GROOMING AND WASHING. 23 



matter, and the result has been the appearance of several appliances which are more or less 

 effective as aids to the canine toilet. Conspicuous amongst inventions which are really service- 

 able is the hair-glove, and no breeder of smooth-coated dogs should be without some of these 

 in his kennel. In the case of the long-haired varieties a coarse comb and dandy-brush are 

 about all that are necessary. Very hard brushes, as a rule, are best avoided ; they may do no 

 harm to a thoroughly healthy coat, but the skin even of a healthy dog is peculiarly susceptible of 

 irritation, and any undue stimulus may start him scratching till he is almost raw. A hard brush 

 may therefore inflame some pustule on the skin, and before the injury is discovered a dog may 

 have disfigured himself for months to come. A hard short-bristled brush, if constantly used, is 

 also liable to remove more hair than is necessary, and thereby injures the dog's appearance. 



Many dogs are very fidgety when they are being groomed, and throw themselves about 

 in a manner which renders the operation a tedious one. There is no remedy for this but 

 patience, and after a dog once becomes accustomed to his morning's grooming, he soon gets to 

 like it, and seems to look forward to the luxury. It is always desirable to chain him up when 

 grooming is carried on, in case he breaks away and gets into mischief. The modus operandi is 

 very simple, but we have always found it best to let the dog lie down, and do as much of 

 his legs as possible first. The reason of this is that during the grooming of his legs a dog 

 very often lies down and fidgets about, and in this way gets his coat all covered with sawdust 

 or whatever may be laid on the floor of the kennel. This is not so annoying when his back 

 and sides have yet to be groomed, and he can return to his bench neat and tidy. The 

 legs should be thoroughly rubbed with the brush or hair-glove, care being taken to pass 

 the hand in the direction the coat runs, or instead of benefiting the coat it will be injured 

 by being made rougher than it was before. Attention should then be directed to the head 

 and ears ; the back must next be done, and the proceedings terminate by brushing out the 

 tail. Under ordinary circumstances the hair-glove is sufficient for smooth-coated dogs, but its 

 bristles are neither long nor stout enough to penetrate the jackets of the long-haired varieties' 

 When the latter have to be dealt with a dandy-brush will usually suffice, the comb only 

 being resorted to when the coat is knotted and tangled up. In using the comb the operator 

 should be as gentle as he can, for if he drags tufts of hair out he hurts the dog and injures 

 his appearance. A thorough combing-out is an excellent practice before a dog is washed, as 

 it helps to remove all superfluous hairs, but when the coat is wet it is always more or less 

 tangled, and should not be combed. As we have said before, systematic grooming is at the 

 bottom of many a dog's blooming condition, and no morning should go by without strict 

 attention being paid to his toilet. Careful grooming also assists greatly in the destruction of 

 fleas and other vermin, and renders the coat sweet and clean. 



We may remark that these hints on grooming refer solely to general management, and 

 no allusion is made here to any special attention show dogs may require in the course of their 

 preparation for exhibition, as such will be fully gone into in the chapter on exhibiting. A 

 good rub over with a large dry chamois leather after the brushing out is completed is an ex- 

 cellent termination to the grooming, but in ordinary cases is not so essential as the brush or 

 hair-glove. 



WASHING. 



No very great skill is required, under ordinary circumstances, to wash a dog, providing the 

 necessary appliances are at hand. If the weather is warm, and the dog of a hardy constitution, 

 the chances of his catching cold are very small, but in cold weather the chief difficulty is to 

 get him dry before replacing him in his kennel. It should be borne in mind that almost all 



