Conditioning Dogs
First of all, let us ask the apparently simple question, what is meant by "Condition?"
Our answer is: "The highest standard of excellence for a given purpose."
To the uninitiated, it may seem a very simple matter—only a question of plenty of food—to get a dog into condition—or, we ought to say, with a good layer of flesh upon his ribs.
But the huntsman, sportsman, and exhibitor know different to this.
It is not merely a question of food, but one of well-carried-out training—at anyrate in the eyes of the two first-named.
Foxhounds, Harriers, Greyhounds, Beagles, Otterhounds, Whippets, etc., must be "well winded," and this can only be obtained by daily exercise, first on foot, and then on horseback, gradually increasing the distance and pace.
The late Mr Apperley ("Nimrod") said: "That the highest virtue in a Foxhound is his being true to the line his game has gone, and a stout runner at the end of the chase." In the words printed in italics is embodied the term "Condition," as understood by the huntsman and hound-master.
Accepting the statement as correct, it is not necessary to say the amount of flesh a dog should carry.
With the exhibitor, matters are rather different, show condition being his desideratum.
If a sporting dog is going to a show, feed night and morning on meat and bread, so that by the time fixed for the show the ribs will have a good layer of flesh over them, being felt in outline only when the fingers are passed across them.
When a dog is very thin, give him a tablespoonful of malt or cod-liver oil and malt, night and morning.
Raw flesh will help matters greatly.
Before starting to lay on flesh by extra feeding, oil, etc., it is generally advisable to satisfy oneself that the dog is practically free from worms, otherwise the extra nourishment will be wasted. Try for tape-worm with a dose of areca nut, and for round-worms, three days afterwards, with 10 grains of santonin, mixed with a dessertspoonful of treacle and one tablespoonful of castor oil.
The use of a hound-glove, chamois leather, and brush and comb, with an occasional bath, will do the rest.
It is better to wash your dog several days before the show, because the water destroys the natural lubricant, or that making the hair glossy.
Curly-coated Retrievers are improved in tightness of curl by the use of cold water.