PART I. 



BOOK I. 

 MANAGEMENT OF DOGS IN HEALTH. 



OHAPTEE I. 

 KENNEL MANAGEMENT OF LARGE DOGS. 



HE kennel management of greyhounds, foxhounds, harriers, and other 

 sporting dogs varies almost with each kind. Thus, greyhounds are 

 most carefully protected from the weather by a roof to their yard as 

 well as by body clothing, which is worn when in severe training. Next 

 to these come hounds, and then pointers, setters, spaniels, and retrievers, 

 all of which last are allowed a run into an open yard at discretion. In many cases 

 this leads to colds and rheumatism, against which the best precaution is a sloping 

 door for the opening into the sleeping chamber, hinged at the top, and made up at 

 the sides with a /\ shaped piece of wood, but not at the bottom. This, when in 

 its place, allows the dogs to jump up on to their beds, while it protects them from 

 wind and rain when there, and can at any time be lifted completely up so as to 

 allow of the kennel man entering and making all clean. The accompanying 

 engraving shows a plan of such a door, with the dimensions suitable for the pur- 

 pose, and from it any carpenter will easily be able to construct one. The advantage 

 is too obvious to need dilating on it. In the summer time a wooden bench, if pro- 

 tected in this way, and guarded from the wall by planking, needs no straw, which 

 only harbours fleas ; but in the winter it, or deal shavings, which do not harbour 

 fleas, must be provided, and, whichever is used, it should be changed twice a week. 

 The floor of the yard should be of glazed tiles, cement, or asphalte, and all the 

 woodwork should be either painted or dressed with best gas tar, the latter being the 

 better material of the two. If the look of the tar is objected to, it may be coated 

 with lime- wash, which, however, requires a renewal at least once a year. 



Sporting dogs are all better fed only once a day, and for those whose noses are 

 of the utmost importance, viz., pointers and setters, the food should be almost 

 entirely of meal, either made into biscuit or well boiled and converted into pudding. 

 In either case, a very weak broth must be made of flesh or greaves, which is then 

 used to boil the meal in or to soak the biscuits. Spratt's and other biscuits have 

 lately been introduced into general use, by which all this trouble is avoided dried 



