First Principles.
Teach your dog to obey you through kindness if possible, but teach it. Remember always that it has as much feeling as the average human being, and wonders can be worked through kindness. Rather than strike it with a whip, strike at it, the swish of the whip generally having about as much effect as a well-delivered “strike.”
The next duty is to teach the dog to be clean about the house. Should it forget itself, make its nose well acquainted with the “offense,” rubbing it as hard as you please, “warm its jacket” well, and then turn it out of doors with a well-delivered slap on the body. A repetition of the “moral suasion” act is rarely necessary. In the morning let it out of the house into the yard the first thing you do, and repeat it the last thing before retiring; it will soon learn to understand the meaning of all this and cease to cause trouble. Patience—and sometimes a great deal of it, too—is required to make the dog “well mannered,” but perseverance will achieve the desired result. Never strike a dog on the head; the body presents sufficient surface.
Breaking to Chain.
Some dogs take kindly to instruction in this regard, others rebel against it. Put a collar on the dog several days before you intend breaking it to chain. Try conscientiously the coaxing process first; if it fails, then nothing remains but to drag the dog along till from fear of choking it is forced to follow. Once having undertaken it, don’t stop till you have accomplished your object. This treatment should not in stubborn cases last over half an hour, though sometimes heavy and headstrong dogs may require two hours. In the majority of cases after half an hour’s teaching the dog will lead “steady by jerks,” and in a couple of days will become used to the chain. If, however, after a week’s experience it tugs and pulls on the lead, use a slip-noose collar, which tightens as the strain grows greater. Choking off its wind when it pulls hard, it will soon grow weary and act rationally. Should this treatment still prove inefficient, some people resort to the spike collar, which, however, should be used only with the greatest judgment. No one ever treated his dogs more kindly than I, yet, though I never had a dog upon which it became necessary to use a spike collar, still, perhaps I would have used one rather than have my shoulder pulled out of its socket by a dog which I took out for companionship. I would use it only as a last resort, and then with the utmost caution.
Feeding.
The dog in its wild state is nearly, if not wholly, carnivorous, but when domesticated becomes omnivorous and therefore thrives best on a mixed diet of bread, meat, and vegetables. Excepting when training or hunting your dogs, a purely meat diet is not desirable any more than it would be for a human being. While its stomach has the power to digest bones, gristle, etc., through the excessive secretions of gastric juices, still it is very easily deranged, and when so affected it may take days for it to resume its normal state; hence expel the thought that any kind of food is “good enough for a dog.”
Avoid giving very much corn-meal, as it is too heating and is not possessed of much strength-giving qualities. Let the diet, whether it is for a St. Bernard or a fox-terrier, be a mixture of meat (boiled tripe and mutton are excellent) cooked till it is in shreds, oatmeal, barley, rice, carrots, bread, potatoes, cabbage, or any other vegetable added so as to make the whole thick, and rendered palatable by a goodly supply of salt. Avoid giving chop, steak, or fowl bones, as they are apt to splinter, and, lodging in the intestines, very frequently cause death. Give plentifully of large, soft bones (such as knuckles), which are easily chewed, as they act as a sort of tooth-brush, and aid digestion greatly. Scraps of all sorts from the table tend best to preserve the dog’s health.
For toy dogs well-cooked rice, finely chopped boiled tripe, warm milk, and lean meat scraps from the table, mixed with vegetables, should form the common diet. As these dogs are very light eaters, they may be fed three times a day, care being exercised that they do not overload their stomachs at any time.
Sweets of all kinds are objectionable. Unlike the human stomach, the dog’s needs much rest; so in the morning feed “just a crumb” and at night let it eat all it desires. A little flour of sulphur or powdered magnesia (a quarter-teaspoonful) now and again will do no harm. Constant and free access to fresh, clean water must not be neglected. As soon as the dog has eaten all it desires, take the uneaten food away, and do not let it remain to be nibbled at during the day or night.
Boiled liver is an admirable alterative, and one good meal of it should be fed at least once a week. If you find your dog has no appetite, don’t try to coax or force it, but cease to offer it any food whatever for at least twenty-four hours. A fast of forty-eight hours will do it no harm in such cases, and total abstinence often wards off sickness. Should it be disposed to eat grass or horse-droppings, don’t try to prevent it, as both are nature’s mild remedy for a disordered stomach. In short, feed your dog as you would a human being, and the result will be satisfactory. The feeding of meat does not in any way affect the scenting powers of a dog, nor does it produce worms, distemper, or kindred diseases, as so often stated. Having used the foregoing diet both at home, with my favorite dog, and at my kennels, where I have had as many as ninety at one time, my experience with it for twenty years convinces me that it cannot be improved upon, whether used for a single dog or an entire pack.
Puppies from time of weaning up to six months of age should be fed four times daily, from six to nine months three times, and after that age feed same as grown dogs; they too thrive best on diet as already described. Fresh raw minced meat is good, especially for puppies; it strengthens them and tones the stomach. Give freely of fresh milk and buttermilk, especially the latter, as it keeps the stomach sweet.
When puppies are about three weeks old they should be taught to lap scalded milk (sweetened a little) by gently putting their noses into it. They will instinctively lick it off, and after a few lessons will soon lap eagerly. This is always a great relief to a nursing mother, especially where the pups are vigorous or the litter large. A little bread or rice added when they are about four weeks old will do them a vast deal of good. Remember always, if you want strong, healthy dogs, that as puppies they should be fed nutritious food.
Bitches in whelp and while nursing pups should be fed on a soft or mushy diet, such as soups, porridge, etc., as it produces more and better milk, and often prevents fevers.
If you accompany your dogs to a show, and they are not accustomed to the usual food given there, it is always best to give them scraps from a neighboring restaurant, as some dog-biscuits cause excessive purging. There, too, they frequently become very nervous, lose their appetites, and often take cold, resulting in fevers; so it is not a bad scheme during a show to give your setters, for instance, one grain powdered quinine twice a day (smaller or larger dogs in proportion) during the entire show and for some days after it is over. It has been tried with most beneficial results.
Value of Exercise.
All dogs, whether large or small, should have exercise, and plenty of it, in order to aid digestion, keep the heart and lungs in good action, and thereby insure a good appetite. Puppies, as is natural to them, take plenty of exercise; but it is when they are grown up that care should be taken that they do not become sluggish and so pave the way to obesity, which tends to affect the coat, digestion, and general appearance. The small varieties will generally of themselves keep “on the go,” but mastiffs, setters, and such other large dogs are not always disposed to move about much of their own free will; hence make them the companions of your walks. It is twofold in its good results: it makes you understand each other better, and does the dog no end of good. Bitches in whelp should have plenty of gentle exercise.
Washing and Grooming.
Do not wash your dogs too often, as it removes the natural oil and consequently the gloss, which is so much desired. Careful and daily brushing with a dandy-brush, followed by a rubbing down with mittens made of chamois leather, will keep a dog’s coat in wonderfully fine condition and for a long while. The hound gloves are found to be of great value with smooth-coated dogs, such as Great Danes, pointers, bull-terriers, etc. In the long-haired classes use a brush with one-and-a-half-inch bristles, and a comb with teeth very short and wide apart, not unlike a barber’s comb. When washing, best results are attained with pure Castile soap, and after rinsing off the dog then using the imported German green soft soap. The latter seems to restore the gloss, is better than using eggs, and does not leave the hair so dry. Don’t wash your dog within two hours after feeding, and when you do it, do it as quickly as possible, using lukewarm water. Exercise the dog freely after it has been well dried. Towels made of salt-sacks are the best for drying purposes.
Great care should be taken in washing Yorkshires and toy spaniels, as, their coats being soft, they hold the dampness even after they appear to be thoroughly dry. The best and safest mode is as follows: Place the dog in a little foot-tub of lukewarm water deep enough to reach to its elbows, and cover the body with soap-suds, never putting the soap on the coat. With a soft hair-brush of long bristles brush the hair with the suds, always brushing from the center downward, thus reaching all parts of the body, including the head. When the dog is cleaned gently force all the suds and water out by smoothing the hair as instructed in brushing, then lift it into another tub of clean lukewarm water and with a soft sponge rinse well. Stand the dog on a table, envelop the body in a soft towel or cloth, and gently press the hands over it until the water and moisture are all absorbed by the cloth. Never ruffle or rub the hair; simply smooth it.
Now with a comb of short and widely separated teeth comb out the hair, and with about three brushes, always kept dry by being laid before the fire, brush the hair till it is perfectly dry. Then lay the dog before the fire, where it will be very warm, thus insuring it from catching cold. Such prominent breeders as Senn, Burkhardt, et al., dry their dogs in an oven made especially for the purpose.
After the dog is thoroughly dried, brush it, let it run about the house for an hour or so, and then let it rest on a linen-covered cushion, which is far better than velvet or plush, as the coat does not adhere to it. A very little fine oil in the palm of the hand rubbed over the coat will generally restore the gloss after washing.
Fleas.
The bane of a dog’s existence is fleas. They are especially troublesome to puppies, worrying them till they become fretful, causing them to irritate the skin and tear their coats through scratching, seeking relief from itching. In addition, where fleas are particularly numerous on a dog they will often so affect it that its appetite is impaired and its digestive organs affected by worriment.
Carbolic soaps will kill these pests, also destroy the hair if constantly used; therefore the greatest permanent relief is found in using a powder. The best results can be attained by taking the dog into the yard or street, dusting it thoroughly with P. D. Q. Compound Powder, rubbing it well into the skin, when both fleas and nits will cease to exist. It is not injurious either to the dog or its hair, and if used on furniture or carpets will prove equally efficacious.
Kenneling.
If you desire to kennel your dog out of doors, remember always that it can stand almost any amount of cold, provided its kennel is clean and dry and elevated about six inches above the ground. The elevation allows a free circulation of air and prevents the bottom of the kennel from getting damp and remaining so. The boards should be tongued and grooved so as to shut out all drafts. Provided always with clean, dry straw, the dog will thrive. Foul and damp bedding produces mange, rickets, distemper, rheumatism, etc. If possible avoid keeping the dog on chain, as it frets and irritates it and is very apt to sour its disposition.
Preparing a Dog for Exhibition.
To show a dog “for all there is in him,” its coat should be in perfect condition, free from all dead hair, and in the form as called for in the standard pertaining to its special breed. The body should be round, the ribs well covered; and in sporting and large specimens the muscles should be well developed and hard. Where two exhibits about equal in points of conformation come together in the judging ring, the one shown in the best “condition” will receive the blue ribbon. Grooming in the smaller breeds is generally “nine points” toward conditioning.