248 USEFUL INFORMATION REGARDING DOGS. 



find It much easier to rid him of them than if he had been sleeping on a 

 sola or loose in the house, for you could take his bedding out and clean or 

 burn it. To get rid of fleas is given under that heading. 



- House-Breaking Puppies. — When you buy a puppy and get it home, 

 don't expect it to be house-broken, and you'll not be disappointed. It's too 

 young to know just what it ought to do, and you must give it time, a chance, 

 and properly educate it yourself. Thi3 can be done with every puppy, or 

 grown dog either, but you can't do it in a few hours, for it requires time 

 and patience. 



You may have bought it as "house-broke," and it may be that it was 

 — for the home it has just left — but needs re-breaking to a certain extent 

 for its new home, which will then not be nearly so hard to accomplish. 



Now, when your puppy makes a mistake, if it is old enough to 

 punish, eateh it in the act; rub his nose in it, switch it, and run it out in 

 the yard, weather permitting (for you wouldn't, of course, put it out in 

 the rain or snow). Repeat this every time it does wrong, and it can soon 

 be taught to be clean in its habits. Never punish any puppy (or dog) ex- 

 cept at the time of the wrong-doing, so that it knows wnat it is being 

 punished for. By running it out of doors every time, it soon gets to un- 

 derstand that there is the place to attend to nature's calls. Have pa- 

 tience, and it won't be very long till you have a well behaved dog. Some are 

 much easier to break than others. I don't advocate too much or severe 

 whipping, as in some cases it will cow the dog, and if so will take a 

 long time to get it over this. Most pupies at two months old will under- 

 stand that they have done wrong by the punishment. As it gets older 

 make it a point to put it out the last thing at night and the first thing 

 in the morning, and give it frequent yard opporunities during the day. 

 Use judgment and forbearance as well, and reason with and talk to it — 

 they soon get to understand. If weather is bad, at night or in the morning, 

 for that time put it in the cellar or some covered outhouse or shed. 



If you have a female and raise a litter of puppies at home, here is a 

 good plan that I follow in the kennel, and when I sell a puppy two or 

 three months old, it is already "kennel broken," and then very easy to 

 house-break when its owner gets it home. I have stalls made, enclosed by 

 a gate and in front of the box or part of the stall fitted up for the bitch to 

 whelp in, I have a galvanized iron pan to fit the other part of the stall, and 

 this pan I cover over the bottom with sawdust for the puppies to go into 

 as soon as they are old enough. The mother cleans up alter her puppies 

 till they are four or five weeks old, and then they will naturally and very 

 quickly get into the habit of going into the sawdust when nature prompts 

 them. The example set by the first one to go in will soon be followed by 

 its brothers and sisters, as it is a dog's natural inclination to hunt a place. 

 You can follow this plan when your bitch has puppies by simply making 

 a low wooden box with a sheet of tin for a bottom to it, which will answer 

 for one litter all right enough, and if your bitch has whelped in a box in 

 your house, you can fix up a little fence made out of lathes that will cost but 

 a trifle, and answer the purpose of keeping her and her puppies penned 

 up. Puppies that I sell as "kennel broke" are very easy to house-break. 

 Treat all your puppies for worms soon after they are weaned, as then the 

 worms begin to be dangerous. In some cases as young as five and six weeks is 

 necessary. Worms kill more dogs than all other diseases combined; but this 

 you will find carefully treated and remedies given under the heading of 

 "Worms" in another part of this book. To house-break older dogs, follow 

 the same plan, only a little more severe. 



Shade in Kennel Yards. — Fortunate are the dogs in a kennel during 

 torrid weather, if well provided with shade trees. Nothing would appear to 

 please a dog, especially a terrier, so much on a hot day, as to burrow into the 

 cool earth. If this can be allowed without damage to property by all means 

 let the dogs make their own cool earth nests. If appropriate shade is not af- 

 forded naturally it is well to build a lean-to or a square, flat, shed-like 

 structure, as low to the ground as the height of the dogs will allow. They 

 shquld be able to stand up under it. This will throw a shady spot at all 



