THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3804, 8 February 1927, Page 54

THE KENNEL.

Br Tsbror. Vnaoiers and breeders of dogs are cordially Incited to contribute to thia column. “Terror” will tadoarour to make this department ns interesting and up-to-date as possible, but in order to do thia be must hare the co-operation of his readers, -pence he trusts this invitation will be cheerfully yeaponded to. . “C. R.”—l do not know of anyone owning a Kerry Blue terrier in New Zealand. As you say, the.v appear to be becoming very popular in England. They are entered in great numbers at the leading shows. The drigin of the breed is not determined, but it is believed that an Irish wolfhound and a terrier of Bedlington type was the foundation. The writer of Kerry Blue notes in Our Dogs said some 12 months back: “That a great deal of wolfhound blood is in the Kerry Blue I am in my own mind thoroughly conI have bred both species, and o. the idiosyncrasies with which I t*an iliar in the Irish wolfhound appear , . Kerry Blue, such as a peculiar twist of the tail and hindquarters when giving a welcome, the thoughtful expression when the features are in repose, the -licker of the eyelids, and, above all, the devotion and atfeetiou displayed for his master. I might also add that the Irish wolfhound as I used to know him was not nearly so large as the present dog—in hound” 8 lg * lt y larger than the deerA warning has been given by Dr E Robertson, chairman of the State Health ■Commission (Victoria), regarding the alarming increase of hydatids. Dr Robertson said that butchers had frequency S o]d { r given away meat infected with hydatids tor dogs. “While such meat, says the. doctor, “could safely be eaten by human beings, it was dangerous it fed to dogs. Dogs contracted the disease from infected meat, and it was then possible for people to contract the disease from dogs. The disease could not i. » <;?. ntr acted by people from the meat. .the commission decided to send circulars to all municipal councils,-direct-ing attention to the danger of supplying infected meat to dogs, and stating that the *tr esence infected meat in shop premises • would be considered prima facie evidence that the meat was intended for human consumption. Experienced breeders never <eed dogs on plucks, and liver is only occasonally given as an aperient medicine and it is always cooked first. Dog Oddities.—Some weeks back it was reported m Home papers that a freak - do gs to be arranged by an Lnglisli football club, the prizes to go to the biggest, smallest, ugliest, etc., dogs. We now learn that hundreds of dogs took P ar ., a for mongrels arranged “y Brantwood Football Club, at which jj.o. n,y Prices given were for greatest oddities. Mr Hugh Junk won three prizes -with his animal, which was adjudged the Vgiiest dog as well as the most knock-

kneed and the biggest freak in the show. Mr James Parkinson won a prize for the dog with the longest tail, his exhibit’s being 19Ain long. Prizes were also given for dogs with the biggest mouths and the most sympathetic eyes. The canine comedy was a great success, and both rich -and poor supported the venture. The cropping of dogs’ ears was abolished by the Kennel Club of England, in the main at the instance of the late King Edward (then the Prince of Wales) in March, 1895. The cropping of the ears of dogs was, and is, undoubtedly a survival of a more barbarous age, when bulls and bears were baited, dog-fighting, and other vicious sports were openly indulged in, and which was supposed to minimise the possibility of the dog having his ears torn off in combat, and so saved from much punishment. Although these vicious English sports became abolished in later years, the cropping of the ears of dogs was continued, and owners who were thus bereft of the grotesque and paradoxical excuse that the ears were cropped on humane grounds, now cling to the equally untenable apology that cropped ears smartened a dog about the head, and gave him a keener outlook. That, of course, is in reality a fallacy—pure imagination. This section of the dogowning community also contended that with the custom of cropping having prevailed so long, it would now be impossible to grow anything-but the ugliest of ears on dogs. At the commencement of the era, after cropping was abolished, it is only fair- to say that such were the majority of the aural appendages of dogs, but a few years sufficed to breed these big, ugly ears out, and to-day, in the case of all British-bred dogs, which formerly had their ears cropped—viz., Great Danes, bull terriers, blaek-and-tan terriers, Yorkshire terriers —the great majority have very neat drop, rose, tulip, or prick ears, just as specialism has ordained, which gives- to each dog the correct expression, and which, in the opinion of the majority of fanciers, look better than if they had their ears cropped. The practice of ear cropping is still continued in the United States, but the American Humane Society is striving to have it stopped. Rearing Puppies.—Mr W. M. Charlesworth, a breeder of golden retrievers, in ■writing of their rearing and training gives some excellent advice which will, no doubt, be welcomed by breeders of dogs generally. He says: “The careful rearing of puppies is the key to the future success of the dog in field or show competition. For, unless you build up the youngsters you will never get stamina, bone, or endurance, without which he is useless for work, and without good straight bone he is useless on the bench. To obtain these essentials, select not only winning strains from which to breed, but strains of proved stamina, possessing symmetrical bodies, good heads, bone, and feet. Having selected your strains, always arrange to work your bitch in the field (by herself, of course) for a short time every day during the time she is shut up, thereby ensuring that the puppies have their job bred in them, This is important. Keep the bitch gently in work till a few days before the puppies are born. Feed generously all the time. Stop dry biscuits, except for a small feed in the morning. Give raw meet or boiled rabbit and rice or tripe, and soaked biscuits at night. The last week before whelping give a good breakfast of Lactol, and 48 hours before she is due give a good dose of castor and linseed oil mixed half and half (dose a large dessertspoonful). Give Lactol three times a day at least, besides other food, till the puppies are three weeks old., and raw meat at night. Take the bitch’s temperature night and morning for 10 days after whelping. Normal temperature lOlideg. There may be a slight rise of temperature up to 102Adeg without any danger, but higher than this should be checked and the cause ascertained at once. At three weeks teach the puppies to lap Lactol. In two days they should do this easily. Lift each one on to a patch of sawdust afteg'lic has finished his meal, and after a couple of days they will go there themselves, and be clean in kennel for the rest of their lives, unless they are not well. The bitch should have a good bed of straw on a thick sack on which to whelp. All bedding should be burnt as soon as the puppies are 24 hours old, and a new clean sack, without straw, given to them on the wooden floor. Give puppies Lactol only for the first three weeks, every three hours, after which the bitch should only be allowed to go to them at might. At six weeks bread and gravy or any of the well-known puppy foods should be given, raw meat cut fine, and dry puppy biscuits as a morning feed after a breakfast of Lactol. Four or five feeds a day. Teach them their names as you feed with meat, making them sit down ’ to order first, and only allow the one called to take a 2 Pi cce - N° Bna Pping must be allowed. A sharp ‘ No ’ and a gentle tap on the nose if any of them attempt to take a piece before his name is called. Insist on obedience in kennel. Make them used to going on to their benches at the order, Go back to your place,’ when you leave the kennel. All this saves hours of trouble later. This latter order, ‘Go back to your place,’ and ‘ No ’ form the basis of the subsequent training commands. Make as much noise in kennel as possible. Clap your hands when you take in food, bang doors or the lids of tin bins; in fact, accustom them from babyhood to all sorts of noises, and- you will find them bold and never gun-shy. Always call to feed by a whistle. Keep the food going till six months old, then three good meals a day till 12 months old, then one night and morning. Do be advised and eschew all meals, oat, maize, etc., at any rate till a year old, and even then use sparingly, particularly in hot weather. Above all, exercise. A free run in dry weather, with plenty of shade from sun and wind; good walks on the hard road from nine weeks onwards. If wet. restrict exercise to some sharp spins on the road. Always dry over each puppy after rain before shutting into kennel; bed on sawdust, not straw; it is warm and dry and does not harbour vermin. Dose for worms at six weeks and again at three months. Dose the dam for these parasites before'she is mated; wash the teats with milton and water. In conclusion, let me assure anyone in search of a gundog, companion, guard, and friend, that he need go no further than the golden retriever to find his ideal.” A German writer says: “There is explicit proof that the introduction into

Alsatian kennels of half wolves and half sheep dogs as reproducers was especially done with a view of communicating to the Alsatians the appearance of the wolf. Without doubt the Alsatian of to-day, is a dog that would hold his own in a mixup. He can also be trained for various uses in tracking and guarding.”