THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 4042, 1 September 1931, Page 29

THE KENNEL.

By

Terror.

Fancier* and ■breeders of dogs ara cordially invited to contribute to thia ■eolunm. “Terror” will endeavour to tnaks thi» department as interesting and ap-to-date as possible, but in aider to do thia he must have the eooperation of hie readers, hence ha trusts this invitation will be ehearfully responded to. ’

“ Spaniel.”—Yes, I think I recorded the fact some time ago on reading of the entries at this year’s Cruft Show. Cocker spaniels, if one can judge by that show’s entries, appeared to be the most popular breed. Cocker spaniels numbered 189 dogs, making 726 entries. Black and yellow Labrador retrievers came next with 133 dogs and 531 entries. Air A. Atkinson, of Dunedin, has disposed of his cocker . spaniels and purchased a fine Labrador bitch puppy from Mr (*. V. Macßeath. of Clifton Kennels, Sn inner. Air' Hazlett, of Invercargill, has purchased the young Labrador retriever dog Braeburn Peter from Air T. Davey, of Wellington. Air G. G. Hamilton, of Gore, has purchased a typical Alsatian dog puppy by Lieber of Lorraine ex Betty of Clutha, bred by Airs H. Simms, of Christchurch. The committee of the Lord Mayor’s (Alelbourne) Fund Show, which was held on the 22nd inst., made every effort to ensure its success. In addition to prizes for perfection there were prizes for outstanding imperfections. For instance, prizes were awarded for “ longest tail,” “ the most soulful eyes,” and one attrac-tive-fact which secured many entries was that the most “ mongrelised ” dog had a chance of winning a prize. In consideration of the feelings of the competitors for the challenges the dogs of blue blood pedigree had a pavilion to themselves quite apart from those of less aristocratic lineage.

Don’t forget that you owe a duty to your dog in treating it kindly and attending to its wants. The companionship should be on both sides. He needs yours as much as you need his. Don’t deceive your dog or you may be deceived in return. Keep your word with him and he will -trust you. Feeding.—Regularity in feeding is important with all breeds, and the quantity supplied should be nicely proportionate to the dog’s normal appetite. For most matuie dogs two meals a day with no intervening titbits are ample—a light breakfast and a substantial supper. A bone to gnaw at is -useful for cleaning the teeth and promoting salivation. The dry bone that has had all the juice cooked out of it is not nourishing. But the dog is essentially a carnivorous animal, and a big beef bone with plenty of raw meat, marrow, gristle, and fat about it may serve very well as the principal meal of the day’. It is a common error to suppose that flesh food induces skin trouble. The reverse is the case. No dog can thrive without an abundant supply of meat. Poultry* bones and rabbit bones, and even chop bones, which are apt to splinter and perforate the stomach, should never be given to a domestic dog, as distinct from the sporting breeds that get vigorous exercise in the field. A Home authority, Alajor Ollivant, in an article written for the Wire Year Book called “ The Fox Terrier Objective.” is forcible -on the point that a terrier for work or show should hare exactly the same features. Roughly, the outline should suggest length at both ends and brevity amidships—first and above all, a Jong sloping shoulder; secondly, quarters to match (there is the place to introduce the word “pelvis”!); and, thirdly, a well-ribbed but unobtrusive middle. He grants that there are mighty* merits on heads, ears, eyes, feet, coats, and the like, but shoulders and quarters are. he boldly claims, the pivots of the whole matter of true conformation.

A well-known Wanganui dog breeder, in convensation with a Chronicle reporter, made reference to errors made by fox terrier breeders. It was noticed, he said, that a large number of terriers had very short tails. This was due to the fact that the two-thirds of the tail were cut off, lea-sung only one-third. He went on to say that two-thirds should be left on, and the best time for this to be done was 14 days after the pup’s birth. “Terriers with short tails do not get a look in at shows these days,” he said, “ and this is a point which is worthy of consideration.”

EARLY TRAINING OF DOGS. The correct bringing up and treatment of young puppies is the most vital part of their career. In the case of show puppies it means either the proper mould-, ing of their frame and features as show specimens or the implanting in them of defects in their physique which may be irremediable afterwards. Proper feeding, housing, and exercise are the three most

vital requirements in the case of young puppies leaving their dam, but this article is devoted more to the tuition of puppies in the way of the correct habits during the first nine months of their life after leaving their dam, and applies to all puppies whether prize bred or not. Tuition should begin at three months •old, and the first consideration is a sani-tary-one. Taking the puppy intended as a" house dog, cleanliness in the house should form his first lesson. He should have a square wooden box in which to sleep, of sufficient dimensions to enable him to turn round and curl up comfortably, raised an inch or so from the floor, and fixed in a corner of the house free from any draughts, with a woollen cloth to lie on, which should be frequently shaken, and, with his box, occasionally washed and thoroughly disinfected. Puppies of three to five months should be fed three times a day, but never allowed to gormandise; at six months old the feeding periods should be reduced to twice a day. The ofteuer puppies are let out of the house to empty themselves the better, particularly after a meal. Should they make a mess in the house they should be brought to it, chastised, and put out of the house temporarily whenever it happens. The first thing to teach a puppy of three or more months is to go on a lead. To begin with, he should be allowed to wear a collar only—for a week at least, by which time be will have become accustomed to it. The next thing is to get him accustomed to the lead, to do which a piece of cord about a yard long should be fastened to the collar and the other end allowed to remain loose. After going about a few days with collar. and loose cord attached, the latter may be picked up and the puppy held tightly, being walked about slowly and given a bit of fresh boiled liver every now and then. With this process repeated, the puppy will gradually get accustomed to the lead, and in time will be at home so tethered. To put- a puppy On the lead at once without going through this process would be like putting a raw- colt into harness all at once, instead of gradually breaking it in to the wearing of harness. Some people erroneously imagine that dogs and horses can be subjected to these methods of rearing and controlling them right off, which is a fatal mistake. *

The kennelling of dogs after they leave the tuition of the house comes under a slightly different category—at least the initial part of it. They now live in presumably sanitarily constructed kennels, with a south aspect (north in New Zealand). warm, and well ventilated, and sufficiently roomy for the size of the dog or dogs which have'to inhabit them, great care being taken that the kennel or kennels are not draughty. The same feeding and exercise process should be adopted for dogs kennelled up as for the home pet, and if the advice given is faithfully carried out the life of the dog so confined will be a happy one, and he will not be likely to annoy neighbours by barking, which often happens as a result of neglect or* indifferent and erroneous treatment. If a dog in kennel has a comfortable bed to lie on, is fed and exercised regularly he will not bark and disturb neigh-Imjui-s. but if any of these conditions is wanting he will be liable to do so unless he is severely chastised. The time and method of chastisement ■of a -dog is vitally important. It is useless to chastise a dog for wrongdoing unless he knows what if is for, and it is unfair to expect him to desist from doing wrong without this knowledge. For instance, with a dog which is in the habit of barking in his kennel, if he could be smartly hit with a whip when in the act or near the time at whicli he is barking, and the thrashing repeated on each occasion, tlie cure would be more likely to be effective. This chastisement should not be administered if the dog is hungry and wanting food or water or is ill, in which case it would be cruel.—Our Dogs.