The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1879-09-03
Training a Bulldog.

1he brutal sport of dog-fighting
prevails still to some extent, as is evil
| dent by an article in the Philadelphia
Record, which tells of a prospective bat
| tie between what it calls 1.-TWO of the
most desperate fighting bulldogs now in
the country The article in question
devotes considerable space to descrip-
ton of the way in which one of the ami
mails is 9 trained" The Record says:
In well-ventilated cellar the Phila-
delphia fighter was found. 1t is white
animal of medium height, and now
weighs forty pounds, although it will be
reduced to twenty-nine before the fight
Its head is not large, but has evidence of
great power in its jaws. It's eyes are
small and almost hidden from view
The dog was not chained or in any way
hampered from roaming in any part of
the cellar When the trainer entered
the animal was resting upon a slightly
elevated platform in one corner of the
cellar, but so well does it know its bust
ness that upon sight of it's temporary
master he arose and walked slowly to-
ward treadle in another part of the
room and quietly took its position on
the machine. The treadle ismade after
the style of those worked by horses,
only on smaller scale. The faster the
animal steps the faster the treadle works,
| sllI consequently bIlc dItlIlldl lnuSb I1oNC
! with constantly-increasing speed until it
is entirely exhausted. When the dog
| took its position on the machine its head
was made fast by a rope to the head
! board Of the apparatus, and after the PIN
which held the treadle was drawn out it
started off. In a few moments the dog
was running ut Il rapid rate, which it
continued for over two hours with very
slight intermissions, which were only
ell, g ha
lated by a shaft, made to revolve by the
treadle, and braked by the trainer when
he noticed the animal weakening. At
the end of the two hours the dog was so
thoroughly exhausted that it almost fell
upon the treadle. The trainer explained
that on the day previous the dog had
run but one hour and twenty minutes.
Each day the length of time on the
"wheel, ;" as it is called by trainers, will
proper weight. When the dog wa
taken from the wheel it was immedi-
ately carried to tub of lukewarm
water and dipped in up to the neck and
well rubbed. After this the dog was
dropped into tub of cooler water and
put through a strong course of rubbing,
and then hastily transferred to a tub
containing water still cooler, and of a
| dark blue color. In the colored water
! JilC Ac9 Was dllOWGU w ItDldlH Dub IL
few seconds, during which time it was
rubbed about the neck and top of the
| head only.
| When taken from the last tub the dog
was rubbed with a towel saturated with
whisky. The trainer then took the ami
NAL under window, in order to have
better light, and carefully examined its
skin. A wire brush was then drawn
over the an mails body for several min
| 4
the saturated towel. Then fine pow
der was sprinkled over its entire body.
Under this, for the first time, the dog
WINGED and made several attempts to es-
cape from the treatment. After being
rubbed well with the hand the bulldog
was again washed in the lukewarm
water and was then well dried with a
coarsetowel. The dog was thenlet go, and
ran about the cellar as lively as if it had
been resting all day. The ma large bowl of
beef tea was given to it. The dog sup
ped it as if it was hungry. The trainer,
after cleaning the dogs teeth. left the
cellar. In the afternoon the dog was
again put through the same treatment,
and was this time kept on the treadle for
two hours and eight minutes. The OBJ
iect of wheeling the dog is not so much
to reduce its weight as it is to increase its
wind and give it staying qualities.
A trainer seldom allows any person
to go near his dog but himself. The dog
is never allowed at large while under
training, and during the nights imme-
diately preceding the fight is taken to
bed with the trainer. To put dog
through proper course of training, sup
plying the necessary food, costs from
800 to $3.50. The place in which they
| fight is generally some sequestered spot
in the country. A pit about twelve feet
square and about three feet deep is dug.
About an hour before the fight both
dogs are weig he'd, and neither must be
above the stipulated figure. Just before
the battle the hackers of the animals toss
a penny to determine which dog shall be
washes his dog last. This is done SO
that if any poison is on the dogs skin it
may be washed off into the water, and
if the first dog washed had any on it
would be washed off into the water, and
the last dog would have chance OF re-
tanning some of it. After this process
the dogs are put into a pit, and at a
given time let go. The battle proceeds
in perfect quiet, hardly sound being
made by the contesting animals. IF
they become separated, the dogs are
lifted from the pit, the referee watching
to notice which turns it's head from the
other first. The one that does must, at
given time, be let go, and if it does not
Immediately pounce upon the other dog,
it loses the fight.
1t is very seldom that full-blooded
bulldog will turn away, and the conse-
quence is that one of the fighting dogs is
killed before the battle IS ended.