104 General Manage iiient of the Dog. 



To begin with the beginning, however, I will suppose 

 that a puppy six weeks old, and of a breed not exceeding 

 15 lbs. weight, is presented to one of my readers. What- 

 is to be done? First of all, if the weather is not decidedly 

 warm, let it be provided with a warm basket lined with 

 some woollen material, which must be kept scrupulously 

 clean. The little animal must on no account be per- 

 mitted to have the opportunity of lying on a stone floor, 

 which is a fertile source of disease ; bare wood, however, 

 is better than carpet, and oilcloth superior to either on 

 the score of cleanliness. In the winter season the apart- 

 ment should have a fire, but it is not desirable that the 

 puppy should lie basking close to it, though this is far 

 better than the other extreme. Even in the severest cold a 

 gleam of sunshine does young creatures good, and the 

 puppy should, if possible, be allowed to obtain it through 

 a window in the winter, or without that protection in the 

 summer. It will take exercise enough in playing with a 

 ball of worsted or other materials indoors until it is ten 

 weeks old ; but after that time a daily run in the garden 

 or paddock will be of great service, extending to an hour 

 or an hour and a half, but not so as to overtax its limbs. 

 After this age, two or three hours a day, divided into 

 periods of not more than an hour each, will be of service; 

 but it is very seldom that young pet dogs can reckon 

 upon this amount of exercise, and, indeed, it is not by 

 any means necessary to their healthy growth. Until after 

 the tenth week, cow's milk is almost essential to the 

 health of the puppy. It should be boiled and thickened 

 at first with fine wheat flour, and after the eighth week 

 with a mixture of coarse wheat flour and oatmeal. The 

 flour should be gradually increased in quantity, at first 

 making the milk of the thickness of cream, and towards 

 the last adding meal in quantity sufticient to make a 

 spoon stand up in it. If the bowels are relaxed, the 

 oatmeal should be diminished, or if confined, increased. 

 This food, varied with broth made from the scraps of the 

 table, and thickened in the same way, will suffice up to 

 the tenth or twelfth week, after which a little meat, with 

 bread, potatoes, and some green vegetables, may be 



