Toy Dogs And Their Ancestors | by Neville Lytton
Including the history and management of Toy Spaniels, Pekingese, Japanese and Pomeranians
| Title | Toy Dogs And Their Ancestors |
| Author | Neville Lytton |
| Publisher | Duckworth & Co. |
| Year | 1911 |
| Copyright | 1911, Judith Lytton |
| Amazon | Toy Dogs And Their Ancestors: Including The History And Management Of Toy Spaniels, Pekingese, Japanese, And Pomeranians |
With Numerous Illustrations
Dedicated To Miss Annie Todd
M. N. W
"What has become of your dog, Sir John?" "Gone to Heaven."
"Then, Sir John, he has often followed you and I hope now you will follow him."
Toy Dogs And Their Ancestors. Chapter I. Introduction- I have made up my mind to write a book on Toy Dogs, because no one seems to know much about them or their history, and even their points are a constant subject of speculation. Historians have been co...
- Toy Dogs. Introduction. Part 2
- I venture to think that they would have preferred my original letter even at the cost of an occasional jest! I do not intend to make this a book of jokes, but I mean to say just what I think and to r...
- Toy Dogs. Introduction. Part 3
- I can venture to say that no present ever given to anybody has brought such intense delight as that of my kind friend Miss Dillon. How I loved that pretty puppy! It grew and flourished, and I remembe...
- Chapter II. Toy Dog Origin And History
- It has hitherto been practically impossible to trace the exact origin of the Toy Spaniel, as notwithstanding numerous theories it remained a matter for speculation. The chief cause of this has been th...
- Toy Dog Origin And History. Part 2
- For instance, Jonston, 1755, quotes Aelian, who lived in A.D. 250, for certain things which do not appear to be in the original Latin. Instead, therefore, of the information being 1659 years old it is...
- Toy Dog Origin And History. Part 3
- Bell, 1837, writes: The Springer is a small but elegant breed; it is generally red-and-white with black nose and palate. The smallness of the head and the length of ears are essential points in dogs ...
- Toy Dog Origin And History. Part 4
- Stonehenge, in British Rural Sports, 1876, says: About the year 1841 perhaps but two or three good specimens existed in the neighbourhood of Blenheim - and only one of surpassing excellence - a bit...
- Toy Dog Origin And History. Part 5
- Before going further I must here point out a great source of confusion which lies in the fact that there were two Melitas and more than one breed of Melitaeus toy dog. The one imported to England in D...
- Toy Dog Origin And History. Part 6
- To return to Dr. Caius. Ten years after Fleming, Harrison, 1588, has still further confused us by adding some more to Caius's supposed words, and quoting Fleming with embellishments. In fact, these wr...
- Toy Dog Origin And History. Part 7
- Bewick, in 1824, writes of the Comforter: A most elegant little animal, and is generally kept by the ladies as an attendant of the toilet or the drawing-room. It is very snappish, ill-natured and noi...
- Toy Dog Origin And History. Part 8
- The Prince kept one of that dog's race until his dying day, and so did many of his followers. The most, or all, of these dogs were white little hounds with crooked noses called Camuses. The attack ...
- Toy Dog Origin And History. Part 9
- Louis XI, unlike Louis XIV, was apparently not a dog fancier, and seems to have been capable of the most wanton cruelty. It is said that on one occasion when walking in the Gardens of Paris he saw a l...
- Toy Dog Origin And History. Part 10
- The old breed would certainly be metamorphosed into something else if it resembled this heavy type. Anyone is, of course, at liberty to admire this new style, but it is impossible to seriously pretend...
- Toy Dog Origin And History. Part 11
- There is a print at the beginning of Anecdotes of Dogs, 1846, of two King Charles dogs, one very heavily marked tricolour, and the other red-and-white, both with long noses. The plate of field Spa...
- Toy Dog Origin And History. Part 12
- It is amusing to find that the violent abuse of those who keep pet dogs is no new thing. Juvenal, Clement of Alexandria, Plutarch, Lucian, and later Fleming and Harrison are bitter in their denunciati...
- Toy Dog Origin And History. Part 13
- The Ruby is a variant of the same breed, produced by a cross of Red-and-white, but Pyrames were sometimes red. The Van Dyck red with white markings was probably a variant of the red-and-white Chinese...
- Chapter III. The King Charles And Pyrame
- The origin of the present black-and-tan King Charles is so complicated that in order to explain it I am obliged to write a separate chapter, in which I shall deal with the different varieties that are...
- The King Charles And Pyrame. Part 2
- On the face of it, it hardly appears likely that climate should change a curly, white, thick-coated dog like the Barbet into a pitch black, short-haired, smooth dog. Other translators distinctly say t...
- The King Charles And Pyrame. Part 3
- In any case he says that the coats of the Gredins were short, also the hair on the ears, legs, and tail, and Linnaeus refers to the Pyrame as the Brevipilis, so it is impossible that they should hav...
- The King Charles And Pyrame. Part 4
- Idstone, writing in 1872, says that the Cockers bear certain evidence of being crossed with the King Charles, and this confirms my view that the King Charles was crossed with the Pyrame and Gredin, wh...
- The King Charles And Pyrame. Part 5
- Stonehenge says that no pictures of Charles II's day represent tricolour Spaniels, but the picture by Sir Peter Lely of about 1670 proves the contrary. It may be of interest to point out that, though...
- The King Charles And Pyrame. Part 6
- Stonehenge, in 1867, says that in 1837 the Tricolour Spaniel reigned supreme, and was not considered of much value if over six pounds in weight. His skull was round, and he had a short nose, but not t...
- The King Charles And Pyrame. Part 7
- The King Charles Spaniel belongs to the Cockers; the ears are deeply fringed, sweeping the ground; the rounded form of the forehead, the larger and moister eye, the longer and silkier coat, and the c...
- Chapter IV. Type And Standards
- The whole fabric of modern judging is utterly unsound. The Club judges are, moreover, bound by the Club regulations, which prevent the exercise of any private judgment. When I say that I consider the...
- Type And Standards. Part 2
- Buffon says that the Spaniels and Water dogs were short and blunt in nose. In another place he explains this by saying short and blunt compared to the Greyhound, Russian Wolfhound, etc. - not short in...
- Type And Standards. Part 3
- Pale coloured Blenheims are very inferior and valueless, but all specimens are of this same hue till they have changed their coat. Nine pounds is the outside limit, but valuable dogs should not weigh...
- Type And Standards. Part 4
- There is, however, another type of screw-tailed puppy which shows no Bulldog character, and this is probably due to Chinese and Japanese crosses. I was much interested the other day to hear from Mr. A...
- Type And Standards. Part 5
- It is perfectly evident to my own mind that my Ruby dog, Marvel, is crossed with Bulldog at a comparatively recent date, though there is nothing in his pedigree to suggest it. I may say that, though I...
- Type And Standards. Part 6
- A dog of the right type, however badly blemished or mismarked, ought always to win over a dog of the wrong type. This should be a fundamental principle in judging. A dog of the wrong type is worse tha...
- Type And Standards. Part 7
- The essentially masculine view was recently expressed by an old fancier in one of the newspapers. Asked to state what was the best Toy Spaniel he ever remembered, he quoted one long since dead, which ...
- Type And Standards. Part 8
- Why is it that some dogs command enormous prices and are constantly being run after, whereas others, perhaps bigger winners and possibly more obviously correct in points, fail to attract much notice? ...
- Type And Standards. Part 9
- If a sunken nose is right, what becomes of the points specially awarded for stop? Providentially, Nature asserts itself, and puppies with this deformity usually die of cleft palate or some other mal...
- Type And Standards. Part 10
- Although Webb says that the coat should be straight, the picture which he gives is of a strongly wavy coat. The Blenheim he describes in much the same terms as Stonehenge, and evidently drew from him...
- Type And Standards. Part 11
- A judge should only be called upon to judge dogs by what they actually are in the ring, and to be told that you should just see him at home is no help. It is excessively irritating, I know, to an e...
- Type And Standards. Part 12
- In looking at a dog full face, his eyes should not be set so that they seem to be round the corner of his head. Whether the noses are long or short, the dog must be up-faced - that is to say, that ...
- Type And Standards. Part 13
- A writer in 1802 speaks of the King Charles as being small, black, and curly An old breeder tells me that forty years ago the Toy Spaniels had coats which swept the ground, with immense ears and fr...
- Type And Standards. Part 14
- It would seem that when this was written the red variety was still a novelty, and that the law as to its colour was made by the Toy Spaniel Club. The law as to the white hairs or patches upon the King...
- Type And Standards. Part 15
- There is a great tendency with breeders and judges to be run away with against their better judgment by a fancy type which for some unknown reason becomes popular. Of late years, for instance, flat-si...
- Type And Standards. Part 16
- A typical noseless King Charles is a contradiction in terms. The thing is impossible. One might as well talk of a typical robin with a parrot's beak. To make another analogy, if you breed a Shetland...
- Type And Standards. Part 17
- Ears very long and wide in leather, and profusely feathered with strongly wavy hair, and set rather high and carried forwards, framing the face like the curls of Leech's early Victorian young ladies, ...
- Type And Standards. Part 18
- Disposition Very bold and courageous, a merry shower, and irrepressibly active, always skipping and jumping about as if full of hidden springs, and with a passion for games, racing its companions and...
- Type And Standards. Part 19
- I strongly object to the present absence of uniformity and conviction among specialist judges as to what they consider the right type. There is no settled type to which I can point and say, This is t...
- Type And Standards. Part 20
- Best size from eleven to thirteen inches at shoulder. Any tendency to weediness should be carefully avoided, and the height at shoulders should just about equal the length from top of shoulders to roo...
- Chapter V. Toy Dogs Op To-Day And Celebrities Of The Past
- I must begin with the disagreeable statement that none of the Rubies (including my own) are typical of what I consider Rubies should be. The majority are very poor in coat and body and lack refinement...
- Toy Dogs Op To-Day And Celebrities Of The Past. Part 2
- Seetsu Prince, Cupid, Lovely Spot, and Champion St Anthony's Featherweight are those which have it most perfect. Hardly any dogs have the right expression. Among the best are L'Ambassadeur, Champion ...
- Toy Dogs Op To-Day And Celebrities Of The Past. Part 3
- Toki of Toddington is a marvel of loveliness. There are many beautiful Pomeranian dogs now in the shows. Of all the Pomeranians I have seen I consider Champion Offley Honey Dew one of the most perfec...
- Famous Dogs Of The Past
- Blenheims Champion Duke Of Bow A lemon-and-white dog, with large dark eyes, but long-faced according to present standard - i.e., about three-quarters of an inch - and not as well finished as we now ...
- Chapter VI. How To Breed The Best Type Of Short-Nosed Toy
- In breeding for the shortest faces we can get, instead of accepting anything and everything which has no bridge to its nose and indiscriminately making champions of all the ragtag and bobtail of the B...
- How To Breed The Best Type Of Short-Nosed Toy. Part 2
- The Kennel Club has amalgamated the varieties on the plea that they produce all four colours in the same litter.1 Condemning Black-and-tans and Blenheims to compete for challenge certificates togeth...
- How To Breed The Best Type Of Short-Nosed Toy. Part 3
- The Blenheim has a level, broad back; short, cobby body, arched neck, and more nose. His expression is quite different, and his nature bold. The crossing of the breeds encouraged by the Kennel Club ne...
- How To Breed The Best Type Of Short-Nosed Toy. Part 4
- As I have already said, there is a right and a wrong type of noseless dog, and my advice is directed to securing the prettiest of the noseless types. In breeding Blenheims and Tricolours, my advice is...
- How To Breed The Best Type Of Short-Nosed Toy. Part 5
- I can advance no theory to account for this, in fact, I am quite aware that it sounds unscientific. I can only say that it is the result of experience. Certain combinations of blood seem to agree with...
- Chapter VII. Toy Dog Showing
- Do not ever send Toy dogs to a show unless you yourself or a friend can accompany them. Small dogs cannot stand knocking about on railways alone. Have a warm blanket, and start in plenty of time. You ...
- Dog Washing
- If you wish to get good coats on your dogs do not be afraid of plentiful washing. In spite of all advice and warnings to the contrary, I find this plan far the most efficacious for producing a strong ...
- The Verb "To Show," As Conjugated By Fanciers
- Infinitive Mood Indefinite (and very uncertain) tense ......................... To show. Imperfect tense ........................... To be getting V. H. C. ...
- Chapter VIII. Kennel Management
- The floors of the ideal kennel should be asphalted and kept sprinkled with sanitary sawdust. Such kennels will cost about £20 to £60, according to size, and are specially suitable where a very large n...
- Skin Diseases
- Toy Spaniels are, like all Spaniels, so liable to skin disease that I cannot write on general management without dealing with the question, as an outbreak of spots ruins their appearance entirely for ...
- Medical Notes
- Clinical thermometers for dogs can be had from Sherley & Co. A dog's normal temperature under the arm or thigh is just over 100. In the rectum it is ioi to 101 1/2. 103 is fever, 1...
- Beware Of Raw Meat
- The kennels of owners who use it much are sure to be infested with worms and mange. The dog, like the vulture, is by nature a scavenger which feeds on raw flesh and offal. When performing their natura...
- Distemper
- As this is not a veterinary book, I shall only say a few words on distemper. Should your dog show signs of distemper, do not delay to put him in a warm place. Put him at once into a flannel coat with ...
- Whelping And Rearing
- A bitch will be due to whelp sixty-three days after mating. See that she gets regular exercise without over exertion and has ordinary food. Feed twice a day, once at noon and once about seven p.m., wi...
- Whelping And Rearing. Continued
- Should the mother die, the pups may possibly be brought up on condensed milk, made as for a baby, given every two hours out of a baby's bottle, keeping them constantly in a covered basket with a hot-w...
- Chapter IX. Japanese Dogs
- I consider that the Japanese Spaniel originated in China, being the best preserved descendant of the old Chinese dogs, these being much more like Japanese than the modern Pekingese. The Japanese breed...
- Chapter X. Pekingese Dogs
- I do not believe the present type of Pekingese to be correct, and am assured by a lady who knew the breed well, as kept in China many years ago, that the true Pekingese should not have bent fore-legs....
- Pekingese Dogs. Continued
- A Chinese painter, Muchi, Sung Dynasty, a. d. 963-1278, has a drawing of parti-coloured Pekingese dogs. He is believed to have lived in the twelfth century. There is a coloured drawing by a Japanese, ...
- Chapter XI. Pomeranians
- The Pomeranian is one of the oldest breeds. I have traced him back in perfect shape to 400 B.C., as will be seen by the accompanying illustrations from Greek vases. Before this, he existed in the Arch...
- Pomeranians. Part 2
- Coat There should be two coats, an undercoat and an overcoat; the one, a soft, fluffy undercoat, the other, a long, perfectly straight coat, harsh in texture and covering the whole of the body, being...
- Pomeranians. Part 3
- The Pomeranian, the Hound, and the Sporting Spaniel are the oldest breeds, all existing in the Archaic period, and next to them comes the Maltese (proper) of 200 b.c. Meyrick, 1841, says of the Pomer...
- Pomeranians. Part 4
- The tale is told that Poliarch, the Athenian, went to the preposterous and prodigal extreme of giving a public funeral to the dogs and cocks that he had kept for pleasure. He used to invite his frien...
- Pomeranians. Part 5
- Plutarch says: One day in Rome, Caesar, seeing some rich foreigners nursing and petting young lapdogs and monkeys, enquired whether in their parts of the world the women bore no children; a truly imp...
- Chapter XII. Dog Judges, Exhibitors, Clubs, And Reporters
- I wish the editors of newspapers would institute a reform in their show reports. The hard-worked reporter so often indulges in the natural but most pernicious practice of consulting one of the exhibit...
- Dog Judges, Exhibitors, Clubs, And Reporters. Part 2
- It is not, I think, generally understood that, in order to win a challenge prize at a show, a dog need not be entered in the open class. The rule is this - that the dog must have been registered and h...
- Dog Judges, Exhibitors, Clubs, And Reporters. Part 3
- So bad a name do lady fanciers get that, as far as the outside world is concerned, one might just as well become a professional card sharper as a dog fancier! It is quite wrong that the fancy should b...
- Dog Judges, Exhibitors, Clubs, And Reporters. Part 4
- The Toy Spaniel Club has not improved matters for its breed of late by a recent rule which restricts all judging appointments in future to members of the club, thus excluding all independent opinion. ...
- Dog Judges, Exhibitors, Clubs, And Reporters. Part 5
- I have known cases where the chief witnesses refused at the last moment to give the evidence promised, and on the day of the hearing were actually found sitting in the opposite camp, waiting to give e...
- Dog Judges, Exhibitors, Clubs, And Reporters. Part 6
- A dog fancier can easily be told from the professional dealer or amateur, as no respect of persons will ever induce the real fancier to express admiration for a dog he does not like, even at the cost ...
- Dog Judges, Exhibitors, Clubs, And Reporters. Part 7
- The Toy Spaniel pens have in the last few years, I regret to say, earned for themselves very unpleasant nicknames, to the great injury of those exhibitors who are well behaved, peaceable folk. Scanda...
- Dog Judges, Exhibitors, Clubs, And Reporters. Part 8
- To buyers I would say: Do not expect to get everything for nothing. A flyer is not to be had for twopence ha'penny, and if you beat down the price too much you must not expect perfection. Some people ...
- Dog Judges, Exhibitors, Clubs, And Reporters. Part 9
- As I have warned America against our English tricks, I wish to warn England also against American wiles, even at the expense of showing myself to be one of the ideal flats which dealers pray heaven...
- Dog Judges, Exhibitors, Clubs, And Reporters. Part 10
- Perhaps the meanest of all judges is the man who tries hard to buy a dog for himself and on failing to get it pegs the dog back at every opportunity. No man who is capable of this is fit to judge at a...
- Dog Judges, Exhibitors, Clubs, And Reporters. Part 11
- Pleasant manners and a willingness to do everybody any good turn in your power, go a long way to turning the wrath of your fellow exhibitors. Of course I do not mean that you should be weak-mindedly s...
- Chapter XIII. Pitfalls For Dog Novices
- Avoid the following common dangers: 1. The confidential man who tells you he has another offer of double the sum for which he is offering you the dog, but would sooner you had it because he likes the ...
- Pitfalls For Dog Novices. Part 2
- I have seen ladies buy up dog after dog, getting all those which beat theirs, and they never got a good dog at all, and got rid of a lot of money. As an illustration, a lady may buy a good dog at a s...
- Pitfalls For Dog Novices. Part 3
- As a general rule be very cautious of dealing with anyone who runs more than one breed of dog. It is my experience that the more breeds are kept the more unscrupulous the owner is! No doubt because hi...
- Chapter XIV. The Cares Of A Champion
- One of the luckiest days of my life was certainly the one on which there stepped into the house the dog that goes in private by the name of Fizzy, but that is known to the world as Champion Windfall. ...
- Chapter XV. House Pets
- I am constantly being asked about the management of house dogs, and from the extraordinarily elementary questions which I am always answering, I think a practical chapter on the subject will be useful...
- House Pets. Continued
- The very best instrument for getting out bad mats in a dog's coat is a lady's hat pin. A comb is useless for the tangles which have become wadded slabs of hair, as is often the case when the dogs are ...
- Appendix. Champion Windfall's Record
- June 29,1905. Botanic. 1st.O. 1stN. 1st L. Temple Barrow 20-guinea challenge cup. Open class 3-guinea challenge cup. The champion Rollo cup for best novice in the 4 varieties and ...
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