This section is from the book "Breeding, Training, Management, Diseases Of Dogs", by Francis Butler. Also available from Amazon: Breeding, training, management, diseases.
Give your dog a little less than he can cat, and a little more than he can drink. All food is better cooked. Avoid raw meat in hot weather. Keep your pet from the tire; give a comfortable bed, but don't cover up. Don't let him get too fat; if he become too corpulent, shorten his fare and increase his exercise ; if need be, administer gentle aperients. Be careful in washing to rub dry, and wrap well up, till the trembling is past. Give your dog a careful examination at least once a week. Beware of fleas : they create great excitement and irritation, Mange, etc., producing fits and perhaps consumption and death. Avoid all salt meats; yet a little salt should be added to all that is in process of cooking. One good meal a day is enough for a sturdy dog ; puppies and delicate animals had better be fed twice. To ensure a good watchdog, feed once a day, in the morning. His nocturnal vigils will bo inspirited by his abdominal yearnings. I Feed at regular hours and give a little exercise immediately after, to avoid a domestic catastrophe. Be particularly careful in feeding puppies ; they will always eat more than they can conveniently digest. Feed as little meat to them as possible, unless well amalgamated with cooked meal or vegetables. This rule is more or less applicable to the whole canine fraternity. Don't believe such indigestible nonsense, about a worm in a dog a tail, or under his tongue ; place no faith in having his tail bitten off; don't waste the lump of insoluble brimstone in his water. Don't upbraid your dog for his indifference, if you allow him half-a-dozen masters. Don't administer more punishment to him than is absolutely necessary, and never forget to make it up with him after a scourging. Never let a faux pass unrebuked, nor a transgression unpardoned. Let puppies have plenty of exercise, and see that your watch dog has a staple, chain, collar and spring, that arc perfectly reliable. Be careful to give cool shade in summer, and warm shelter in winter.
 
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