1 68 KENNEL SECRETS. 



back. But whatever its condition the essential treatment 

 should be begun as early as possible, — and preferably 

 always with the training — for unless under the standard 

 the coat of the dog should be coarse instead of fine there 

 is always room for improvement no matter how high its 

 polish. 



The duty of removing all fleas and other vermin and 

 thoroughly cleaning the skin and hair should first engage 

 the owner; and assuming that his dog is other than a 

 delicate toy, it will be advisable to employ some of the 

 powerful insect destroyers — see chapter "Troublesome 

 Insects" — and afterward wash faithfully, using soap as 

 freely as required. 



This done, if the skin is very dry, rough and inelastic 

 and the hair staring, harsh and brittle, and the date of the 

 show is near, it will be a good plan to use cod-liver oil ex- 

 ternally for a few days. Having been drenched with this, 

 the dog should be swathed with cotton cloth, if he will 

 allow it to remain on, or covered with a thin blanket, and 

 put into clean quarters supplied with an abundance of 

 clean straw for bedding. And during the next four or 

 five days this oil should be applied about once daily — be- 

 ing used always in generous quantity — and finally washed 

 off. 



If now the skin is still dry another such drenching 

 should follow and be kept up nearly as long as before. 

 And a dog must be in a rank condition if this treatment 

 will not cause a very decided gain. The oil, by the way, 

 not only softens the skin and hair and improves nutrition 

 at the surface, but to some extent it is absorbed and has 

 much the same effect as when given internally. 



After the washing it would be well for the subject of 

 this treatment to wear a blanket for a week or more. 

 One would not of course ordinarily blanket a long-coated 



