the pupil exactly there and repeat the command frequently as he is led along. Reward the progress made and permit of his release only after the command "Get Away" has been given, with which is to be associated unrestrained freedom. What is nicer to see than a well-mannered Airedale on a crowded street fol- lowing his owner absolutely at HEEL, with no wish to interest himself in passing dogs, until released from his obedience? In these days in city life, when the speeding motor cars so quickly end a dog's life that is accidentally caught in the roadway, this habit of obeying the command HEEL is most necessary, and every dog that is to be much of a companion in city or town life should be thoroughly schooled in these first few commands of "Down," "Get Up," "Heel" and "Get Away." They will save one a great deal of annoyance, and it is a simple matter to exact implicit obedience, no matter how stub- born and self-willed the pupil. The younger these lessons are begun, the better the results and more quickly accomplished. A dog just past three months old is the right age to begin to school thoroughly in the progress to be made in house and yard training. The methods of training which are frequently used with other breeds, with such excellent results and which involve C. Cobb's big-game hunting Airedales in camp, after a successful hunt. 86 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES the use of the force tactics, whether collar or other methods, are not suited at all for success with an Airedale. The Aire- dale is an exceptionally sensitive dog to punishment or force, and yet embodying, as he does, the utmost gameness and courage cannot be so well coerced into obedience by the force and pain methods, as by the more humane methods of pleasure and reward, and its more happy-mannered results. This is termed the natural or pleasure system, as opposed to the force system, which latter is much in vogue in curbing and training setter and pointers. The performance of any dog trained by the pleasure system is so far superior to that of the "have to do it, whether I want to or not" force system that there is no room for argument. The Airedale is adapted temperamentally to the pleasure system, and any use of the methods of the force system (with which the writer is most familiar in years of having broken his setters with its use) are likely to prove most unsatisfactory. Punishment. Punishment is something that should be employed when the occasion demands in the proper manner. It is most im- portant that it should never be administered except in the right way. Punish seldom, but when you do, do it thoroughly and well. A leather strap is excellent to use, or a limber stick, but the latter is too likely to break. Never call a dog to you to punish him for disobedience; always go to the dog, and be certain to repeat between spells of chastisement the command disobeyed, which the dog has been taught and knows the meaning of. Coming When Called; Other Accomplishments. A dog should be accustomed to come when called and come on the run. This is easily accomplished, by making it a custom whenever feeding a dog to always use the whistle which one wishes to have as the call. He will soon associate the hearing of this particular whistle with pleasure, and always respond to it quickly in preference to any other call. Any of the other many tricks and accomplishments that dogs are taught can be easily taught an Airedale by following the suggestions and methods outlined in this chapter. The writer once owned a particularly smart dog, that had been taught when a puppy a great many household tricks, which were most amusing in their way and the source of much en- tertainment to friends and visitors. These tricks consisted of the usual commands, of down, play dead, sitting up, shaking hands, seeking to find, bringing, getting one's hat, gloves or slippers as the command might be, and one other, that of shutting a door, when left open. This dog was most popular HEALTHY AIREDALES — HOW KEPT 87 with all his admiring friends and was finally owned by a prominent dentist, who was prone to keep him in his offices for the entertainment of waiting and nervous patients. On one occasion, after showing off some of his accomplishments before an admiring audience, the door was left ajar, and Drake was told to "shut the door," whereupon with a bound he landed with his forefeet on the door with such force that its shutting broke every pane of glass in it, much to the ex- citement and consternation of the visitors and considerable embarrassment for his new master. An Airedale is so brainy that they learn quickly and are willing and able to do anything one wishes them to do, if the owner but takes the time necessary to show them what is desired. There is no breed more intelligent than the Airedale and few their equal. Longevity. There is no reason why an Airedale, well cared for, should not prove himself actively useful in any of the pursuits in life for which he is used for the first ten years of his life. After this come the gradual declining years of advancing age. Value of an Airedale. We frequently hear the inquiry: "What is an Airedale worth?" and a brief consideration here of what constitutes value in an Airedale is deserving. Value in anything depends largely upon for what purpose it can profitably be used. An Airedale puppy at shipping age is generally conceded to be worth from $25 to $50 and more, depending upon the quality of its breeding, the public reputation of its parentage and the purpose for which the puppy in question is to be used. The successful raising of the puppy, until a year or so old, doubles- its purchase price value. A dog that succeeds in winning at public shows increases in value very rapidly, the result of public admiration and demand by fanciers for his partic- ular type and individuality, and the added value for his use in breeding. A winning show dog or bitch is worth from $250 up to $1,000 and more, depending on the extent of his or her career and prospects as a stock dog of value to a breeder. "Why is an Airedale worth so much?" is easy to answer. The public demand for the best that can be bred is greater than the supply of those that money can buy. For example, take the case of a promising show winner, that sells his first season for $200 or more. If a dog, and he is taken to a section where continued wins can make him famous as a leading show winner, his use at stud, the result of advertising and the dog's public reputation, at even very moderate fees, pays for his purchase price frequently the first year, and many a successful sire and stud has earned two and three times his ALL ABOUT AIREDALES purchase price the first two years of his career before the public. If a bitch, the reputation won by her public competi- tion at once places a strong demand on her pups, and when successfully bred, her litter sells for enough to pay for her purchase price, and all subsequent litters represent net profits on her investment in addition to her sale value as an individ- ual. Can you think of anything that makes money for an owner faster than a successful brood bitch, in Airedales? For example: A female puppy purchased, we will say, at $25, when a year old, may have cost its owner all told, including feed and care, $35, and ia mating to some noted sire $25 more, or a total investment of some $60. Add $5 to this sum for advertising litter and $10 for feeding the lot until sold (quite liberal enough) and the public demand does the rest, and purchases the entire litter, if properly handled, for an average of $200. This good brood bitch continues to present her fortunate owner with a litter or two each year, until She will have had at least five litters, we will say, none of which will show a less return than the first litter, which brings the financial return from one Airedale to a sum between $900 and $1000 on an investment that may vary from $25 to $200. Is it any wonder, then, that the breed is getting the reputation of being the most profitable one on earth? And with such results, big prices of celebrated dogs are more than justified, for they bring the returns. Again, we will look at another field of usefulness for the puppy that is purchased we will say at $25, and successfully raised by the mountain hunter or trapper in one of the Western states in which the bounties on predatory animals are the in- ducement for many a sturdy lover of outdoor life to maintain his existence from his successes in hunting. With the assist- ance of this Airedale when educated to its life, the hunter is enabled to get returns which were not possible for him as a trapper without a dog. Bounties of $25 for cougar, $5 for cats, one or two dollars for coyote and other such payments paid in most states, enable him to add a good $200 at least and sometimes twice this to his annual income. In addition, the sales of pelts to the fur market, the world over, make him a comfortable living, in all of which the Airedale forms the most important aid and makes a much larger financial income possi- ble. Ask such a successful hunter, as the writer has repeatedly done, what price he will accept for his faithful and perfectly trained Airedale, and you will generally find it a case of "no price," or a prohibitive one, for an experienced hunting Aire- dale is intrinsically worth more than a trained setter or pointer, as the Airedale's experience is toward a commercial end, in addition to the element of sport, so if $100 or $200 is the accepted popular price of a trained setter, a trained Airedale HEALTHY AIREDALES — HOW KEPT 89 is worth this and more, for his work actually earns this sum for his owner each year, when properly applied. So, it is seen, no matter what walk in life we follow the Airedale, we find his existence capable of bringing to his ad- miring owners large financial returns, considering his cost, and much more than the average return from any other livestock individual, be it cow, sheep or horse, with far less cost for "keep," and always something more than a mere animal, which should prove to the satisfaction of all, the sound and dependable commercial value of the Airedale. Other breeds there are that have a share of public popularity and a fancier's value, too, but none are capable of being able to also add so much to the owner's financial income in practical usefulness, either protecting livestock, safe-guarding poultry, or the best assistant to the hunter, and at the same time a profitable breeder and show dog. Dog Fights, How Separated. It sometimes happens that dogs get into a quarrel over a disputed bone, or get mixed with some stranger, when one's desire is to separate them as soon as practicable, without injury to either. For example, we will suppose a mongrel bull has got an unrelenting hold on your Airedale, and you see promise of a broken limb or a long drawn out tangle, how can you separate them with least trouble and danger? In the first place, if possible, get hold of the tail of one or the other and have someone else do likewise with the other dog, lifting hind quarters off the ground. If water is handier than anything else, a bucketful will likely separate them, but sometimes this Is futile. The surest thing is to light a match and hold it at the nose of the dog which has the hold. A lighted piece of paper is better and instantly separates them. Do not kick or beat either one, as this barbaric method is positively useless when applied to dead-game dogs. The writer once had a grown Airedale sent to him that had become a vicious fighter due to lack of proper discipline when young. He would attack and kill any dog within reach. He was sent out big-game hunting with a pack of other dogs, whose handler broke him quickly by putting a muzzle on him, and in his first attack he was severely punished, and scolded until obedience was manifest. Then with muzzle removed he mixed with pack and fought with them on game with no more trouble to them or strange dogs met with. Photographing Airedales. To secure a real good picture of a dog is a most difficult task, as all can testify who have tried. A few suggestions here will be helpful for the inexperienced. It is natural for most 90 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES Airedales at Work on Big Game in Alaska (1) Black bear in dense thicket near Seward, held by the ag- gressive fighting of Airedale "Tackier," long enough for photo- graphing by Emsweiler. (2) Tackier, Vic and two pups fighting "Wolverine, near Seward. (While illustrations are hardly more than silhouettes, the rarity of these pictures will be appreciated by those who have tried to take action pictures of wild animals.) HEALTHY AIREDALES — HOW KEPT 91 anyone who wishes a good picture of a dog to suppose that a regular photographer is the proper party to take it, but except in rare cases the result is most unsatisfactory, as the photog- rapher is not generally sufficiently acquainted with the type of a breed from a fancier's standpoint to know when a dog is in a good position. To secure a good photograph of any dog, the operator of the camera must know his subject and even be a student of the type of the breed. Dog photography is the most uncertain in securing acceptable results of all work in this line. It must necessarily be instantaneous work. If a small camera is used, which in many cases are productive of excel- lent results, it is best to use one with a universal focus. Guessing a distance or focus is very uncertain. The work should always be done out of doors in strong, clear light. The camera must have a good finder, and the best camera to use is the reflex camera, in which you see your object all the time, and focus accordingly. Studio pictures are rarely successful, except with excellent subjects, that are easy to get into typical positions. The heat of a studio gets the dog to panting, with tongue out and mouth open, and the dog indoors lacks the animation desired in a picture. -The assistance of someone who knows the breed well is most valuable in handling the dog on lead in such a manner as to get him into a good posi- tion. The best pictures are likely to be taken when the subject gets interested in the sight of some other dog or preferably a cat. Attempting to pose a terrier for a picture is fruitless, for the animation desired, attention keen, with ears up in place, mouth shut and tail well up, can only be secured by strategy. It is much better to secure this intent position off the lead if possible and while it may tax the patience of the operator, it can be successfully done by taking plenty of time and not getting the dog too much excited over the effort. Don't forget the fundamental requirement of a good picture for light, to have the sun at your back and never try taking the picture with the dog between the camera and the sun. If possible get a light background, such as a roadway or planking, so that the feet will show. Do not get the legs lined up, but have all four show. A dog that is fond of retrieving any- thing thrown can be caught in a watchful position readily. Avoid getting too close as it will foreshorten the part of the dog nearest the camera. Use Sigma plates for best results, timed according to strength of light. To get the opportunity, the light and scene, of Airedales at work on game, in encounter or holding big game at bay is a very difficult feat, as condi- tions are generally such as to forestall satisfactory results. For example, a bear when pursued by Airedales takes to the densest of thickets and wilds, in which light hardly penetrates, and on the approach of man, it requires a wonderfully aggres- sive Airedale to be able to stop the bear's egress long enough 92 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES to get a snapshot with either camera or rifle. The illustration herein of a bear held at bay in an Alaskan tangle by one Airedale is for these reasons a rare picture. Though the detail is lacking, it is just possible to make out the Airedale's figure in the lower right-hand corner, with the outline of the bear very plainly visible in the central background. When one stops to realize what a very critical moment the camera reveals in this picture, its rarity is apparent. It is frequently desirable to remove the background from a picture. This is readily done by the use of liquid opaque, put on with a fine brush on the film side of the negative. Be careful to follow the exact lines of all edges of the subject, for the faking of a picture is rarely done well enough not to show. This is most frequently seen in lowering the line of the muzzle. Many of the illustrations in this book are exceedingly fine pictures from every standpoint, while others used could have been greatly improved had the camera man better understood the tact required. Most every big-game hunter has tried in vain to get a good photograph of his dog in action when on game. The difficulties attendant are countless, for such a scene as is shown in the illustration "An Exciting Moment," on the previ- ous page, embodies more necessary conditions than the reader can realize without having maybe been one of those who has carried a camera hundreds of miles for such an opportunity. The incident pictured is the successful climax of a bear hunt near Danville, Washington. Two dogs had been trailing the bear for some hours and by their aggressiveness had finally stopped him in the thicket in the background of the picture. What took place next in less time than it takes to read about it is better told in the following letter: R. M. Palmer, Seattle. Dear Sir: I am glad you appreci- ate the picture. It took lots of hard work to get one worth while. We spoiled a dozen plates and this was the only one that there was anything to be seen on. The bear was on a logged-off piece of land with dense undergrowth with no trees big enough for the bear to climb. Another dog outside the picture on left had just made a dash at the bear. I was behind a big, turned-up tree root with camera, while my partner chased the bear out of the thicket seen in the background. One bullet from a 25-20 ended the sport. J. C. STUTZ, Danville, Wash. Inasmuch as some "knowing" hunters when first seeing this picture expressed their opinion that the bear must have been either in a trap or wounded to make the picture possible the writer secured credentials for it in a sworn statement, which precludes any criticism of nature faking, to-wit: HEALTHY AIREDALES — HOW KEPT 93 94 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES Affidavit. STATE OF WASHINGTON, County of Ferry, ss. J. C. Stutz and F. J. Marchand, residents of Danville, Washington, being first duly sworn on oath depose and say: That they were both present and instrumental in the taking of photograph, showing Airedale Terrier DOLLY GREY at- tacking or holding bear in the month of September, 1910, near Danville, Wash., and that immediately after said photograph was taken the bear was killed by J. C. Stutz, one of the afore- said affiants. That the bear shown in photograph was not held by a trap, nor wounded in any manner at the time ex- posure for the picture was made, but had only just emerged from the thicket in background of picture, being stopped by the aggressiveness of the Airedale's attack. The bear when killed weighed about 200 pounds, and was of the black bear species. F. F. MARCHAND. J. C. STUTZ, Subscribed and sworn to before me this 21st day of Octo- ber, 1911. H. M. GENIN, (Notarial Seal) Notary Public in and for the State of Washington, residing at Danville. CHAPTER VIII. DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT. Airedales are naturally exceptionally healthy dogs and many ailments which other breeds are commonly subject to, rarely bother an Airedale. The purpose of this chapter is to give some practical and useful suggestions to those who in emergencies are not able to call in the aid of the professional veterinary surgeon, and who are so situated that they have to ofttimes be their own dog doctor. There are a few diseases which the owner of an Airedale may occasionally meet with and wish to know how to successfully treat and cure. In the care of these, the suggestions and information herein given will be found most helpful, as being the result of many years of successful practical personal experience and observation. How to Give a Dog Medicine. The kennel should have a medicine chest or shelf and it is surprising how many articles will accumulate therein. One essential aid to have on hand is a long-necked bottle, which is particularly helpful as an easy means of giving liquids. By using such a bottle, placed well back into the flews of the cheek, the dogs mouth being held shut, the liquid contents of the bottle run down the throat freely and easily. In handling a dog for the giving of medicine, it is well to go about it in a manner least excitable to the individual. This is best done by standing on the right side of your patient, and with the left hand passed over the shoulders and under the jaw, use the left thumb and fingers in opening the mouth. Place thumb and fingers back of the teeth, which gives one perfect safety from a possible accidental pinch, as the thumb and fingers are a complete wedge of the opened mouth, and the right hand is then free to use for the placement of medicine down the throat. In all cases, where possible, give medicine in the form of soluble gelatine capsules, as one has little difficulty with their use in getting medicine down the throat and swallowed, for by holding the mouth shut tight after placing a capsule well back in the throat, the dog is unable to throw the capsule forward with the tongue, and will swallow it, especially if hastened in the operation by tapping the outside of throat. Intestinal Parasites; How Removed. Most of the ailments common with Airedales are during their first year, and the extermination of parasitic worm life is the most important preventative of a sick dog. Beginning 9 6 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES during the second month of a puppy's life, one should carefully scrutinize the feces of all puppies and ascertain if they are infested with worms, either round or the tape worm. Fre- quently a puppy will be full of worms, and yet rarely show signs in its feces. It is best to give a puppy a dose of liquid vermifuge when one month or six weeks old and repeat each two weeks for a month and then treat once each month. One very common mistake is the giving of vermifuge suited only for the removal of the round worm, and not at all suitable for expelling the tape worm, with the result that the dog's condi- tion remains unsatisfactory until the mistake is discovered. Some remedies expel both forms of these parasites, and other remedies are specially prepared for the removal of each kind. If you detect signs of the long curled (pointed at each end) round worms in the feces, usually accompanied by slimy or mattery stools, the dog should be treated with any one of the standard vermifuge preparations suited to remove the round worm. Santonine and calomel pills are dependable, also a simple initial treatment is to give each puppy gelotin capsules (5 grain size) filled with turpentine followed an hour later by tablespoonful of castor oil. Mixing powdered charcoal in food for a day or two before treatment for worms is particularly helpful in removing much of the accumulated mucuous in the intestinal tract. The presence of tape worm, decidedly the most deleterious to the dog's system with young or old, and in fact to be con- sidered an actual plague in dog life, is readily detected by observing if the feces have clinging to them little short seg- ments, vvhite and active when first dropped. These are some- times erroneously called pin worms. A dog having tape worm is frequently troubled with sore spots on the skin, particularly near base of tail, and shows much restlessness in knawing his skin and tail. Tape worm segments vary in size, depending on size of the dog and the length of time the infested tape worm growth has remained in the intestinal tract. Some are barely one-third of an inch in length while again segments will be found an inch and more in length. Washed out in water tbey are seen to be flat and in a regular succession of joined or broken segmentary parasitic life. The head of this worm is a small black spot and unless the treatment is thor- ough erough to kill the parasite, so that the head releases its attached hold on the walls of the intestine, the worm life develops again. It is thus important to watch the results of treatment for tape worm and see if the head has been expelled. The standard vermifuges advertised for the particular purpose of removing this worst of all pests in a dog should always be kept on hand in the medicine chest. Particularly in the treat- ment for removal of tape worm, one should tie a growing dog up, and (except for water) allow the animal to have nothing DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT 97 enter the stomach for 36 hours prior to giving medicine. A dose of epsom salts or pan of milk to which has been added a tablespoon of sulphur is also helpful in emptying the contents of the intestines, to starve the worm life to a condition which will quickly absorb the poisonous remedy administered. A dog thus fasted is in fit condition to rid itself of the tape worm when the medicine given passes through the intestinal tract, and it is not infrequent that, in particularly bad cases, within an hour strings of tape worms, yards in length, will be passed. It is important not to feed a dog under three hours after treating for tape worm, and then with liquid or bland rations, as tape worm remedies are intensely cathartic, and the diges- tive system should not be taxed with much solid food at first. If one is where remedies for this ailment cannot at once be obtained, in their prepared forms, good results can be secured by giving turpentine and sweet oil mixed in proportion to one of the former to two parts of the latter. Give puppies one teaspoonful and increase the dose for older dogs to two spoons- ful. This remedy should be used sparingly. However, in an emergency this dose will promptly do its work; ten drops of turpetine mixed with a spoonful of castor oil, to which add five drops of creolin, is a very effective vermifuge. Areca nut is a commonly used remedy, the dose for grown dogs being two grains for every pound he weighs; and for puppies past two months old, one grain to the pound weight of the dog; after fasting 24 to 36 hours and always followed by a dose of castor oil, an hour or two after administering the Areca nut. In the powdered form it is very bitter, but in capsules is very effective, and expels both round and tape worm. The writer uses it in preference to other remedies. After 12 or 24 hours fasting prepare the intestinal system by giving sulphur, molasses and a little milk. Then 12 hours later mix the powdered Areca nut with domestic cooking oil and give in food pan stirred up in a little milk or an egg. Food should not be given sooner than three to six hours following. A teaspoon- ful of Areca nut for a litter of six or eight puppies is safe, and one teaspoonful of the powdered nut for a fully grown Airedale. Extract of Male Fern is another dependable remedy for tape worm. Give 10 to 3 drops mixed with sweet oil or beaten up in an egg, and followed an hour later by a dose of castor oil. A good plan is to mix 2 oz. Extrtact of Male Fern in a bottle with 6 oz. of olive oil. Shake well before using and for adult dogs past six months, give one teaspoonful after fasting 24 to 3 6 hours. If a young puppy once gets thoroughly infested with tape worm its ailments will multiply fast, for a wormy puppy does not get its proper nutriment and its membraneous intestinal 98 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES tissue becomes inflamed, causing indigestion, white coated tongue and pale gums, colds, running at the eyes, coughs, bloat- ing after eating, and thinness of flesh. The coat looks un- kempt, and the legs soon begin to show signs of rickets in the form of bowing out, and weakness at the joints. In grown dogs the presence of tape worm is frequently indicated by a retching bronchial cough, very similar to the cough preceding distemper, and at times mistaken for it. If vermifuge pills or capsules are used, it is important to follow same an hour or so later with a dose of castor oil, even with medicine marked "No physic required," for many puppies have died from these poisonous remedies remaining in the system too long. Be on the safe side and follow their use with physic. Rickets. This condition is common in puppy life, when there has been negligence in not removing tape worm from the system, or when the diet lacks the necessary sustenance for bone growth and nutriment for proper formation and growth of muscular tissue. Rickets is about what the name implies, a weakened con- dition of the muscles, joints and finally crooked bone forma- tion, which if allowed to become advanced in its development gives the dog a rickety and unsteady gait in moving about, in which he often falls and becomes quite helpless. It first manifests itself in the knee joints of the forelegs, which begin to swell and knee-in, the pasterns turning out and the forearm beginning to bow out. In wormy pups this condition will be noticed the second and third months. At times if the hindquarters are affected, the muscles in the thigh become inert and the dog drags his hind parts after him, and is unable to get up and steady itself on its legs. This condition is due to a temporary partial paralysis that is brought on from weakened parts or inroads of the tape worm, which seriously affect the kidneys. Rickets yield to treatment readily, if taken in time, and while at times the recovery is slow, it is certain of cure, if the patient is considerately dealt with and faithfully attended. After treatment and removal of tape worm as directed in this chapter, the dog should be confined to dry and warm quarters, free from the annoyance of other dogs. Feed three times daily a moderate amount of boiled meats and bones. Give daily, cod liver oil to which should be added a pinch of calcium phosphate of lime; dose according to age, not exceeding one tablespoonful morning and night. If the dog is weak in the loin and loses control of his hindquarters and legs, give two or three times daily one or two tablets (according to age) of Pape's Diuretic and continue until cured, enlarging scope of DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT 99 diet only after limbs are strong and straight again. (Pape's Diuretic can be secured from any druggist.) The writer has seen a grown dog so badly infested with tape worm that when it had been removed, the hind parts were completely paralyzed and the dog unable to move. In less than a week of the treat- ment recommended herein the dog was up and around and well again. It is much easier to avoid the conditions that develop rickety pups than to have to patiently treat for the recovery and cure of the dogs when afflicted with it. In Chapter VI the diet to depend upon for avoiding the development of rickets is given: Briefly, feed plenty of fats and boiled meats, plenty of bones to chew on, and mix regularly with food pre- cipitated phosphate of lime or powdered bone meal. Mange. Singularly enough, most all cases of supposed mange or eczema are little more than the effect of an impoverished con- dition of the blood of the system, due to the inroads of worms in absorbing most of the food nutrition. The writer had oc- casion to see one Airedale that had been treated unsuccess- fully for mange and eczema for two years' time. After once the worms were expelled (tape), the skin healed quickly with the assistance of one of the usual remedies which previously had been used in vain. Genuine mange is a very unpleasant ailment, and is not common in Airedales, owing to their thick protecting coat, but at times it may be contracted from the infected skin of other dogs, or from being kenneled where the contagion exists, such as sleeping where a mangy dog has slept. It is generally first detected in the skin behind the ears or in armpits. As soon as sure signs of it are manifest in mattery sore spots, rapid loss of coat, and its tendency to spread over the skin of the animal, treat skin with any one of the following remedies: To a pint of crude petroleum, add 5 per cent Formaldyhide, 10 per cent Avenarius Carbolineum, and a little Zenoleum. Add enough motor oil to thin mixture, then rub thoroughly into coat all over body with a brush (the dobbing brush of a show set). If mange is present, it will soon disappear. After two or three days wash dog off with cleansing tar soap. Mix up a pound or two of flower of sulphur with lard enough so that there is no color of the Hard left in evidence, then add a cup or two of ordinary coal oil, mixing thoroughly and just thin enough to go on well. Rub the dog all over with this mixture and leave it on for several days. Lard serves as the carrying agent of the cleansing and curing prop- erties of the sulphur and coal oil. This simple remedy will 100 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES cure the most persistent case of miange, and if one treatment does not entirely cure, repeat, and then wash with any good cleansing soap. Another most valuable mange cure and one that is thor- ough and quick, though a bit more costly, is alcohol three parts and cade oil one part. This solution should be applied and rubbed in well on the sore spots and left on. Do not wash while applying this remedy daily. Its quick healing prop- erties are remarkable and most efficient. The ordinary commercial sheep dip is effective used as a cleansing wash, and very good results are to be had from use of soluble sulphur compound in water as a daily wash. Eczema. Eczema is the result of an impoverished condition of the blood, and causes most aggravating scratching of the inflamed parts. Treatment should consist of a complete change of diet and exercise in moderation, plenty of boiled vegetables, sul- phur in molasses put in food regularly twice a week. Mix up a strong solution of epsom salts and water, and with soft brush rub the solution into the inflamed skin all over the body. Treat any positive sore spot occasionally with the fol- lowing "yellow salve," viz.: Ac. Salicyl, y s oz.; Ac. Boric, 1 oz.; Sulphur, 1 oz.; Vaseline, 3 oz.; Lanolin, 3 oz. Eczema is a condition which is proverbially slow to be eliminated from the system. The writer has observed the quickest results from the use of blood tonic capsules, which reach the building up of the blood corpuscles. Goff's Blood Capsules at the cost of one dollar per box will be found very beneficial. Inflamed Eyes. This salve is also valuable in treatment of mattery eyes and lids. Rub it on lids and drop saturated solution of boracic acid into eyes daily. (Particularly beneficial in distemper). Cankered Ears. This condition sometimes develops from irritant dirt get- ting into the inner ear, which creates a foul state, with a virulent smelling discharge. Cleanse the ear carefuly with a soft cloth and warm water, using pure castile soap. Before thoroughly dry, take a handful of Mule Team Borax and shake well down into ear without further washing. Shake more borax into the ear and the next day or two, and they will soon clear up and be perfectly healed. Sore Ear Points; Split or Bitten Ears. Airedales are frequently troubled with slit ear points, the result of encounters, scratches from game killed, or from DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT 101 contact while hunting in thick coverts. Airedales that have the hound ear with a growth of long coat thereon are not usually bothered with this trouble, only those with the more essentially terrier ear. These when split become very sore, and by constant shaking of the head bleed freely. Treatment: Clean the sore edge with warm water and soap; then cleanse with Peroxide of Hydrogen. After drying, take nitrate of silver points and cauterize the exposed tissue, repeating the operation once or twice a week, until completely healed. (Salves and other healing ingredients are useless in the treat- ment of this annoying trouble.) In cases of torn or bitten ears, after the profuse bleeding has subsided, imbed the raw edge in absorbent cotton, on which is first placed a mixture of boracic acid powder and tannic acid powder, in proportions of one-half of each, or Squib's Compound Alum Powder, and after one day, remove the absorbent cotton, having first soaked it well in warm water, cleanse with peroxide and shake the healing powder on raw parts or cracks daily, and the ear will speedily heal. Keep healing powder in a convenient shaker (old salt shaker.) Wounds and Injuries. In cases where the outer skin is badly torn, draw it to- gether with thread and one or two stitches. Bathe copiously with Peroxide of Hydrogen and keep clean. If the wound is where the dog's tongue can cleanse it and lap it continually, the healing will be complete and healthy, as there is no nurse so good an attendant to injured parts as a dog's tongue, and singularly enough Airedales will frequently cleanse a wound off one for the other and care for them most assiduously. It is best to let them be so treated. If wound is where dog cannot cleanse it, treat with Squib's Compound Alum Powder as di- rected in previous paragraph. Sore milk glands, in the brood matron, should be rubbed daily with camphorated oil, and treat a caked breast, if skin is broken, with "yellow salve" given in this chapter. Bowels. The intestinal tract is the seat of many ailments. One common to dogs is the fouling of stomach from stale or putrid food. This creates a condition similar to ptomaine poisoning and a dog becomes very weak, with loss of all appetite, fever generally present and drooling from the mouth. The treat- ment should be castor oil to physic, followed by 5-grain capsules (three times daily) of Bismuth and Salol, with Pape's Diuretic tablet morning and night. After two or three days of this treatment and the return of appetite, discontinue and feed broths and eggs until strength returns. Looseness of bowels and grayish feces are indicative of intestinal mal-assimilation of food. Give castor oil and then 102 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES follow with tablets three times daily, compound of charcoal, bismuth and pepsin. Diet should be very plain and simple, until well; no solid foods. Salol is also a very good soothing remedy for inflamed bowel conditions, in 3-grain doses, three times daily. Salmon Poisoning. In the West, particularly in the Northwestern and Pacific Coast States, Airedales are exposed at times to what is termed "Salmoning," or a condition of the intestinal system brought about by eating stale raw salmon, which develops a ptomaine poisoning of the system, and is very dangerous to life, many hunting Airedales having succumbed to its frequent fatal re- sults. One who is hunting near salmon streams has his dogs exposed to it continually, as stale fish seems to be a very attractive ration to any dog. The first symptom to be watched for is a rather continued looseness of the bowels, loss of normal appetite and general weakness. The dog should be purged at once with castor oil, followed by a drench of fresh tallow, and then given every day at night for two or three days some good liver pill, or preferably calomel, two or three grains. Follow this with the use of charcoal, bismuth and pepsin tablets, or salol, bismuth and pepsin in capsules, three times daily. Feed beef tea. If treated by this method soon enough the dog's life may be saved, but if the last stages of virulent intestinal inflammation and continuous nausea have developed, there is little hope for a recovery, as the animal steadily sinks and nothing can seemingly stay the ravages of the disease. Prof. E. F. Pernot, M. S., State Bacteriologist for the Oregon State Board of Health, has made exhaustive experi- ments with numerous dogs affected by salmon poison, and a full detailed account of these experiments is published in a bulletin (Volume 5, No. 2), copies of which can be had by applying to Prof. E. F. Pernot, 1011 Selling Building, Portland, Oregon. As these experiments have been a most thorough scientific analysis of this disease, the following brief excerpts are quoted therefrom: "Trout and salmon trout are well known to be particularly virulent and the salmon after leaving the sea water and ascend- ing the fresh water streams become virulent after inhabiting fresh water for some time, but the salmon taken directly from the sea or salt water do not cause the disease when eaten by dogs. "A dog that has been well salmoned and recovers from the disease is immunized against subsequent attacks, as shown by the experiments with the dog 'Spottie.' This has been con- firmed by many owners of dogs, that if a salmoned dog re- covers from a severe attack of the disease, it never occurs again. DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT 103 "The first noticeable symptoms of this disease occurs in- variably nine days after the fish has been eaten. The dog becomes mopish, desires to lie down and refuses to take food. If the temperature be taken previous to appearance of symptom it first will be found to rise from normal to 101-102 P., to 105.3 on the seventh day, gradually decreasing from the eighth day to sub-normal, where it remains slightly fluctuating until death, but never rising to the normal or maximum again. Dur- ing the course of low temperature the dog appears to be cold and curls up as if it were suffering with abdominal pains. No food is taken after the first symptoms appear, but there is a constant desire to drink which, if allowed, is followed by vomiting. "The most effective time for administering the calomel is about the third day after the first symptoms have been ob- served, or after the dog has appeared very sick and vomiting. Our experience has been that if the calomel is given in the last stages of the disease it causes intense suffering, owing to the highly inflamed condition of the intestines, and the dog being in such a weak, emanciated condition, usually dies from exhaus- tion in a short time. "The efficiency of calomel as a specific for salmon poison- ing has been repeatedly verified by dog owners. Reports have been received from the same owner of six recoveries out of eight cases, two of the dogs that died having other compli- cations." Some owners who hunt their dogs in salmon districts pin much faith to immunizing their dogs before exposure to trout or salmon streams, by feeding salmon and trout, together with plenty of fresh tallow. Some use bacon. The effect of this diet seems to be to lighten the influence of the disease on the dog's system, such that not unlike a dog's once having had a mild case of distemper, he is immune to further ex- posure to the contraction of it again. Whatever treatment is used, there seems to be a concensus, of opinion that fresh tallow or lard should be given, following purgatives. Quinine as a tonic daily is also beneficial. Fleas; How to Get Rid of Them. Fleas are said to be the medium for the spread of many ailments in dogs. If a dog is diseased the little flea is cer- tainly capable of being a germ carrier and can spread them around in lively fashion. It is therefore of utmost importance to keep the kennel free from their annoyance. It is a simple matter if one adopts the right method. Fleas thrive and breed freely in dusty bedding, dusty ground and dirty coats. Keep the kennels swept clean, and never allow the bedding to get old and dusty. In summer months, wash kennels out frequently and by sprinkling keep the ground from getting too dusty. If you notice your dog scratches much, examine his coat care- fully, particularly on the breast and groin, and if fleas are 104 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES present, they are readily seen. Take the dog out of doors, on lead, and having secured him, use a cloth dipped in a cup of benzine or coal oil, rubbing the coat all over with it, being careful in young puppies not to wet the skin, and always being careful not to spill any into the dog's coat, as coal oil will at times injure the hair root follicles. Simply rubbing well over the outside of the coat will kill every flea. The dog should then be given a long run, allowed to roll in dust, given a swim or a good wash, comb the coat out or brush out when dry, as a dormant flea has a special aptitude for quickening its pulse. For dogs kept in a kennel yard (puppies and brood ma- trons), with a shoe dobbing brush, rub onto breast and groin, back of ears, base of neck and tail, crude petroleum, to which is added a little Carbolineum. This mixture is sticky stuff and keeps fleas away longer than other treatments and pre- vents their breeding and hatching. Kennel flooring should be kept powdered with fresh slacked lime and if planings are used for bedding, mix powdered lime iu with it. Fleas will not remain on floors frequently limed. Paint sleeping bench with crude petroleum and spray with Zenoleum. Goitre. The thyroid gland on either side of the larynx at times develops a painless swelling and enlargement called goitre, due to unnecessary exposure, to draughts or a dog's lying on cold and damp ground when his system is particularly sus- ceptible to taking cold. Puppies that are kept for the first month or two on a cold cement basement floor are pretty sure to develop goitre. There is generally little real danger from a goitre, except young puppies, but it is a serious blemish to a dog's appearance, when particularly noticeable. A slight goitre will generally be outgrown and absorb itself. The dog should be kept in the best of physical condition, purgatives given once or twice a week, and cod liver oil occasionally (every alternate day) is most helpful. Treatment: Shave neck and paint daily with tincture of iodine. Give daily the saturated solution of Iodide of Potash. Start with one drop and increase dose one drop daily until fifteen drops are given. Distemper. Fortunately as yet Airedales, as a breed, are not partic- ularly subject to this dread disease, which is so fatal in many other less sturdy and hardy breeds. Distemper exists in all countries, and appears generally in the spring and early fall months of the year. Authorities agree that it is not com- municable to man but is very contagious in dogs. Most author- ities agree that a dog need not have distemper, and the owner of a dog whose health has been carefully safeguarded in com- DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT 105 plying with the advice given previously herein need have little to fear from this malady, but should your dog contract it as Airedales at times do at shows (especially puppies), observe carefully the directions given in the following treatise on this disease: Distemper, at its inception, shows a disturbed and inflamed condition of the mucous membraneous tissues of the alimentary canal. Its first usual symptom is a hard bronchial cough, with some retching, irritated by excitement or nervousness, caused by the stomach's disturbed membraneous condition, as affected by the developing disease. The first thing to do when distemper is suspected and this cough appears, even if the dog is otherwise in apparently good health, is to confine the dog in some inside warm quarters, where air is good and floor dry. In being neglectful about confining the dog, when this bronchial trouble first develops, the owner is coupling up a lot of unnecessary trouble later on as the disease develops. Thinking because the dog is lively that this cough is nothing more than a slight throat irritation or cold is a serious mistake, especially if the dog is allowed to sleep out in all kinds of weather, which conditions soon develop acute bronchial troubles, generally pneumonia, and in most every case pneumonia is fatal in dog life. The next im- portant move is to administer vermifuge (especially to expel the tape worm if suspected), as the patient will be severely handicapped if the intestinal tract is not free from parasites. Distemper develops much more slowly than generally thought. The primary infection of the disease can be allayed by prompt and efficient attention, while the secondary infec- tions manifest themselves in different ways and develop condi- tions which may prove fatal. A dog is first noticed to be "off his feed." Soon the cough is noticed in the morning and at night. In a week or ten days' time his eyes likely begin to run and show a granulation and sticky discharge. The nose will in certain forms of the disease also discharge thick purulent yellow mucus. Much depends on a dog's natural robustness of health, as to what extent distemper will develop and advance in its various stages. If a dog is particularly strong and vigorous, he may be off his regulation diet for a few days and show no partic- ular signs of illnes, not even a cough, and though known to have been exposed to this contagion, is over it and immune, for all dogs once having had distemper seem to be forever im- mune to a second attack. When a dog reaches the mucus- discharge stage of the disease, the owner can expect a month or more of close confinement, involving regular nursing and careful attention. Isolation of the patient is of great importance, kept con- fined and free from any activity and excitement due to the 106 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES company of other dogs, as fever is always present in distemper and the quieter the patient is kept the better. Be sure and do this when cough first appears, for if this first move is made promptly and faithfully adhered to, your dog will have but a mild case and thus be saved all of the deleterious effects of the ravages of the worse forms of the disease, and more than likely in a couple of weeks be over it. Treatment. The use of canine distemper virus is advisable if the as- sistance of a competent veterinarian is to be had. This is administered subcutaneously by means of any hypodermic syringe. Parke, Davis & Company issue an instructive pamph- let on Canine Distemper Vaccine both as a preventative and as a curative. This treatment is in accord with the present-day advancement in the scientific prevention of disease and its cure. While not a "sure cure," as records have shown the mortality to have been 21.9 per cent, this treatment is to be commended. If at first the dog is seemingly prostrated, one good dose of castor oil is a helpful beginning, followed by liver pills. If the dog refuses food for a couple of days, it will do him no harm whatever to let him go without food. The early stages of this disease are accompanied by such intestinal conditions that food is a real menace to the dog's condition. Do not urge or force food. His natural hunger and desire for food is the best indication of when his system is in fit shape to receive it. As soon as the dog begins to show unmistakable signs of the symptoms of distemper cited, and has been tied up, begin giving daily the following tablet, which will allay the worst tendencies of the disease, and often in themselves effect a com- plete recovery: Compound tablet, bismuth, charcoal and pepsin (or capsules, salol 9 gr., bismuth 10 gr., and pepsin 3% gr.), obtainable from any druggist. Give pups one each, three or four times daily, and grown dogs two tablets three times daily. Their effect is in the way of soothing the in- flamed intestinal parts, removing the toxine poisons and to assist the weakened condition of food digestion and assimila- tion. The writer has found in his personal experience this plan of treatment dependable and if the vaccine method is not available or used, successful recoveries will be attained by adhering rigidly to these directions, for Airedales decently cared for in healthy, warm quarters, very rarely succumb to this disease, or are sick more than a few days. In distemper the feces are usually greenish, rank and strong smelling, indicating a decidedly unhealthy condition of DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT 10Y the bowels, in the cause of which both stomach indigestion and lack of intestinal digestion or mal-assimilation share. This condition, if allowed to remain without care, results in the ulcerous and intestinal form of the disease which commonly develops when owners are too anxious to keep their dog eating good rich food. There is no necessity for this form of the disease ever developing, and it is one of the worst forms of the disease, when advanced, and in many cases ends fatally. The capsules or tablets above described will soothe and tone up the inflamed intestinal condition and make a dog's appetite for food good again, and gradually bring about the conditions which permit healthy, well-formed feces. When this is accom- plished, more than half the battle is fought and won, and the use of salol and bismuth or charcoal should then be limited. As long as a dog is running off in a diarrhetic condition, the distemper germ seems to thrive, and is capable of producing all sorts of gastrical and intestinal troubles which are very difficult to cure. Diet. The best diet for puppies and for mature dogs that refuse their regular food, during distemper, and are loose in the bowels, is boiled milk. In feeding give a sick dog simple but nourishing food in moderate quantity, the aim being to keep up the strength. Cod liver oil daily is good when convalescent; also fresh beef cut fine on bread and egg-nogs when the patient is very weak Avoid alcoholic stimulants, except in the last stages of the disease. If the patient becomes much weakened by the ravages of the disease, and is in need of a good daily tonic, give quinine. Puppies one grain twice daily and grown dogs two grains daily. Quinine should be given sparingly to dogs of high-strung and nervous temperaments. The object in general is to sufficiently bolster up the weakened organism in order that it may suc- cessfully throw off the accumulating toxine poisons which per- meate the system. After the salol or bismuth capsules have shown good results, it is well to stimulate the kidneys, espe- cially if the cough is continuous. The use of Papes Diuretic tablets will be found beneficial in cleansing the system. Should a dog have developed the purulent mucus-discharge or acute bronchial stages before treatment as recommended herein has been followed, lose no time in making a beginning, and if the conditions are serious, secure the aid of a competent veterinary, preferably one who has had some experience in canine practice. While it is possible to direct the care of the advanced stages of the disease, those inexperienced in the care and treatment of a very sick dog would become discouraged before the period of the disease had half expired, for a dog 108 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES once down with distemper added to which pneumonia has set in, and virulent membraneous discharges, is going to be a very sick dog for a month or two. When the nasal passages are badly clogged up with mucus, spray with an atomizer twice daily, using peroxide of hydrogen or oil of eucalyptus. A dog rarely ever dies from distemper per se. The com- plications which develop in the weakened system are invari- ably the direct cause of death. A blanket sewed onto the patient that shows sign of quick breathing and pneumonia is a necessary aid. Poulticing is excellent, especially with antiphygistene. Don't pour food down a sick dog, when he hasn't ability to either hold or digest it. It only makes him worse. Don't exercise a distemper patient. Don't get anxious if your dog does not eat for two days. It is better for him not to. He won't die of starvation. Don't allow him to get his feet wet. Don't wash a dog when convalescent from distemper, no matter how foul he may be. Powder him with flour or Fuller's Earth. Brush, comb and clean. Don't give your dog his liberty as soon as he begins to feel better. Keep him there until well. A relapse is sometimes fatal. The writer has found the mortality practically nil in his own experience in caring for Airedales during distemper as here recommended. Chorea. This malady (similar to St. Vitus dance) is a condition brought on by an impaired system, affecting the nervous organ- ism, and its first symptoms are uncontrollable twitchings of the muscles of the limbs, jaw or skull beats. It is generally the consequence of distemper, where the individual has had a long and hard siege of it, and the constitution much under- mined. Bathing or even a chill from wetting of feet in a convalescent dog from distemper will at times bring it on. Any treatment is far from yielding satisfactory results. In cases where its attack but slightly inconveniences the dog, general tonic and stimulative treatment will help its control, but in severe cases it is more humane to chloroform the suf- ferer, or give small capsule of Prussic Acid, which is a hu- mane method of ending a life of constant suffering or weakness. .*, | I Dew-Claws. I ! flll^ Dew-claws or a superfluous claw attached to inside of hocks or pastern by skin or loose tissues are sometimes found on Airedales as in other breeds. They should be clipped off DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT 109 close to the hock as soon as discovered with a pair of sharp scissors or wire cutters. Naval Hernia. This is a protrusion of the intestine at the navel opening of the abdominal wall, and is of the nature of a rupture, though never seemingly to seriously affect the dogs' physical condi- tion or hunting ability. If but a small protrusion it is well enough to let it alone, and nature seems to form a bit denser skin protection over it. If the protrusion is large enough to be a menace to the dog's health, have a veterinary surgeon operate, which operation is a simple one, it being necessary to put the intestine back in place and put one or two stitches in the abdominal wall opening, which soon heals. Hernia is commonly found in dogs, and seems to be an inheritance. Prolapsus of the Vagina. This is a falling down or protrusion of the inner walls and is caused by a strain at or previous to the breeding season of a bitch. Some pack the walls back into place with ab- sorbent cotton, and when the protrusion is very bad, an ope- ration by a veterinary surgeon is advisable, but in ordinary cases the following will be found to be entirely successful: Insert daily, soluble capsules (six or eight grains) of com- pound alum. This puckers the membraneous tissues, and assists the muscle tissues in re-establishing their natural state. Parts should be pushed back into place daily. Table of Doses. The following table of doses of some of the principal drugs will be valuable for occasional reference: Castor Oil, y 2 to 2 oz., as a laxative, the best "first aid" reliance. Syrup of Buckthorn, % to 2 oz., as a laxative. Epsom Salts, 1 to 4 drachms, as a laxative. Powdered Sulphur, 1 to 3 drachms, as a laxative, given in milk or mollases, or both. Calomel, 2 to 4 grains, followed by salts twelve hours later. Areca Nut (powdered), 1 to 2 grains for each one pound dog weighs, best given in molasses or cooking oil and milk, or white of an egg, followed by castor oil two hours later, or salts. Santonin, 1 to 5 grains. For puppies, 1 to 3 grains two or three times a day for two days, then follow with castor oil. For removal of round worms. (Combined with calomel it is very effective). Extract of Male Fern, 10 to 30 drops, always in oil. Very powerful remedy for tape worm, use sparingly, and followed by castor oil. 110 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES Oil of Turpentine, 10 to 3 drops, given with same pre- caution as Male Pern, in capsules with 5 drops Creolin. Thymol: A reliable expeller of all intestinal parasites. Dose for puppies, 2 grains in capsules. Grown dogs 5 grains in capsules, always followed by salts. Sulphate of Quinine, 1 to 2 grains, as a tonic. Salicylate of Sodium, 5 to 15 grains; valuable remedy in acute rheumatism. Subnitrate of Bismuth or Salol, 3 to 10 grains; useful in gastritis and dysentery; given in combination in 5-grain capsules. Champion Illuminator CHAPTER IX. SHOWING AIREDALES. s- - """ . Dog shows will always be one of the most important functions for /.'■—,. \ *& -^ which a dog's career is planned, be. dJJJSlfl^ v< ^f^Hk cause they so largely benefit his §|k usefulness, in bringing the individ- V Bp?N, n ual's merits into competition before K^SB&a»L^ * H tlae P UD H C ' making it thus possible Ra^P^sgiKj H to esta blish a widely known and ad- I vertised fame and reputation, in- M~ i£r I creas i n § his appreciable value, and w furnishing to all fanciers and breed- BHv ^jfr InSf ers an annua l incentive in a con- MJHJI-^nSF tinual chain of public competitions Br and show fixtures, that incite con- WB stantly increasing ambitions, which 8p steadily enhance a breed's welfare. **"^0& BP*^ The public generally are most inter- ested in what they can see and study according to their own notions. In the realm of trade the display window is the most important equation for a succesful merchant. The best of anything, if kept out of sight, does not get its due recognition and commensurate value, for public interest must be stimu- lated by a free acquaintance and knowledge in the personal seeing and inspection of what attracts. It is therefore incum- bent on one interested in the success of any breed of dogs to exhibit same at every possible opportunity, and not keep what are considered to be good ones at home. Airedale fanciers have so far shown an increasing and commendable interest in bringing their favorite breed before the public eye each year since they were first shown in any number in America. While as early as 1881 in a rough-haired terrier class, Airedales were shown by M. C. H. Mason and Mr. Harry W. Lacy, pioneer importers of the breed, they were not taken hold of and exhibited much at shows until the late nineties, but since then and for the past decade Airedale classes at all the leading shows throughout the country have taken their place among the principal breeds exhibited, until at present nearly one hundred of the breed are annually shown at the largest show, that of the Westminster Kennel Club. New York, and as evidence of Airedales becoming the leading breed in America the present registration of Airedales exceed other breeds in number except Boston Terriers, and they seem 112 ALL ABOUT AIREDALES to be overtaking the Bostons steadily. It was in 1898 that this show first opened classes for the breed. In England the Aire- dale has been a popular and prominent show breed. As early as 1875, V. Shaw speaks of their being shown at local shows, and at the present day the breed maintains its hold on public favor and support in large entries at all principal shows. It is this kind of interest that continually tends to popularize a breed, as the public interest is kept alive and keenly awake to the standard merits shown in the competition of notable dogs, whose ranks are replenished each year with new and famous imported winners and American-bred celebrities. Airedale fanciers cannot lend their individual aid in any more effective manner toward steadily keeping the breed to the front before the American public, than by losing no opportunity of exhibiting dogs at shows within reach, not with an idea of carrying off prizes, but to swell the number of dogs exhibited so that the breed will have a creditable showing. It is sur- prising what an interest in the breed is created at every show, in which a good entry is made. There is always a first time for everyone to become acquainted with the breed's attractive characteristics, and