Supposing you have started by buying a puppy, if you would rear him well you must be prepared to go to some trouble in the matter. I once sold a couple of puppies for a comparatively small figure, whose owners went to considerable pains over them. The result was that both were beautifully reared, and one changed hands at £100 when he was about a year old, and the other, becoming a champion, was fairly valued at a good deal more. If they had been neglected in puppy hood they would not have been worth more shillings than they were pounds in actuality. Time after time has the value of good rearing been impressed upon me by concrete cases. No matter how well you may start you will be disappointed in the end if your feeding and exercising are wrong, and you will probably blame the breeder for having foisted a waster upon you when the fault lies at home. The thing is not really very difficult, and if you follow the few homely hints that I purpose giving you, you should be about right.

First of all, bear in mind that winter puppies require more attention than those whelped in the spring. Warmth is essential to the well-being of young life, and no puppy can thrive that is kept in a cold and damp place. Any one keeping a number of dogs would naturally have a kennel for puppies warmed by preference by one of the excellent anthracite stoves, which give great heat with economy of fuel and attention. I have no hesitation in recommending anthracite, as it burns for many hours without attention, and works out at a very moderate cost. Accommodation can usually be found for a single youngster sufficiently warm to answer all practical purposes. Toy dogs frequently have a large room in the house assigned to them, but it is not always easy to find winter quarters for puppies which give plenty of room for exercise, for you may take it for granted that many inclement days will prevent that outdoor liberty so desirable. An ideal environment is a country place in which the coming champion may wander about as he pleases, sleep when tired, and then roam about again. Such surroundings are, however, not always available, and it is satisfactory to know that many good dogs are well and truly raised each year under circumstances far more disadvantageous. A puppy that is well fed and kept under congenial conditions will sleep well and play well, and it will indeed be unfortunate if he does not develop properly also. Although it is unwise to overtax a puppy's strength, I am a believer in getting them accustomed to going out regularly each day, and it is surprising how soon they become handy enough to follow one, even in busy traffic.

The bigger breeds require infinite care to prevent them going wrong on their legs, for the heavier they are the more likely is the soft bone to become crooked. Some people aver that it is impossible to rear puppies of the larger breeds in kennels, and that they must be sent out to walk. You have first to find your ideal walker, and that is a thing I have not yet succeeded in doing. It is very rarely that I have found this plan work satisfactorily in my own experience, puppies that I have sent into the country to be walked almost invariably coming back under-sized, or crooked, or with bad coats. The common opinion seems to be that the little stranger can fend for himself so long as he has one or two substantial meals of bread and milk. Unfortunately this happy-go-lucky method is rarely satisfactory. Of course, if you are merely keeping one or two puppies as pets they will remain under your charge, and you will be a poor workman if you cannot grow them in a proper manner.

The usual time for weaning puppies is about the fifth week, although in some cases it is necessary to begin still earlier. Do not wait, however, until this age before giving first lessons in feeding. At the third week the little creatures may be taught to lap some warmed cow's milk, adulterated by about equal parts of water, and you may also accustom them to the taste of broth. By the fourth week, as a rule, you will find it desirable to reinforce the mother's milk by one or two regular meals of milk from the dairy, diluted with water, and, of course, warmed, care being taken that only small quantities are allowed at a time. Complete weaning should take place from the fifth to the sixth week, the best procedure being to withdraw the dam at increasing intervals during the day, and it will no longer be necessary to reduce the strength of the milk by the addition of water. At the sixth week the diet may consist of one meal of plain milk, another of broth, and either of these liquids thickened with stale bread well soaked and broken up, well-cooked rice, broken puppy biscuits thoroughly softened, or finely shredded meat. The addition of a little green stuff to the broth is to be recommended. For big puppies, in whom size is a desideratum, a good quantity of meat is, in my opinion, absolutely necessary, although I read a letter recently from a hunting man who objected to this theory on the ground that meat-fed puppies succumb more easily to distemper. I do not think that the views of this gentleman would be endorsed by experienced breeders who aim at getting size and bone.

Remember that little and often is the precept always drilled into the beginner, and do not account me a faddist if I assert that up to the tenth week it is wisest to give six meals a day. A puppy cannot with advantage take much at a time, and on no account should he be allowed to eat until his stomach is distended. You want his legs to be straight and strong, and set on clean at the shoulder, and this result cannot be attained if he overweights himself at mealtimes. The over-fed puppy, as soon as he has done feeding, becomes sluggish and sleepy, whereas a healthy one should sleep and play alternately all the day. If puppies are continuously lying about, you may conclude that something is wrong. Again, assuming that the puppies are not of a toy breed, and that bone and substance are wanted, about the sixth week I should start adding a little precipitated phosphate of lime to one meal a day - say a level tea-spoonful to every three puppies. Increase this to twice a day by the second month, and double the quantity. Let each meal, too, become stiffer in consistency and contain less liquid. Although there is no truth in the belief that cow's milk breeds worms, it is certain that it may encourage the multiplication of these pests by aiding the secretion of mucus in the stomach, in which they thrive. Small quantities of cod-liver oil or Parrish's food are helpful when the youngsters are not thriving, but it is necessary to watch the effect of the former, owing to its laxative tendencies. By the tenth week the number of meals may be reduced to four daily, and by the fourth or fifth month to three. Raw meat may be given with advantage now, and broken biscuits are also to be recommended.