Your Dog

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 1, 2 January 1937, Page 3 (Supplement)

Your Dog

Always give your pet plain, wholesome food, and attend to its diet yourself. Don't trust the feeding of it to anyone else. Give as little meat as possible, and avoid chicken and rabbit bones. These break easily and may stick in a dog's throat and choke it. A dog requires only two meals in the day—a light diet in the morning, and a more substantial one late in the afternoon. Be regular in feeding. Let your dog have plenty of exercise. Give him a run the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. Brush and comb his coat every day. Wash him only when he requires it. and then only once in six weeks, and use warm water. Often there is trouble when soaping his coat, the dog struggling to get free and spilling the water all around. This can easily be remedied by holding one of his front paws while washing him. This causes your pet to stand still to keep his balance. If kept in the house or in a kennel, care should be taken to see that his bed is always clean and kept out of draughts. Xever leave your dog chained up all day. If he must be chained, drive two short posts into the ground as far apart as you can and fix a wire or strong rope between two posts. Running on this wire or rope is a ring to which you attach the dog's chain. I This method allows him to get plenty of exercise without being left to run free. Train your dog not to run at vehicles nor to chase sheep. Be careful how you punish your flog — do it directly after he has disobeyed, not a long time afterwards. The best way is to.smack him with the open hand or deprive him of some pleasure—never beat a dog with a stick.