The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-13
Selecting and Breeding

| ing g. selection, there are many character | istics and points that should be well looked into. Compact frames, with plenty on bone, contribute to strength, which is desirable when dogs are kept principally for breeding; other points to be taken into consideration when select I ing your dog, vary in the different l breeds.
 l Breeding should be regulated by judi ciCus selection of good healthy stock for ' the successful carrying out of the same A well-bred pedgreed dog will propa- gate stock resembling himself far better than cur.
 l First, select the variety you wish to breed, carefully look up the strain, see that his ancestors have the right blood 1 lines and that the pedigree has been cor l rectly kept. There are so many muck sters" in the dog business who buy from Tom, Dick and Harry at small prices and i then tout them up and talk their cus- toners into one just as good'' as though 1 it was pedigreed. Insist on pedigree, Let's get rid of these fakirs. l Always avoid inbreeding; that is by a union of father and mother, mother and son, and so on. It will bring weddings which can never be used to advantage in the future.
 | Breeding dogs Is often attended with disappointing results, particularly with ] beginners, as their calculations are apt 1 to be upset; however, we must live and learn. It is essential that the parent dogs should be both healthy and strong, particularly the female, in order to sus- tain the growth of her puppies before birth, as well as to produce milk for them afterward.
 1 Never breed a female until fully devel | oped. It destroys her conformation, and makes her look prematurely old. In the toy breeds they are usually developed at
  i ing varieties few months older A 1 healthy female will raise two filters 8 1 year, and can be bred in most cases at regular periods twice year. 1 Always select a stud dog with best blood lines. He may be located in one slate, you in another. Don't worry about the expense. Get first-class service. What you want are better dogs. Your next litter may develop champion. Then you have $500 to $1OO0 walking on four l legs. Just a little judgment at the proper time is what develops better dogs"
 In 63 Sometimes day earlier) days from date of service you may look for your new family. If the pedigrees on both | sides were right you needn't Worry-you have a litter of thoroughbreds. | When 1t is ascertained that your bitch I is in whelp, she should have plenty of exercise until about the sixth week, at (which time there should be a percep- tible change in her appearance, after
 which time it should be moderated, and at the same time care should be taken that she does not strain herself by jumping or running. During the latter part of her | pregnancy washing her should be avoid ed as she may take cold
 About a week before she is expected to pup, she should be made acquainted with the quarters in which it is desired the event shall take place, so that she may l lhecnrOp tn pyIi be warm and dry and away from the in- l reference of anything, and where the mother dog can be left alone Nature | has endowed the noble animal with all knowledge necessary to carry her through the trying period. She wants to be left | alone-aWay to herself l A few days before the puppies make their apearance her milk can be observed,
 her appearance is considerably enlarged, and her actions indicate uneasness, her appetite may fail, and her bowels become constipated; in the latter case a dose of sweet oil Ga tablesponfuD is good, which seems to lubricate her internal organs and helps patruition.
 ] After the puppies have arrived, feed your bitch all she will eat; keep it be- | fore her. If you don't feed her heavy she will fall off in fiesh your pups cry and develop slowly, and probably die.
 Feed the mother nourishng food such as good vegetable soup with dog biscuits l broken into it; also cooked meat-occas- l iuonally some raw-and good bones.
 Boiled sweet milk is a great nurse pro- ducer.
 About the ninth day the puppies be- 1 gin to see. At three weeks of age you can teach them to lap milk, which is a great saving to the mothers strength.
 At or weeks of age they can be weaned.
 1 After the pups have been taken away l the bitch's breast should be rubbed well 1 twice day for 8 week with camphorated oil. In case the teats become caked rub them with warm vinegar twice daily, thus drying them up.
 Until weaned puppies require very little
 care, after which they should be given
 a warm, clean and dry bed, wholesome food, regularity of meals and plenty of exercise.
 1 All puppies require dry lodging and in winter time, when the weather is very cold, delicate breeds should have a stove
 in their apartment They should have a low box for a bed with straw, but in sum-
 mer they will lie about in any part of
 the kennel. Always keep the beds free 1 from dampness. and on cold, raw days confine the dog to his kennel
 A few days after puppies have been taken from the mother change in ap- pearance takes place, caused by the
 
 good food when this change takes place is boiled milk with bread broken into it. or dog biscuits softened with broth also cooked meat and vegetables chopped up fine may be given Feed three or four times a day at regular periods. Never give them more food at a meal than they lean comfortably devour; never allow to gulp and bloat up, as they invariably will if not constrained.
 The worst scourge for puppies are dis temper and worms. All puppies are more or less apt to be troubled with the latter. These appear soon after weaning, and can be detected when the stomach of puppies swells up and hardens, while the rest of the body generally appears thin or emaciated.
 | A good standard medicine should be administered to the pups on an empty stomach. after about 10 hours fasting, and during that period they should not be
 given any water to drink, thus depriving
 the worms of food, so that the medicine
 can have greater effect upon them At
 the earlier stages in puppies fits often appear, caused by worms.
 II Distemper. the worst Of all the dog S
 disorders to handle. usually appears be- Tween the ages of months and a year. rIn one of my later articles I will thor oughly explain this disease and its ef-
 fleets on the canine family.
 
 the gentler sex should start an argument and walks off-ashamed to fuss. Just like hn hIr IlI1< nut fur. Ia IrNcrc