1 6 THE BOOK OF THE DOG. 



to it on the ground that it is cold to a dog if he lies or stands much on it. Our experience, 

 however, teaches us that if a low, portable, wooden bench such as we have described is furnished, 

 no dog will, when lying down out of his barrel, select any sort of floor in preference to his 

 wooden couch, except in warm weather, when cement will do him no harm. This form of flooring, 

 too, is so easily washed and scrubbed down that its merits cannot fail to be appreciated by those 

 who give it a fair trial ; and it is economical to a degree, for though the cement in itself is an 

 expensive item, a little of it goes such a long way that all apprehension of extravagance rapidly 

 wears oflf. 



A sprinkling of sawdust over the floors of every sort of kennel is a great advantage, as it not 

 only tends to improve the appearance of the establishment, but renders the task of cleaning 

 the kennels more easy and efficient. Many breeders object to the use of sawdust in their 

 establishments, on the ground that, when the dogs drag their food about, a quantity of sawdust 

 adheres to it and gets swallowed by the dogs. We never found any ill effects arise from this 

 ourselves, and question whether there is any probability of such occurring unless a large quantity 

 of sawdust were laid down, which is quite unnecessary, a light sprinkling being quite sufficient. 



All kennels should be thoroughly washed out at least once a week, and in the warm 

 months some sort of disinfectant is required to clear away offensive odours. Several excellent 

 disinfectants are objectionable for leaving a most unpleasant smell behind them ; and on the 

 whole nothing surpasses Condy's fluid for kennel use. A dilution of this preparation effectually 

 purifies every nook and cranny, and its presence is not perceptible to the olfactory organs like 

 carbolic acid, which is, however, a valuable disinfectant. A new patent preparation called Sanitas 

 has been tried at some leading shows, and its success at them is pronounced ; we have, however, 

 had no personal experience of its merits in kennels. 



It is sometimes considered desirable to warm kennels where delicate dog.o are confined during 

 the winter nights. If gas can be laid on nothing surpasses a small gas stove ; but where this can- 

 not be procured great advantage can be derived from the use of a mineral-oil stove, which emits 

 no smell, and is not dangerous if kept out of the reach of the dogs. Should they overturn it, 

 however, there is a risk of disaster from the inflammable nature of the mineral oil ; and the 

 greatest care should therefore be bestowed upon thoroughly ensuring security in this respect. 



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