Your Dog and Your Cat 



Individual 



After deciding upon the breed that is most suit- 

 able for the conditions at hand it is next necessary 

 to select the individual dog. This is by no means 

 a simple task for the novice. Among the impor- 

 tant considerations, the first is the proper age at 

 which the dog will be acquired. 



Age — Puppy. — During the first year the dog 

 passes through the most interesting period of his 

 life. No one, whether or not he cares for dogs, 

 can help being attracted by the mischievous and 

 playful pup. When reared in the household, he 

 becomes much more attached to his masters than 

 does the dog that is brought in as a mature animal. 

 When young children are to play with the dog it is 

 better that he become used to them while he Is still 

 young. The dog can be more satisfactorily trained 

 as a puppy. The health of the grown dog depends 

 a great deal on the way he is cared for during the 

 first year, and no puppy that has had improper treat- 

 ment will ever attain the same development he 

 might have reached if he had had the proper start. 



There are as many arguments against buying the 

 dog while a puppy as there are for it. During the 

 early weeks of his life, the puppy is very frail and 

 susceptible to outside influences. At weaning time 

 it is often hard to get food which will properly 

 agree with his system. Neglect at this time often 

 causes systemic disturbances which are difficult to 



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