Another instinct from the days when the dog lived his life in the open, is the habit of the whelping bitch of eating her after-birth. This will seem disgusting to the beginning breeder, but when puppies were whelped in the open it was very necessary. At birth the helpless puppies did not have their eyes open and could not see to escape danger. The bitch also was weak after her o rdeal and was unable to protect them as she would later. Eating the after-birth was done to prevent the scent from reaching the nostrils of some foe who might rob her of her young. It is still a matter of instinct for the bitch to do this, and if it makes you feel squeamish, I would advise you to turn your back and let her go her own way. Mother Nature uses this as a means of regulating the dog's system after whelping.

  Did you ever stop to wonder why the various breeds which originated in the far North, such as the chow, spitz, samoyede, and american eskimo dog breed, carry their tails over their backs? Here we see the dog adapting itself to its environment. Most dogs which did not carry their tails high did not last long for the simple reason that a tail dragging on the ground, particularly a long-haired tail, soon became caked with mud or ice. The weight dragged the tail in the mud or snow and so slowed the speed of the dog that he was unable to overtake any game, and thus starved. So you see, only the dogs who learned through experience or by accident to keep their tails high, lived long enough to be the parents of the next generation. In time, what had been an acquired habit or characteristic became hereditary, and today, all puppies of northern breeds inherit their tail placement. Northern breeds are hardy, for the weaklings died off and left only the toughest as parents for coming generations.

  Possibly some of the other breeds might have benefited had such a thinning-out process taken place with them.

  To deal with the evolution of all breeds would be impossible, and would also be unnecessary, for the purpose in introducing the subject is to emphasize one definite angle in breeding. It has been said that nothing living is static. We must go either forward or backward; we can't stand still. So it is with dog breeding. The human race is evolving, and so is the canine. The breeder who is content to produce puppies like those bred ten, twenty, or thirty years ago will find himself being eaten out of house and home by a rapidly growing number of dogs for which there is no sale. If you will look at the picture of any cocker spaniel champion taken thirty years ago, you will see a dog which might be called a "tramp" today. He was a short, heavy little fellow, with a body like a barrel. He had a short muzzle and a curly coat, with ears which reached nearly to the ground.

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