Craven, Recreations in Shooting -- The Cultured Newf

Though not so essential to the suite of the sportsman in pursuit of game as the water-spaniel to the wild-fowl shooter, the Retriever is a most useful, as well as becoming, companion in the field. In cover, it is not possible to dispense with his services without a vast sacrifice of game: for such is the loss of all badly wounded birds, and, indeed, of nearly every head of game that is hit. In thick underwood, not only will a dog recover nine birds out of ten that a man would miss, but it disturbs them also just in an inverse ratio. Pointers and setters are both trained to retrieve, but it is a bad economy; the retriever should be limited to hunting, in or out of cover, for wounded game, and bringing it to bag. There are various opinions as to the best cross from which this valuable sporting servant can be bred. Perhaps as good as any, is that between a strong, low-sized setter bitch and a pure Newfoundland dog. Our own bias leans to a cross with a Newfoundland dog and a pointer bitch; animals so bred certainly excel in nose. The pointer itself can be taught to retrieve; but when so used, he must not hunt in company. (102)

Of all dogs, take him in the aggregate, the Newfoundland (Canis terra nova) is, perhaps, the most generally sagacious. We have found him, beyond others of the sub genus cauls, gentle, teachable, and useful. It is our opinion, that, in most cases, he might be made the most valuable of sporting dogs,—his intelligence, or instinct, if such, indeed, it merely be, appearing to be called into action in a greater variety of instances than in any other dog, except the original mountain, or shepherd, dog. As a retriever, he possesses a quality of unquestionable value,—that of mouthing his game without breaking it; and, as we have before said, he may be brought into the field with pointers, without interfering with their province. As a watch-dog, his fidelity is proverbial. We, ourselves, possessed a dog of this species that, upon a night attack of burglars, broke his chain, scoured through a long yard, in which he was kept, and, taking an enormous leap upwards, caught hold of a fellow by the tail of his coat, who was entering the window of a conservatory on the first floor, and brought down the flaps between his teeth. Nor did this trophy content him; for utterly disdaining a bit of poisoned meat thrown at him, he pointed and yelped at the thief, till the alarm was given and the fellow discovered. The same dog permitted a robin, through a whole winter, to take shelter in his den. It was a most singular spectacle to witness; for so much familiarity, and, as it seemed, affection, grew up between them, that, while Robin hopped and chirped about between his shaggy paws, or upon his head and body, our Newfoundland would stand or lie perfectly still, his small, brown eyes winking and blinking, and his well-clothed tail gently wagging to and fro with satisfaction. A feat of this dog deserves commemoration. A boy, belonging to the house, had not returned home at the usual hour, to the great alarm of his mother. The dog above mentioned, seeming to share in the general disturbance, followed the servant, sent in one direction, to seek out the truant; but soon distanced and lost sight of him, and was the first to discover the boy's apparel on the water's edge, and, a few minutes after, the boy himself in the river, who was then sinking. The noble animal plunged in, and rescued the child, who, it appeared, had run off with his elder brother's corks, and, being of a determined and independent character, had ventured to swim by himself. At the moment of time of the dog's approach, he had got embarrassed and entangled in his machinery, and must certainly have been drowned but for this timely assistance.
The fine animal, now so common in Britain, is usually a cross between the original Newfoundland or Labrador dog, and others of the canine race; and is, therefore, found somewhat diversified, both in form and colour. Jardine says, that the hound seems to have crossed in with the present breed; for, even in Newfoundland, some of these dogs are, in size and fulness of body, superior even to the Irish greyhound, although the latter is higher in the shoulder. He speaks of one, that when desired to show himself, would place his forepaws on the lintels of any door. These large dogs are usually white in colour, with black spots, while the original breed is smaller, and totally black, except portions of the tail and legs; their muzzle is sharper, the forehead more arched, and their expression wilder; their bodies, too, are usually more slim; and the black colour of the head is interrupted by the rust-coloured patches between the nose and the eye. The Labrador dogs are almost semi-palmated, and seem to be as familiar with the water as an otter, swimming, and diving, and keeping in it, with astonishing facility. He is very large, rougher-haired than the Newfoundland, and carries his tail high. At St. John's, a dog is reckoned to maintain his master during the winter, drawing sledges, fish, wood, and so forth; in the summer, they are left, in great numbers, to maintain themselves, and, consequently, not only suffer great privation, but contract various diseases.
This species of dog, although he may he deemed inferior to the shepherd dog in steadiness and stubbornness of adherence to watching, holds the highest place for intellectual qualities. We know of one whose usual station was the open hall-door of a gentleman's country mansion; who appeared to think his peculiar usefulness consisted in guarding the solitary pedestrians of the family. He would view, unmoved, the exit of every party; but a lady, a child, or his master, at all times brought him to his feet, and sent him scampering over the forest or park, by way of pioneer, although but a second returned, perhaps, from a day's hard work in the woods. So remarkably was this dog affected by individuals, that in despite of his antipathy to beggars, by twos and threes, he was never known to bark at a woman-beggar, but would solicit the attention of his master to her case, in a variety of ways, and always attend her to the lodge-gates on departure. A small, common white owl was the pet of the children; it used to roost, the day long, under a dark bush, where the trees overhead formed an almost impenetrable shade. Our Newfoundland had a particular dislike to the species, but always took great notice of this little creature, who would fasten her big, brown, round eyes upon him with great perturbation; but he knew perfectly well it was not to be molested, and, on the contrary, would lead the youngest child, who could just run alone, by his gambols, to the dark bush. In Youatt's "Humanity of Brutes," he tells us thus: "A vessel was driven on the beach of Lydd, in Kent: the surf was rolling furiously; eight poor fellows were crying loudly for he]p, but not a boat could be got off to their assistance. At length a gentleman came on the beach, accompanied by his Newfoundland dog. He directed the attention of the animal to the vessel, and put a short stick to his mouth. The intelligent and courageous fellow at once understood his meaning, and sprang into the sea, and fought his way through the waves. He could not, however, get close enough to the vessel to deliver that with which he was charged; but the crew joyfully made fast a rope to another piece of wood, and threw it towards him. He saw the whole business in an instant; he dropped his own piece, and immediately seized that which had been cast to him, and then, with a degree of strength and determination almost incredible, he dragged it through the surf, and delivered it to his master. A line of communication was thus formed, and every man on board was rescued from a watery grave."
In truth, the instances of courage and benevolence recorded of this species, are so numerous, that they would fill a volume. We may speak of the cleverness of the French poodle, who has been made an excellent actor; as in the case of the company of poodles brought to London, about fifty years ago, by a Frenchman, that had been educated to play their parts in pantomimic sieges; counterfeit admirably fine ladies and gentlemen ; and dance minuets, bow, and look demure and frisky, according to book. We may remember M. Leonard's pointers, Brague and Philax, who could certainly understand language, and play at dominoes; and commend Walter Scott's dog, Dandie, who found his boot-jack; and James Hogg's dog, Hector, who overreached his master; and marvel at the poodle who would never permit a false note in singing to pass unobserved by a howl and a growl; or the shoe-black's mongrel, who brought customers to his master, by dirtying the boots of the passengers who passed the door of the shop; but we must still assert, that, in benevolence and sagacity, the dog of the Newfoundland species is superior to any other. A gentleman put a marked shilling under a stone by the roadside, first shewing it to his Newfoundland dog. The gentleman then, with his friend, rode forward three miles; and then the dog received his signal from the master to return back for the shilling. The dog turned back: the gentlemen rode home; but, to their disappointment and surprise, the hitherto faithful messenger did not return during the day. It appeared he had gone to the spot where the shilling was deposited; but the stone being too large for his strength to remove, he had stayed howling at the place, till two horsemen riding by, and attracted by his seeming distress, stopped to look at him; when one of them alighting, removed the stone, and seeing the shilling, put it into his pocket, not conceiving it to be the object of the dog's search. The dog followed their horses for twenty miles, remained undisturbed in the room where they supped, followed the chambermaid into the bedchamber, and secreted himself under one of the beds. The possessor of the shilling hung his trowsers upon a nail by the bedside; but, when both travellers were asleep, the dog took them in his mouth, and, leaping out of the window, left open on account of the sultry heat, reached his master's home with his prize; when, from memoranda in the pocket, everything but the shilling was enabled to be returned to the owner, and the singular circumstance elucidated.
This anecdote very strongly resembles that before related of the Frenchman's terrier. For this story, we do not personally vouch: the terrier's feat came actually under our own observation.
The Newfoundland Dog (Canis terra nova), differs from the Esquimaux race in many respects; having greater freedom of joint and muscle, being longer in the back, of a more flowing and straighter fur, a thicker muzzle, and more pendent ears. The St. John's breed is preferred by sportsmen, as being the more intelligent, with remarkable powers of scent, and teachable to an almost unlimited extent. The fact of the superiority of the Newfoundland is, we presume, to be traced to their vicinity to the capital of the state; everything animate being found more intelligent and sagacious within a reasonable distance of a metropolis. Blaine mentions, that, some years ago, these dogs could be readily procured at Poole; and, when well broken, were very valuable: that some gentlemen who purchased them, found them so capable of general instruction, that they have given up most other sporting varieties, and contented them selves with these; and, indeed, found the places of the others perfectly well filled up. This he supposes to occur, however, principally in fenny and aquatic districts. He speaks of a valuable dog of this sort, the property of a gentleman who resided near Newhaven: " Whenever it was likely wild-fowl would come in shore, and that, consequently, gunners would go along the levels to intercept them, then she was sure to be found, waiting for and attending on them as long as they stayed; fetching, either out of the sea or the river, spite of ice or snow, any that were shot. She had been known to stay two entire days and nights, and, as was supposed, without food, waiting at the shore-side to assist any shooting parties that might go out; for, at the time we allude to, an intense frost of two or three weeks, had frozen up every river and stream. Here, indeed, was self-devotion; and she truly had a sporting mania."
Colonel Hawker recommends the purchasers of these dogs to buy them ready broken; as, by the time they are trained (by the process of half-starving), the chances are that they will have got over the distemper, a disease particularly virulent in the Newfoundland kind. He also gives us a hint, of which our own experience has proved the wisdom, never to use violent means to make him do what you want, which will generate sulkiness; " but to deter him from any fault, you may rate and beat him . . . ."
The St. John's breed of these dogs, is chiefly used on their native coast by fishermen: their sense of smelling is scarcely to be credited." They will scent a wounded pheasant through a whole covert of game, or a pinioned wild-fowl through a furze brake, or warren of rabbits.
It will, therefore, be seen that we have not placed the biography of this remarkable dog out of place. To the game-shooter, he is capable of rendering the most essential services; some of the very best retrievers we have known having directly descended from him; indeed, a friend of ours had a pure Newfoundland bitch, which was perfect at the business. For this reason, we have associated, as will be seen, with this Newfoundland race, the Pheasant Spaniel, or Springer, as the alpha and omega of that sport. No wild-fowl shooter none of the hardy race of sportsmen, who go down to the sea in punts, and occupy themselves in the dreadful trade of navigating canoes in search of water-fowl should ever be without one of these amphibious friends at his side. (pp. 187 - 196)

Of these it will be seen the spaniel is not one. Jardine justly remarks, that in this list the races are confounded; for the great household dog is with him the mastiff, with no powers of scent, and different from the bulldog, to whom he attributes great keenness of nose. He looks upon the greyhound as the Vertagm, or British Ver. Track., while some writers only deem it the lurcher. The British terrier he looks upon as differing from the crooked legged turnspit of Europe, specified by Greek writers. Sir W. Jardine says, that the Canis tuscus, praised by Nemesianus, was identical with our water-spaniel. On various Roman monuments this dog is evidently figured. The spaniel tribe is a numerous one, and variously designated, from the beautiful little creature known as Charles the Second's, or the Duke of. Nor folk's, breed, to the handsome springer, by some deemed the most serviceable shooting companion to the gunner, of the entire sporting races. The springer and the cocker are the only two dogs, legitimately called spaniels, used in wood and water craft: albeit, some call the smaller Newfoundland breed, spaniels. (270)