30 The Dog Book 



rule, prone to look upon such a person as a special master, and attach them- 

 selves accordingly, though of course, there are exceptions, and puppies and 

 young dogs call for more individual subsequent attention than do grown 

 dogs who have had experience in recognising and obeying a master. Give 

 water at once, more especially if the dog has come from a distance, or the 

 weather is warm. Feeding is a secondary consideration, and may with 

 advantage be preceded by a short run on the chain, followed by a light meal 

 on the return to the house. 



No question is more frequently put by one who has not previously had 

 a dog than how to feed it, and no question is easier to answer. Any clean 

 food that the dog will eat is in the main satisfactory. Beware of the man. 

 who insists that meat must be avoided, for meat is as much a necessity as 

 with ourselves. Like a good many things it can be abused, however, and 

 when a dog decidedly refuses to eat anything but meat it will be well to give 

 him nothing until he is willing to take mush and milk for breakfast, or a din- 

 ner of bread and vegetables with gravy. If a child were permitted to choose 

 its own meals, it would subsist largely on cake and ice-cream, but it would 

 not starve itself if those dainties were denied and good plain bread and but- 

 ter substituted. Neither will the dog injure itself or go too long without 

 food, though it may refrain for quite a time, fasting not being so much of a 

 hardship as with ourselves. 



There is no better or more suitable food for the house-dog than table 

 scraps, the meat being cut fine enough to prevent its being specially picked 

 out and the rest left. Mix this with bread and mashed vegetables, moistened 

 with gravy or soup. Dogs are much better out of the dining-room, except 

 in the case of a thoroughly trained one that will not beg for food. Puppies 

 should always be excluded and food taken to them — preferably out of doors, 

 or to some certain place always used for this purpose, so that the dog will 

 learn that this and this only is its feeding-place. Have a dish of clean water 

 there also, and if you wish to oblige your many advisers, you can put a piece 

 of sulphur in the dish, or if you have not that handy, a stone will do as well, 

 for neither is soluble in water. Sulphur is good for the dog, but it needs to 

 be administered in another way. Take equal parts of sulphur and mag- 

 nesia, mix thoroughly and put in the evening meal for a week as much as 

 will cover a dime, and then discontinue. This will cool your dog off in the 

 summer time. For anything smaller than a fox-terrier reduce the quantity 

 one-half. Sulphur is also good for outward application for cuts, wounds. 



