314 DOGS AND ALL ABOUT THEM 



on the chain rather than in an enclosed compound, unless he 

 is expected to go for a possible burglar and attack him. 

 A wire-netting enclosure can easily be constructed at very 

 little expense. For the more powerful dogs the use of wrought- 

 iron railings is advisable, and these can be procured cheaply 

 from Spratt's or Boulton and Paul's, fitted with gates and 

 with revolving troughs for feeding from the outside. 



Opinions differ as to the best material for the flooring of 

 kennels and the paving of runs. Asphalte is suitable for 

 either in mild weather, but in summer it becomes uncomfort- 

 ably hot for the feet, unless it is partly composed of cork. 

 Concrete has its advantages if the surface can be kept dry. 

 Flagstones are cold for winter, as also are tiles and bricks. 

 For terriers, who enjoy burrowing, earth is the best ground 

 for the run, and it can be kept free from dirt and buried bones 

 by a rake over in the morning, while tufts of grass left round 

 the margins supply the dogs' natural medicine. The movable 

 sleeping bench must, of course, be of wood, raised a few 

 inches above the floor, with a ledge to keep in the straw or 

 other bedding. Wooden floors are open to the objection that 

 they absorb the urine ; but dogs should be taught not to 

 foul their nest, and in any case a frequent disinfecting with a 

 solution of Pearson's or J eyes' fluid should obviate impurity, 

 while fleas, which take refuge in the dust between the planks, 

 may be dismissed or kept away with a sprinkling of paraffin. 

 Whatever the flooring, scrupulous cleanliness in the kennel is 

 a prime necessity, and the inner walls should be frequently 

 limewashed. It is important, too, that no scraps of rejected 

 food or bones should be left lying about to become putrid or 

 to tempt the visits of rats, which bring fleas. If the dogs do 

 not finish their food when it is served to them, it should be 

 removed until hunger gives appetite for the next meal. 



Many breeders of the large and thick-coated varieties, such 

 as St. Bernards, Newfoundlands, Old English Sheepdogs, 

 and rough-haired Collies, give their dogs nothing to lie upon 

 but clean bare boards. The coat is itself a sufficient cushion. 



