48 THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEP DOG 



get their second teeth, and the cutting of them will be 

 greatly facilitated by giving them large round bones to 

 gnaw at. But the bones must be large ; small splintering 

 ones are not only useless, but most dangerous. They may 

 now be put on three good meals a day. The cutting of 

 the teeth is not infrequently accompanied by eczema, but 

 this simple complaint need give no cause for uneasiness. 

 It is often Nature's safety valve, and averts a far more 

 serious complication in the form of fits. 



Hereabouts the youngsters generally enter upon the 

 hobbledehoy stage of lanky legginess, and during the next 

 two months they are at the most difficult age in which 

 to judge of their ultimate merit. They vary so extra- 

 ordinarily from week to week as to puzzle the most 

 experienced breeder ; first one, then another, outstripping 

 his relatives, and again yielding place to them. 



During this time, if their destination is the show ring, 

 they should be thoroughly accustomed to the use of collar 

 and chain. They will speedily take kindly to these 

 accessories when they become associated in the puppy 

 mind with a walk beyond the confines of the kennel yard. 

 The pups should be exercised in company with their 

 elders ; and so strong is the force of example that they 

 will soon learn to conduct themselves like old dogs. 



They should be frequently handled and overhauled by 

 strangers, walked and trotted backwards and forwards for 

 examination, and taught to stand, and to show themselves, 

 at their best in company with other dogs. By the time 



