3o8 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



and in future operations you will be able to 

 discard inferior puppies at any earlier age. 

 But it is a great mistake, if you intend to 

 form a kennel for show purposes, to sell 

 or part with your puppies too early. It is 

 notorious with all breeds that puppies 

 change very much as they grow. The best 

 looking in the nest often go wrong later, and 

 the ugly duckling turns out the best of the 

 litter. This is especially true of Dachshunds, 

 and it requires an expert to pick the best 

 puppy of a litter at a month or two old, and 

 even he may be at fault unless the puppy is 

 exceptionally well reared. 



It is not within the province of this 

 chapter to give minute directions for rearing 

 puppies, but I may just mention a few points 

 for the benefit of novices. 



The main point I would lay stress upon 

 is that to rear Dachshund puppies success- 

 fully you must not overload them with 

 fat — give them strengthening food that does 

 not lay on flesh. Lean, raw beef, finely 

 chopped, is an excellent food once or twice 

 a day for the first few months, and, though 

 this comes expensive, it pays in the end. 

 Raw meat is supposed to cause worm troubles, 

 but these pests are also found where meat 

 is not given, and in any case a puppy is 

 fortified with more strength to withstand 

 them if fed on raw meat than otherwise, 

 and a good dosing from time to time will 

 be all that is necessary to keep him well 

 and happy. 



Young growing puppies must have their 

 freedom to gambol about, and get their 

 legs strong, and this is another point I wish 

 to emphasise. Never keep the puppies cooped 

 up in a small kennel run or house. If you 

 have a fair-sized yard, give them the run of 

 that, or even the garden, in spite of what 

 your gardener may say — they may do a 

 little damage to the flowers, but will assuredly 

 do good to themselves. They love to dig 

 in the soft borders : digging is second 

 nature to them, and is of great importance 

 in their development. 



If you have not a garden, or if the 

 flowers are too sacred, it is better to place 

 your puppies as early as possible with 

 respectable cottagers, or small farmers, 



especially the latter, with whom they will 

 have entire freedom to run about, and wili 

 not be overfed. My own plan is to keep 

 my puppies at home till they are two or 

 three months old, and then put them out 

 to "walk" on a farm, and leave them 

 till they are six months old, when I pass 

 judgment on them. 



My puppy kennel has a very spacious 

 covered-in run attached, facing south. A 

 low brick wall twelve inches high runs all 

 round three sides, and on this is built a 

 double matchboarded shed. The front is 

 entirely filled with greenhouse " lights," 

 hinged at the top and made to open to admit 

 air without allowing rain to enter. There are 

 also ventilators above these and just under 

 the roof. Inside, the floor is slightly higher 

 than the ground outside, which slopes awa}'. 

 This floor was arranged in the following 

 way : — The ground was dug out to a depth 

 of two feet and filled in with ashes well 

 pressed down. On top there are six inches 

 of dry garden mould, also well pressed down, 

 but capable of being forked over and re- 

 newed from time to time. This makes a very 

 sanitary, warm floor for the puppies to run 

 about on ; it never smells offensively, and 

 it is always dry. the droppings can be easily 

 remo\'ed, and even if left a day or two are 

 deodorised by the earth. I also had an 

 artificial " earth " or tunnel made in the 

 run extending the whole length, and end- 

 ing in a " den." This was constructed of 

 boarding on the sides and top, and buried in 

 the run to a depth of several inches. This 

 artificial " earth " was copied from that 

 used in Germany, where, at the dog shows, 

 trials for Dachshunds and terriers are some- 

 times held on fox and badger, and my 

 puppies find it a never-ending source of 

 amusement. Here they play for hours, 

 running in and out, and here every tit-bit 

 in the shape of bones is taken, to be con- 

 sumed at leisure. Great is the excitement 

 when the fortunate possessor of a bone 

 comes to bay in the den of this run, the 

 other puppies charging him in rushes, 

 fighting and scrambling and keeping up 

 an incessant barking till either the bone is 

 consumed or they lie down exhausted to 



