On no account should a growing puppy be tied up. If this is done, crooked legs are inevitable, the elbows stand out, and the dog is practically ruined. Such a deformity would certainly be of no use for exhibition or sale. In the absence of plenty of kennel room and unlimited exercising-ground, the best thing to do with puppies as soon as they begin to eat well is to put them out to "walk" - one here and another there - with people in the country willing to take them for a trifling amount per week. They are usually well looked after, get a varied diet of plain cooked food, plenty of exercise, and stand a far better chance of developing their sense of smell than when shut up in town. When six months old they should begin to get shapely, and be fit to do a little on the show-bench or in the field. There is, however, always more or less risk in exhibiting very young puppies.

There is no fixed rule for preparing an Irish Terrier for show; everything depends upon the individual. Whereas one is always as fit as the proverbial fiddle, another takes a good deal of getting ready, by virtue of having too much coat; others there are who by nature never get enough, and are consequently no good for exhibition. Although coat is not everything, even on the back of an Irish Terrier, it is a big item in the programme of his success or otherwise, and therefore a thing to be carefully studied. He would be a foolish man who would select a pony from a Welsh drove and send him to a show ungroomed and unkempt; and precisely the same remarks apply not only to Irish Terriers, but to any other dog kept for exhibition. Any attempt at clipping or singeing a dog's coat is termed "faking." It is a useless and a foolish practice, and renders the operator liable to be suspended from exhibiting for a year or more, if detected by the judge or by the critical public.

Only fair and legitimate dressing is permissible, and as this is not always an easy matter to determine, beginners who aspire to dog showing should attend shows where the particular breed in which they are interested is well represented and carefully note the condition of body and coat of the best dogs. By this means they will learn a good deal from the older hands, and gradually get to know how to complete the toilet. A little practice is worth a lot of theory, and a few lessons by way of ocular demonstration will teach those who are desirous of learning more than any amount of reading upon the subject. In fact, it is practically impossible to teach any one from books how to put down an Irish Terrier or, indeed, any other Terrier in first-class form. Experience is the great teacher, and it must be bought.

To select puppies from the nest is by no means the easy matter that a novice might suppose, and so great is the change in colour and general appearance of puppies of this breed that more than once the writer has known a good judge quite at sea with regard to this choice. It is far wiser to leave the selection, if possible, until after the puppies have shed their milk teeth and are approaching six months old; at that time one has a much better chance of forming an opinion as to whether the dog is likely to turn out a good one or otherwise. In the event of having to make a choice from a nest of Irish Terrier puppies at, say, a month or five weeks old, always pick those with small eyes, a good big head, flat skull, plenty of bone, and front legs that have the appearance of being enlarged at the joints. The colour at this age should be as follows : head and legs a nice yellow-red; the chest, neck, and under-part of the body lighter, almost fawn-colour, and black hair nearly the whole width and the entire length of back from shoulder to tail. This gradually comes out, and puppies of this breed may be expected to present a somewhat ragged appearance until they are six or seven months old, and often do not get a correct colour until a year old. The writer will not readily forget the look of disappointment on the face of a friend who once asked him to have a look at a litter. They were the first he had bred, and were a very level lot, but the breeder had quite made up his mind to find them when only a few days old as perfect in colour as the parents. Some like an Irish Terrier that is deep red in colour, but the majority prefer a nice bright yellow-red, which is the correct one. Good results may be obtained in breeding by occasionally using a dark red, short-coated bitch, providing, of course, the bitch is pure bred, and it is by no means uncommon to get such in a litter.

It is a pleasure to notice at recent shows a big falling off of the red Fox-terrier type, which was so plentiful a few years ago. Nothing has done this variety more harm than the few persistent faddists in breeding these dwarf specimens, and those who have the welfare of the breed at heart will act wisely in giving them a wide berth, as they are uncharacteristic and useless for the purposes for which a good Irish Terrier is justly noted.

It will be observed that the Irish Terrier Club's standard is 241b. for dogs and 2 2lb. for bitches; but it is a well-known fact in Irish Terrier circles that many of the best specimens are considerably in excess of this weight. At the Dublin Show in April, 1900, the Irish members of the Irish Terrier Club unanimously passed a resolution, that no club special should be awarded to any dog exceeding 261b. or bitch exceeding 24th., leaving the onus of proving the weight on the objector, the resolution to be subject to the approval and confirmation of the next General Meeting. When the General Meeting subsequently took place at Bristol, the resolution was very wisely rejected by a large majority. It is easy to perceive the bad feeling that might have been caused had this resolution been finally passed. At shows when club specials were given some jealous exhibitors would most certainly have objected to other exhibitors' dogs, and perhaps the grandest living specimen might have been objected to and been compelled to take second place to a very inferior one, simply because he happened to be an ounce or two in excess of 261b. Besides, weight is not a criterion of size. There are plenty of Terriers that from general appearance one would think heavier than others, but put them on the scales and you will probably find it the other way about.