104 General Management of the Dog. 
To begin with the beginning, however, I will suppose 
that a puppy six weeks old, and of a breed not exceeding 
15 lbs. weight, is presented to one of my readers. What 
isto be done? First of all, if the weather is not decidedly 
warm, let it be provided with a warm basket lined with 
some woollen material, which must be kept scrupulously 
clean. The little animal must on no account be per- 
mitted to have the opportunity of lying on a stone floor, 
which is a fertile source of disease; bare wood, however, 
is better than carpet, and oilcloth superior to either on 
the score of cleanliness. In the winter season the apart- 
ment should have a fire, but it is not desirable that the 
puppy should lie basking close to it, though this is far 
better than the other extreme. Even in the severest cold a 
gleam of sunshine does young creatures good, and the 
puppy should, if possible, be allowed to obtain it through 
a window in the winter, or without that protection in the 
summer. It will take exercise enough in playing with a 
ball of worsted or other materials indoors until it is ten 
weeks old; but after that time a daily run in the garden 
or paddock will be of great service, extending to an hour 
or an hour and a half, but not so as to overtax its limbs. 
After this age, two or three hours a day, divided into 
periods of not more than an hour each, will be of service; 
but it is very seldom that young pet dogs can reckon 
upon this amount of exercise, and, indeed, it is not by 
any means necessary to their healthy growth. Until after 
the tenth week, cow’s milk is almost essential to the 
health of the puppy. It should be boiled and thickened 
at first with fine wheat flour, and after the eighth week 
with a mixture of coarse wheat flour and oatmeal. The 
flour should be gradually increased in quantity, at first 
making the milk of the thickness of cream, and towards 
the last adding meal in quantity sufficient to make a 
spoon stand up in it. If the bowels are relaxed, the 
oatmeal should be diminished, or if confined, increased. 
This food, varied with broth made from the scraps of the 
table, and thickened in the same way, will suffice up to 
the tenth or twelfth week, after which a little meat, with 
bread, potatoes, and some green vegetables, may be 
