CHAPTER VI 



FEEDING AND GROOMING 



IF a dog is to be kept in decent health and condi- 

 tion, he calls for a reasonable amount of care and 

 attention, and, unless you are disposed to make some 

 small sacrifices, it is wiser not to have one. You 

 may rest assured that any care which you lavish 

 upon your four-footed friend will be repaid with 

 interest. If you once nurse a young dog through 

 sickness, it is surprising how grateful he becomes, 

 and the bond of attachment between him and his 

 master is much strengthened. More animals, I 

 believe, suffer from the effects of over -feeding rather 

 than from deprivation. (When one's canine posses- 

 sions are limited to two or three the commissariat 

 problem is a very simple one, most households 

 having sufficient waste scraps to keep several small 

 dogs. These should be put in a bowl and pre- 

 served until the regular mealtime, rather than be 

 given indiscriminately whenever they happen to be 

 handy. Some authorities prefer to feed in the morn- 

 ing and again about six o'clock in the evening, while 

 others only give the meal at night. Exception would 

 be made in the case of toy dogs ; with others one 

 good feed a day is quite sufficient, although no harm 



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