For this third part, I thought it would be interesting to look back to experts of the past for thoughts and opinions on the subject. What follows is a select series of quotes from old sources that I felt were pertinent. The last section contains some measurements of some prominent trial dogs of more than a century ago. I also e-mailed and contacted several other people for measurements of trial dogs of today and , undoubtedly, did not motivate them properly. So I posted measurements of two cover champions that I have access to, for the sake of comparison. Perhaps others will measure and post in response.

"Every part of his anatomy has some meaning, some use, which should be learned by man before he ventures to meddle: the HEAD contains the intellect and scenting power; the BODY and LIMBS form the galloping apparatus; and the TAIL denotes the purity of race."

The Pointer And His Predecessors, William Arkwright, 1904.

"The pointers I best approve are not small nor very large; but such as are well made, light, and strong, and will naturally stand. A small pointer, though ever so good in kind, can be of but little service, particularly through a strong piece of turnips, broom, or heath; and the feet of a large, heavy dog will soon be tired by his own weight." Art Of Shooting Flying, 1767.

"The [pointers] should be remarkable for the exquisite sensibility of their olfactory organs (or what a sportsman would call the goodness of their nose), as well as the gallant style of their range; not the speed with which they run, but their mode of running, that is with their heads well up and their sterns constantly moving, since nothing looks worse than to see a dog run with his nose to the ground and his tail carried between his hind legs. They should have well-formed straight legs and a small close foot, deep chest, full blood eyes, fine stern, round back, thin long ears, hanging loosely from the head…"

Dictionary Of Sports (Britain) 1835.

"The form of the stern, with a vigorous lashing of it from side to side, marks the true-bred pointer as much as any sign can do so; and its absence distinguishes the foxhound cross, which gives a very heavy stern, with a strong curve upwards, and carried high over the back; or the too great amount of greyhound blood, marked by a small stern also, but by one whose diminution commences from the root, whilst the genuine pointer’s is nearly the same size till within a few inches of the point, when it suddenly tapers off’

Manual Of British Rural Sports, Stonehenge, 1856

"The shoulders I consider one of the most important parts of the setter. They should be well set back, or very oblique, the more so the better - - upright shoulders are very objectionable the blades of them long; he should be short and level in the back. The shorter a dog is in the back—that is, from the shoulder blades to where it joins the hind quarters in the back loins—more power and strength. This formation is similar to the machinery of a steam engine—short above, and the power of stroke, spring, or leverage below; or in other words, short above and long underneath.

Chest rather wide, and deep in brisket; with good round widely sprung ribs- that is, well ribbed-up the loin broad, slightly arched, strong and muscular.

Hips well bent and ragged, the more bent the better; here is the propelling power."

The Setter Edward Laverack 1872

"The relative merits of setters and pointers have been the subject of such lengthy discussion… "

"The principle difference between the two breeds is in their coats, for in size and general conformation they are quite similar…"

William Bruette, Modern Dog Breaking, 1906

"Pointer history is marked by two epochs. The first was the importation of a series of large and handsome dogs by the groups around the Westminster Kennel Club of New York and the St. Louis Kennel Club in the West…" "The second epoch began when Edward Dexter of Boston and Captain McMurdo, his adviser and handler, brought over and bred from Mainspring, King of Kent, and Mainspring’s sister, Hops; dogs of handier size, more snappy on birds and of better sustained speed."

"All this time there had been a good deal bitterness among pointer owners on account of what they claimed was discrimination against them in field trials by judges who were supposed to be wedded to the Llewellin setter. There may have been a reason for this grievance, but it is likely that the trouble was with the dogs. At least there was never much more of that talk after Mr. Dexter and Captain McMurdo brought out their field trial pointers."

"Breeders are endeavoring to increase the size of field trial dogs by selecting larger breeding specimens, but it is not likely that the average size will much exceed fifty pounds for the dogs and five pounds less for the bitches."

Joseph Graham, The Sporting Dog, 1904.

On the early Llewellin setters:

"…the type is generally conceded to represent dogs of medium size, compactly built, with relatively small and short heads, as compared with the Laveracks, and a hard and thinner coat; tails inclined to curl up over the back like a foxhound. In size they are supposed to vary from twenty-two to twenty-four inches in dogs; bitches, slightly less. Average weight of dogs, fifty pounds; bitches, forty-five. Temperamentally they are characterized by intense nervous energy and a disposition to self-hunt."

The Modern Setter, A. F. Hochwalt, 1923.

Measurements of some 19^th century dogs

Setters:

Gladstone: 22 inches at the shoulders, just over 50 pounds, tail length: 15inches.

Roderigo: 21 5/8 inches at the shoulders, tail length: 113/4.

Bohemian Girl: 21 ¾ inches at shoulders, tail length 14"

Pointers

Rip Rap: 23 inches at the shoulders, tail length: 15 ½

King Of Kent: 22 ½ at the shoulders, tail length: 15 inches

Maid of Kent 21 ¾; tail, 13 ½

Lass Of Bow 23 ¼; 13 ½

Average Measurements of a large sample of prominent trial dogs of the late 19^th century ("D" = Dogs, "B" = bitches) :

Height at shoulders Height at hips Body length Tail

English Setters: D: 22 2/3 B: 21 ¾ D: 21 ½ B: 20 D: 22 2/3 B 21 2/3 D: 13 2/3 B: 13 ½

Pointers: D: 23 ½ B: 22 D: 21 2/5 B: 21 D: 21 ½ B: 21 D: 31 ½ B: 13

Source: Bench Show and field Trial Records and Standards Of Dogs in America, 1874 - 1891, Major J. M. Taylor.

Several Cover Trial Champions Of Today

Long Gone George: 23.5" at the shoulders. Tail 13.25 inches.

Wrongway: 21.5 inches at the shoulders. Tail length: 12"

Conclusion: It is my hope that if we can all take a closer look at our dogs in terms of conformation, we might be able to add more science to our breeding and our judging. Conformation is a lot of what makes our dogs what they are. By looking, measuring and comparing, perhaps we can find hints as to build a better dog. We might learn what factors might contribute to a choppy gait, or a lack of stamina, or a tendency to to blowout a knee. Maybe we can figure out why some dogs are still going strong at 8 and 9 years old, while others are long since retired and can barely trot.

One person, after reading the first part of this series, said it made him uncomfortable because, "It showed how much I didn’t know." Still others that I have had contact with do not want science because opinion is more fun. Yet we ignore conformation at a big risk.