THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3912, 5 March 1929, Page 33

THE KENNEL.

Bj

Terror.

Fanciers and brse-dera of dogs ar® Cordially invited to contribnte to thia oolumn. "Terror” will endeavour to maka this department as interesting and up-to-date as possible, but in order to do thia he must have tbe coopsration of his readers, hence ho trusts this invitation will be cheerfully responded to

Mr J. Doe, of Invercargill, reports that his wire fox terrier bitch Rabymere Brown Girl (by ch. Oxford Dempsey ex Glenmore Gem) is rearing a nice litter by a son of the Australian-bred Belgian Boy. Mr Doe has sold a nice fox terrier dog puppy to Mr J. Garrett. Mr Doe has two very promising smooth fox terrier dogs that are coming on nicely,' also a very nice wire fox ■ terrier bitch by ch. Oxford Dempsey. It is Mr Doe’s intention that all of these dogs will appear at the next Dunedin show.

“ Spaniel.”—lf it is tapeworm examination of the excreta will show the. shed segments of the worms as small whitish objects, which in the fresh state are constantly contracting and relaxing. They may sometimes be seen adhering to the orifice of the anus or the coat of the dog. Mr G. M. Vevers, M.R.C.V.S., L.R.C.P., superintendent of the Geological Society, London, in an article on the prevention and treatment of worms in dogs says: “ In small numbers tapeworms have very little effect on a dog, but when present in large numbers they give rise to lack of appetite, irritability, anmmia, and general loss of condition. This is due. not so much to the amount of nutrition taken up by the worms, but to a general toxaemia set up by poisons secreted by them. Tapeworms are more resistant to treatment than round worms, and to effect a certain cure the head, -which is usually imbedded firmly in the lining of the intestine, must be removed, as if this is left behind the worm can grow again. In order that the drug used can do its work properly the whole of the alimentary tract must be empty, and it is very important that the dog should be starved for 24 hours before dosing and a purge (Igr to 3gr of calomel, according to the size of dog) be administered. There is a large choice of .drugs which' can be used for tapeworm, but perhaps the most efficient of these is tenaline, which is an extract of areca nut. The dose of this drug varies in accordance with the weight of the dog; 15 minims may be regarded as the smallest dose and Ijdr or 90 minims as the largest that can be given. It should be made up into a draught with half a teaspoonful of glycerine and two teaspoonfuls of water. Vomiting is liable to occur after the dose, but this can be prevented to a certain extent by leading the dog about. The dose should take effect within half an hour. If nothing happens give an enema of about half a pint of soap and water. The treatment . should be repeated three times at intervals of about 10 days. After the worms have been expelled the dog should be given nourishing food and cod liver oil and ’, malt. Parrish’s Chemical Food should be added as a tonic.”

Our Dogs Christmas number is to hand, and, as usual, is a wonderful production. It is getting monotonous year after year (ever since the first issue) trying to speak in different, yet complimentary, terms of this annual production. This year I will content myself with saying that it consists of 250 pages of illustrations of many champion dogs of various breeds, particulars of many leading kennels, and much other interesting information.

v There is quite a lot of interest being taken throughout the- Dominion in whippets just now, and breeders are finding it hard to keep pace with demands for puppies. No doubt now that a Dunedin racing club is mooted local breeders will benefit.

The Alsatian has come in for a great deal of unenviable notoriety as a savage and undependable dog. A good deal of this may be undeserved, and the plea of owners that some specimens of other breeds also prove themselves anything but domesticated is well founded. Probably when a dog proves savage a share of the blame should be charged to the owner. The Alsatian is a big dog, built and meant for big things. As a police dog or in the hunting of big game the breed would have a legitimate outlet for its natural disposition, but as a pet or companion such outlet does not exist. Its natural instincts are then suppressed or dammed back, and it should not be surprising tliat it finds vent for expression when least expected to do so. As sheep worriers two Alsatians have recently brought disgrace on this breed at Lanarkshire. A shooting party was set up to hunt them. It took weeks to find the depredators, but at last a policeman caught one of them and held it till it was killed by a blacksmith’s hammer. The fight between the dog and policeman is described ,as terrific, and the latter was much praised for his bravery. The other dog was shot later.

The ownership of an Airedale dog was being disputed at the Manchester City Police Court recently, when the dog itself set all doubts at rest and enabled the magistrate -to come to a decision. Thomas Kennedy, who was accused of stealing the dog, called out “Jerry, Jerry,’’ but the dog merely looked at him. When, however, the man who claimed the dog called out “ Prince ” the Airedale wagged its tail vigorously. Kennedy was fined £2O.

Tony, a crossbred whippet belonging to a Wistow Common farmer in England, has been awarded the bronze medal of the National Capine Defence League for saving the life of his master’s daughterBetty. aged two, by his sagacity. Tony seized the trousers of a labourer who was going home and dragged him to a, pond 400 yards away, where the child' was stuck in the mud and water up to her waist. She collapsed on being taken out of the pond. The dog had made a rut on the side of the pond in the mud in a vain effort to get her out, and had torn her clothes in the attempt. The parents had searched for three hours in vain.

A fox terrier which was lost overnight in Brighton by its owner, a member of the London Stock Exchange, was found asleep on his master’s doorstep in Streatham, a London suburb, the next morning. The dog had run all through the night, a distance of 44 J miles, in order to return home.

TEACHING THE DOG : TRICKS AND GOOD BEHAVIOUR. On this subject a veterinary surgeon writes:—

“A good deal of misunderstanding exists on the rights and wrongs of teaching animals to do tricks, and while there is plenty of sound argument to support, the partisans- of either side, it has yet to be proved that such teaching is to the detriment of the animal concerned. The training of a dog to cleanly habits and generally to behave itself is takeit as a matter of course, even though the methods employed are often open to question.

“ Whipping and smacking, coupled with sharp rebuke, is the lot of many an innocent puppy who knows no better, whereas the same ends could have been obtained by kindly treatment. The same theory applies to the training of a dog to do simple tricks such as begging, jumping, fetching, etc. The intelligence of a dog is remarkably keen, arid there is no animal quicker to grasp what is expected of him, providing always that equal intelligence is shown in his instruction. Encouragement is the dominating factor towards success, and if each attempt to carry out his masters wishes is rewarded with a ‘ toothsome morsel ’ our doggy friend will the more readily give of his best,.

“ It is altogether -wrong, of course, to force a dog to do something which puts an unnatural strain on his constitution

or in the accomplishment of which he might do himself an injury. With this exception, the discipline of most dogs can be considerably improved, and their intelligence sharpened by kindly instruction in the performance of simple tricks. “Among other things, every dog should be taught to ‘ come to heel,’ ‘ lie down,’ and ‘ go to kennel ’ on the word of command. Disobedience only tends to make a dog a nuisance to himself, his owner, and other people as well. Before tricks are indulged in, therefore, see to it that your dog has been property trained in the A B C of doggy behaviour. His powers of reception and understanding will also have been stimulated thereby, and obedience to commands will be instinctive.

In return for good behaviour a dog is entitled to every consideration. His wants ’ are very easily satisfied, and there is no excuse for off-hand treatment in any case. A comfortable resting place, daily exercise, an occasional grooming, 6hd’ above all, sound feeding, complete the bill of fare.’ Where most people ?? 'W'J’ong is on the question of feeding Nothing is more harmful to a dog’s physical well-being than, to stuff him with tit-bits at all times of the day. A dog should be trained to have his meals at regular hours, say morning and evena?^.to b e content in the meanwhile, lhe choice of his diet is also of importance- The plainer it is the better, and in this direction meat dog biscuits in one form or another should form the basis of the feed. Numerous appetising dishes can be devised, and perhaps the simplest, and certainly the one most liked by a dog, is a mash made up of dinner table scraps and hound or terrier meal. It is a oueer sort of dog, also, who will not enjoy munching an ordinary dog biscuit, a procedure, by the bye, which is excellent for jaws and teeth, providing at the sa ??Sn time a highly nourishing food. The well-cared-for dog is both a ready pupil and a. faithful companion, a combination of factors which is a fundamental necessity to the training of anv dog to do tricks." SHEEP DOC TRIALS. M’Kenzie, Burkes Pass.—March 20 to 21. Waikaia—March 21 and 22. Geraldine. Geraldine. —April 4 and 5. Warepa.—April 10 and 11. Lochiel—April 10 and 11. Albury, Albury.—April 16 and 17. LOCHIEL COLLIE CLUB.

The annual meeting of the Lochiel 'Collie Club was- held on February 11. when there was a large attendance of members, with Mr W. J. M’Kenzie presiding. The balance sheet showed a very healthy position financially, disclosing a credit balance of £22 12s 2d, which must be considered very satisfactory, realising that the club has been -in existence only five years. In moving the adoption of the balance sheet, the president took the opportunity of congratulating the club on its position, and heartily thanked all those who- had worked hard to achieve success at trials, and again asked for their co-operation. The motion was duly seconded and carried. A strong and enthusiastic committee has been elected to carry through the year’s trials, with Mr vr 'o’ re-elected president and Mr S. J. Irwin secretary. Anyone desirous of procuring programmes please write to secretary.