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 the type which will win consistently under Toy Spaniel Club judges." This is very hard on breeders, and especially on beginners. They find it impossible to please the judges or to learn what points they must breed for, and even experienced breeders, with all their skill, cannot keep pace with the fluctuations of judicial opinion.

People talk of "the Noseless Type "as if it were one type, whereas it is at least half a dozen different types. That most judges do not seem to be even aware of these different types, but class them all together as one, shows that they have not begun to study their points.

However much a judge's ideas may differ from mine as to type, I respect his awards, if they are consistent, though possibly his taste may appear to me odd; but when they vary from show to show and, alas, often from class to class, I cannot respect the opinion they represent.

The Toy Spaniel Club judges, though working by rules of their Club under a uniform standard, to which they are expected strictly to adhere, do not favour a uniform type, and we have championship winners of every conceivable shape, type, and size. Yet the "Standard" is quoted to support them all!

A paragraph in one of the newspapers recently defended the awarding of highest honours to dogs of the wrong type by pleading that there were often no dogs of the right type in a class. Had I ventured on such a statement, I should have been greeted with scorn, but I am glad that the truth has at last been acknowledged) The writer asks, derisively, for a remedy. There is a Show rule which runs: "The judges will be empowered and instructed to withhold the Prize or Prizes in any class if, in their opinion, the dog or dogs exhibited do not show sufficient merit."

To a strong judge the remedy is obvious - and strong judges are what we want.

I contend that there is something radically wrong in a system which ends, as it has done this year, in persistently empty or cancelled classes, or classes in which there are nothing but dogs of the wrong type.

Whether my readers agree with me or not about the undesirability of the "smashed noses" as leading to grotesqueness of type and unsoundness of constitution, I hope they will, at any rate, determine once for all to get rid of vulgarity of type, sluggishness, cringing, timidity of nature, and unsoundness of limb. At present weak loins, rickety joints, wheel backs, shelly bodies, and miserable, shivering dispositions are all passed over for the sake of a noseless head, and a needlessly ugly one at that. Whatever our individual opinions may be as to the proper length of nose, let us all combine to insist upon having pretty expressions and a really profuse coat, and let those who judge at shows have the courage never to award a championship to a coarse, ugly, or unsound dog, however noseless.

In conclusion, it must be held up as a golden principle in the minds of all breeders that Toy Spaniels must be bred for beauty alone, otherwise there is no excuse or justification for their existence. In deciding what type to buy, look for beauty. In judging the dogs, look for beauty. In breeding, choose beautiful dogs - beauty of expression, beauty of form, beauty of coat, beauty of colour, beauty of movement. Try in everything for beauty, and again beauty, and always beauty. It cannot be repeated too often. Ugly dogs should be ruthlessly exterminated from the shows.

Points Of The Miniature Toy Trawler Spaniel Which Now Represents The Old Type Of Curly King Charles

Head small and light, with very pointed, rather short nose, fine and tapering, with a very slight curve upwards of tip of nose. The "stop" deep and well marked and the skull rather raised but flat on the top, not dome shaped. Muzzle just finished not overshot. Long ears set high, and carried pricked forward. Extremely large dark eyes set wide apart, and showing the white when turned. They must be set perfectly straight, not obliquely, in the head. Whatever colour the dog may be, the nose and lips must be black. Neck arched. Back broad and short. Tail set on a level with the back, and carried gaily, though not straight up in the air, or curled over the back like a Pomeranian. It should be docked to about four or five inches, and well furnished with long feathering. General carriage very smart and gay. Legs reasonably short, and perfectly straight, bone light though strong. Build square, sturdy, and compact, but never heavy. The action should be smart and prancing, coat very curly, but not woolly. It should be rather silky in texture, and very glossy. Liberal feathering, waistcoat, and breechings. Shape is all important; colour a secondary matter. Best colour a brilliant black, with white waistcoat Next orange red, with white waistcoat, and light shadings.