Albert Frederick Hochwalt

“ No matter how well a dog is fed, no matter what his care may be otherwise, he will become sluggish and out of sorts if he is unable to obtain a sufficient amount of daily exercise and the more that falls to his lot, the less liable is he to disease, for it is a well-known fact among human beings that exercise is one of the essentials of life and by the same token this is so of the dog. ”

“ Is it not only natural that everyone of the household will make much over him, if they are normal human beings? It will be noted that even though this bit of dog flesh is still less than twelve weeks old, how readily he will make up with them. A young puppy, still unaccustomed to the rebuffs of the world and the “slings and arrows” of canine fortune has confidence in all whom he encounters. ”

“ The proper housing of a dog is one of the important, if not the most important questions in dog keeping. We are assuming that the budding dog fancier has decided upon what breed he wants to own and has found an individual to his liking. Perhaps the purchase has been made and he has brought his canine acquisition home to find that he has never given the question of housing him any thought. ”

“ The story of the man who writes articles in newspapers and pamphlets advocating the destruction of all dogs because they are a menace to mankind is a common one in every part of the world. A story is told of one of this class—a New England money lender—who took great pains to besmirch the character of the dog in public and private. His contention was that any dog would bite, and as proof, circulated a story that a little nondescript dog actually followed him aboard a street car and bit a piece out of his leg! ”

“ The bulldog will attract attention anywhere, but as to his sphere of usefulness in these days of his grotesque appearance, there is always room for doubt. There was once a time when the bulldog was a shifty and useful animal, but as he is at present bred, this quality has, to a great extent disappeared with his “improvement,” although his admirers will claim stoutly that he is a good watch dog and quite intelligent. His very artificiality makes him a dog [57] which is difficult to rear, being susceptible to various diseases to a much greater degree than most of the more normal breeds. ”

“ The standard calls for dogs under ten pounds in weight for the toy varieties, though there is a large poodle, which, however, does not come within the scope of this group. The toy poodle, while not as hardy as some breeds, can nevertheless stand considerable hardships and when he is reared like his larger brethren and not petted and pampered until health and vitality are gone, he is an easy dog to keep. The greatest objection some have to him is, that because his coat is white he is difficult to care for, which to a certain extent, is the truth. ”

“ The Boston Terrier is the great American product; he is strictly an evolution of this country and has grown in popularity in keeping with his qualities. The Boston is a clean, well-knit dog of trappy appearance, with a short head that is a mean between the bulldog and the terrier expression, [17] if such a thing can be. He comes in various weights up to twenty five pounds, and, as a matter of fact, one finds them going as high as thirty and thirty-five, for the Boston is a mixture and does not always throw true to type. ”

“ The owner of a dog subject to such fits should take prompt measures to secure him while he is in one of these paroxysms, or he will run amuck when he arises and there will be difficulty in catching him. It is such dogs which frequently cause the reports of mad dogs being in a neighborhood and many a poor innocent victim is dispatched, an innocent sacrifice, immolated on the altar of ignorance. ”

“ Dogs in the home are not exposed like those which are kept in a kennel where new ones are constantly coming in and going out. Nor is the danger of contagious or infectious disease as great as when the dogs are exhibited at bench shows. Nevertheless, the highly bred dog is a fine-spun piece of mechanism and it is therefore best to know what to do as first aid in case sickness does come. To the novice, however, my advice is, send for the veterinarian, if a good one lives in your vicinity, as soon as you notice something seriously wrong with your dog. ”

“ One of the common disturbances that house dogs are subject to is Fits. It is rather disheartening to the novice to see his dog roll over suddenly and become stiff and rigid, for in most cases he is at a loss what to do. Fits arise from various causes; through worms, constitutional nervous disorders, the aftermath of distemper, but in most cases with house dogs, because of constipation or indigestion. If the trouble is due to the two latter causes, then they may be easily overcome by a change of diet and more exercise, for there is where the trouble generally lies. ”

“ He has been becoming more popular every year as a show dog, though he never will attain the popularity accorded some of the other terrier breeds. What is more significant, however, he is rapidly [31] making himself more and more endeared to the one-dog owner. As a companion about the premises, the house or the stables, the Scottie is par excellence. A first class vermin dog, an alert watchman and game to the core, the Scottie will indeed fill the requirements of anyone wishing to own one small dog, for size and all other conditions must sometimes be taken into consideration. ”

“ If the prospective purchaser intends to use his dog for sporting purposes he is advised to select one from stock that will come nearer reaching the maximum rather than the minimum weight, for the eighteen pound cocker is entirely too small for utility purposes. As a matter of fact, some years ago twenty-eight pounds was the standard maximum weight of working cockers which is really more logical in a dog that is intended for field work. At all events, it is better to have a cocker over, than under the weight allowed by the standard, if one expects to make use of him afield. ”

“ It should be this person, also, who imposes upon himself or herself the duty of feeding the puppy. Of course this is not entirely essential, but if it is left to one person, it may be generally taken for granted that the youngster [79] will be fed regularly and not too much. When the entire household looks after the feeding, the chances are that he will be too well cared for, and too frequent feeding is one of the banes of dog-keeping. An overabundance of food is more dangerous than too little, although I am no advocate of the starvation plan. ”

“ The dog’s strength must be kept up and to this end eggs, broth, and even finely chopped up raw beef in small quantities will be beneficial. Some kennel men object to the beef, but nevertheless many a dog will eat this where he refuses everything else and certainly nothing is more nutritious than beef. Every symptom must be combated as it arises and many complications are likely to set in. One thing must always be kept in mind, and that is, to make the dog take nourishment, for once he refuses to eat, then the case is practically hopeless. ”

“ While there are unscrupulous dealers of all breeds, it seems that more irresponsible people have taken up the sale of this breed than any other. I do not mean by this that there are not a large number of very responsible breeders, but it is the dealer—the vendor of dogs—whose word cannot always be taken at face value, therefore, in buying any breed, see that you are obtaining what you are paying for, and in buying a Boston, be sure of it from every angle. ”

“ The Food Question—When to Feed—Frequency of Feeding—Water. With but one dog in the household or on the premises, the question of food is not a serious one. The scraps from the table of a family of four should be sufficient to supply the entire ration of the dog, although occasionally it is advisable to give him a change in the way of scraps of raw beef, large, soft bones to gnaw upon, and by variety it might also be well, say once a week, to procure the meat or trimmings at your butcher’s out of which a broth may be made. ”

“ Frothing of the mouth, as generally supposed, is not a symptom of the rabid dog. The mouth may be more moist than normal at first, but it soon becomes dry and of a very dark red color. The rabid dog is very much inclined to attack others; the timid pet without provocation will attack others much larger than himself and after biting his victim will emit a peculiar howl, which when once heard will never be mistaken. The rabid dog’s voice undergoes an entire alteration which is one of the decided characteristics of the disease. ”

“ This book is for the dog lover; not he who raises dogs for show purposes or as a commercial pursuit, though that is a most laudable enterprise, but he who loves the companionship of an intelligent dog and appreciates him for his real qualities as a home companion. As guardian of the house, a faithful ally to share in the joys and the sorrows of the household ”

“ While we all recognize the importance of good food as being conducive to a dog’s well being, many overlook the fact that exercise, grooming and washing are almost equally essential. This is particularly true of exercise. ”

“ He is in every sense of the word a larger edition of the toy poodle, but a much more useful dog because of his size and superior intelligence. The poodle is one of the most readily trained dogs in existence today. As a trick dog he has no equals and he may be broken to retrieve from land and water with the same facility as [63] any of the sporting retrievers or spaniels. There are two varieties of the poodle; the corded and the curly. The latter is the more common and also the more practical, for the corded poodle’s coat is the most difficult of any among the canine race, to care for. ”

“ He is, in the strict classification a toy, it is true. The reader may sneer at the word “toy” and fancy that the Peke, as he is popularly called, is as useless and difficult to rear as the proverbial hot-house plant, but such is not the case. He is a hard, strong, easy-to-raise animal, and one of the gamest for his inches of any breed in existence. His shaggy mane, resembling that of a lion, his dark markings [3] about muzzle and eyes, and his tawny coat, together with his sturdy frame, suggest a big little dog, and he is all of that. ”

“ The question may be asked, how much exercise must a dog have in order to keep him in good condition? To this no defined rule can be laid down, for dogs, like humans, vary and one must be governed accordingly. Most young puppies, because of their natural exuberance of spirits, generally move about sufficiently of their own volition, and thus keep in good condition by this very natural process, but as the dog grows older he is not so prone to run and play, and therefore must be encouraged. ”