3 5 THE BOOK OF THE Doc. 



a knife when the puppy is young ; or a tail which is carried up over the back is operated on 

 by having some of the refractory joints so severed that it cannot be raised. Filing the teeth 

 when they are irregular or malformed is also practised, and there can be no doubt that this is 

 illegal, for prompt disqualification is the certain result of detection. Many artifices to which the 

 various breeds may be especially liable will be mentioned in connection with those breeds, and 

 it is therefore unnecessary to go into them at length in the present instance. 



Another improvement is more legitimate. A few drops of oil rubbed into the palms of the 

 hand and applied to the coat has an improving effect upon it. Care must be taken to prevent the 

 oil showing too palpably, and only a few drops must be used, or the coat will be greasy and sticky. 



FIG. 13. TRAVELLING BOX FOR DOGS. 



It is always best to send dogs on a journey securely confined in a box or basket, though in the 

 case of large dark-coloured breeds the necessity for doing so is not so decided as when delicate or 

 white dogs have to be considered. Their chain can be let hang loose, so that when the lid is 

 opened there will be less chance of their escaping. Of the two arrangements, a square-sided 

 basket is preferable when the dogs are not of a destructive disposition, as it allows more air to 

 reach its occupant. The use of a box must be resorted to, however, when powerful and 

 violent dogs are to be sent off, or they will eat their way out in an incredibly short time. The 

 box or basket should be large enough for the dog to stand up and turn himself round comfortably in, 

 and should always be provided with a lock and key and two strong handles. When the owner does 

 not accompany his dog on a journey to a show it is a good plan to tie the key securely to one of 

 the handles, so that the dog can be at once liberated. A couple of straps and buckles, in addition 

 to the lock, are desirable, as they secure the box if the lock gives way, and save too heavy a 

 strain falling on it. 



An illustration of a good dog's travelling box is given in Fig. 13, where the iron gratings 



