THE POODLE. 625 



ends separate. Seize these ends, and with a firm pull 

 divide them down to the skin; but never cut them apart, as 

 that tends to kill the hair and make it turn of a rusty 

 color. After going over the coat thoroughly (and on your 

 thoroughness in this particular depends its future quality), 

 rub in the following mixture: One part kerosene, one part 

 olive-oil, one part castor-oil. Hand-rub until nearly all 

 greasiness disappears; use a brush sparingly, always rub- 

 bing or brushing with the hair; comb out the mustache 

 and imperial; rub with a stiff brush all the shaved part, to 

 remove scurf or dandruff, and your Poodle is, or should be, 

 in pretty good condition. 



In fitting Poodles for the bench, many breeders first clip 

 them and then shave them with a razor. To my mind, this 

 practice is to be deprecated. In the first place, it is pain- 

 ful to the dog, and no matter how skillful he may be, the 

 operator is likely to take out a few " nicks," especially on 

 the face, where the skin is most wrinkled; and in the second 

 place, it not only does not add to the beauty of the dog, but 

 conceals an important point in his coat, viz., the close wave, 

 which should be seen a few days after clipping on the back 

 of a first-class Poodle, giving it the appearance of watered 

 silk. For my part, if I were going to show a really first- 

 class dog, I would rather clip him as close as possible three 

 days before he was to appear before the judges, and take 

 my chances against an equally good dog that had been 

 shaved the day before. 



Great care should be taken in keeping a Poodle free 

 from fleas, as he does terrible damage to his peculiar 

 knotted coat by constant scratching, and also by the con- 

 stant irritation induces surfeit or some other skin disease, 

 which is exceedingly difficult to cure in a Poodle, on account 

 of the difficulty of applying any wash directly to the skin. 



If you notice that your dog seems restless and is con- 

 stantly scratching or biting himself, get a gallon of " sheep- 

 dip," which can be bought from most fanciers, dilute it 

 with fifteen gallons of water, bathe the dog thoroughly in 

 this mixture, allow it to remain on for three days, then 



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