120 KENNEL SECRETS. 



Lest the dog take cold after a bath dry him always, put 

 him beyond draughts in summer if he is to be confined, 

 and keep him several hours in a warm room or exercise 

 him briskly if the weather is cold. 



In case he shivers or seems languid give him a gener- 

 ous quantity of warm milk. 



The soap used should be invariably of good quality, not- 

 withstanding the popular notion that any kind is good 

 enough for a dog. Consequently the common yellow bar 

 of the kitchen and cheap soaps intended for toilet pur- 

 poses are forbidden, as they contain an excess of alkali, 

 which not only has a tendency to irritate the skin but 

 render the hair dry and brittle. And all low-cost and 

 highly scented soaps should be regarded with suspi- 

 cion, because without exception they are composed of 

 the cheapest of ingredients, and usually of rancid fats, 

 which the perfume is expected to disguise. 



Old Castile soap is very good, yet much that bears its 

 name is spurious. The glycerine soaps are also generally 

 reliable, and the same can be said of about all transpar- 

 ent soaps, for they are not easily manufactured of base 

 ingredients. But a formula for making a far better soap 

 for kennel use than any of these will be found in the part 

 devoted to " Exhibiting Dogs." 



When washing for cleanliness the use of soap will gen- 

 erally be demanded, although where there is only one dog 

 and he is a small one raw eggs could be employed instead, 

 and these would soften the skin and leave the hair soft, 

 smooth and glossy. But manifestly to wash a kennel of 

 fairly large dogs with them would be an expensive matter, 

 and, really, excepting in rare cases they have no superior- 

 ity over the soap just alluded to. 



However, he who cares to try eggs should break up and 

 lightly beat four in a pint of warm water, and shampoo 



