74 DOGS AND ALL ABOUT THEM 



use when a lesson is to be taught, as the dog will probably 

 associate his tasks with a thrashing and go through them in 

 that unwilling, cowed, tail-bet ween-legs fashion which too 

 often betrays the unthinking hastiness of the master, and is 

 the chief reason why the Poodle has sometimes been regarded 

 as a spiritless coward. 



The Poodle bitch makes a good mother, rarely giving trouble 

 in whelping, and the puppies are not difficult to rear. Their 

 chief dangers are gastritis and congestion of the lungs, which 

 can be avoided with careful treatment. It should be remem- 

 bered that the dense coat of the Poodle takes a long time 

 to dry after being wetted, and that if the dog has been out 

 in the rain, and got his coat soaked, or if he has been washed 

 or allowed to jump into a pond, you must take care not to 

 leave him in a cold place or to lie inactive before he is perfectly 

 dry. 



Most Poodles are kept in the house or in enclosed kennels, 

 well protected from draught and moisture, and there is no 

 difficulty in so keeping them, as they are naturally obedient 

 and easily taught to be clean in the house and to be regular 

 in their habits. 



The coat of a curly Poodle should be kept fleecy and free 

 from tangle by being periodically combed and brushed. The 

 grooming keeps the skin clean and healthy, and frequent 

 washing, even for a white dog, is not necessary. The dog 

 will, of course, require clipping from time to time. In Paris 

 at present it is the fashion to clip the greater part of the body 

 and hind-quarters, but the English Poodle Club recommends 

 that the coat be left on as far down the body as the last rib, 

 and it is also customary with us to leave a good deal of coat 

 on the hind-quarters. 



Probably the best-known Poodle of his day in this country 

 was Ch. The Model, a black corded dog belonging to Mr. H. A. 

 Dagois, who imported him from the Continent. Model was 

 a medium-sized dog, very well proportioned, and with a 

 beautifully moulded head and dark, expressive eyes, and I 



