576 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



Boulton and Paul, of Norwich, supply ad- 

 mirably designed hound kennels. Their 

 wood hunting establishment (No. 760) 

 comes very near to sanitary perfection. 

 Its approximate cost is 800, but the 

 kennels on some sporting estates cost as 

 many thousands those at Goodwood are 

 said to have cost .18,000. A more modest 

 erection, of which the plan on the previous 

 page is an example, can be had complete 

 for about ,170. This may be taken as a 

 suggestion for either a smaller or larger 

 building. In a larger establishment, and 

 where there is a plentiful water supply, it 

 is well to have a sunken hound-bath in the 

 corner of one of the yards, and, of course, 

 separate runs for dogs and bitches. 



Whether the yard be encompassed with 

 iron rails or with wire netting, it is well to 

 have the lower part so partitioned at the 

 sides that the dogs in neighbouring runs 

 cannot see each other and quarrel ; and 

 this lower partition ought to have no shelf 

 or ridge within reach of the dogs' fore-feet, 

 as the continual climbing to look out is a 

 practice which has a tendency to distort 

 the elbows. But at the front the rails 

 should be open to the ground, and so close 

 together that the dog is not tempted to 

 push his nose through and rasp his muzzle. 



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 

 uncomfortably 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 Jeyes' 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 floor- 

 ing, 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, but 

 in winter weather straw gives added 

 warmth, and for short-haired dogs some- 

 thing soft, if it is only a piece of carpet or 

 a sack, is needed as a bed to protect the 

 hocks from abrasion. 



With regard to feeding, this requires to 

 be studied in relation to the particular 

 breed. One good meal a day, served by 

 preference in the evening, is sufficient for 

 the adult if a dry dog-cake or a handful of 

 rodnim be given for breakfast, and perhaps 

 a large bone to gnaw at. Clean cold water 

 must always be at hand in all weathers, 

 and a drink of milk coloured with tea is 

 nourishing. Goat's milk is particularly 

 suitable for the dog : many owners keep 

 goats on their premises to give a constant 

 supply. It is a mistake to suppose, as 

 many persons do, that meat diet provokes 

 eczema and other skin troubles; the con- 

 trary is the case. The dog is by nature a 

 carnivorous animal, and wholesome flesh, 

 either cooked or raw, should be his staple 

 food. Horseflesh, which is frequently used 

 in large establishments, is not so fully to 

 be relied upon as ordinary butcher meat. 

 The horse is never specially bred for yield- 

 ing food, and unless it has been killed by 

 an accident or slaughtered because of 

 physical injury, it either dies of disease or 

 of old age. It is necessary, therefore, to 

 be certain where the flesh comes from 

 before it is distributed in the kennels, and 

 it ought always to be promptly and well 

 boiled. There is no serious objection to 

 bullocks' heads, sheeps' heads, bullocks' 



