Selection of Dogs

Unlike the horse it is un­fortunately almost impossible to tell the age of a dog after from six to eight months old. When the dog arrives on approval the first thing to do is examine his mouth. An animal with discolored, cankered, or decayed teeth should at once be re­jected, as these signs are indicative of ill-health or extreme old age. A healthy dog should have teeth white and clean, even up to eight or nine years old. An experienced person can distinguish at a glance the difference between puppy and adult teeth.

A favorite minor fraud in those breeds in which diminutive size is a coveted feature is to palm off a few-weeks-old puppy as a half or full-grown dog, and although such a crude deception would not for one instant mislead the expert it no doubt occasionally victimizes the novice. There is one sure guide on which the latter can always rely. An adult dog when he has acquired his full mouth has forty-two teeth; a puppy has only twenty-eight teeth in his milk set; so that by counting the teeth the difficulty vanishes.   

Some breeds get very gray about the muzzle after three years of age, and this and other slight indications are all that can be relied on to give us a hint that the animal is not the age he is represented to be.

The skin of the dog should be well searched to see that it is clean, i.e. free from lice. As it is almost impossible to get rid of these pests once they are thoroughly established it is inadvisable to buy a dog so infected. Round and on the ears, chest, etc., are the most important places to look. Fleas are comparatively harmless.

The feet of all dogs, but particularly sporting breeds, should be carefully examined, and if the animal is not thoroughly well haired between the toes it should be rejected. Further details are given on this point in the last chapter under "Sore feet." If a dog can pass these tests, is a good feeder, and in other respects meets his intending purchaser's requirements, we may presume that he will turn out a satisfactory animal.

Yahoo! News Search Results for dog
Yahoo! News Search Results for dog

Dog owner sought after swan attack
A DOG owner is being hunted after a mute swan was found with severe bite injuries at Port Seton in East Lothian.
Dog day afternoon
No prairie dog left behind. That was the golden rule for the seasonal, volunteer and full-time employees working in the Thunder Basin National Grassland to ? for the first time on U.S. Forest Service land ? humanely trap and relocate hundreds of black-tailed prairie dogs this summer.
Dog Dazer Ultrasonic Dog Deterrent
After reading Robin?s post yesterday about her dog being attacked by off-leash dogs, I remembered seeing the Dog Dazer while surfing the Sky Mall site. The Dog Dazer emits a high-frequency sound that?s painful to dog?s ears, but inaudible to humans. Use a 1-2 second burst to startle and hopefully deter a threatening dog from [...] Filed in categories: News , Pet Gadgets , Spotlight Gadgets ...
Dog jumps into Mount Haley Township home, shot by resident
A dog that jumped through a home's screen and was shot by theresident survived the ordeal, according to sheriff's deputies.
Dog owners unleash protest over orders
Dog owners turned out in force to protest at dog control orders imposed by Tameside Council. Around 100 converged on Dukinfield Park with pooches of all breeds and sizes. Owners are angry that dogs have to be kept on leashes no more than two metres long which they say restricts the exercise their pets receive and they want more spaces where they can roam free.
Dog Owners Tail Gate in Fairmont
About 30 dog owners attended.
?Dog Boy? pleads guilty in mah-jongg extortion
The ?Dog Boy? of Chinatown is no fan of gambling. On Wednesday, Michael ?Dog Boy? Tsan pleaded guilty in federal court to extortion charges after shaking down a mah-jongg parlor owner for protection money. On March 19, Tsan went into the Chinatown business and ?asked for the...
Dog Saves Owners From a Fire in Colebrook (Web First)
COLEBROOK ? A dog alerted his owners to a fire in their Colebrook home Monday morning, and saved their lives, but did not escape with them.
Dog owners want town to loosen leash at beach
EASTHAM ? It depends on which side of the Dog Beach debate you stand on as to whether this was a good summer to head down to Dyer Prince Beach.
Dog lover fears being hounded out of business
A DOG lover fears he could be forced to shut down a makeshift café he runs to raise money for charity. (02/09/2010 09:19:37)