58 THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEP DOG 



kennel should be frequently washed and scrubbed, a 

 disinfectant, such as Jeyes' Fluid, Izal, or Sanitas, being 

 liberally applied. 



If circumstances permit, each dog should occupy his 

 sleeping apartment alone. He will thus get better 

 ventilation, with less possibility of any unnoticed infection, 

 and no chance of quarrelling with his bed-fellows. 



A bob-tail should never be chained up to a kennel 

 under any circumstances, if it can by any possibility be 

 avoided. But if it is absolutely impracticable to keep him 

 otherwise, his owner will do well to discount the evil by 

 fastening the chain to a large ring, which slides freely 

 along a wire fixed at some distance from the kennel. The 

 dog may thus enjoy a certain amount of liberty without 

 actual freedom. 



Next, with regard to exercise. To the Old English 

 Sheep Dog this is an all-important matter. For it is never 

 to be lost sight of that he is primarily an outdoor animal, 

 and though he will readily accommodate himself to cir- 

 cumstances and make a most excellent house dog, his 

 natural inclination is for unlimited freedom and fresh air. 



If it be possible to provide him with an open yard 

 where he may roam at will, he is at his happiest, and 

 brought up so he will develop and retain that delightful 

 liberty of movement so characteristic of his breed. 



But in the matter of outdoor exercise, as in so many 

 other respects, individuals differ to an extraordinary 

 degree. Some require, and enjoy, far more than others. 



