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. Under such circumstances he is in a dilemma. His new charge is like a white elephant on his hands. Naturally, if the dog is still a young puppy some make-shift arrangement may be made, perhaps in some odd corner of the house, but it must be remembered that all puppies, aside from the fact that they are not house-broken are also a nuisance in many other ways, for they have a special predilection for the master’s slippers or some article of wearing apparel belonging to the mistress of the house, and they take special delight in tearing such things to pieces for the mere amusement of the thing and because they must have an outlet for their excess of energy. Another chapter will be devoted to the early training lessons, so let us, therefore, in this chapter, take up the question of sleeping quarters and a playground for the youngster.
Where the dog is a medium-sized one, or a toy, perhaps, it will not be necessary to provide out-door quarters except for exercising, and therefore, an arrangement may be made for the new dog to occupy a place in the kitchen or basement, but it must be a place where he will learn to go either for the night or during the day time when he wishes a quiet nap all to himself. Personally, I am no advocate for keeping a dog in the house night and day. It is true, many dog lovers do this and when the breed is no larger than say, a fox terrier or even a chow, the arrangement may be satisfactory enough, but never, under any circumstance, allow a dog to have the run of the house at all hours of the day or night. If you have decided to allow him to sleep in the house, provide a box or basket large enough for the purpose. Put this in some corner in the kitchen or even in the basement, though unless this latter place is absolutely dry and subject to ventilation, it is not a desirable place for sleeping quarters. In providing a sleeping place, whether it be basket, box or bench, it should be raised several inches above the floor. This is to obviate draughts which are sure to prevail in cold weather, for no matter how tight a door may fit there is always a certain amount of cold air blowing in through the crevice at the bottom, and incidentally, this is one of the most frequent causes for colds, catarrh or even pneumonia. If you have your doubts about it, try sleeping upon the floor on a cold night yourself. If the dog be a toy breed, a shallow basket provided with a pillow filled with pine of cedar shavings, or pine needles is a most suitable bed. The pillow should be covered with some coarse, heavy material that will not tear easily and should be a covering that goes over the pillow proper; the material inside whether shavings or pine needles should be encased in another cover. The idea being that the outer covering can be removed and washed frequently, for no matter how clean a dog may be, the canine smell will in time permeate the cover and it must be changed and washed at least once every two weeks if absolute cleanliness is desired. For most of the larger breeds, a carpet or rug will be sufficient bedding. Loose bedding, such as shavings or straw is not to be thought of in the house.
The box or basket provided for the bed should be large enough to permit the dog to lie at his ease. If a box is used, the better plan is to remove one side with the exception of a small strip at the bottom to hold the bedding in and of course, the top should also be removed. These sleeping boxes or baskets should be put out in the sun and air every week or so and when necessity demands, they should be scrubbed with warm soap water, to which a few drops of Creolin-Pierson may be added. This will keep the sleeping box clean and obviate any possibility of vermin, for once fleas infest a place where a dog frequents, then all thought of housing indoors must be abandoned.
Far the better plan, however, is to provide sleeping quarters in the garage or stable, especially for the larger breeds; in fact, all breeds except toys. In cold weather these boxes may be closed on top and on all sides, leaving only a small opening for entrance or exit. The advantage of this being that such boxes can be filled with good, clean straw in cold weather and there are very few dogs who cannot sleep comfortably and warmly in such a bed, even when the mercury is down close to the zero mark. Terriers, as a matter of fact, are very hardy and will really do better in an out-building of this kind than in the house or basement. Naturally, one must be governed according to circumstances and if the owner of a dog has no building on the premises, part of which may be used for his pet’s quarters he can build a small house out of doors and provide a runway in connection. Nearly all of the wire, or long-haired breeds will do well in these out-door kennels the year round, provided the bedding is warm, the box free from draughts, and a piece of carpet or burlap is tacked over the opening in the coldest of weather. This should be arranged in such a way that it is loose on the sides and bottom, so as to permit of easy entrance and exit.
In building an out-door house for the dog it is well to adopt more modern plans than the old-time “dog house” closed on top and all sides with the exception of the door in front. This style has been in vogue and has answered the purpose for many a high-bred dog, but if the owner wishes to have something more elaborate he might build a small house having a hallway or vestibule before reaching the sleeping quarters proper. Such a house must be built double the size of the ordinary one to allow for the extra “room.” It should also be so constructed that it may be opened from the top, either by supplying hinges to the roof which make it possible to raise either side, or the roof may be so constructed that the entire top of the house can be lifted off. This will permit of easy cleaning of the interior. It is well to keep the interior whitewashed. A coating of this every few months will aid very materially in keeping the place free from vermin.
When it is possible to provide a runway or small enclosure where the dog may exercise in at any time he desires, it is far better than to chain him. These runways can be constructed cheaply, of heavy mesh wire. In constructing this it must be with a view of making them high enough to prevent the dog from leaping or climbing over. A good plan to adopt is to build the fence and then put another strip of wire mesh a foot or eighteen inches wide horizontally from the top of the posts, allowing this to go on the inside, thus even though the dog is inclined to jump or climb, when he reaches the top of the fence, this extra width of wire will prevent him from going over. Another precaution must be taken against burrowing out. This is easily done by digging a trench and allowing the wire to go into the ground a foot or more, then filling this trench up with stones or brick and covering with earth. No dog will be able to dig under such a fence.
If a dog must be chained to his kennel, as sometimes is the case, he should be given at least two hours of freedom every day. Far the better way is to extend a wire close to the ground, from the kennel to a post thirty or forty feet (more if possible) from this. The post at the far end should be driven or planted in the ground, allowing only enough above the surface to attach the wire to, for dogs have a faculty of getting their chains twisted about a post that might be dangerous or even fatal to them. A ring should be put on this wire to which the swivel of the chain may be attached. This gives the animal a certain amount of freedom and exercise, and it will soon become noticeable how he takes advantage of it. It is needless to say that all kennels out of doors should be built of matched boards dove-tailed together so as to admit no draughts, furthermore, the kennel should be placed on a foundation or on piles several inches from the ground. For more elaborate plans of kennels when more dogs are kept, the reader is referred to an earlier work of mine entitled “Practical Dog Keeping for the Amateur.”
CHAPTER V.
Becoming Acquainted—Early Lessons.
While most any breed of dog under one year old will soon learn to adapt himself to new friends and environment, and therefore no stipulated time is imperative as to what age he should be, at the time of his purchase, there is something about the wee youngsters of eight or ten weeks old that appeals to all, and the general thing is to obtain your puppy shortly after he is weaned.
It is true, there are some objections to this plan, principally because a puppy of this tender age is still unbroken to the house and is also more susceptible to the ordinary ills that beset the young life of practically all canines, but on the other hand, there is something particularly interesting in a wee puppy and he will, as a rule, soon become the pet of the entire household. As for the ills, with ordinary care, one can tide the youngster over these much more easily than the novice may imagine. As a matter of fact, I would rather begin with a twelve weeks old puppy and break him to cleanliness about the house than I would a dog of one year old, for in a majority of cases, when purchasing a puppy of the latter age, you will be told that he is house-broken, when as a matter of fact he is not, consequently this education must begin at a rather late age. Another reason why the very young puppy is more satisfactory is because there is a greater interest in watching him develop physically as well as mentally; therefore, all things considered, I would advise selecting your dog when he is still a mere baby; which means under three months of age.