220 EVERYTHING ABOUT DOGS. 



If you follow the plans as set forth above, I know you will have a kennel 

 that will suit you in every detail and one which will be a pleasure to your best 

 friend, "the dog." Should you at any time wish any further advice on this 

 subject, I will be only too pleased to assist you in any way possible, knowing it 

 will benefit the kind, dumb creature who gives his master worlds of pleasure and 

 is ever faithful, be he the companion of the rich or poor. 



STUD DOGS. A great deal of a breeder's success depends upon the state of 

 health in which the stud dog begets offspring; for a delicate or unhealthy dog is 

 more than likely to transmit his defects to his puppies, who are in consequence 

 more difficult to rear, and of less value when they attain maturity. Considerable 

 attention should therefore be paid to the comfort of a dog who is in the habit 

 of receiving a large number of stud visits. He should, if possible, be well exer- 

 cised morning and evening, either by a country walk, or a run round his owner's 

 yard; and his diet must be wholesome and liberal. Stud dogs should never be 

 used during the heat of the day, whatever the exigencies may be. It should be 

 borne in mind, too, that it is always well to have your stud dogs look clean and 

 tidy, both when out of doors and when in the kennels. Much depends upon the 

 first impressions formed by the owner of a bitch who contemplates breeding from 

 him, and many a dog is passed over whose services, had he been in better fettle, 

 might have been resorted to. Care should be taken not to overtax the energies 

 of a young sire by allowing him to receive too many visits: the result of excesses 

 in this way being both sickly offspring and his own ultimate failure at the stud. 

 Fifteen or twenty bitches a year are quite enough for a dog not in his prime, 

 and about twice the number for a dog in the full vigor of his strength. As a rule, 

 dogs under eighteen months old are not likely to do themselves or their owners 

 much good if bred from; and availing one's self of the services of a very old dog 

 is always risky. It is extremely hard to state an age at which a dog can be said 

 to be "old;" some retain the vigor of their youth up to ten years and more, whilst 

 others get decrepit and break up at six or seven. So much depends upon consti- 

 tution and careful attendance that it is impossible to advise upon the age at 

 which a stud dog ceases to be of use; but breeders should see the dog for them- 

 selves, if they do not know him, and judge from his appearance and condition, 

 whether he is likely to suit their wishes. 



In this age of bench show celebrities the precautions necessary to obtain the 

 best results are too often neglected in the case of a stud dog on which there is a 

 big run, and doubtless, carelessness in looking after the bitch is responsible for 

 a good many "misses." 



A sire should be looked upon with suspicion if his services are in too great 

 request, and the number of his receptions unlimited, as it is only reasonable to 



