9— PUPPIES AND THEIR CARE 



v.— LIVING QUARTERS FOR PUPPY 



What quarters should be given to the 

 doer? On the very first day he is received 

 into the home, take him thru Ihe house, 

 accustom him to the various rooms and 

 objects, and then assign a certain place 

 to him as his very own sleeping quarters. 

 Place a rug, blanket or piece of cloth there 

 as a bed. He soon learns to clain\ it as 

 his own. If necessary, tie him to the spot 

 for the first few days. 



Sleeping quarters should not be at the 

 top of a stairway, not near the radiator, 

 not at any place where there is a constant 

 draft, should not be on cement, metal, or 

 other cold objects, and if the room is 

 drafty, the bed should be a few inches 

 above the floor with side pieces to ward 

 off the draft. 



The use of cushions or stuffed materials, 

 unless stuffed with cedar shavings or the 

 like, which can be renewed frequently. 



should not be used. Make \ise of rugs, 

 blankets and the like which can be sunned 

 and aired at least once a week. Straw 

 is preferable to hay bedding and should 

 be changed once a week. 



Either All In or AU Out 



You may give the puppy his favorite 

 chair but keep him off all other chairs. 

 You can find him a place in the basement 

 and give him a box near the furnace. You 

 can keep him outdoors if you wish, in an 

 unheated kennel house or box which is free 

 from draft and dampness and is not ex- 

 posed to rain. 



A dog should be kept outdoors as his 

 living quarters all the time or indoors all 

 the time. Do not mix the two except of 

 course as weather, special conditions, and 

 so forth modify the rule. 



VI— EXERCISING THE PUPPY 



A sluggish, lazy dog is an abomination. 

 Dogs by nature are alert, active creatures. 

 Living under the easy conditions of mod- 

 ern life, a dog must not become a victim 

 of our civilization. Every dog should have 

 plenty of physical exercise in order to keep 

 in excellent physical condition. 



Overfeeding the dog brings on fatness 

 and laziness. Lack of exercise brings on 

 digestive troubles, bad breath, constipation, 

 lack of watchfulness, and in general, tends 

 toward both physical and mental "soft- 

 ness." 



Take out Three Times Daily 



A dog should be taken out at least three 

 times a day — at least fifteen minutes in 

 the morning, at noon and night Prefer- 

 ably he should be permitted off the lead so 

 that he can run about here and there, for 



your dog, while you travel cne block, 

 travels three or four times as much dis- 

 tance altho he keeps near to you. 



Methods of Exercise 



Give the dog a large rubber ball, give 

 him a stuffed stocking, let him leap up 

 after a stick, let him retrieve a ball. If 

 possible let him play with a neighboring 

 dog. Let him romp with the children. 

 Occasionally take him out in the country 

 and let him run thru the fields. A dog 

 may get "dog-tired" but there cannot be 

 any serious consequences from excessive 

 exercise by the dog. 



You can put the snap end of his lead 

 or chain on an overhanging wire in the 

 yard so that he can run back and forth 

 but not out of the yard. 



VII.— GROOMING AND BATHING THE DOG 



Grooming the dog includes the work of 

 earing for his coat or hair and keeping his 

 skin in healthy condition. It includes also 

 the trimming of toe nails. 



Comb Dry Hair Only 



Combs should not be used greatly on the 

 dog's coat- They should not be used when 

 the coat is wet or immediately after the 

 bath for they tend to pull out too much 

 hair. A comb should be used only on a 

 dry coat and principally when the dog is 

 shedding the coat. 



Kinds of Brushes 



The chief implement for grooming the 

 dog is the brush. It should be about one 

 inch long for shortcoated dogs, about one 

 and one-half inches long for longcoated 

 dogs. Bristles should be soft for a silky 

 coat, medium hard for an ordinary coat, 

 and stiff and hard for a wiry or bristly 

 coat. 



Value of Daily Brushing 



Nothing can be emphasized more strongly 

 than that the dog shoald be brushed vig- 

 oroasly for a few minutes, not occasionally 

 bnt every day of his life. 



First the coat can be brushed opposite of 

 the lay and then the finishing touches be 

 given in the direction of the coat. Use 

 short, slow movements until the coat is 

 "laid," then finish up with vigorous mo- 

 tion and plenty of elbow-bending, working 

 the ends of the bristles down to the skin 

 itself if possible. The dog likes the 

 "brush bath." 



Brushing removes dandruff from the 

 hair, cleans and invigorates the skin, and 

 permits the natural oil of the hair to move 

 from the roots into the hair. 



Bathing Don'ts 



Bathing the dog is a subject about which 

 everyone inquires. The daily brushing 

 eliminates much of the necessity for bath- 

 ing. In warm weather, a dog, particu- 

 larly a long-coated dog, can be bathed 

 once a week and in cold weather, once 

 every ten days if kept indoors ; if kept 

 outdoors, double the period between baths. 



A puppy can be and should be bathed 

 as early as six weeks of age. Just how. 

 where or when the popular belief origi- 

 nated that a puppy should not be bathed, 

 is a mystery. The idea is piffle. 



