Transcriber’s Notes:
Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).
Additional Transcriber’s Notes are at the end.
* * * * *
DOGS AS HOME COMPANIONS
* * * * *
Dogs _as_ Home Companions
_A BOOK FOR ALL
DOG LOVERS_
BY
A. F. HOCHWALT
AUTHOR OF
“Dogcraft,” “The Pointer and the Setter in America,”
“The Modern Pointer,” “The Modern Setter,” “The
Working Dog and His Education,” “Practical
Dog Keeping for the Amateur,” “The Airedale
for Work and Show,” “Arrows of
Ambition,” etc.
1922
SPORTSMAN’S DIGEST
Cincinnati, Ohio
* * * * *
Copyright, 1922
SPORTSMAN’S DIGEST
All Rights Reserved
* * * * *
DEDICATION.
To all the many men, women and children scattered about over all the
world, who love dogs and keep one or more as their home companions.
“_And in that town a dog was found,
As many dogs there be,
Both mongrel, puppy, whelp and hound
And curs of low degree._”--_Goldsmith._
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Suitable Breeds. Group One--Toys 1
CHAPTER II.
Suitable Breeds. Group Two--Terriers 16
CHAPTER III.
Suitable Breeds. Group Three--Medium-Sized Dogs 45
CHAPTER IV.
Housing Problems 67
CHAPTER V.
Becoming Acquainted--Early Lessons 76
CHAPTER VI.
The Food Question--When to Feed--Frequency of Feeding--Water 87
CHAPTER VII.
Exercise--Grooming--Washing 94
CHAPTER VIII.
If Sickness Comes 105
* * * * *
Dogs as Home Companions
BY A. F. HOCHWALT.
INTRODUCTION.
Most people are interested in dumb animals, but every normal person
loves a dog; it is the heritage of the ages. The man or the woman who
hates a good dog is abnormal. There is something fundamentally wrong in
their psychical makeup. How often we hear of people of this class who
say they can see nothing friendly or desirable in any dog; that they
are all alike; vicious and treacherous. The story of the man who writes
articles in newspapers and pamphlets advocating the destruction of all
dogs because they are a menace to mankind is a common one in every part
of the world. A story is told of one of this class--a New England money
lender--who took great pains to besmirch the character of the dog in
public and private. His contention was that any dog would bite, and
as proof, circulated a story that a little nondescript dog actually
followed him aboard a street car and bit a piece out of his leg!
Perhaps this is the truth and on the other hand, it may be manufactured
out of the whole cloth, but it is to be hoped that it is so, for it
only proves what keen perceptions dogs have. Every dog recognizes his
friends among humankind with one glance at a person’s face. The dog
is a better student of human nature than any other animal--biped or
otherwise--and the dog that shuns one person and loves another knows
from instinct and perception how to distribute his likes and dislikes.
Therefore, those who see nothing but viciousness in the canine race
have no one but themselves to blame; the dog knows his enemies at
sight. To that class who are dog haters, this book is not addressed and
they are advised to lay it aside before going farther.
There are many, however, who love dogs, who understand them and
appreciate their many good qualities, for Dogs as Home Companions, have
been cherished since time immemorial. A dog is like one of the family
in many a household, for those who really understand him are aware that
mentally he is not far removed from the human race, and emotionally is
practically the latter’s equal.
Perhaps some may smile at this assertion, but nevertheless it is a fact.
This book is for the dog lover; not he who raises dogs for show
purposes or as a commercial pursuit, though that is a most laudable
enterprise, but he who loves the companionship of an intelligent dog
and appreciates him for his real qualities as a home companion. As
guardian of the house, a faithful ally to share in the joys and the
sorrows of the household; or as a boon companion of the children. In
short, a dog which is, to all intents and purposes, “one of us.”
There are many people in the world, of this class, and as many more who
would have a dog, if they knew how to keep one, for deep down in their
subconsciousness the love of the dog is there. To those, this book may
be of help; it may prove that a dog in the home is like a regenerating
influence; and many a family needs regeneration.
There are still many more who feel that they would like a dog for home
and children if one could be kept in the city in a satisfactory manner.
It is true that the dweller in flats could not have a St. Bernard or
a Great Dane tagging about with him, but in many a flat small dogs
are harbored and live their lives in the companionship of their human
friends as happily, if not more so, than those dogs which live in
kennels.
I have no brief for the hot-house dog, however, or those that are not
living at least part of the time in the open, if it is necessary to
give him the entire run of the house, the best chairs to lounge upon
day and night, or perchance, the center of a nice, clean counterpane
in the best bedroom. That is not my idea of keeping a dog, but
nevertheless there is no reason why any person should live a dogless
life simply because his home is in the city.
The dog lover, intending to become the owner of the dog, should first
consider the facilities he has for keeping one and after the pros and
cons have been carefully gone over, when a thorough inventory of the
situation has been taken, then he should decide what breed is best
suited for his particular case. That is the object of this book; to
investigate the various breeds suitable for city life, to point out the
best way to care for the dog in health and in disease and to give such
little hints about dog keeping that the novice or one-dog owner may put
to good use under any contingency that may arise during the life of his
pet.
CHAPTER I. _Suitable Breeds. Group One--Toys._
Much depends upon the environment of the prospective dog owner, as
to what breed he may satisfactorily adopt for his home. Dwellers in
city flats or those living where yard room is circumscribed by narrow
limits, could not think of a St. Bernard, a Great Dane, a bloodhound,
or, even the medium-sized breeds, consequently it becomes manifest
that he must make his choice from among the toys or smaller varieties.
Suburbanites and others living on country places, on the other hand,
may prefer a more serviceable-looking dog than the diminutive, but
alert specimens that come under the head of toys, consequently, to aid
the novice in making his selection of a suitable canine home companion,
I have classified the most popular breeds in groups according to their
size and general characteristics.
[Illustration: THE PEKINGESE SPANIEL, TY TOU.]
Pre-eminent among the small varieties is the fashionable _Pekingese_.
He is, in the strict classification a toy, it is true. The reader may
sneer at the word “toy” and fancy that the Peke, as he is popularly
called, is as useless and difficult to rear as the proverbial hot-house
plant, but such is not the case. He is a hard, strong, easy-to-raise
animal, and one of the gamest for his inches of any breed in existence.
His shaggy mane, resembling that of a lion, his dark markings about
muzzle and eyes, and his tawny coat, together with his sturdy frame,
suggest a big little dog, and he is all of that. He makes an excellent
watch dog, because he is always keen and alert and the slightest noise
day or night will cause him to give the signal by his loud and rather
raucous bark. There is something formidable looking about the Peke as
he approaches the stranger, who dares invade the sacred precincts of
his mistress or master, and as an alarm there are few small dogs that
are superior.
The Pekingese sprang into popularity within the last twenty years,
though he is said to be one of the oldest of Chinese breeds, from
which country he was introduced into England and then to America where
he soon became the vogue, and some of the wealthy people of the East
paid almost fabulous figures for good specimens. While prices are now
more within reason for good specimens, the Peke cannot be classed as
a “poor man’s dog,” although it is possible, nowadays, to go to some
of the kennels making this breed a specialty and buy a “waster” at
a reasonable figure. By waster is meant a specimen that, while true
to his blood characteristics and in every sense as well bred as the
winners, is not good enough to win on the bench. The person buying a
Peke for a companion only, however, will get as much satisfaction in
owning a well-bred non-winner as he probably would if he had a great
champion. At the present time the fancy is breeding them as small
as possible and the larger ones are not in as great demand, though
they often come weighing as high as eighteen pounds when matured. The
novice dog-owner would not find a fifteen to eighteen-pound Pekingese
objectionable, however, for a house dog, though as a show performer
he would likely be unnoticed. As a matter of fact, the fancy is
now breeding them so small that their usefulness as a house dog is
practically bred away. In buying specimens of this breed for house
companions I would suggest one going over the ten-pound weight. First
because breeders will always gladly dispose of those that “come large”
at a more reasonable figure, and secondly because they are more hardy
and useful. It is the under ten-pound weight specimens that are the
show dogs, and the smaller the better, it seems.
The _Pomeranian_ is another dog which came into popularity within the
past quarter of a century and is a close second to the Peke as a show
dog today. The Pomeranian is a smaller edition of the old-time white
Spitz dogs which were so popular about forty or fifty years ago. In
breeding them down to the present size I have my doubts of the good
that was accomplished, though there is no gainsaying the fact that a
good Pomeranian of the very small type is a “foxy” specimen in the
show ring. They come in all colors; black, sable white, blue mottled
and in fact, in any shade imaginable. Indeed it has been said that
the fashionable thing nowadays for ladies is to have a Pom of every
shade to match their gowns, though this is somewhat overdrawn,
notwithstanding the numerous colors to be obtained.
The novice, buying a Pom for a companion only, and not for show, will
be able to secure one of the larger specimens at a reasonable price
much more readily than he would the very small ones, for, as in the
case of the Pekes, the smaller the dog the better the show specimen,
though naturally the animal must possess show points. “Foxy” in
appearance describes the Pomeranian to a nicety. With full, fluffy
coat, bushy tail, carried over an extremely short back, sharp nose,
snappy, small black eyes and an erect ear, he is in every sense of
the word a dog with a fox-like expression. At shows they are usually
classified as dogs not exceeding eight pounds and those over this
weight, though the larger the dog, the less chances he has of winning.
For utility purposes, the overweight dogs will answer as well, if
not better than the extremely small show specimens. Pomeranians, if
properly reared, after once attaining maturity are usually hardy.
[Illustration: THE BLENHEIM SPANIEL, CH. ROLLO.]
The _English Toy Spaniel_, though a very handsome, long-coated animal,
is not quite so popular as the two foregoing breeds, but they are as
easily reared, provided they do not come from stock that has been
pampered by generations of coddling. The breed is divided into four
varieties: the Blenheim, or white and orange; the Prince Charles, or
tri-color (white, black and tan); the ruby, or red; and the King
Charles, or black and tan. All are equally handsome, but as a rule
they are not as alert, or active, nor do I think as intelligent, as
some of the other breeds, though there are exceptions and I have seen
specimens of these varieties, reared in out-door kennels and accustomed
to exercising in the open, winter and summer, that proved to be hardy
and as active as a sporting spaniel. This is the exception rather than
the rule, however, for many specimens will be encountered that are very
poor movers.
The _Japanese Spaniel_ at one time gave indications of becoming a very
popular toy breed, but was superseded by the Pekes and Poms. No doubt
much of this was due to the fact that the Japs are not a particularly
hardy breed, they are more of the real lap-dog genus than most any of
the toy varieties; they lack in action and seem to be well content to
lie in a basket of silk cushions most of their lives, or preferably
in the laps of their fond mistresses. In appearance they resemble
somewhat the English Toy Spaniels, though less sprightly, as a general
thing. The Jap carries his tail or plume over his back while that of
the toy spaniel is docked. The color, according to the standard, may
be black and white, red and white, or parti-colored. The term red in
this instance includes all shades of sable, brindle, lemon and orange,
but the brighter the colors the more desirable the specimen. The white
ground should be a pure chalk white, not of the milky or creamy color
often seen in other breeds. At large shows the classification is
divided under seven pounds and over seven pounds, and it may be readily
observed that a Japanese spaniel under seven pounds will not make a
very formidable guardian of the home.
The _Toy Poodle_, while never taking the dog-world by storm, has held
his own for many years. He is a very active dog, inclined to be cross
and snappy very frequently, and therefore an uncertain equation with
children, but he is very keen and the slightest noise will attract his
attention. The standard calls for dogs under ten pounds in weight for
the toy varieties, though there is a large poodle, which, however, does
not come within the scope of this group. The toy poodle, while not as
hardy as some breeds, can nevertheless stand considerable hardships and
when he is reared like his larger brethren and not petted and pampered
until health and vitality are gone, he is an easy dog to keep. The
greatest objection some have to him is, that because his coat is white
he is difficult to care for, which to a certain extent, is the truth.
His coat should be curly, but wiry in texture. In action the dog is
quick, proud and graceful.
The _Italian Greyhound_ is another old breed; in fact he is one of the
oldest among the toys. He is in every sense of the word, a miniature
greyhound and good specimens are extremely graceful. Because of his
short coat and his generally slight appearance he is a dog that will
not permit of much exposure, though those who breed them say that
the Italian greyhound will stand the cold and the inclement winter of
the north as well as any of the toy breeds, which statement is rather
doubtful. For a clean, neat dog about the house, however, he is very
commendable. In the matter of intelligence he does not grade up with
some of the other varieties described, although he is very alert and
watchful.
The _Toy Black and Tan Terrier_ is another breed that is rather
difficult to rear, although his short black and tan soft coat commends
him as an indoor dog, for he is clean at all times and only a slight
brushing once a day will keep him in condition. They have been breeding
this variety so small that most of the specimens seen at the present
time, have become apple-headed and they are as lacking in intelligence
as they are in appearance. However, a black and tan weighing over ten
pounds makes an excellent dog, many of them becoming keen ratters,
though it is to be understood that the small ones would not do for
that purpose. Personally, if I wished to have a black and tan at all,
I should take the Manchester, of which the toy black and tan is a
miniature. The breed is not very popular in this country or England at
the present time.
Among the toy terrier varieties must be included also, the _Yorkshire_,
the _Maltese_ and the kindred varieties. These are very pretty
specimens for the fancier of oddities, but they require untold care to
keep them in condition, both as to coat and flesh, hence the time spent
upon them as house companions is scarcely worth the returns that one
obtains.
The _Brussel Griffon_ is another foreign dog that seemed to evoke
considerable interest some years ago, but this breed also is an oddity.
He is a monkey-faced, hard-coated dog with the pronounced whisker and
the general wire appearance of broken-coated terriers. His weight
ranges to nine pounds as the maximum for “big” dogs, while for the
smaller varieties, it is six pounds. It may readily be seen from this
that the breed is more ornamental than useful, but a livelier, more
active little dog cannot be imagined than this diminutive griffon whose
place of origin is said to be Belgium.
[Illustration: THE SCHIPPERCKE, TOGO.]
Another Belgian dog is the _Schippercke_, a terrier-like animal of
about ten pounds in weight. Very fiery and quick to take offense, he
is not a suitable dog for children, but as a watch dog he will give
the alarm at the slightest noise; furthermore, he is not averse to
backing up his bark with his bite. He is a very faithful dog, and
once he becomes attached to one person or a family, he will remain
faithful unto death. That is one of the features that appeals to most
of us and one is apt to forgive his shortcomings. Very few kennels are
now breeding this variety in America. The dog is black in color, with
a wiry-like coat, and a well pronounced mane. His nose is sharp, his
eyes small and black and his ears erect. The dog is a tailless variety;
although only a small percentage of the puppies are born with this
mutilation. The others have their tails removed, or gouged out when
they are quite young, in fact this should be done before they leave
their dam. In selecting a puppy it is well to take one with not a show
of white hair and see that the ears are small, the back short, the coat
dense, the eyes well set, and showing that “foxy” expression which is
so characteristic of this breed and the Pomeranian.
The _Pug_, once a very popular breed, has now practically gone out of
vogue, although indications point to its resuscitation. The breed,
speaking in broad terms, is not a particularly intelligent one, though
the dog’s short coat, his cleanly habits, and his generally odd
appearance stamped him one of the favorites of three decades ago, and
it is possible that he may return to favor once more.