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Otago Witness, Issue 2368, 20 July 1899, Page 38

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— A well attended meeting of the committee of the Dunedin Fanciers' Club was held 'n Mr Myers's room, Octagon, Mr L. Spatz in the chair. A great amount of correspondence was dealt with relating to the show. The secretary reported that he had received 757 entries for the forthcoming show on 28th and 29th July, being an increase of 200 over last year, as follows : — • 1898. 1899. Poultry ra p. 327 375 - Pigeons r « 72 160 Canaries s^ pv 42 60 Dogs .w jfij 57T 100 150 Peta y « & m 16 12 557 "757 It will thus be seen that the poultry have increased 50, pigeons 88, canaries 20, dogs 50. Entries have been received from all parts of New Zealand, including champion collies, spaniels, retrievers, etc. In the poultry section Minorcas and Leghorns are well to the fore. The club anticipate this year having a record attendance. —In view of the near approach of the show it may be well for me, in the words of an Australian contemporary, " Wattlebark," to point out that "to jfjet an ordinary dog

into proper condition for exhibition is a work of time, .and cannot with.advantage be rushed. A dog intended for show should have its daily exercise, and walking, -especially with big clogs, is, in most cases, better-than giving violent exercise. This exercise should occupy at least an hour or two a day, and be given with regularity. After , exercise the dog brought in should be * well rubbed with a drycloth, the feet should be carefully, washed, and the dog then well housed^' Diet, with a dog in ordinary- working condition, should be -generous, although plain, for the idea is to get sufficient flesh on the animal- to show ,off his best points without allowing him to appear fat. And in the case of a dog that has been allowed to get into obese condition regular and slow work should be given" and persisted in. No attempt should be made to get the fat away too quickly, however, either through the aid of restricted fare or medicines. In all cases of diet, vegetables, in broth' or gravy, should be plentiful, such food tending to keen the animal fresh and in good health. Grooming dogs for show is a necessity. Ifc is an operation for cleansing both the coat and the skin. Short-haired dogs are easily manipulated, a ' dandy ' brush doing pretty well all that is required. This brushing may be done every day, after which the flat of the hands or skin gloves may be \tsed to .'put a gloss on the coat. With 'toys' special care has to be given" to their preparation. Long-coated -dogs are somewhat difficult to deal with, for .while the owner wants the dog clean-looking and. well groomed he also wants an abundant coat on him. Proper brushes for this work are required,- and ■although the brushing has to be done thoroughly and regularly, yet care has to be taken that the dog' 8 coat is not unduly pulled or wasted. Washing dogs when near a show date has to be undertaken carefully. Brushing is , the sheet-anchor of a successful exhibitor. Washing, when done, should be well done, and then not oftener than once a fortnight, and never later than four or five days before a show." —Dr de Renzy, of Christchurch, has secured one of Mr Ward's, St. Bernard pups by Highfield Lord Ha\vko ox Lady Onslow. SirWard infprms me that this^last sale is a capital pup, possessing one of the prettiest heads he ha 3 ever seen. Wimywilla Mernay ' the St. Bernard bitch purchased from the other side for Mr Ward's kennels, and of which I recently spoke, is on the "Wakatipu, and will be here this week. Another new inmate, for some time, of the same kennels will be Countess, loaned on breeding terms from Mr Alexander J. M'Gregor, of Marton. Countess is an Australian-bred bitch, and won here under Mr Smvthe, the Victorian judge — Ist as a puppy and Ist in open bitches. She has got a lovely head, and I am told that Palmer, of Sydney, and Captain Clark both consider her head very good. She is granddaughter to Champion Capstan, and is similarly marked. — After whelping a bitch seldom leaves her puppies for the first 24- hours? and during that time she should have frequent feeds of broth, with a few shreds of meat and bread in it, or good gruel, or bread and milk. S.he must. not-,be worried, and the p\ippie3 should not be handled except foi some good /reason. Place the food in a convenient position and leave it. In a day or two it is a good plan to 'induce her to leave the puppies and take a j little exercise. The occasion then offers for remaking the bed and making a careful exaj mination of the puppies. Sometimes -it » i&. necessary to call in the help of a foster mother, because in some cases, for which reasons will jbe given later, there is no flow of milk. Handfeeding is possible, but very tedious; theie- ; fore the beginner, if the stock is valuable, [ will do well to mak-e arrangements in case a foster mother i,= required. To return, however, to the bitch and her puppies ; it is advisable to increase the length of her absences gradually. There is little doubt that not only are these absences beneficial to the mother, but also in addition, as they promote health they must induce a- healthier flow of milk, and the puppies will benetit. At about a month old tho puppies will be found to possess remarkably sharp tooth, and as a consequence it often happens that the maternal dugs are somewhat lacerated. In such cases" wash well with warm water, and after drying with a soft cloth, apply glycerine or vaseline. A most important point is tho daily grooming of mother and progeny to keep them free of vermin. Should the mother require washing, mo warm water, lo which add a sufficiency of insecticide of some sort, but let tho operation be quickly performed, and the coat thoroughly drietl. I find the use of a small-toothed comb excellent for the removal of dead fleas, and also loose hair. etc. When this operation is, over, give the bitch a good brushing, and then turn to the puppies. I find it a good plan to lightly brush them over with warm water and disinfectant, just sufficiently to damp the outer coat, but not to wet the skin. Then holding the puppy over a tub of disinfected water, comb him gently, brush, and dry, and return to the mother. This is a simple and methodical means of getting rid of fleas./ It must be remembered that the skin of a. puppy is tender, and only gentle means and soft brushes are permissible. A suckling bitcli should not he overfed, and must have regular exercise. [am convinced that neglect in this direction is ruinous to the general appearance. As soon as the puppies can toddle give them, room to play and gambol. A puppy brought up in confinement lacks spirit and intelligence, and becomes morose. Let him play, and he is a different animal. As a rule, puppies are mischievous, and will bite and tear anything 1 they come across; therefore, keep them well away from household goods. Terriers, in particular, are cautious. I was much impressed with the idea that, on sanitary grounds, a dry earth floor, frequently renewed, was the best for a kennel. Knowing the delving proclivities of Manchester, I removed the soil to a depth of about 12in, and stretched a piece of tarred wire netting, strong, and of close mesh, and then filled, up with 12in or so of soil, and rammed it well. Coming home one evening the dogs met me. They had burrowed down •to the netting, in which they tore a large hole, and eventually tunnelled under the side of the kennel and escaped. Since then I embedded tarred galvanised iron, i and sheeted the sides with the same. It will readily be seen that a terrier requires a strong kennel on occasions, especially a bitch during her period of oestrum. New milk, broth, and occasionally additional stale bread or biscuits are excellent for puppies, also large bones, either boiled or green. The idea that I bones are harmful is rubbish ; the gnawing of bones is a great aid in cutting the teeth and dental development. — The secret of keeping dogs in good health is attentive care of the bowels. A dose of aperient medicine may ward off coming disease. The system should be kept clean of impurities as much as possible, and when dogo live in an artificial condition they require attention in this respect from time to time. If a dog is subject to worms a laxative will often check the growth of the worms, even if they do not remove them, by clearing the bowels of the impure matter upon which the worms thrive. Dogs should, therefore, be given regular doges of aperients What is tho

best general aperient for dogs can only be answ'efed by Te'ference to the particular case. Aperients act very differently on individual dogsi- Some - dogs .benefit wonderfully by a dose of podophyllin, while podophyllin entirely upsets others. ' Podophyllin is a stimulant to the liver, and hence is valuable for dogs possessed of- sluggish livers;- sometimes a dog will' be violently sick after a small dose of podophyllin, and a second dose may have an entirely opposite effect. Cascara sagracla capsules have been found to be an excellent general aperient. This medicine is said to act also upon the liver, but its effect, according to a writer in Our Dogs, is less drastic than that of podophyllin. Again, there is another excellent medicine in common Epsom _ 6alts, which, as a rule, acts proportionately ' upon a dog with greater vigour than upon a (human subject. Castor oil is not to be recommended, except as an urgent physic; its •use tends to the opposite effect. When mixed with Xmckthorn, however, it is suitable. Another good arid wholesome drug is the compound powder of colccynth, which most good chemista can supply in the form of pills. Magnesia is not of much use as an aperient.

MUZZLED DOGS WON'T BARK.

It is a singular fact- that sheep and other dogs that are muzzled even somewhat loosely will never bark fully and freely, and most frequently will not bark at all, though scientific veterinarians urge that there is no physical reason why they should not do so when the muzzle is loose.

The other day a great farmer in Sussex detooristrated the effect that muzzles 'instantly, exercise on sheen doga by taking two of the latter out whilst a large number of cattle were driven from one point to another. The un-. muzzled dogs gave full vent to their feelings, making the Downs ring again; but when, without a word being spoken to it, one of the annuals was muzled, it became dumb at once. The same occurred with regard to the other dog ; but when the two were unmuzzled again they barked their loudest, though not a word had been spoken to them. Though many aver that some dogs will bark in a shorb, snappy, muffled way when muzzled, all those who really use dogs allege that the latter, when muzzled, are no good either for farming or for warning purposes. Many dog-lovers have Beriously told the writer that the more intelligent the dog the more does the restraint of the muzzle seem to affect his barking.